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Crystal Palace have reportedly become the latest club to register an interest in Hatayspor striker Aaron Boupendza.

According to 90.com, the Eagles have been monitoring the Gabon international, alongside a host of fellow Premier League sides, namely Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Leicester City and West Ham United, amongst many others.

Steve Parish and the Palace hierarchy need to ensure that they push themselves to the front of the queue and secure the £6.3m-rated striker in the summer.

Boupendza is currently in lethal form for Hatayspor. He sits top of the Turkish Super Lig scoring charts with 18 goals in just 26 matches. That record is even more remarkable considering that the 24-year-old has started just 16 matches in the league this term.

He would certainly bring a distinct eye for goal to Selhurst Park should he sign for the Eagles, an aspect that Roy Hodgson’s current options are certainly missing.

Of the strikers currently at the club, Christian Benteke is the highest-scoring with a measly five strikes. Meanwhile, fellow forwards Jordan Ayew, Michy Batshuayi and Jean-Philippe Mateta all sit on just one goal each.

It goes without saying then that the Eagles need to bring in someone capable of finding the back of the net.

When comparing his match statistics, Boupendza continues to come out on top.

According to WhoScored, he attempts more shots per game than any of Crystal Palace’s current players with 2.8.

Remarkably, the striker also completes a huge 2.7 dribbles per game which would be by far and away the best in the Eagles’ squad – an astounding feat considering the fleet-footedness of the likes of Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha.

It is no surprise then that there is considerable competition for his signature. Palace must make sure they push themselves to the front for him as they are in desperate need for a forward who can find the back of the net.

AND in more news, take a look at which former Premier League boss would be the perfect replacement for Roy Hodgson…

Glasgow Rangers are leading the race to sign KV Oostende striker Fashion Sakala this summer.

What’s the word?

The 23-year-old is widely expected to leave the Belgian side and a host of sides are interested in taking him.

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Rangers are front-runners and they hope to agree a pre-contract move for the talented Zambian.

Sakala only joined Oostende from Spartak Moscow back in 2018 but has seen his value skyrocket after catching the eye with a string of impressive performances.

A number of Championship clubs and Ligue 1 leaders Lille are among the other sides understood to be interested.

Huge boost for Steven Gerrard?

There’s no doubt this fresh transfer news will be a significant boost for Steven Gerrard. The Zambia international is a sought after talents across European football, with Gerrard keen to bring him to Ibrox.

It seems Sakala – who is currently valued at £1m via Transfermarkt – is ready to take the step up after scoring 13 goals and assisting three more in 24 Jupiler Pro League appearances this season, and he is available to talk to clubs about a free transfer.

Gerrard’s tactics may be a little more complex than Alexander Blessin’s, but just like the German, the Rangers manager also likes to play on the counter where possible, releasing the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent and Kemar Roofe in behind.

With Borna Barisic and James Tavernier pinging balls in from the left and right, Sakala could really excel in this system, as his uncanny ability to find the back of the net, coupled with his solid dribbling, means that he could help Rangers flat-track bully mid-table and lower-level opposition.

A return of 13 goals sees him rank sixth in the Jupiler Pro League, that being the sixth-best of all strikers in a leaderboard topped by Ianis Hagi’s former teammate Paul Onuachu. For context, that’s more league goals more than Morelos and Jermain Defoe have managed between them in the Scottish Premiership this season.

By the numbers, he would top the charts out of the entire Rangers squad for the number of shots taken (3 per 90), he would be oint-eighth with Ryan Jack for key passes made per game (1), and fourth for dribbles attempted per game (1), which shows he could give the Gers plenty of impetus in the offensive end.

Rangers, therefore, should look to wrap up a deal for the striker as soon as possible by way of a Bosman move.

AND in other news, Joe Aribo was superb for Rangers against Dundee…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League footballer Carlton Palmer has suggested that ex-Chelsea boss Frank Lampard would accept the Celtic job if offered.

