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According to a recent report from Tutto Mercato Web, Crystal Palace are interested in a last-gasp January move for David Okereke. The 21-year-old currently plays his football in Italy with Serie B side Spezia and has done so for almost three years, with his fine goal-scoring exploits for the Italian outfit this season seemingly attracting the interest of Eagles manager Roy Hodgson.

And that’s because a recent report from Tutto Mercato Web suggests that the Londoners are interested in a January move for the young striker, but they are also reportedly (as per TEAMtalk) keeping an eye on Middlesbrough forward Britt Assombalonga as well.

And given the latter has proven his worth in English football before, Palace should forget about Okereke and instead target a move for Assombalonga – the man who could go some way to finally ending the Eagles’ striking woes.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there is little doubting that 21-year-old Okereke is playing the best football of his career at present, what with the Nigerian striker having scored six goals and laid on eight assists in just 16 Serie B matches – in fact, he has failed to contribute directly in just five league appearances so far this term to underline his fine form in the final third of the field.

And while the young striker would arrive at Selhurst Park, were a move to happen, in fine form and ready to hit the ground running, which cannot always be said of January signings, the fact he hasn’t played at all in English football, or indeed the top-flight of Italian football, is likely to be of huge concern to Palace fans – quite simply, it remains to be seen whether he could produce the goods in England.

And while Middlesbrough’s Assombalonga also hasn’t played any football in the Premier League in his career, repeatedly scoring goals in the notoriously difficult Championship suggests that he could well provide the answer to Palace’s woes upfront.

The 26-year-old may well have struggled for regular football recently under Tony Pulis at Middlesbrough, but his 24 second tier appearances this season have still yielded seven goals, thus adding to what was already a mightily impressive record in the Championship.

In fact, the DR Congo international has now scored 52 times in just 137 appearances in the second tier for Boro and indeed Nottingham Forest, with it pretty clear that there are few more predatory goal-scorers in the Championship than Assombalonga – he has reached double figures in all of his three prior full seasons in the second tier.

And that appears to be of interest to Palace manager Hodgson given his side are reportedly (as per TEAMtalk) keeping an eye on the 26-year-old’s situation at Boro – the former England boss may well think that he is the answer to their striking problems.

Yes, there would be some risk associated with a deal for Assombalonga, what with the striker having suffered injury problems in the past alongside no prior Premier League experience, but in possessing the hallmarks of a striker who often gets in the right place at the right time, he could be the ideal man for the talented and tricky wingers of Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha to aim at in the box.

So while Okereke is in fine form and, at the tender age of 21, looks set for a bright future in the game, the Eagles simply must forget about him and instead seal a deal for £10.8 million-rated Assombalonga (as per Transfermarkt) this month.

Palace fans… what do you think? Let us know!

There have been several youngsters at Arsenal who have slipped through the net only to impress at other clubs across Europe.

Donyell Malen and Jeff-Reine Adelaide are just two examples. Both were on the books of the Gunners as youngsters, and are now regular features at PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie and Lyon in Ligue 1 respectively.

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Ismael Bennacer is another who can be added to that list. He was contracted by the north London outfit for two years before leaving for Empoli in Serie A.

Now, he is impressing at AC Milan.

Let’s have a look at exactly how he is getting on…

Time at Arsenal

As per Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old cost the Emirates side just £270,000 in 2015 from French side Arles Avignon – he had already made seven appearances for them by that time.

Originally as a member of the youth squad, he did make one appearance for the side under Arsene Wenger, in the League Cup, but that was to be the beginning and the end of his Arsenal career.

He spent one season on loan at Ligue 2 side Tours, where he scored once in 16 matches, before moving to Empoli for a fee of just £900,000. That represented a £630,000 profit, but he would prove to be worth an awful lot more in the future.

Where is he now?

It was with Empoli where he made his first real impression on European football. Immediately after signing from Arsenal, he was thrust into the first team, and played 39 out of a possible 42 matches in Serie B as Gli Azzurri earned themselves promotion to the top flight.

He was a regular once again amongst the elite. He would miss just one match during the 2018/19 season, and was a reliable rock in the middle of the park – he averaged 2.6 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per match. That was not quite enough to help Empoli survive in Serie A, but they can consider themselves desperately unlucky to be relegated with 38 points.

Last summer, he introduced himself to a wider audience. As Algeria won the African Cup of Nations, he played all but 33 minutes, providing three assists as well. Those displays contributed to him being nominated for the African Player of the Year award alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Whilst his side dropped down a division, he would end up staying in the top tier.

AC Milan decided to pay €16m (£14.4m) for his services, with Arsenal turning down the chance to re-sign him in the process. He was one of the Rossoneri’s best performers, amassing an average WhoScored rating of 7.02 before the league was suspended due to the current worldwide pandemic.

