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Crystal Palace could be in line for a boost ahead of next season as uncertainty over their managerial position rumbles on…

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, Eagles boss Roy Hodgson “could leave” Selhurst Park at the end of the current campaign and the south-east London outfit have two names atop their wishlist.

Steve Parish’s main targets are said to be former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, who was sacked back in January after 18 months in charge, and former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, who has been out of work since leaving Nice in December.

Hodgson’s contract is set to expire in June but the 73-year-old isn’t in a rush to make an announcement on his future.

Boost for Parish

This is one step closer to knowing about the immediate future of Palace and the fact that Hodgson himself is still remaining coy on it could suggest that he’ll depart come to the summer and that he’s simply looking to avoid any distractions by making an official announcement.

It means Parish will get a proper chance to get planning ahead of next season, which will be a huge boost to their chances of success and improving on their likely mid-table finish.

If the veteran manager is to leave Palace, the chairman now has plenty of time to find his successor, especially as Hodgson has guided them to a safe position this season.

Whilst we do not officially know whether the former England boss will stay or go, the fact that he’s getting closer and closer towards his contract expiring speaks volumes, and it seems more and more likely that he’ll be heading for the exit.

Many supporters have felt a lack of ambition from the club under the 73-year-old, so this will be music to their ears, especially as this squad has plenty of young talent with bags of potential that could give any new boss an exciting foundation to build upon.

Lampard, for example, has a proven track record, fully bringing through the likes Mason Mount, Reece James and Tammy Abraham into the Blues’ first-team and he could be the one to elevate the games of the likes of Eberechi Eze or Tyrick Mitchell that little further.

And that should have those Palace fans buzzing.

With only five games left remaining, we’ll soon see how the Eagles will be looking heading into 2021/22.

AND in other news, “Palace are looking to get him” – Exclusive: Pundit drops transfer hint on £60k-p/w PL star…

An update has emerged on Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, regarding Newcastle United’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Tuttosport, via Sport Witness, the Magpies are keen on a potential deal for the attacker ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Serie A side are looking for a fee as high as €60m (£51m) for the forward, with Tottenham and Juventus also said to be eyeing him up.

Fans would be buzzing

PIF must ensure that they are able to secure a deal to sign Vlahovic either in January or next summer. If Fiorentina refuse to let him go in the winter window then they must bide their time before making a swoop at the end of the season as he could be a terrific signing for the club.

The fans would surely be buzzing with this move as the attacker has been in sensational form for Fiorentina since the start of last season and could provide a lift in quality in the squad.

Serie A expert Connor Clancy lauded the Serbian as a ‘complete number nine’ earlier this year. He told This is Futbol: “[He’s] Incredible, and it really caught me by surprise because I’d seen him play in the flesh a few times and he scored a great goal against Inter and there was a lot of hype in Florence about him. People were saying this guy’s the real deal and I just couldn’t see it.

“He’s just a complete number nine and I know it’s just off the back of one season, but he’s strong, can link play up, can hold the ball up and most importantly, he’s scoring goals. He’s one of those players that when he looks confident, you almost expect him to score every time he plays.”

Since the start of last season, Vlahovic has bagged 29 goals in 46 Serie A starts for the Italian side, with 12 goals in 17 starts for club and country this term. He has proven himself to be a reliable goalscorer for Fiorentina and has plenty of potential to grow at the tender age of 21.

Therefore, he could be a player who is able to come in and make an instant impact with his goals whilst also holding room to develop further. He could be a sublime addition in the short term, due to his impressive record, and a long-term investment by PIF, which is what could excite Newcastle fans and leave them enthralled with the possibility of him arriving at St. James’ Park.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Darlow: “Unbelievable” £74k-p/w NUFC flop failed Jones vs Brighton…

Celtic’s woes in the Europa League continued last week as they were hammered 4-0 by Bayer Leverkusen on their own turf.

This came after they lost 4-3 to Real Betis in their opening group stage match, with Ange Postecoglou’s side now facing an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout stages.

One player who has struggled in Europe in recent seasons and featured against Leverkusen is defensive midfielder Nir Bitton. In 24 minutes against the Bundesliga side, the 29-year-old lost half of his duels and won possession back once, whilst giving the ball away six times.

The Israel international has been a terrific servant for Celtic over the years. He joined from Ashdod in 2013 and has made 241 appearances for the club in the subsequent eight years, including 153 times in the Scottish Premiership for the Hoops.

