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Crystal Palace fell to a humbling 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

Despite having some promising moments, the Eagles were second best in the capital, with braces from Harry Kane and Gareth Bale securing a thumping win for the hosts.

One silver lining for Roy Hodgson’s troops though was seeing Wilfried Zaha back in action, having been out with an injury since early February.

However, it was not the return that either his manager or teammates will have wanted.

Given a place on the bench at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Ivorian international was introduced at half-time with the scores level at 1-1.

It was thought that the £45m-rated winger could have given the Eagles some fresh attacking impetus but he, in fact, did the opposite.

Throughout his second-half appearance, he could only accumulate 16 touches of the ball according to WhoScored – only fellow substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta had fewer in the entire Crystal Palace side.

Even when Zaha received the ball, he was simply not able to do anything with it.

He only had one shot, which was off target, and did not provide a single key pass.

Zaha also conspired to lose the ball on multiple occasions throughout his second-half cameo, getting dispossessed twice and having another unsuccessful touch.

His passing also painted a damning picture of his poor performance. Racking up a horrendous passing accuracy of just 33%, which is by far and away the worst by any player on the pitch, you may have been forgiven for thinking that Zaha was indeed lining up for the opposing team.

To compound his teammates’ frustrations, the winger was also caught offside on three occasions in 45 minutes. Whilst this could be down to disciplined defending from the home side, it is of no consolation to the Eagles who saw their attacks abruptly halted when attempting to find Zaha, who seemed to be a bit lazy in terms of his discipline of reading the line.

His performance could be understandable considering his long lay off in recent weeks but Hodgson will surely be demanding more as his star man regains his match sharpness.

AND in more news, read more about the Eagles’ links with £22m-rated Mostafa Mohamed…

Celtic have been linked to a number of fresh faces this month as the January transfer window continues to deliver its promise of exciting rumours and updates. The holding Premiership champions are in desperate need of bolstering their squad after 2020/21 proved to be highly unkind to them.

With an early exit from the Europa League and next to no chance of catching up to Rangers in the Premiership, Peter Lawwell and his team must shift focus to next season. The Hoops will not be able to bounce back from this disappointing campaign without a haul of new recruits.

One player who Celtic have been linked to is rising Sheffield Wednesday star Liam Shaw. According to Joe Crann of the Sheffield Star, the interest shown from the Glaswegians is very genuine but no official talks have yet been held between the two parties.

Would Shaw fit in at Celtic?

Whether Neil Lennon remains at Parkhead for the upcoming season remains to be seen. But nothing can take away his contribution to the development of summer signing David Turnbull. The former Motherwell midfielder has blossomed into a player that Celtic truly rely on in their engine room.

The 21-year-old had to wait until October for his first senior start for his new club, but since then he hasn’t turned back. Turnbull has been a leading force in Lennon’s midfield, contributing six goals and three assists across all competitions so far this season, as per Transfermarkt.

With Lennon taking a chance on Turnbull despite having more senior players like Scott Brown on his books proves he is eager to develop those in transition to the first team. History could repeat itself if Celtic sign Shaw, who is showing promise in his performances for Wednesday.

The 19-year-old popped up with a crucial goal against Middlesbrough at the end of December, helping the Owls bank a vital three points with 2-1 win. Shaw has also proven he can play both in midfield and at centre-back, which is a huge plus for Celtic who are also struggling in defence.

The teenager is currently on a £500 per week contract, which will be very attractive to Lawwell, as it means he won’t have to shell out big bucks to entice him to make the move.

In other news, Carlton Palmer believes Benitez would be good coup for Celtic…

Sergio Aguero made his Manchester City return in the 2-0 win against Borussia Monchengladbach after more than a month on the sidelines but the Citizens should still bring an end to his time with the club in the summer.

Unfortunately for the legendary Argentinian, injury issues have caught up with him in recent seasons, and he has managed just five appearances in the Premier League this season, of which three have come from the bench.

City have found success with a strikerless formation in recent months, and with his contract set to expire in the summer, it looks increasingly likely that his time at the Etihad will come to an end in the near future.

Since signing from Atletico Madrid in 2011, Aguero has gone to make 380 appearances for the Citizens, contributing 256 goals – which is enough to have seen him become the record goalscorer at the club.

However, with City widely expected to bring in a world-class centre-forward in the summer, with Erling Haaland seemingly top of their list, Aguero would surely fall even further down the pecking order should he extend his stay with the club.