Lampard is out of work following his dismissal from Stamford Bridge at the end of January and had previously been linked with Championship outfit Bournemouth. According to Football Insider, however, it was not something that interested the 42-year-old, making him still available to succeed Neil Lennon.

It remains to be seen whether Celtic would be interested in bringing Lampard to the club but, from the Chelsea legend’s perspective, Palmer believes he would relish the chance to manage in Glasgow.

When asked if he could see Lampard taking the Celtic job, Palmer exclusively told FFC:

“Of course, like I’ve said, it’s a massive job. I mean, a lot will depend on [Frank] as well, for Frank, the next job’s got to be important. So, you know, in terms of what’s available in terms of funds, and realistically, being successful, and so Frank is going to be very careful and very selective for the next job he takes.”

On the same subject, Palmer also added: “I don’t know the situation at Celtic in terms of financially where they are, what type of salaries they could pay and what type of players they could attract, and that will all play a part in the manager that you see being appointed.”

While Lampard was unable to get that star-studded Chelsea side firing this season, leaving them in ninth place before getting the sack, the former England international did enjoy some success in west London and show potential as a coach during his maiden campaign there.

Under Lampard, the Blues managed to secure Champions League football, despite their transfer ban, thanks to a fourth-place finish. They were also able to reach the last-16 of the competition that term and the FA Cup final, losing out to London rivals Arsenal in a tight affair at Wembley.

The integration of the likes of Mason Mount and Reece James, who are both now full England internationals, is something that Lampard can be credited for, too.

Tottenham Hotspur witnessed the sensational return of Gareth Bale in 2020, though his impact thus far has been far from that.

Of course, nobody was expecting the Welsh superstar to his the dazzling heights of his former spell in north London considering he’s 31, but he’s barely shown any signs of why the Premier League outfit should keep hold of him past the summer.

Injuries have somewhat blighted Bale’s spell, restricting him to just 598 minutes in all competitions; he isn’t likely to usurp Heung-min Son or Harry Kane either.

Eurosport journalist Dean Jones believes both Jose Mourinho and Daniel Levy are enticed by the idea of keeping the Real Madrid star around despite all of the doubts – something that would certainly please the La Liga giants as it would get his enormous salary off the wage bill.

Spurs are thought to only be paying 40% of his £600k-per-week wages, luckily.

Whilst it would be a fairytale to see Bale back to his best in a Lilywhites shirt, it is probably time to move on from that dream and accept that it just hasn’t worked out.

And they needn’t worry as they have a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings – or at least, waiting over in Germany as Ryan Sessegnon continues to impress during his loan spell at Hoffenheim.

The 20-year-old is getting valuable game time and has quickly become their first-choice left wing-back, the very position where Bale made his name.

In nine Bundesliga starts, he has contributed to four goals and has also made 12 dribbles, 16 interceptions and 24 tackles, per WhoScored.

We’re finally starting to see why Spurs paid £25m for him in 2019. It would be silly to not give him an opportunity upon his return.

Already, he’s been likened to Bayern Munich dynamo Alphonso Davies, whilst Hoffenheim sporting director Alexander Rosen has dubbed him “highly talented.”

Even before his arrival in north London, Sessegnon was drawing. comparisons to Bale, so it seems only right that the transition is made with the Welshman now back at the club.

The “huge talent” – now valued at £18m – is doing everything asked of him out on loan and will present far better value than whatever Spurs will have to pay to keep hold of their former generational talent.

AND in other news, Fresh injury BLOW a cause for concern for Spurs boss Jose Mourinho…

Speaking exclusively with Football FanCast, former England international Carlton Palmer says that West Ham United would be taking a backward step by signing AS Roma striker Edin Dzeko.

The Irons have been linked with a swarm of attacking options since selling Sebastien Haller to AFC Ajax earlier this month, with that decision leaving Michail Antonio as David Moyes’ sole remaining senior centre-forward.

Reports over the weekend touted Dzeko as the latest in the long line of strikers to be linked with a potential mid-season move to the London Stadium, with claims from Italy suggesting the Bosnia and Herzegovina star had been offered to West Ham.

Dzeko’s future at the Stadio Olimpico was thrown into doubt after the Bosnia and Herzegovina star was stripped of the Giallorossi captaincy after a falling out with head coach Paulo Fonseca, with their relationship now in complete tatters.

West Ham were not alone in being linked with Dzeko as Everton, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers were also credited with an interest.

Palmer thinks Moyes and his side should look elsewhere ahead of February 1’s deadline, as Dzeko is coming toward the end of his career and he thinks that his usefulness would be limited.

When asked if it would be a good move for West Ham, he said:

“No, not really. No. I think you’ve seen the best of him when he was last in the Premier League. That wouldn’t be a good move at all. It’s a backward step that,” Palmer told FFC.

“No disrespect to Dzeko, we all get to that stage where you just become, I wouldn’t say become a journeyman, but you’re past your best. You can still do a job, but you’re not going to, let’s say, set the world on fire as what you did before.

“So, no, not a good move, in my opinion.”

Dzeko has scored seven goals in 15 Serie A appearances this season, of which he started 14, but he was omitted from the matchday squad that beat Spezia Calcio 4-3 on Saturday following his falling out with Fonseca.

The £7m-rated veteran further found the back of the net once and provided one assist over the Giallorossi’s Europa League Group Stage efforts, having been called upon only from the bench against the likes of BSC Young Boys, CSKA Sofia and CFR Cluj.

No current West Ham player has scored as often this season as Dzeko with Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek and Antonio the top-scorers in Moyes’ squad with five strikes each across all competitions, while Haller had found the back of the net seven times before his £20m move to Ajax.

But only three of Haller’s goals had come during Premier League fixtures, while Bowen, Soucek and Antonio are yet to score outside of the top-flight this term.

Despite him having more goals than any current Hammer, Palmer thinks West Ham should forget about Dzeko and look elsewhere for a new forward.

AND in other news, West Ham see bid rejected for £13.5m-rated target who’s played just 88 minutes of league action this season…

Crystal Palace were at times outfought and outwitted by Tottenham Hotspur on their own home turf, but Roy Hodgson’s side refused to give up all hope on Sunday afternoon.

Once again, they were undone by Harry Kane, who has now scored three goals in his past six games against the Eagles.

But Jeffrey Schlupp bundled in a late Eagles equaliser to deny Tottenham the victory ahead of their Premier League clash at Liverpool on Wednesday.

Hodgson confirmed new summer recruit Nathan Ferguson was ruled out due to injury, but that does little to hide from the fact that former Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne was a total liability in his position instead.

We said just this week that the stage was set for Clyne to make a real statement, but he failed to grasp the opportunity with both hands. His market value is estimated at £7.2m via Transfermarkt though there has been so far very little evidence to show for such a valuation.

Nor his reported £80k-per-week wages.

SofaScore graded the 29-year-old as one of the worst Palace players on the pitch with a lowly 6.6 rating – he lost possession 13 times, failed to register a single interception, made just one tackle and provided a pathetic 63% of his 24 attempted passes.

Clyne received a 5/10 rating from 90min, who claimed ‘most of Spurs’ attacks came down Clyne’s side, and the right-back just couldn’t deal with it’, whilst football.london were equally scathing in their assessment, insisting ‘Spurs’ width occasionally caused problems in the first half.’

That’s not to say the former England international has been necessarily bad per se, but he was uncharacteristically lacklustre with his teammates Christian Benteke and Eberechi Eze managing more passes on their own.

We can’t quite work out why he played the full 90′ minutes, save for the fact that Hodgson is short of options at the moment, although Joel Ward was left as an unused substitute on the bench.

With a trip to West Ham next on the agenda, perhaps the Portsmouth academy graduate could come back into the starting line-up.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace can’t afford to lose Christian Benteke amid interest from Club Brugge…

Sam Allardyce could be about to resolve one of West Brom’s biggest problems with one fell swoop this January transfer window, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The Express & Star claim that the 66-year-old is considering a loan move for Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury after he was made available by the fellow Midlands outfit.

It’s thought that Big Sam is a massive fan of Foxes ace and is desperately pursuing the addition of a new defensive midfielder this month.

Premier League rivals Southampton and Newcastle United have also been offered the 23-year-old.

Shades of Mulumbu

This is a move that the Baggies absolutely have to make.

Allardyce does not currently have a player capable of playing the holding midfield role with Sam Field still absent through injury, though it’s not as if he has bags of experience under his belt either.

Nor does Choudhury, but Brendan Rodgers has trusted him to start games in the Europa League this term – a luxury far beyond that of Albion’s relegation dogfight.

In those six appearances, the British Asian powerhouse has averaged 1.3 interceptions, one tackle and an 85.1% passing success rate, via WhoScored. Whilst it’s not much to go off, it’s rather encouraging.

The Foxes academy graduate has previously attracted praise from Gary Lineker, who dubbed Choudhury an “extremely talented young player” following his first senior goal last year.

Whilst Steve Walsh, ex-Leicester defender Steve Walsh tipped the anchorman for England recognition in the future in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, he said:

“Yes, he can [get into the England side]. Hamza has come through the academy, and it’s great to see homegrown players. He’s a player with great tenacity, he reads the game well, and he’s an up and coming star for Leicester. He’s threatening to start every game at the moment so again it’s a good option for Brendan Rodgers.”

The Baggies have long lacked that brute enforcer in the middle, perhaps ever since the 2012/13 season when Youssouf Mulumbu played a pivotal role alongside Claudio Yacob as Steve Clarke’s side finished eighth in the Premier League.

The next campaign, the DR Congo international averaged a whopping 3.1 interceptions and 2.4 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

Choudhury has many similarities to the former Albion monster. He initially joined the club on loan before making the move permanent, and Big Sam will be hoping the same can happen here considering the lack of options.

The £7.2m-rated beast could be a bargain this January.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Big Sam urged to sign 29-year-old free-agent this January…

Sunderland dodged a bullet by failing to sign Blackpool defender Luke Garbutt following his release by Everton this summer.

What’s the word?

According to the Chronicle, Phil Parkinson considered signing Garbutt upon his release by Everton as the Black Cats boss searched the transfer market for a new left-back.

Garbutt was allowed to leave Goodison Park as a free agent after 11-years with the Merseyside outfit, having made just 12 first-team appearances with the last of which coming in a 15-minute run-out at home to Sunderland in May 2015.

The 27-year-old was offloaded to Ipswich Town for the final year of his £28,000-per-week contract, where he featured 30 times across all competitions with his outings split 50/50 between duties at left-back and left-midfield.

Paul Lambert’s Portman Road natives along with unnamed Championship sides were also believed to have been interested in signing Garbutt permanently whilst Sunderland were on the scene, though ultimately opted against pursuing a deal.

Sunderland also failed to get Garbutt’s signing across the line before his unveiling as a Blackpool player, despite claims Chief Executive Officer Jim Rodwell tabled a contract offer to the former England U21 international.

A deal to bring Garbutt to the Stadium of Light would have been a major blunder by the man only appointed CEO in May, however, as the Seasiders are yet to get the best from their £540,000-rated defender.

Dodged a bullet

Garbutt was lauded as a “phenomenal” talent during his first-team breakthrough at Everton under Roberto Martinez, with the Spaniard fully convinced he was ready to push for a place in the starting line-up in 2014.

Martinez felt the then-21-year-old had impressed enough in his first two senior appearances to put pressure on Leighton Baines and Bryan Oviedo, noting via the Liverpool Echo: “Garbutt is a really phenomenal young man to have around. He is someone that keeps developing and his talent means he has a bright future.

“Luke has had a very impressive last four or five months in the manner that he has worked really hard at his game. His two performances over the 90 minutes for the first-team against Krasnodar and Wolfsburg were very impressive and I think he is ready to challenge for a position in the first-team.”