Now valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, his departure could be one Arsenal live to regret.

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez put on another brilliant display as his side strolled to a dominant 6-1 victory at the expense of relegation-threatened Aston Villa, resulting in these football fans flocking to social media and hailing the ‘underrated’ star after his brace in the Midlands on Sunday evening.

Mahrez, who signed for the Sky Blues in the summer of 2018, briefly smashing their transfer record at that time for a £60 million fee from Leicester City, has been a much-improved asset since the start of this campaign. The Algerian winger has, so far, accumulated seven goals and seven assists this season – bettering his numbers in half the time when compared to his debut campaign for Pep Guardiola’s side, as per SofaScore.

Now, after scoring a brace at Villa Park which set his side on their way to securing a dominant victory, football fans, in general, have flocked to praise a brilliant showing from the African Cup of Nations winner. One even suggested he was better than Liverpool’s Mo Salah, with the former Leicester City man having averaged more shots per game, key passes and dribbles than the Egyptian according to WhoScored.

Having said all that, see some of their best reactions to the 28-year-old below.

City fans, does Mahrez deserve more recognition for his stand out contributions as of late? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]Southampton midfielder Jake Hesketh scored the winning goal for Burton Albion in their 1-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final win against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night, and Saints fans were quick to react.The 22-year-old joined the League One outfit on a loan deal until the beginning of January during the summer transfer window and has made a positive impression, scoring three goals and providing one assist in 20 appearances to date.The latest of those saw him produce a brilliant swivel and low finish from the edge of the penalty area to take the Brewers to the last four of the Carabao Cup, and he will be keen to impress his parent club’s new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl with the Austrian already showing his faith in other young players like Jan Bednarek, Yan Valery and Tyreke Johnson since taking the helm.Southampton supporters took to social media to have their say on Hesketh’s latest display, and while one said “bring him home”, another labelled him “the next Lallana”.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…

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While West Ham United finally picked up their first points and win of the Premier League season with an impressive 3-1 victory against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, there may still be some doubts over their midfield issues.

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Irons manager Manuel Pellegrini struggled to find the right formula in the opening weeks of the campaign with the likes of Declan Rice and Mark Noble failing to impress when they were on the pitch alongside regular Jack Wilshere, with Carlos Sanchez another that came under fire from his own fans on Twitter for his display in the 1-0 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this month.

It was Rice, Noble and Obiang that got the nod on Merseyside in the absence of the injured Wilshere, and while it resulted in a victory it remains to be seen whether it is the long-term answer for the east London outfit, or whether Pellegrini is content enough to not want to strengthen the area further during the January transfer window.

One person he should be targeting is a player he actually managed during his spell in charge of Manchester City – Fernando.

The 31-year-old midfielder is currently plying his trade for Galatasaray, and he produced a brilliant midfield performance in his side’s 3-0 Champions League win against Lokomotiv Moscow in Istanbul on Tuesday night.

As well as making three tackles, five interceptions and winning five aerial duels from a defensive point of view, as per WhoScored, he also showed that he can set his team on the attack too with two key passes and seven accurate long balls – something the likes of Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic could thrive on when they are countering.

Pellegrini knows the defensive stability that Fernando can bring to a team, and he should do everything to bring the Brazilian to the London Stadium in January.

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The Newcastle fans in and around the Transfer Tavern are hoping that Rafa Benitez can inspire his team again to another top ten finish in the Premier League. 

Surprisingly to some, the Magpies reached the top 10 in the Premier League last season after enduring a terrific run of form towards the back-end of the campaign. Having already secured the signing of one relegated star in the form of Ki Sung-Yueng, our punters think adding fellow relegated star Moritz Bauer of Stoke City, (who is valued at £4.5 million on Transfermarkt) will help increase their defensive stability as they bid for another successful spell in the top flight.

Having joined the Potters in January this year, Bauer, although failing to help them avoid relegation, was one of their better and more consistent players which should be looked at by a team like Newcastle. The Magpies already have more attacking options such as Javier Manquillo and DeAndre Yedlin but Moritz Bauer offers quality in both attack and defence, as he can also play left-back and right-midfield, in addition to his favoured right-back position.

With other rivals strengthening in the transfer market as well, Newcastle have to follow suit to ensure they don’t fall behind and face another season of uncertainty. The versatility of the 26-year-old is admirable and given the need for cover in both full-back positions, this could be a sensible transfer for Newcastle.

Bauer showed in his short time with Stoke that he is worthy of another Premier League opportunity as one of the brightest stars in a relegated side, so should Newcastle be taking advantage of that?

Thoughts… Let us know!

Celtic head into this summer transfer window in as strong a position as they have been in for years and years. Off the back of an unbeaten domestic treble, all Brendan Rodgers needs to do is tweak the squad for them to be a massive force again next season in Scotland.

