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Reports by TEAMtalk earlier this week claimed that Crystal Palace are leading the race for Antoine Semenyo, but David Moyes should urge West Ham United to secure the Bristol City star’s signature this summer.

The Hammers are said to be one of several Premier League clubs trailing the Eagles for the forward’s services after being identified by the Selhurst Park natives as the perfect fit for their squad as a potential new Yannick Bolasie type.

Semenyo is seen to have immense potential and has a huge advocate in Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman following a five-goal, seven-assist season after 44 appearances across all competitions so far this term.

A number of top-flight suitors are understood to be carrying out regular checks on the 21-year-old’s progress at Ashton Gate, including West Ham, Palace, Southampton and relegation-threatened trio Newcastle, Brighton and Sheffield United.

Championship high-flyers Norwich and Watford – who both look set to secure an immediate return to the Premier League – are also noted to be keen on the ex-Chelsea target, for whom the Blues bid £1m to sign in 2019 but failed to get a deal over the line.

Any club wishing to sign Semenyo this summer faces paying a large increase on the Stamford Bridge outfit’s offer, with Bristol Post reporting that the Robins are happy to trade on their terms and that a price tag of £10m is possible.

Bristol City are unlikely to stand in his way of a move out of Ashton Gate if Nigel Pearson’s side receive suitable offers, although it is added that no official approaches have so far been made and that no bids were tabled during the winter market.

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Semenyo is under contract at the Championship club through to the summer of 2023 on £3,500-per-week terms, making him one of their lowest earners.

The forward would likely demand a significant pay rise to join a Premier League side in the off-season, yet the suspected asking price being touted should not see West Ham baulk in a bid to strengthen Moyes’ attacking options.

The Irons are expected to work heavily in the summer market clearing out deadwood on the wage bill, including £36m former record signing Felipe Anderson and £115,000-a-week top-earner Andriy Yarmolenko.

Neither are likely to fetch anywhere near the fees paid by the Hammers in 2018, with claims that Anderson could be sold for just £17m and Yarmolenko let go for offers of between £5m and 6m.

Anderson may have spent the season on loan at FC Porto – where he has proven to be a disaster for the Liga NOS giants – and Yarmolenko has only started one Premier League game all term, but the pair are capable of at least providing Moyes with depth out wide.

The Irons boss also has a lack of depth at centre-forward after Sebastien Haller’s winter move to AFC Ajax left Michail Antonio as the sole striker at the London Stadium, but Semenyo could solve both concerns.

Pearson has utilised the 21-year-old at centre-forward and on either wing throughout Bristol City’s season, as the forward – once lauded by Martin Keown as an “exciting prospect” – has proven to be capable of netting and assisting as often when played out wide as he is through the centre.

If West Ham are only expected to make around £20m-25m through the sales of Anderson and Yarmolenko and likely chase a clinical centre-forward to challenge Antonio next term, beating Crystal Palace to Semenyo may be a very wise way to go.

AND in other news, West Ham land boost in £17m race to sign “one of the finest footballers” who was David Moyes’ dream target in 2020…

Rangers were one of the clubs reportedly interested in signing Rochdale winger Kwadwo Baah recently, but it had looked as if Steven Gerrard’s side had missed out on bringing the 18-year-old to Ibrox when it was reported that he would join Manchester City.

However, that move has now collapsed, due to City not being happy with an aspect of Baah’s medical, which opens up the door for Ross Wilson to potentially bring him to Rangers this summer.

The teenager has burst onto the scene at the League One club this season, with three goals and two assists in 23 league appearances for Brian Barry-Murphy’s side.

His first goal for the club was an outstanding finish in the 5-0 win against Wigan Athletic, and he went one better in the 4-4 draw with Charlton Athletic, as he first curled an unstoppable shot into the top corner, before accelerating past the Charlton right-back and smashing in from a tight angle for his second of the game.

Although both his and Rochdale’s form has declined in recent weeks, it is still clear that he has a huge amount of potential, with manager Barry-Murphy dubbing him a “special talent” earlier in the season.

With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Rangers and any other interested clubs could potentially bring him in on a free transfer in the summer, which could represent an excellent deal for the Ibrox outfit.

The Stuttgart-born winger does seem to have a similar style of play to Ryan Kent, as according to WhoScored, he averages 1.6 dribbles per game in the English third tier, whilst Kent averages 1.8 dribbles per game in the Scottish Premiership.

