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Crystal Palace may encounter further difficulties in their pursuit of a new manager after talks with Nuno Espirito Santo broke down, Matt Woosnam has warned.

The lowdown

Palace are searching for a successor to Roy Hodgson, who departed the club on the expiry of his contract at the end of the season.

The Eagles were said to be on the verge of appointing Nuno, fresh from his Wolverhampton Wanderers exit.

But talks broke down this week, with a report from The Times suggesting the Portuguese coach was demanding that he be allowed to bring as many as seven members of his backroom staff from Molineux.

The vacancies may simply not have been there for Nuno’s contingent, given that only assistant coach Ray Lewington followed Hodgson out the door.

Palace finished 14th in the Premier League table, a healthy 16 points clear of the relegation zone.

The latest

Woosnam, a Palace correspondent for The Athletic, noted a concern that the club’s other targets may now be reluctant to take up the offer.

They know that they weren’t the club’s first-choice, he explains.

One of their options is Valerien Ismael, who led Barnsley into the Championship’s play-offs last season, but he’s tipped to attract interest from rival suitors.

The process is threatening to ‘linger on’ with time ‘ticking away’.

The verdict

Palace may need to look a little way down their latest of candidates and compromise, because this uncertainty must be resolved.

According to Football London, the club are in talks with a number of out-of-contract players over extensions, but will those players realistically commit when they don’t know who’s going to be in charge?

The club’s ability to devise a recruitment plan must also be significantly hindered by the current state of limbo – how can you plan a squad rebuild without knowing what sort of manager the players will be working under?

If Palace run into trouble next season, we might well think back to these delays as a major reason why.

In other news, Palace are keen on this promising centre-half. 

Jacob Murphy has revived his Newcastle United career since being deployed as a wing-back and Keith Gillespie, who joined the Magpies as part of the deal that saw Andy Cole join Manchester United, has spoken exclusively to Football FanCast about the winger’s future at the club.

After having to go out on two separate loan spells since joining Newcastle in 2017, Murphy has become a mainstay in Steve Bruce’s side during the Magpies’ recent upturn in form having started the last eight league games.

Murphy, who grew up supporting Newcastle, has scored two crucial goals this season against Wolves and Burnley, and Bruce has admitted that he wants the club to offer the winger a new deal.

Speaking on why Murphy has to remain at the club given his consistent performances and how he has the ability to change a game single handily, Gillespie exclusively told FFC:

“I’d keep him because he can change a game in an instance. So, he is definitely one of the players I’d be looking to keep at the club.

‘Ultimately, it’s up to the manager who will decide if he’s going to be a regular because players themselves want to be playing regular football.”

Having signed from Norwich City ahead of the Magpies’ first season back in the Championship, the £25,000 per week winger struggled as he was farmed out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday in 2019, where Bruce was manager at the time.

Bruce and the Newcastle board will have some tough decisions to make this summer as they have several first-team players who are set to become free agents.

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has tipped the Whites to sign Chelsea and England striker Tammy Abraham this summer.

The Lowdown: Attacking additions needed

Marcelo Bielsa’s side may have thrived in their first season back in the Premier League, but they cannot afford to rest on their laurels and go backwards.

Leeds need to bring in a number of top-quality new players in the coming months, with attacking reinforcements potentially at the top of Bielsa’s wish-list.

Only Patrick Bamford (16) has got into double figures for goals in the league in 2020/21, possibly highlighting the need for more firepower in that area of the pitch.

The Latest: Mills talks up Abraham signing

Abraham could possibly leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window and Mills has told Football Insider that Leeds should snap him up:

“I’m sure Leeds have got their targets, but you need somebody to challenge Bamford.

“Is he going to have another good season? Who knows? He may well do. If he does and you bring in somebody that can’t get into the team, that’s life. Even if he costs a lot of money, if Bamford keeps him out, he keeps him out.

“It raises the standards of everybody and that’s what’s important.

“The big striker that’s available this summer is Tammy Abraham. Where’s Tammy Abraham going to go? Could it be Tottenham? Could it be Leicester City?

“Leeds would be an option. Why not? I would suggest he’s going to be highly sought-after this summer.”

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The Verdict: Great deal for all concerned

The £36million-rated Abraham could be a great signing for Leeds, easing the burden on Bamford and also giving him genuine competition.

As Mills touched upon, there is no guarantee that Bamford will enjoy another season as good as this one and the Chelsea man arguably has more pedigree at the top level.