A major issue he has had throughout his career in Scotland is his availability. He has been out of action for 12 different reasons since joining Celtic, ranging from the ongoing pandemic to groin injuries and problems with his knee. This has restricted him to less than 20 Premiership appearances in each campaign since the 2016/17 season.

Despite that, his value from August 2018 to January 2019 stood at a respectable £1.80m, according to Transfermarkt. Less than three years later, however, Bitton’s value now stands at £720k and has been steadily declining in the intervening period – dropping four times since January 2019.

This means that his value has plummeted by 60% in under three years, despite being in what should be the prime years of his career as a holding midfielder. It’s hardly a surprise, therefore, that he’s been dubbed a “walking joke” by popular Celtic platform, Bhoys Analytics.

His performances in the Europa League, along with his injuries, may have played a part in his valuation flopping in recent years. He averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.72 across five games in the 2019/20 edition of the competition, making one tackle and interception combined per game.

The following year, he averaged a score of 6.63 in three appearances as the overall quality of his displays lowered, despite him averaging 2.7 tackles and interceptions per match. This suggests that he was not performing to a high enough standard in the Europa League, irrespective of any accomplishments domestically, and that could hint at why his price has been falling.

He has struggled on the pitch in Europe and off the pitch in terms of his availability and there are no signs to suggest he is on the way back up. Could it be time for Celtic to part ways with the midfielder?

AND in other news, Postecoglou provides fresh injury update that should excite Celtic supporters…

Many Glasgow Rangers slammed the performance of Alfredo Morelos despite scoring in their 3-0 win at home to Dundee on Saturday afternoon.

In fairness, the Colombia international took his goal well, bulldozing his way through the visitors’ defence before slotting the ball into the net with his left foot.

However, some home fans were still frustrated by his overall performance, as he lost out on six of his duels and only scored once from his eight shots on goal in total (SofaScore).

He was also guilty of giving the ball away 13 times in the match, the joint-fifth most out of any of his teammates on the pitch (SofaScore), and hopefully the goal will give him confidence to perform better in their next fixture.

Rangers fans slam Morelos

These Gers fans slammed Morelos’ performance on Twitter, with one Light Blues supporter going as far as to claim that he was ‘awful’ today despite scoring:

“Morelos has had an absolute stinker here today!!! Awful”

Credit: @alston2_kev

“Morelos only tries in Europe, time for Alegria to step up to the 1st team”

Credit: @Giovani2021Ward

“No celebration when Rangers score from Morelos, body language is terrible. Still like a huffy child sometimes. His best has come and gone”

Credit: @AlanWyseDJ

“Morelos’ finishing is depressing.”

Credit: @Greg_1872

“Morelos’ body language is very lazy right now. Would hook him for Roofe at HT”

Credit: @rosscofaz

“Morelos is dreadful man”

Credit: @wullieboy78

In other news, find out whose display against Hibernian was slammed by some Gers fans

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Dean Windass has praised Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard’s “attitude” and “application” during his loan spell at West Ham.

Following just three appearances for Manchester United in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, the England attacker was loaned out to the Hammers in January and has made a significant impact during his first month at the London Stadium.

Lingard enjoyed a dream debut when scoring twice in the victory at Aston Villa before netting the winner in West Ham’s London derby win over Tottenham.

The United loanee then assisted Michail Antonio against Manchester City on Saturday to take his goal contributions to four in just five matches, which doesn’t include the penalty he won in the Sheffield United game.

Lingard hadn’t been used in the Premier League by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all season – with the 5 ft 9 man’s last United start coming on New Year’s Day last year.

But when speaking to FFC, Windass was full of praise for Lingard despite his lack of opportunities at Old Trafford prior to his move. He said:

“It’s testament to his application and his desire to prove [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer wrong. And Ole has probably said to him ‘go prove to me, and come back pre-season and then you know, then you’re back on the list again, and you’re back in my thoughts again’.

“Some players sulk, some players go ‘well you don’t want me’. But he’s obviously kept himself in peak condition whilst he’s not being playing. He’s probably played a lot of bounce games behind closed doors, and probably asked to play a lot of bounce games – I used to when I got injured, I’d ask to play the reserves before I started getting back in there in the first-team to get up to speed so I don’t look stupid. So testament to the kid, his attuite has been spot on and it shows now. 

“And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be on the phone with him saying ‘brilliant, well done, keep it going’. If West Ham then decide to take him permanently, then it’s up to the two clubs.