In Europe, it’s tougher, although the progress shown by some of the squad over the last 6 months has been incredibly impressive and players like Stuart Armstrong or Callum McGregor have their chance to show what they can do on the biggest stage again.

Still, additions do need to be made and although the Hoops have significant resources by Scottish standards, their budget is dwarfed by most other teams in the UEFA Champions League.

That means they have to maximise said resources and pick up quality players on the cheap.

With that in mind we’ve compiled a list of three elite players who have been released by their clubs and who can really add something to the Hoops with their experience and ability…

Jesus Navas

Having come to the end of his contract at Manchester City, Navas is without a club, despite making 35 appearances for Pep Guardiola last season.

The right-sided player has been a regular at the Etihad over the last four seasons and leaves the club having made 183 appearances. With a stellar career at Sevilla also behind him, he has a quality and experience beyond most players at the Hoops.

Wages are of course an issue but Celtic can offer him regular football, which at the age of 31 may be welcome, and the chance to play in the UEFA Champions League.

Navas has made close to 90 appearances in UEFA competition down the years and that makes him very valuable to a club like Celtic who need experienced pros to help them progress in the group stages.

He also has a versatility to play from right-back to right-wing, making him cost effective too. The Hoops needs a replacement for Patrick Roberts and competition for Mikael Lustig and a move for Navas would kill two birds with one stone.

It would be ambitious but with the absence of a transfer fee, we don’t see why they shouldn’t at least enquire about his availability.

Martin Caceres

While he may have only made one appearance for Southampton since joining in January, central defender Martin Caceres has lots of experience at the top level of football having made over 100 appearances for Juventus in Serie A and over 100 appearances in Spanish football for Sevilla, Barcelona and Recreativo.

He’s also gained 68 caps for his country, Uruguay, playing in two World Cups and multiple Copa Americas. It’s clear he has the experience that would greatly enhance the Hoops squad.

Brendan Rodgers is hoping to make significant progress in Europe and bringing in an experienced hand could in the backline be a big step towards that, especially when you consider he has dozens of appearances in UEFA competition.

We saw the influence of Kolo Toure on the Hoops’ performances in Europe last season and while ultimately you can see his career coming to an end, at 30 years old Caceres still has plenty of seasons left in him.

Gael Clichy

Another Manchester City regular who is leaving the Etihad this summer is Gael Clichy. The 31-year-old made 37 appearances for City across last season but Pep Guardiola clearly wants to pursue other options on the left hand side of defence.

Like the others on his list, he offers an experience at the top level that could be a great asset to the Hoops next season. Kieran Tierney at 20 years old has progressed massively at Celtic but at times last season in Europe looked a little naive and off the pace, most notably against Barcelona.

Besides, bringing in a player of Clichy’s calibre would only enhance Tierney’s development as an elite left-back.

With a distinguished career with Arsenal and City behind him and having gained 20 caps for France, Clichy would likely be a star in Glasgow, giving Tierney the serious competition he needs and also perhaps even deputise on the left hand side of midfield in place of Scott Sinclair if need be.

As reported by South Korean outlet The Chosun Ilbo, Swansea City could be set to lose one of their first team midfielders with two Chinese clubs ready to offer big bucks to bring him back to Asia.

What’s the word?

In a trend that is becoming increasingly common, another big name player could be heading to China where big money is allowing clubs there to attract some of Europe’s top talent to the country.

According to The Chosun Ilbo, Andre Villas-Boas’ Shanghai IPG side are one of two clubs ready to offer “astronomical figures” to attract Sung-yueng back to Asian football. Another, Hebei, are said to also be very keen in his signature.

The Korean midfielder only has 18 months left on his contract and Swansea could face the dilemma of cashing in on the 27-year old they signed from Celtic or have him continue in the first team while running the risk that he leaves on a free transfer.

Boas’ Shanghai side already have foreign talent at the club, breaking records to sign Brazilian striker Hulk from Zenit for a reported £45m.

Last week we discussed the possibility of John Terry making a move to China when his contract at Chelsea runs out in the summer.

Ki Sung-yueng is a national icon in his homeland of South Korea and a move back to Asia would undoubtedly increase the profile of Chinese football in the region.

Would Swansea miss him?

Since joining from Celtic in 2012, Sung-yueng has shown he has what it takes to compete as a Premier League midfielder.

His passing ability is exceptional and he has the attributes to dictate the tempo of a match on his day. However he hasn’t featured much for Swansea this season, making just five starts.

Three of those have come in October under new boss Bob Bradley so there may be hope for the midfielder yet in Wales, who is currently out of action with a toe injury.

With The Swans set for a hard fought relegation battle over the next 6 months, they’ll likely need player they have to play a part at some point and Ki is no different.

Still, money talks and if one of China’s big teams come in splashing the cash then it could be the right move for all parties.