The 23-year-old has 30 goals in 82 appearances for the Blues, also finding the net once in his six England games to date.

Leeds should certainly consider a bid, especially given Abraham’s age and ability to improve further as the years pass, and help take their squad to the next level.

In other news, ‘huge’ offers for one Leeds player are expected this summer – find out who it is here.

Sheffield United have been linked with a move for Ryan Gauld recently and he could be an excellent addition to the Blades’ squad ahead of next season.

According to TEAMtalk, Sheffield United are among a number of English clubs, including Norwich City, Brighton, Brentford, Blackburn and Swansea City, who are interested in signing the Scottish attacking midfielder this summer.

After breaking through at Dundee United as a youngster, the 25-year-old has spent the majority of the past seven seasons playing in Portugal, but it is only at Farense where he has started to show glimpses of the talent which made him so highly rated as a youngster.

This season has seen Gauld contribute eight goals and six assists in 29 Liga NOS appearances, resulting in an impressive 7.22 average match rating from WhoScored.

If we compare his figures with the current Sheffield United squad, then Gauld would be the top performer, top goalscorer and leading assists provider, which suggests that the Blades are in dire need of a player of his quality ahead of next season.

If the Bramall Lane outfit are to have any chance of sealing an immediate return to the Premier League next season, they desperately need to add some quality in the attacking third. Goalscoring has been a serious concern this season, emphasised by the fact that 35-year-old Billy Sharp is their second top scorer with three league goals.

The £3.15m-rated Gauld has earned comparisons with Barcelona legend Lionel Messi in the past, whilst his former manager Sergio Vieira sang his praises earlier in the season, saying: “When I compare Ryan to the average Brazilian player, I think he has more. I know that because I coached in Brazil’s first division for three years.

“I can strongly say that Ryan is a top player even when compared to the best in Brazil. I’m pretty sure he’ll have his chance in the Scottish national team in the near future.”

Therefore, it seems clear that Gauld would be an excellent addition to Sheffield United’s squad ahead of next season, so the board should do everything they can to try and bring him to Bramall Lane this summer.

In other news… Just 3 passes: £10.8m-rated Blades flop let Heckingbottom down with an awful display

With Lee Bowyer guiding Birmingham City to Championship safety this season, the 44-year-old now has the opportunity to build on his squad at St Andrew’s over the summer transfer window with the aim of a higher league finish next year.

And, with a recent report by Last Word on Sports claiming that the Blues, as well as a host of other Championship sides, are considering a move for recently released Huddersfield Town attacking midfielder Alex Pritchard, we’ve taken a look at whether or not this would be a smart signing by the former Charlton boss.

£3.7m-per-goal

After coming through the youth ranks at Tottenham Hotspur, and enjoying several successful loan spells at teams such as Swindon Town – where he scored eight goals and provided 11 assists over 44 appearances – and Brentford – bagging 12 goals and registering seven assists over 47 fixtures – Pritchard eventually secured an £8.46m move to Norwich City in the summer of 2016.

The 28-year-old enjoyed a fine one-and-a-half year stint at Carrow Road, scoring eight goals and providing 12 assists over his 43 appearances for the Canaries, before then-Premier League side Huddersfield Town spent a whopping £11.12m on the former England U21 international in January of 2018.

This is when things began to take a turn for Pritchard, with the midfielder scoring one goal and providing two assists over his 14 Premier League appearances in 2017/18, before scoring just two goals over 30 fixtures the following season – in which Huddersfield were relegated.

These two strikes were the last the midfielder scored for the club, with the former Tottenham man – whom Christian Eriksen once dubbed a “skilful” player – managing just one assist over his 36 Championship appearances in the club’s 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns.

As such, putting aside his whopping £30k-per-week wage, each goal Pritchard scored for Huddersfield cost the club around £3.7m.

And, with Birmingham having struggled financially in recent seasons – having points deducted for breaching the EFL’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules – although the 28-year-old would be available on a free transfer, he is still likely to demand something of an inflated salary.

However, considering the returns the midfielder has given Huddersfield over the past few seasons, it is evident that Pritchard is worth nowhere near the £30k-per-week he was earning at The John Smith’s Stadium, or even half this amount.

As such, it would be highly advisable for Bowyer to do all he can to avoid making a move for Pritchard this summer, and rather to invest his presumably limited wage budget in a player with significantly more promise, or even just one with a better recent record in the Championship than the attacking midfielder – as taking what could be a big financial risk on the 28-year-old could bring with it disastrous consequences for the Blues.