Like Kent, the Rochdale winger also loves to shoot from range and possesses excellent skills, which have regularly seen him embarrass senior League One defenders on occasions this season.

With the former Liverpool man having been linked with an exit from Rangers last summer in particular, perhaps if he does leave, then Baah could be the ideal man to replace him in Gerrard’s side.

Therefore, Wilson should reignite Rangers’ interest in the winger this summer and do everything he can to bring him to Ibrox, as it seems clear from his performances this season that he has a very bright future in the game.

In other news… No time for niceties: Rangers should axe £7.5k-p/w flop this summer; he’s not good enough

Leeds United could sign a perfect midfield partner for Kalvin Phillips in AZ Alkmaar’s Teun Koopmeiners.

What’s the story?

In a list of options suggested by The Athletic’s Phil Hay as potential cover for Kalvin Phillips, Koopmeiner’s name came into the discussion, with the reveal that he could be set for a move away from the Netherlands this summer.

It was suggested: “The indications from Holland are that the 23-year-old, who won his first Holland cap in October, is ready for a move and his agent, Bart Baving, told Italian media last month that ‘the time has come for the next move’. However, he will not be cheap and several Italian clubs are monitoring him.”

Perfect partner for Phillips

There’s no questioning that one of the biggest problems for Marcelo Bielsa ever since he has been at the club is how to go about replacing Phillips if he’s out injured – Darren Bent effectively dubbed him as irreplaceable.

While Koopmeiners has been suggested as potential cover for Phillips, there’s a real argument to be made that he could also be an ideal partner for the England international at Elland Road and be named in the same team when they’re both fit.

Alan Pardew, who briefly managed league rivals Ado Den Haag, waxed lyrical about the box-to-box powerhouse. Speaking to The Daily Mail, he said: “The AZ captain Teun Koopmeiners, a left-footed centre back who can sit in midfield, is probably the best player in Holland in defensive areas.”

And, in some player analysis done by The Athletic, it was suggested: “Koopmeiners has more of an attacking profile than Phillips (something that might fit with Bielsa’s standards of versatility) and there is a lot to like about him. He stands out as a very good all-rounder in top-flight terms: an extremely strong tackler who mirrors Phillips in his constant attempts to look for forward passes rather than lateral balls.

“While the match with Phillips is not perfect, it is close enough to suggest that Koopmeiners is an asset Bielsa could refine with coaching.”

Described as a “leader” by his former coach Koen Stam, Koopmeiners is AZ’s skipper, and as well as being a talented footballer, would be another important voice in the dressing room.

Leeds and Victor Orta should be all over a move for the 6 foot Dutchman, he seems like he is the perfect man to partner Phillips in the middle of the park, whilst he could also give Bielsa a player he could rely on to marshall the midfield troofs as and when the England international is unavailable.

Meanwhile, Bielsa should urge Leeds to move for this Premier League beast…

Considering how poor Celtic have been this season, the idea of adding nobody to their squad in January seems hard to believe.

Yet, that’s the conclusion we look to be reaching. Despite sitting 23 points behind Rangers in their quest for a tenth SPFL crown in a row, they are seemingly happy with their squad.

If we’re searching for positives then they have at least kept hold of their best players. Kristoffer Ajer is still in Glasgow while the highly sought after Odsonne Edouard remains a Hoop for now.

Though, they do look as though they’ll see Olivier Ntcham walk through the exit door. The Frenchman has been out of Neil Lennon’s plans in recent months and is now being linked with a loan move to Newcastle. If that does materialise, it’s likely there will be an option to buy in the terms.

Celtic arguably needed an extra protective layer in their midfield anyway but if Ntcham leaves, that only becomes even more important.

Fortunately, they have a player on their radar that could fix a number of their problems. That happens to be former Stoke City midfielder Giannelli Imbula.

The 28-year-old is out of contract and available on a free transfer after departing Sochi earlier this season so represents a fantastic option in the market. Not only would he give them more depth, but he’d help to replace Ntcham and also potentially make the Bhoys better defensively.

Celtic have been terrible at the back this season and have shipped 13 more goals than Rangers in the league, despite playing two fewer matches. An eye-watering number of individual errors have plagued their backline but in signing Imbula, it could ensure that the ball doesn’t reach the centre-backs as regularly.