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Tottenham Hotspur’s main striker, Harry Kane, has yet to muster a league goal this campaign and their new £22m man, Son Heung-min, is unproven in the Premier League. If only they had an experienced forward on the books with a strike record anyone would be envious of. Wait, they did, and terminated his contract with mutual consent.

The man in question is, of course, Emmanuel Adebayor. Living proof that being good enough doesn’t mean you’ll be tolerated. Since joining Arsenal in 2006 his goals-to-games record has been consistently impressive. This while adapting to different styles of play and even a stint for Real Madrid in La Liga. Along with goals there has been another aspect that remains the same: Adebayor ostracizes himself and aggravates the managers.

No striker with such a tally should ever become surplus to requirements but Arsene Wenger couldn’t pack his bags quick enough. Scoring against his former club when playing for City we saw how he loves to annoy when he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate . . . in front of the Arsenal fans.

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City soon tired and the arrivals of Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli forced him out of the door. However, his goal scoring record never dipped and only Tevez initially had a claim to be above Adebayor in the pecking order. Dzeko, like Son Heung-min, was a risk from the German league and Balotelli, was, well, you know what you get with Mario.

He wasn’t free from critics in Madrid but a one in three return for a loan player, at a club known for its cliques, was a decent return. Regardless, he was sent back to Manchester where he flirted with fines for refusing to train with the development squad. Instead he went on loan to Tottenham Hotspur, after already washing his hands of his ties to the Gunners. He finished the season their top scorer on 17 goals.

All good then. Well, it should have been, but no matter how many times his shirts changed the personality remained the same. By the time Andre Villas-Boas collected his last pay-cheque at Spurs he’d expelled Adebayor to such a degree his career was effectively over at the club.

He was given a glimmer of hope by caretaker boss Tim Sherwood (that’s all he ever was despite being given an eighteen month contract) and predictably returned to scoring goals. For a second time he finished the season as Tottenham’s top scorer. Then the inevitable occurred: Sherwood was axed; the new manager took a dislike to Emmanuel.

While he’s the common denominator in all these fallouts it doesn’t mean his treatment has been fair. In any workplace there will be characters that don’t get along. It’s the job of managers to ensure these conflicts can be dealt with in a professional manner. When the problem brings so much to the table it’s often the case that the manager has to bite his tongue and put up with it. If Tottenham were winning league titles every year it’d be understandable to offload trouble.

But they aren’t.

Instead they’ve lost talent because he didn’t fit into Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. I’d have thought any plan would have included goals and Adebayor always provided them. There’s always two sides to every story, too. There’s no denying he’s an abrasive character but a talented manager learns how to handle rough edges while keeping everything else running smooth.

Remember that Arsenal celebration when playing for City? He looked like the villain even though Gunners fans had shouted racist and personal abuse all game. Much is made how he was walking around Tottenham’s training ground all smiles after being happy to train with the youth team and run down his £100,000-a-week contract. If he’d have sulked he’d have been equally criticised. This is an attempt to paint him as money grabber. What isn’t reported are the charitable efforts he pays for in Africa. He isn’t fighting to keep all the money for personal reasons, he has made commitments to those with the greatest need.

His mini-resurgence under Sherwood shows that he isn’t completely unmanageable. With a trail of so many burnt bridges it may be his former boss that provides the only remaining option if he wishes to play in any top flight again.

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Aurelien Tchouameni admits that Real Madrid's players are already discussing the potential arrival of Kylian Mbappe this summer.

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• Real heavily linked with Mbappe
• Reports suggest he has chosen to move to Spain
• Squad discussing superstar's potential arrival

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mbappe has been heavily linked with a move to the Bernabeu and recent reports have suggested that he has decided to move to the club on a free transfer this summer, when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires. Real have long been chasing the signature of the World Cup winner and Tchouameni, who plays with Mbappe for France, admits that the squad are already discussing his potential arrival, although recent reportage claims that the Spanish club may have to improve their offer to secure his signature.

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• WHAT TCHOUAMENI SAID

  He said, per Relevo: "We talk about it in the locker room, because we know that it is an important issue. This has been the case for quite a few years. So we hope that things will be resolved in the coming weeks."

  Asked if Mbappe had spoken to him about the prospect of joining Real, he replied: "To me, personally, he didn't announce anything. Besides, if he had told me, I wouldn't say it!"

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mbappe remains a vital part of PSG's project and has scored 30 goals in all competitions this season, in just 29 games. Real, by comparison, are top of La Liga and looking to once again taste Champions League glory; if they can sign Mbappe, both tasks become a little easier.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Mbappe's future will continue to dominate headlines until he actually puts pen to paper. In the meantime, Real face Rayo Vallecano this weekend, while PSG are next in action on Wednesday, against Real Sociedad in the Champions League.