“But at the minute, Ole, Moyesy, will be going ‘you carry on the way you are and at the end of the season you make a decision’. West Ham might want to buy him permanently, Jesse might want to go back to Manchester United and go ‘I want to prove it to you gaffer that I want to be in Man United’s team again’, but he’s not doing himself any harm at the minute.”

Fair play to Lingard. Following the best part of five months without playing, he’s come in at West Ham, knuckled down and is reaping the rewards on the pitch.

There’s never a bad time to be playing well, but with the European Championships around the corner, and a manager in Gareth Southgate that trusts him following his exploits at the 2018 World Cup, who knows where Lingard’s form might lead him to.

Aston Villa transfer target Michael Olise delivered a masterclass in Reading’s Championship clash against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend.

Reports back in January suggested that the France U18 international is in the sights of Dean Smith as he looks to rejuvenate his squad with younger talent.

And on Saturday against the Owls, the £7.2m-rated Olise showed exactly why Villa must be firmly after him in the summer transfer window.

Aside from opening the scoring with a spot-kick in the first-half, the 19-year-old showed off his impressive creativity and ability to beat players with his close control and trickery.

He completed two out of the three dribbles that he attempted – the highest of any Reading player – and also provided three key passes too – again, the highest of any Royal.

The teenager also showed he could do his work defensively, making two tackles and three clearances, while he showed he’s not someone who will get easily bullied off the ball either, winning an impressive five of his six ground duels – only Reading’s left-back and holding midfielder won more.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for Berkshire Live, Jonathan Low noted: “Kept his cool from the spot to give Reading the lead. A constant menace for Wednesday as he delivered plenty of teasing crosses into the box from open play. His set-pieces, although better than in previous weeks, still need improvement.”

Hailed as “super-talented” by Reading boss Veljko Paunović, the 19-year-old has already earned rave reviews for his ability, with his former manager at the Royals, Jose Gomes, adding: “Michael is really special. He can see, even before receiving the ball, more options than regular players. His technical ability and speed, decision capacity is really, really good.”

With Barkley woefully out of form in recent weeks, Olise appears to be showing just what Villa could get if they opted to make a move for the young Reading man this summer instead of completing a permanent deal for the Chelsea star.

Meanwhile, this Villa man was shocking vs Wolves…

West Ham United will make the short trip to west London to take on Chelsea this afternoon as the Hammers look to boost their chances of a top-six finish in the Premier League.

The Blues already look set to finish third in the league whilst the Irons’ fate is still uncertain with Wolves and Manchester United also in the hunt for sixth place.

David Moyes’ men will take confidence from the fact that they beat Thomas Tuchel’s side 3-2 in the reverse fixture with every remaining game now vital for the east London club.

With a crunch first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Frankfurt on Thursday, will the Scotsman prioritise Europe and look to make changes against Chelsea? Here is how Football FanCast expects the Hammers to line up.

West Ham XI: Fabianski, Johnson, Dawson, Alese, Cresswell, Soucek, Rice, Bowen, Lanzini, Benrahma, Antonio

As expected there’s no change in goal as Lukasz Fabianski continues his role as league goalkeeper whilst there’s a major change in the defence with Issa Diop now ruled out with an ankle injury.

With Craig Dawson the only fit senior centre-back, we expect Moyes to finally give an opportunity to exciting youngster Aji Alese.

The 6 foot 3 Nigerian has been excellent for the Hammers’ U23s this season and was described as “gold dust” by Tom Edwards on the We Are West Ham Podcast.

Moreover, the 21-year-old is a left-footed centre-back so should slot in next to Dawson perfectly as he gears up to make a potential Premier League debut.

Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice are set to continue their partnership in front of the back four whilst there is another change in the attacking midfield trio with Moyes playing his usual 4-2-3-1 set-up.

Nikola Vlasic was handed a rare league start against Burnley last weekend and failed to deliver once again, therefore we expect the Croatian to be replaced by Said Benrahma to add much-needed creativity to the side and support for striker Michail Antonio.

The £69k-per-week 24-year-old has endured a tough first season in claret and blue, scoring just one goal in all competitions.

Despite playing a London rival in Chelsea, this afternoon’s match is crucial if West Ham are serious about securing a top-six finish, with other sides in the hunt breathing down their neck.

AND in other news, Moyes can axe “superb” £50m ace with WHU swoop for “one of the most exciting talents”…

After going away to Chelsea and securing a superb 1-1 draw, Aston Villa take on another one of the Premier League’s big boys when they travel to Manchester United on Friday night.

Dean Smith’s side can deliver a huge statement about their ambitions this season with a result at Old Trafford, and they are also set to be boosted by the returns of a couple of key players.

And with that in mind, below is a look at just how Villa might line up against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.

In front of Emiliano Martinez, Smith will have to make his first major call regarding team selection, with Tyrone Mings back from his one-match ban after picking up a red card against Crystal Palace.

The centre-back should come straight into the team at the expense of Kortney Hause, which is unfortunate given how both he and Ezri Konsa helped earn a point at Stamford Bridge last time out.

That should be the only change to the back-four, with Douglas Luiz and John McGinn continuing their partnership in the middle of the park.

Further forward, the £90k-a-week earning Ross Barkley looks set to return to action, and Smith may well be tempted to throw him straight back into the line-up too, just like Mings.

That would allow Jack Grealish to move over to the left, whilst the in-form Anwar El Ghazi, who struck again in the Premier League against Chelsea, could move over to the right.

Up front, Ollie Watkins will hope get back to his goal-scoring ways after failing to find the back of the net against Frank Lampard’s men.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, McGinn; El Ghazi, Barkley, Grealish; Watkins.

The Sheffield Wednesday owner, Dejphon Chansiri, has failed to pay his players for the month of April.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claimed that the Wednesday players’ salaries for the month of April were due to be paid last Friday – less than 24 hours before the Owls faced Nottingham Forest in a crucial Championship clash – however, Chansiri was unable to pay his playing staff.

It is also claimed that Darren Moore’s men are still yet to receive their wages for the month of March, too, meaning that this is now the third month of the season in which Wednesday players have not been paid on time, as the same thing happened back in November.

Incompetent owner

While Wednesday’s point in their goalless draw with Forest on Saturday was already rather impressive, as the result just about keeps the club’s hopes of avoiding relegation to League One alive, the fact that the players put in such a shift, despite having gone two months without pay, makes the result even more remarkable.

However, with the news now becoming public, exactly how the players deal with the situation ahead of what could well be a straight relegation shootout with Derby County this Saturday, remains to be seen.

Indeed, it is not a difficult scenario to imagine that, along with the stress of being in the midst of a very tight fight for survival, not being paid will have a negative impact on the players’ mental state, something that could easily lead to a reduced level of performance, which, it goes without saying, brings with it the possibility of relegation.

And, if the worst should happen against Wayne Rooney’s side on Saturday, it would seem abundantly clear that there will be a lot of blame on Chansiri, with Moore likely to be furious at the owner’s incredible levels of incompetence – especially at such an important stage of the season.

In other news: Won 60% duels: Wednesday star who made three interceptions gives Moore final day hope – opinion

Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma has reportedly requested to leave the Amex Stadium this summer, acting as a potential transfer boost to Liverpool.

The Lowdown: Bissouma catching Liverpool’s eye

The Seagulls may have struggled this season, battling with relegation throughout the campaign, but Bissouma has consistently stood out in Graham Potter’s side.

The 24-year-old has been linked with a summer move to Liverpool, being seen as a possible replacement for Gini Wijnaldum, who could leave in a few weeks’ time.

[freshpress-quiz id=“355458″]

The Latest: Bissouma hands in transfer request

According to The Times, Bissouma has asked Brighton to allow him to leave in the summer transfer window, no doubt alerting the Reds.

Both Manchester City and Arsenal are also mentioned in the report, as well as Marseille, suggesting there could be a battle for the Mali international’s signature.

It is even stated that Jurgen Klopp has ‘spent time personally researching Bissouma’s character’, such is his level of interest in the player.

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The Verdict: Liverpool should move for Bissouma

Assuming Wijnaldum does move on at the end of the season, Bissouma looks like a tailor-made replacement for the Dutchman, having been described as ‘incredible’ by former Brighton teammate Dale Stephens in the past.

He possesses a huge amount of energy in the middle of the park and the defensive side of his game stands out the most, with the Malian averaging 2.8 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game in the league this season.

In comparison, Wijnaldum has averaged just 0.6 and 0.7 respectively, which suggests that Bissouma could offer more tenacity than the current Liverpool ace.

The Brighton midfielder is also enjoying an 87.1% pass completion rate, which is impressive considering that he is playing for a bottom half club and suggests that he could thrive in Klopp’s system if the Reds can snap him up.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been criticising one Reds player’s performance in the 2-0 win over Southampton. Read more here.