That’s because the Frenchman is a tough-tackling brute in the middle of the park, earning comparisons to one of the greatest box to box midfielders we’ve ever seen. During his time at Stoke, Xherdan Shaqiri only had praise for Imbula, saying: “You can compare him to Patrick Vieira, only Gianelli is all left-footed.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-celtic-transfer-news” title=”Read this week’s Celtic transfer news!”]

At his peak, the midfield general won 2.4 tackles per match for Marseille. With someone like that added to Celtic’s ranks, just imagine the incredible force they’d have with both Imbula and Ismaila Soro.

The Ivorian has very quickly become one of Lennon’s most important players and has won a colossal 3.7 tackles per game in the Europa League. He’s also recorded 1.8 successful challenges per match in the Scottish Premiership.

Only a few days ago, Soro made as many as eight tackles in a Man of the Match display against Hamilton. He may have given more protection to this Celtic team but they are still leaking goals, something emphasised during the 2-1 defeat to St Mirren.

Therefore, signing another defensive midfielder in the shape of Imbula is vital. Celtic recruiter Nick Hammond must get this deal done if Celtic have any desires of improving at the back.

AND in other news, Celtic could have their Frimpong heir in rarely-seen 20 y/o with “excellent pedigree”…

Aiden McGeady’s Sunderland spell has been a crazy affair.

After initially signing for the club, he was on a weekly salary of around £31k-per-week. It’s hard to suggest he merited that as the club fell into League One.

Though, now on £19k-per-week, he’s more than earning his money at the Stadium of Light. Before Lee Johnson walked into the club, McGeady hadn’t played all season.

An incident where he was pictured alongside Chris Maguire at McDonald’s after a defeat in December 2019 saw him alienated from the side and transfer listed.

He signed for Charlton on loan but then returned to the north-east, again alienated by Phil Parkinson. Though, Johnson clearly recognised he still had something to give and it hasn’t taken the Irishman long to rekindle his fire.

The winger has been phenomenal in recent months, becoming the club’s chief creator. He assisted all four of Charlie Wyke’s goals in the 4-1 win over Doncaster and has ten assists in just 14 outings this term.

He has been running riot down the left-hand side but his contract expires in just a matter of months. If you told McGeady, and indeed the club’s supporters, that he’d stay beyond the summer at the beginning of the season, they’d have laughed.

Though, the reality is that he’s now one of Sunderland’s most important players again. The veteran hinted last week that he wanted to stay in the north-east and according to Kevin Phillips, he more than deserves a new deal.

He told Football Insider: “Why would you not offer him a contract? Whether they go up or not.”

Phillips continued: “It is hard to find players of McGeady’s calibre. He can create goals. It is just a question of whether he has the hunger and desire to do it week in, week out and McGeady has shown recently that he has that. He has been outstanding.”

Kyril-Louis Dreyfus finalised his takeover of the club in the last few days and he will have a whole list of priorities to address. Though, he can start his tenure at Sunderland with a bang by tying down McGeady.

No player has more assists than the 34-year-old in League One this term, and despite his age, he is still as valuable as ever.

McGeady may have lost a yard of pace but creatively, he is still magic. Dreyfus simply has to ensure that his future lies at Sunderland, not elsewhere.

AND in other news, Forget Power: SAFC star who won 6 aerial duels was Johnson’s true hero on Tuesday…

If anything summed up Sunderland’s festive period, it would be their 0-0 draw with Northampton last Saturday.

The Mackems had four games postponed and clearly, a lack of match fitness had caught up with the players.

On the chalkboard

The positive for Lee Johnson was that he was able to welcome back a near fully fit squad following a bout of Covid that hit the playing staff.

In their final game of 2020, Grant Leadbitter was one of a few players that was actually available. Thus, he was someone who looked up to the pace of the game when they played the Cobblers.

It typified the club captain. Even in moments of sheer adversity and dejection, he turns up and delivers for his team.

Though, one has to wonder how long he can keep doing that. The midfielder is 34 and if Sunderland see their future above League One, they surely need to move on from him in the future.

A Mackems stalwart, it will be a sad day once he does depart but if they’re able to sign one of their January targets, they can rest a little easier.

Leadbitter’s successor

One player Sunderland have been linked with in the last week or so is Forest Green general Carl Winchester.

The midfielder, who earns £2.4k-per-week, has caught the eye immensely in League Two and as a result, it’s hardly a surprise to see him attracting suitors from a higher division.

The 27-year-old has been a pillar of solidity for the Gloucestershire outfit and if Sunderland seal a move, he could be exactly who they need to succeed Leadbitter in the middle of the park.

Like the experienced Black Cat, Winchester is a defensive midfielder and he’s held in incredibly high esteem.

Rovers boss Mark Cooper said in February 2020: “He’s a Championship player and if I was a Championship manager, he’d be one of the first players I would take.”

Cooper continued: “He’s a top, top player and should be playing at a much higher level. He’s at least a seven and a half out of ten each week and the dangerous thing for us, he’s started scoring goals and if he adds those goals to his game, he’s a complete midfield player.”

That’s incredibly exciting to hear for Sunderland supporters, but so are his stats. In 2020/21, Winchester is ahead of Leadbitter for tackles, shots and key passes per game.

A dynamic operator, he could add a greater deal of fluidity and athleticism to Lee Johnson’s side.

For a manager keen on adding further players who can stretch the play, this can only be a good thing. Kristjaan Speakman must conclude a deal.

AND in other news, Sunderland could find their new Bailey Wright in £750-p/w gem once dubbed “faultless”…

Many Crystal Palace fans are reacting to the latest comments from new signing Jean-Philippe Mateta as he talked about his ambitions.

The striker signed recently and after the club sorting out some visa issues, the Frenchman is now available for selection. He was speaking to the club, relayed via both @cpfc_xtra and @palace_transfer, and said: “I want to break everything. I’m starving, hungry… I’m going to have to work. We can qualify for the Europa League for starters! After that, Crystal Palace can help me find a club where I’ll stay for 10 years and where I’ll win trophies.”

These comments show that he has a lot of ambition and this is good to see from a 23 year-old looking to make a name for himself. However, a lot of the Palace fan base have taken this badly – they see it as the player using the Eagles as a stepping stone. One fan called the comments ‘strange’.

Mateta has been in great form this season for Mainz (WhoScored). He has played 17 times in all competitions and picked up ten goals and one assist, with seven of these goals coming in the Bundesliga.

The signing looks very promising and if Roy Hodgson can get the best out of him, the club could push for a top half finish this season. Since the 2015/16 season, the highest the Eagles have finished is eleventh it shows that the ambition has been lacking, and therefore the comments by Mateta seem somewhat justified.

Here is what Palace fans said following these comments:

“Hopefully this is just a poor choice of words”

Credit: @palacecarlton

“To have this much confidence I expect very big things.”

Credit: @Adam_Palace

“Seems really happy to be with us”

Credit: @JGCPCV

“Strange quote this.”

Credit: @Wheddsta

“Why is our club desperate to get strikers in like Mateta and Tosun who don’t want to play for us, yet we do every thing we can to push Benteke out the club who actually wants to be here”

Credit: @Ayew_SZN

“Mainz fans did warn us of his attitude”

Credit: @ZacCPFC

In other Palace news, have a read of a bizarre statistic about the club which fans aren’t happy with here!

Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino was handed a rare start by Jurgen Klopp for the Reds’ game against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon but he did very little to repay the German manager’s faith.

The Japanese international was starting just his first Premier League game of the season against Graham Potter’s side but produced a very disappointing display.

As per SofaScore, the 25-year-old picked up a match rating of 5.8, ranking him as the worst player on the pitch from both sides.

His passing was fairly accurate throughout the match, as he registered a pass accuracy rate of 82%, with 40/49 of his efforts finding a Liverpool teammate.

However, his defensive contribution was less than impressive, as of the 10 duels he was involved in during the game, he was able to win just one.

He was also dribbled past on four occasions, whilst he lost possession 14 times during the match, suggesting that he was often second-best when battling with the Brighton players.

The former RB Salzburg man was also wasteful when presented with the opportunity to create, as his one cross during the game was inaccurate, whilst of his six long balls, only one found its mark.

It was surprising therefore that Klopp opted to substitute Mohamed Salah in the first-half, whilst keeping Minamino on for the entirety of the game.

The 25-year-old hasn’t really lived up to expectations since joining the Anfield outfit in January of this year, having made 26 appearances in all competitions, scoring three times and assisting once (per Transfermarkt).

Earlier in the season, Klopp was full of praise for the Japanese international after his performance in the win against Ajax, saying:

“You saw they were fresher, they were the hardest working. It’s a bit of a shame that Diogo didn’t score, Shaq was lively and Taki is a machine.

“He’s everywhere, he defends like a devil and then offensively he’s really involved. Nice one-twos together with Diogo on the side where they came into the box.” (per Metro)

However, his performance today was far from that previous standard, and Klopp will surely think twice about selecting him from the start in the Reds’ next fixture, which sees them take on Ajax again in the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday.

And, in other news… Liverpool must cash in on “outstanding” 23 y/o wizard while his stock is high

Ahead of Leeds United’s Premier League clash against Tottenham on Saturday afternoon, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have suffered a major injury blow.

Despite the Whites’ 5-0 thrashing of West Brom last time out, Bielsa would have had one major concern coming out of that game, with Mateusz Klich having gone down injured just before the half-hour mark and needing to be substituted.

The Leeds boss then confirmed: “He received a knock to his thigh and this didn’t allow him to continue, but this hasn’t been evaluated just yet.”

Leeds Live later revealed that the likes of Klich, Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente all “remain on the treatment table” ahead of the game against Spurs.

Klich has been Mr Reliable for Bielsa ever since the Argentine took charge at Elland Road, with the Poland international having missed just one league game in the past two-and-a-half years – even that was in a meaningless clash against Derby County last season after they had already been promoted back to the Premier League.

Speaking earlier this season, former Leeds midfielder Michael Brown reacted to Bielsa’s comment that he could play for any team in the world, saying: “That’s a big call that, isn’t it? He’s obviously doing the best agent’s job for him, Bielsa.

“If it doesn’t work out at Leeds United, he’s definitely got a move now, hasn’t he, with the big man saying that. Listen, he’s been a revelation, hasn’t he? He’s done really, really well.”

Even though he seems to have gone off the boil recently, Bielsa’s unwavering trust in his players means being without an out-of-form Klich is something that will leave him worried ahead of a huge game with one of the Premier League’s big six.

Liverpool were linked heavily with a move for Brighton and Hove Albion defender Ben White during the summer transfer window but after commmiting to a new long-term contract with the Seagulls, the centre-back was never likely to depart.

The 23-year-old established himself as one of the hottest English prospects in football last season after helping Leeds United win promotion back to the top-flight, with the youngster playing every single minute of the Championship season for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

As a result, the Yorkshire club were extremely interested in re-signing him permanently in the summer but saw several bids for the defender rejected by Brighton.

However, White ended up staying with Brighton, where he has enjoyed a fairly solid start to life in the Premier League, having averaged a 6.76 rating across his eight appearances in the top-flight (per WhoScored).

Now that he has proved himself to be equally adept at Premier League-level, Liverpool should seriously consider returning for the centre-back in January, considering their current defensive woes.

Jurgen Klopp has lost both Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk to long-term injury problems, whilst makeshift centre-back Fabinho is also currently sidelined.

The Reds also sold Dejan Lovren to Zenit St Petersburg in the summer transfer window, leaving the German manager desperately short of senior centre-back options in his side, as the Reds aim to retain the Premier League trophy they won so convincingly last time out.

The Athletic confirmed recently that following Gomez’s injury, the Reds retain an interest in White, although they feel that there may be better value-for-money options abroad.

However, the 23-year-old’s strengths of passing, concentration, ball interceptions and tackling all suggest that he could do an excellent job filling in for Van Dijk and Gomez in their absence and he obviously now has Premier League experience under his belt.

The Englishman has impressed plenty of Sky Sports pundits with his displays last season and this season, with Jamie Carragher suggesting that:

“His range of passing, especially his long-passing is something which stood out in that Leeds team – I think he’s really good. If he gets anywhere close to the performances he gave for Leeds this season in the Premier League for Brighton then I think he will be knocking on England’s door, I really do.” (per HITC)

Jamie Redknapp is also seemingly a big fan of White, as during a half-time analysis recently, he said:

“I have got to mention Ben White, there is a centre back there who is going to go right to the top.

“He is so comfortable on the ball, you can see why Leeds wanted to keep him.

“That young man is destined for an amazing future, he’s comfortable on the ball, brilliant defensively and I love him.” (per The Argus)

Therefore, White is clearly tipped for big things by a lot of people and considering Liverpool’s defensive crisis, we feel that the Reds should do everything they can to sign the £13.5 million-rated defender in January.