Garbutt never enjoyed the bright future Martinez expected with loan moves to Fulham, Wigan Athletic, Oxford United and Ipswich to come in the years that followed, and remains a shadow of the player he once could have become.

Blackpool are now witnessing that with the Leeds United product starting just two of his three League One appearances thus far this season, with a hamstring injury restricting Garbutt to just 123-minutes of third-tier action.

He has failed to impress when on the field, either, with SofaScore data showing just 0.3 key balls and 0.3 shots per league game while Garbutt occupies the left-channel, as well as a mere 17 accurate passes, 0.7 tackles, 0.3 successful dribbles and 2.3 duels won (47%).

Parkinson may have liked the idea of signing Garbutt and Rodwell may have put a contract on the table, but Sunderland have been far better off without the Everton failure.

AND in other news, Sunderland botched the chase of an “aggressive” £1.5m gem now winning nine duels a game.

Guochuan Lai’s reign as West Brom owner could be soon coming to an end.

The Baggies have been linked with a takeover for the very first time since the Chinese businessman took over from Jeremy Pearce back in 2016, when he paid £200m for the keys to the Hawthorns.

Although his time in charge hasn’t been without controversy. Over a year ago, he claimed that he couldn’t settle Albion’s debts due to restrictions in China whilst he has barely provided enough funds to give them a solid chance of staying in the top-flight this season.

His manager, Slaven Bilic, made a public plea to increase the budget but that fell on deaf ears.

Earlier this week, the reliable John Percy at the Telegraph claimed that the Midlands outfit have held talks with an unnamed American consortium over a potential £150m takeover.

Discussions remain ongoing with the party over either the sale of West Brom or purchasing a minority stake of up to 15 per cent. It’s also suggested that the group has an advisor with plenty of Premier League experience onboard, so this one is set to rumble on.

The Baggies have not won since gaining promotion from the Championship and find themselves second from bottom heading into a trick Christmas period.

Therefore, this takeover needs to be pushed through as soon as possible, especially with the January transfer window on the horizon. It would give Bilic a fairer chance of salvaging something from this season.

Get them in early and provide the Croatian with the funds he lusts for, and then they may well be able to save their Premier League plight.

American influence is rife in the top-flight right now and it is no coincidence you’ll find such ties with some of the best teams.

Spurs have a partnership with the NFL to host matches, Leeds have investment from the San Francisco 49ers, both Arsenal and Manchester United are owned by businessmen who too own an NFL side and defending champions, Liverpool, have Boston Red Sox majority shareholder John W. Henry.

If Albion were to join this illustrious list, then it could be an absolute game-changer for everyone at the Hawthorns.

AND in other news, West Brom should promote U23 starlet who can “give defences a problem”… 

On the 22nd October, Celtic are due to start their Europa League group stage campaign against Italian heavyweights AC Milan.

It is an exciting fixture, but the news for now is more focused around the players who might not be able to feature as Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie are both currently having to isolate due to COVID-19.

This is also affecting AC Milan, and the Serie A side could be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the big match.

Why could Celtic be facing a Milan side without Ibrahimovic?

The Swedish striker tested positive for COVID-19 back in late September. He is asymptomatic but until he returns a negative test, he is not able to feature for the Italian side.

This is his issue as Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting, via The Daily Record, as he is still returning positive COVID tests.

What Ibrahimovic’s possible absence means for Celtic

There is no doubting how good a forward AC Milan have in the Swede as he has managed 470 goals throughout his career, per Transfermarkt. His two spells at Milan have seen him score 70 goals in just 107 appearances and before he tested positive this term, he had scored two goals in his one Serie A game.

Therefore it will give the Celtic defence an easier task as they may not have to deal with the 6 foot 5 colossus, who is still performing at a top level despite being 39.

They Italian giants don’t have the best strength in depth as Ante Rebic is currently injured, leaving them with just Rafael Leao and 18 year-old Lorenzo Colombo. Leao is only 21 himself, but has managed eight goals in 36 appearances for his side. Make no mistake about it, Milan are a much less potent threat without their Swedish talisman.

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