A mixture of injury issues and the current viral outbreak have seriously limited his game time this season and it will be interesting to see if he can force his way back into Pep Guardiola’s side when they are in such good form.

If he doesn’t get regular game time, it would not be a surprise to see the £31.5 million-rated striker depart in the summer, especially with the likes of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona having been credited with an interest in the 32-year-old in recent weeks.

Rather than seeing him potentially waste away at City, sporting director Txiki Begiristain should instead allow him to depart this summer so he can prolong his career elsewhere, although hopefully fans will be able to attend a potential testimonial before he leaves for good, as he will undoubtedly go down as a City legend.

AND, in other news… Forget Cancelo: Man City beast who completed 98% of passes was Pep’s CL star this week

According to a report by Italian outlet Calcio e Finanza, via SempreInter.com, Inter Milan will not face any difficulty offloading Christian Eriksen in January as Tottenham eye a return – coming after claims they will face roadblocks in the form of tax issues. 

Eriksen, who left Spurs for the San Siro in a deal worth £16.9 million, has been heavily linked with a return to north London in recent weeks – with Football Insider reporting they have been offered the chance to recapture his signature.

The Denmark international was a fan favourite at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before opting to move on, but the grass hasn’t exactly been greener on the other side since his exit.

Eriksen boost emerges

Indeed, Eriksen has struggled for game time under Antonio Conte – prompting rumours that he is set for a move away and potentially, a Premier League return.

Tottenham have been touted as one of his worthy suitors, with news now emerging that Inter won’t face tax difficulties when attempting to sell the playmaker in January – potentially a huge boost to Daniel Levy and co.

The Telegraph originally reported that Eriksen looked set to be priced out of a comeback to England, with Italian tax breaks for foreign players making it nearly impossible for English clubs to match his current salary.

However, as per this update by Calcio e Finanza, Inter have set aside £10.7 million in the ‘June 30 2020 budget’ – and part of it could be used to pay inland revenue fees which result from selling players who are benefitting from the growth decree.

Transfer Tavern breakdown

The decree allows players to take an income tax reduction on the condition that they stay in Italy for 24 months – which Eriksen wouldn’t stand to benefit from if he departed in January – potentially costing the Serie A giants a huge amount in wages for the player.

Because the Serie A side have that money in place already, the potential repayments seem taken care of – gifting Spurs a boost as they reportedly contemplate re-signing him.

Inter’s stroke of fortune could hugely benefit Tottenham as they allegedly no longer face this financial obstacle, but it remains to be seen whether the club do take full advantage of this in January.

In other news: Tottenham claims have emerged on this ‘phenomenal’ youngster, find out more here.

Leeds only have one area they desperately need to improve in January; their defence.

With a number of senior players out injured, their back four is having to be patched together with duct tape on a regular basis.

What’s the word?

With the transfer window now open, it represents the perfect chance for Victor Orta to strengthen Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Liam Cooper are all out injured so adding defensive bodies is certainly at the height of Orta’s agenda.

Chelsea centre-back Fikayo Tomori has been linked with a loan switch until the end of the season but another option has now presented itself to Leeds.

That happens to be Manchester City youngster Luke Mbete. The 17-year-old is one of the most impressive talents in their academy and as a result, is attracting attention from both Leeds and Juventus.

That’s according to the Athletic who profiled the defender this week.

The new White

Although Tomori would have a far greater impact initially, Mbete has demonstrated that he has immense potential in the game. Thus, he should be at the forefront of Orta’s mind this month.

The teenager has been described as a “speedy” defender who is “powerfully built” by Micah Richards and that could be the perfect remedy to Leeds’ problems.

After all, Dean Windass exclusively told Football FanCast last year that finding defenders with natural speed was key to the Whites finding success in the Premier League.

Of course, Cooper is a tad slow, so complementing that with a faster and younger defender wouldn’t be a bad thing.

We saw firsthand the advantages of that when Ben White spent the season on loan at Leeds during their Championship-winning campaign.

Writing about Mbete, the Athletic’s Sam Lee said: “He (Mbete) is tall and fast, but perhaps his most eye-catching trait is his passing.”

That immediately draws comparisons to White, someone who played wonderful passes out from the back during his stay in Yorkshire. He was assured with his balls forward, picking the lock of a host of opposition defences with mesmeric cross-field passes. At points, it looked as though he was a midfielder, rather than a centre-half.

The Brighton defender completed 84.6% of his passes last term but Mbete is even better in that regard. During City U23s EFL Trophy run, he has succeeded with 94% of the passes he’s attempted.

Mbete is still very raw but he’d be a fabulous addition to Elland Road.

AND in other news, Orta can discover huge Dallas upgrade if Leeds swoop for “fearless” £148k-p/w gem…

Wolves’ decision to sell Diogo Jota this summer did raise a few eyebrows, but at the very least, they may have received their next Conor Coady in return.

The Portuguese destroyer swapped Molineux for Anfield in a £45m deal in September with the Old Gold managing to clinch promising young defender Ki-Jana Hoever for just £10m, as per Sky Sports.

However, the 18-year-old sensation is yet to make a start in the Premier League for the club, though he has come off the bench against West Ham and Fulham.

Hoever has also featured twice for the U23s in the EFL Trophy, both of which the young Wolf Pack side won.

Despite being utilised primarily as a right wing-back throughout his short career to date, it is thought that the teenager will be bred into a centre-back by Nuno Santo.

He’s got a proven track record of doing that too with former Reds’ midfielder Coady becoming the ball-playing defender in this current system.

You could also argue the same for Romain Saiss, who has filled in both centrally and on the left when injuries have struck.

Upon his arrival, Wolves chairman Jeff Shi waxed lyrical about his potential, he said: “Ki is a young player who can play both centre-back and right-back, with high potential to become a top footballer. Ki is a talent we have bought for the long-term future, but can also give the first team a fresh and potent option immediately.”

Whilst The Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce’s comments further emphasise why Nuno should trust him long-term through the middle, claiming that the young colossus was “exceptional” against Paris Saint-Germain back in November 2018.

The £6.3m-rated Dutchman signed a five-year deal when arriving in the Midlands this summer, so he’s clearly going to be one for the future and by the time that contract enters it’s final years, Coady will be entering the twilight years past 30.

Therefore, Nuno must slowly groom Hoever into the role just like he did with the Englishman when first arriving on the scene in 2017.

Reds academy director Alex Inglethorpe once claimed that the emerging starlet was “obsessed with getting better,” so that’ll bode well for Nuno’s chances of successfully pulling this off.

If that’s the case, then Molineux could well be in safe hands post-Coady.

AND in other news, Wolves could unearth the next Lewandowski for just £4.5m…

Ross Wilson must stay firm with Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin after former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips claimed that he may look to leave next month in a bid to secure a place in the Scotland squad for Euro 2020.

What’s the word?

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Phillips has reacted to McLaughlin’s comments about his lack of game time at Ibrox.

Rangers signed the former Hearts goalkeeper from Sunderland on a two-year deal in the summer. After being left on the bench for the game against Aberdeen at the start of the season, he started the next seven games in the Scottish Premiership but has found himself playing second-fiddle to Allan McGregor in recent weeks.

He returned to the starting line-up for the 4-0 win away at Falkirk in the Scottish Cup and pleaded with Gerrard after the game to give him more playing time to improve his chances for being selected in Steve Clarke’s squad for next summer.

However, despite his pleas, the veteran stopper has still found his chances hard to come by, as he has yet to feature for the first team since the 4-0 victory over Falkirk in the Betfred Cup.

Phillips said: “When a huge club like Rangers come calling it is very hard to turn them down but any player in his situation will know that he needs to be playing football.

“The Euros are fast approaching and he will think he has got an opportunity of getting into that squad. But he needs to play football to cement his place in Steve Clarke’s plans.

“I think he will have a slight regret because if he was at Sunderland he would, of course, be playing week in, week out.

“Come January he might try and get a loan move somewhere because he will want to play regular football to keep his place in that Scotland squad.”

Wilson must be firm

Whilst McLaughlin may be angling for a loan move in January, Wilson must be firm with him if he can to try and convince him to stay at the club for the foreseeable future.

Former Celtic and St Mirren striker Frank McAvennie recently criticised his decision to join the club in the first place, saying: “McLaughlin picked the wrong team to go to, he shouldn’t have joined Rangers when there is a number one like McGregor. He is not going to get much game time.”

McGregor’s return from injury in September has coincided with Rangers’ remarkable run of form, which has seen McLaughlin fall by the wayside in recent weeks.

But the 33-year-old has been a dependable asset for Gerrard’s side, having kept eight clean sheets and only conceded two goals in the Premiership so far this season, via Transfermarkt.

His former Black Cats boss Jack Ross once described him as the best keeper in League One, as he said: “I’m obviously biased and there might be other managers that say it, but I believe I have the best goalkeeper in the league.

“He was outstanding for me last season, he is such a low-maintenance player in terms of how he goes about his business and he is unflappable.”

Wilson would struggle to find a backup option who is capable of offering even half of what McLaughlin brings to the table, as his experience at the top levels of the game sets him apart from the rest of his closest rivals, like academy keeper Brian Kinnear.

The Scotland international, who has also played for Bradford City and Burton Albion, spent a year with Hearts before moving to Sunderland, where he made 90 appearances, keeping 27 clean sheets and conceding just 87 goals in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Should McGregor succumb to injury, Gerrard would have the perfect replacement waiting in the wings.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must keep James Tavernier at all costs after Walter Smith comments…

Richarlison has offered Everton a greater sense of hope ahead of facing Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby this Saturday, as Carlo Ancelotti strives to end the Toffee’s 10-year wait for a win over their inner-city rivals.

Everton last beat Liverpool on October 17, 2010 when goals from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta dealt the damage to the visiting Reds, who have since taken victory in 11 of the subsequent 22 meetings between the two outfits.

Ancelotti will need Richarlison performing at his best this weekend to end the Blues’ run, having entrusted the Brazilian to act as a key figure of his offence this term with starting roles in each of Everton’s opening four Premier League fixtures.

Richarlison was forced to leave the action after just 25 minutes in Everton’s last game prior to the October international break, however, having suffered an ankle injury against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup, and continued to feel the effects against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The issue failed to prevent Richarlison from reporting for international duty with his native Brazil as they began their CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying campaign, but the 23-year-old struggled to make an impact with an ineffective cameo against Bolivia at the weekend.

Yet Brazil boss Tite was not deterred by the slack performance and called on Richarlison to start against Peru on Tuesday night, a decision that paid vast dividends as the £54m-rated ace offered a complete bounce-back display to aid his side’s efforts in a 4-2 victory.

It was Richarlison’s 20th international outing since marking his senior debut against the USA in September 2018 but only his 11th start, but ended the night showing his potential by ending a seven-game goal drought with Brazil’s second of the night to draw the match level at 2-2.

Peru had started the stronger of the two sides with Andre Carrillo opening the scoring in just the sixth minute, before Neymar responded from the spot with his first of the night before going on to bag a game-winning hat-trick and move second in Brazil’s all-time scoring list.

Richarlison’s night did not end with his strike in the 64th-minute – moving his goal tally for the term on to five across all competitions for club and country after his four for Everton – as the Nova Venecia-born forward further aided Brazil’s efforts on the right-wing with two successful dribbles from three attempts and six duels won from 13 contests, per SofaScore.

The attacker won each of his six duels on the ground, while taking 48 touches and playing 18 accurate passes from 24 attempts, which led to one key ball and creating one big chance to score although neither resulted in a goal.

Richarlison often dropped back to support right-back Danilo in defence, too, with two clearances, one interception and three tackles. He additionally found teammates with each of his two long passes but could not deliver an accurate cross with his only delivery of the night.

Ancelotti and Everton will be buoyed by Richarlison’s performance ahead of facing Liverpool at the weekend, especially as he also managed to play the full 90 minutes showing the signs of his ankle injury are now likely a thing of the past.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti can look to exploit an “incredible talent” when Everton host Liverpool this Saturday.

Everton travel to Southampton this weekend looking to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season, but Carlo Ancelotti will be forced to make changes to the side which drew with Liverpool in last weekend’s Merseyside Derby.

A reckless over-the-top foul on Thiago Alcantara from forward Richarlison saw the Brazilian shown a straight red card by referee Michael Oliver in the closing stages, ruling the 23-year-old out of Everton’s next three fixtures.

Richarlison has been in fine form this season with the Toffees’ joint-second-most assists (two) over five appearances, while contributing one goal and his side’s highest number of successful dribbles (16), second-most shots (16) and fourth-most key balls (four), per WhoScored.

Ancelotti will also be without captain Seamus Coleman after the Republic of Ireland international was forced off during the Merseyside Derby with a hamstring injury, while sensational summer signing James Rodriguez is a doubt after a knock sustained in a tackle with Virgil van Dijk.

With changes on the cards, then, here’s a potential starting line-up Ancelotti could favour against Southampton this Sunday…

Despite Jordan Pickford’s dangerous foul on Van Dijk which Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has insisted deserved a ban, the England international will start between the sticks on the south coast after Ancelotti stated his support.

“I think yes [Pickford should have been sent off],” said Hasenhuttl via quotes by the Daily Mail. “You cannot go like this into a duel. This is an absolutely disastrous tackle to be honest.”

Pickford has started each of Everton’s last 119 Premier League fixtures, having never missed a minute of top-flight action since his £30million move from Sunderland in 2017, and impressed Ancelotti with his focus in training this week.

“I don’t consider taking him out,” the Italian said, via quotes by The Guardian. “I saw him in training this week and he was focused, he put in a good performance in training and he was concentrated. This is what I want to see from a player.”

Everton’s line of defence will feature changes, however, with Coleman’s hamstring injury presenting Ben Godfrey with his first start since joining the Toffees in a £20m deal this summer.

“Yes, he’s going to play right-back [on Sunday],” Ancelotti stated, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Lucas Digne will likely all retain their places in the starting line-up, with the England centre-half heading home Everton’s initial equaliser against Liverpool and the trio all helping the Blues to start the season with four wins from five.

Andre Gomes failed to impress during his time on the field against Liverpool last weekend, with the Portuguese only offering one key pass, one successful dribble from three attempts, and two tackles from three duels, per WhoScored.

However, with Ancelotti placing his trust in the midfielder to start against Liverpool immediately upon his return from injury, it can be expected that the Italian will favour an unchanged engine room with summer signings Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure stepping out to commence proceedings at St. Mary’s.

Allan has provided Everton’s most tackles (16) and second-most shots blocked (two) in the Premier League this term, per WhoScored, while Doucoure has provided their second-most interceptions (eight) and the highest number of successful dribbles (three) from the core of Ancelotti’s midfield.

With Richarlison suspended, Ancelotti has hinted that former Arsenal midfielder Alex Iwobi will step into the Everton starting line-up for his first top-flight kick-off since a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa in July.

“Alex is a player who works hard,” Ancelotti told the Blues’ official website. “He is fast and with his quality, he can help the team be better in certain situations.”

Iwobi, described as an “unbelievable talent” by former Toffee Joseph Yobo earlier this year, has shown in his brief outings this term that he can offer Ancelotti a stand-in for Richarlison. He has averaged a higher number of big chances created per 90 minutes in the top-flight (0.86 to 0.23) and for key balls (1.71 to 0.94), per SofaScore.

Ancelotti also has concerns over Rodriguez’s involvement in Sunday’s trip to Southampton, but has stated that the Colombian is “not definitely out” and will undergo a late fitness test to see whether or not the former Real Madrid playmaker can feature, according to the Liverpool Echo’s Phil Kirkbride.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will once again lead the line for Everton upon their travels to the south coast, as the England international strives to score in six successive Premier League games and build on the seven already struck over the opening weeks.

Everton have won just once in their last four visits to St. Mary’s, coming in a 2-1 victory last November thanks to goals from Tom Davies and Richarlison.

AND in other news, Everton appear to have dodged a bullet in a £13.5m man courted by Marco Silva in 2019.

Manchester United are in the market for a defender and this has seem them linked with AS Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile, but it seems like they might have to look elsewhere following the latest transfer update on the player.

According to Telefoot Chaine, via TEAMtalk, Monaco manager Niko Kovac does not want the transfer to happen as he wants the teenager as part of his plans at the Stade Louis II.

The Croatian said: “Our aim is to take him to the next level. If he plays a lot of matches with us in Ligue 1 he will improve. That is certain. We do not want to sell him, that is very clear, he will stay here this season. I think that this is the best solution for him. He has his club here, his family. He knows the environment.”

These comments sounds like the French side are adamant that they will keep the defender at the club beyond the current transfer window and it is understandable that they want to keep him.

He is a young prospect who is clearly highly rated by Monaco. The 19-year-old has already made 47 appearances in all competitions for the senior side, including two in the Champions League, per Transfermarkt. He has even managed to score twice and suuply one assist, and these performances have clearly not gone unnoticed as he has also featured for the French under-19 side no fewer than 15 times.

It was recently reported that United had a bid of around £20m rejected by the Ligue 1 side, so it shows that the Old Trafford hierarchy clearly believe he could add some quality to the Red Devils squad.

However, these latest comments from Kovac will probably mean that United will have to look elsewhere, which they already seem to be doing as they have also been linked with Dayot Upamecano, who has a wealth of Champions League and Bundesliga experience, so he could definitely be seen as a good alternative to Badiashile.

Man United fans, will you be disappointed to miss out on Badiashile? Comment below with your views!