In other news: Bowyer drops encouraging BCFC update after major development, fans will be buzzing – opinion

Leeds United have been name-checked as a potential destination for Torino centre-back Nicolas N’Koulou.

That’s according to Italian outlet il Corriere Granata, cited by Sempre Milan, who have credited the Whites, along with AC Milan, Napoli and Bologna with an interest in the 31-year-old.

N’Koulou, who is on £48,000-a-week with Torino, is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, with no negotiations of an extension taking place to date, meaning he wouldn’t cost a penny when it comes to a transfer fee.

The Cameroon international, who has 72 caps for his country, has made 128 appearances for Torino, but it seems as if he could end his four-year association with the club over the coming months.

Transfer Tavern take

Even though the Whites have been credited with an interest in N’Koulou, we can’t see Victor Orta going after the experienced defender on a free transfer this summer.

Marcelo Bielsa, who doesn’t tend to love a big squad, already has Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk as senior options, with Luke Ayling and Kalvin Phillips also capable of filling in when required.

On that basis, adding N’Koulou as a fifth centre-back ahead of the 2021/22 season could be a needless addition, and his salary could be better used elsewhere.

In other news: Whites linked with move for England international, find out more here. 

According to transfer reports, Leeds remain interested in signing Sampdoria defender Omar Colley this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the 1.91m-tall (6 foot 3) defender is of interest to Marcelo Bielsa’s side ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, and it now appears that a deal is very much there to be done.

According to ClubDoria46 (via Sport Witness), Sampdoria’s owner Massimo Ferrero is looking for a price between €10m and €15m (£8.6m-£12.9m) in order to sell him.

The report added that, along with Leeds, fellow Premier League sides Fulham and West Ham are also interested in signing the centre-back.

Bielsa will be relieved

Amid an impressive return to the Premier League this season, one of the big problems Bielsa has faced at Elland Road has been Leeds’ difficulty in dealing with set pieces – their tally of 15 conceded is the highest by far of any team in the division.

In signing Colley, Victor Orta would go a long way to addressing that problem, giving the Whites a centre-back who is an absolute monster in the air. This season has seen him win 2.9 aerial duels per game, which would rank him second among Bielsa’s current squad, with only club captain Liam Cooper averaging more with 3.9 per match.

In addition, as per Whoscored, his average of 2.6 interceptions per game would rank him first among all of Leeds’ players, while his 4.2 clearances per match also sees him comfortably above any of Bielsa’s current squad.

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Colley appears to have that ‘safety-first’ mentality which might just give the Leeds manager a completely different option to what he currently has at his disposal.

Rather than having his strengths being able to play out from the back, Colley excels more so within the width of his own penalty area. Just having a player like the Sampdoria ace who relishes the ‘dirty’ side of the game might just help Leeds shore things up more firmly.

Meanwhile, Leeds are facing a transfer battle to sign this midfielder…

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to the SPFL’s release of fixtures for the remainder of the Premiership campaign.

The Gers have already confirmed their status as champions for the 55th time, but even though the title is wrapped up, there are still five games left to play (BBC). Of course, the league will now be split into the top six and the bottom six, with the teams in each group to play each other once more.

On Monday, the Ibrox outfit discovered when and where they will play their remaining matches. First, they will face Hibernian at home before travelling to St. Johnstone. The final Old Firm derby of the campaign against Celtic will take place at Ibrox on 2nd May with the Gers then facing Livingston on the road. The final match of the team will take place at their home against Aberdeen – on that day, they are likely to finally lift the Premiership trophy.

The fixture list was shared on the Gers’ official Twitter account, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“Beautiful.”

Credit: @Follow_Follow_

“Title party on the Saturday is absolute scenes”

Credit: @KingAribo7

“5 games spread over 6 weeks with last 2 fixtures 3 days apart. 10 days between games 1 & 2, 11 days between games 2 & 3 and 10 days between games 3 & 4. Farcical.”

Credit: @55titles2021

“Sunday old firm, am I a joke to you”

Credit: @staunchdaviderc

“Surprised they didn’t try and fire Hibs or Aberdeen as the additional away trip…shows the nonsense the split is though.”

Credit: @_inexcelsisdeo

“So the previous 3 old firm games were purposely the last in the fixtures but because we are to lift the League Trophy they have changed it to Aberdeen???? Who is this to suit ???”

Credit: @aptrm80

In other news, this man has been tipped to Rangers’ Player of the Year.

Carlo Ancelotti must stick with Joao Virginia in goal against Crystal Palace on Monday night amid doubts over the long-term Everton future of AS Roma loanee Robin Olsen.

Virginia was awarded his Premier League debut against Burnley before the international break due to abdominal injuries for Olsen and regular first-choice Jordan Pickford.

Ancelotti confirmed on Friday that Olsen will be in contention for a recall when action resumes at Goodison Park against the Eagles, although Pickford remains in the treatment room.

Pickford missed Everton’s FA Cup quarter-final loss to Manchester City last month after aggravating a prior abdominal issue in the 2-1 defeat to Sean Dyche’s Clarets, which had sidelined the 27-year-old for four games across all competitions.

However, Ancelotti is confident that Pickford will be able to return from his latest issue soon, despite reports that the England number one is ‘terrified’ that any further setbacks could impact his chances of featuring at Euro 2020.

“Jordan Pickford is not available, but Robin Olsen will be okay. I’m not sure how long it will be before Jordan is ready to play again,” Ancelotti said on Friday.

“He’s improving day-by-day, but he still hasn’t worked on the pitch. Maybe he will start next week to train on the pitch with the goalkeeper coach.

“We are well covered in goal with three good keepers.

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“Joao Virginia did really well [against Burnley and Manchester City] and, of course, we hope Jordan is going to recover soon because we need him until the end of the season.”

With Ancelotti again voicing his delight at Virginia’s performances against Burnley and Manchester City, which were just his second and third senior Everton appearances, the Italian should be comfortable with backing the Portugal under-21 international at home to Crystal Palace despite Olsen’s return from injury.

The Blues manager stated following the FA Cup defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side that Virginia “deserves the compliments” that were flowing his way, having produced a number of excellent saves which kept the Merseysiders in the game.

“Joao did really well. He showed his quality,” Ancelotti said, via quotes shared by the Liverpool Echo. “He has not the experience but the quality and personality he has shown in training. And so, I think he deserves the compliments because he did really well.”

Virginia pulled off a magnificent effort to deny Raheem Sterling by tipping the winger’s shot wide of the post and later denied Aymeric Laporte, but he was unable to prevent Ilkay Gundogan from firing home the rebound.

The Everton academy graduate will no doubt have taken a great sense of pride in his performance and will be itching for further first team minutes to continue his development and establish his place firmly among Ancelotti’s squad.

That chance should be on offer against Crystal Palace despite Olsen’s return from injury, with the Roma loanee’s Goodison Park future up in the air following reports that he wants to leave after a break-in at his home last month.

Ancelotti had expected to hold talks with Roma over a permanent deal for the Swede at the end of the season, but it remains to be seen if the discussions will still take place.

Virginia potentially has a spot to secure and Palace represents his latest chance to grab it with both hands, given Pickford’s uncertain schedule.

AND in other news, Everton face a £17m price tag to land a 26-y/o leader once considered to be “one of the strongest”…

Such has been Manchester United’s need to sign a centre-back, they appear to be linked with a new name every day.

The latest player to appear in the gossip is Bayern Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba, with suggestions that the club have been monitoring his performances ahead of potentially swooping for his signature.

The Burkina Faso defender has been in brilliant form for the Bundesliga outfit recently and would be the perfect partner for the world’s most expensive defender in Harry Maguire.

After joining from Vitoria Guimaraes in January 2019, Tapsoba has enjoyed a meteoric rise, slotting straight into the first team and making 51 appearances.

His defensive statistics are supremely impressive, too.

In the 2020/21 season alone, he is averaging 2.1 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 2.4 clearances and 0.8 blocks per game, according to WhoScored. That all adds up to a remarkable 6.7 defensive contributions per game, a truly astounding figure for a player so young.

However, this is even more impressive when looking at the options that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer currently has at his disposal at Old Trafford.

If analysing Victor Lindelof’s statistics, the Swede does not get anywhere near the young Leverkusen defender. Indeed, the current Manchester United man can only boast 0.7 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 3.1 clearances and 0.6 blocks – just 5.3 defensive contributions per match.

Rated at £36m, just £5.3m more than the fee that the Red Devils paid out for Lindelof, it appears that they would be getting a better and more accomplished, and not to mention younger, defender should they elect to make a move for Tapsoba in the near future.

With the Red Devils reportedly keen to add a central defender to their squad in the upcoming summer transfer window, Tapsoba could well be the perfect arrival at Old Trafford to partner Maguire at the back.

AND in more news, take a look why we think Manchester United should avoid splashing the cash on Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland…