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Crystal Palace could revive their interest in Watford winger Ismaila Sarr as they search for added attacking reinforcements.

What’s the story?

The Eagles had a £25 million bid rejected for the 23-year-old on deadline day last summer but could return with a fresh offer over the coming months, according to The Sun.

Former Reading forward Michael Olise has already arrived in south London as Patrick Vieira looks to bolster his first-team squad, with more additions expected to join him before the new season kicks off.

Imagine him and Zaha

Despite suffering relegation from the Premier League with the Hornets back in 2019/20, Sarr established a solid reputation for himself in the English game, bagging five top-flight goals and providing six assists in 28 appearances.

His impressive performances won several plaudits throughout the season, including former Manchester United defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville who labelled him “special”.

Unsurprisingly, Sarr improved on those figures in the Championship last term, playing a pivotal part as Watford earned promotion back to the promised land at the first time of asking.

After notching up 23 goal contributions in the recently concluded campaign it’s easy to understand why Palace are reportedly contemplating making another bid for the Senegal international.

The capital club finished in a respectable 14th position in the Premier League standings in what was Roy Hodgson’s last season at the helm but only put the ball in the back of the net on 41 occasions.

With key creative force Eberechi Eze ruled out until the new year through injury, Vieira will be desperate to add some extra firepower to his forward line this summer.

The prospect of Sarr lining up on one wing, with Zaha on the opposite flank, is one that will surely have the club’s supporters buzzing and hoping that chairman Steve Parish gets the chequebook out.

A price tag is yet to be muted for the highly-rated youngster, but the £19.8m-rated gem wouldn’t come cheap, although, with the talent and potential he possesses, he could well be worth every penny that Watford demand.

And, in other news…Palace open talks to sign £7m prodigy who’s a “proper footballer”, he’s another Olise 

Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy with a video of Scotland fans singing an anti-England song and the lack of response from the Scottish government.

The Gers ended the season by beating Aberdeen 4-0 at Ibrox on the final day of the campaign. On that day, they also received the Premiership trophy at Ibrox, which lead to celebrations from both the players at the ground and the fans in the streets of Glasgow.

A video emerged in the aftermath of the match, with there being suggestions the Rangers players had been singing offensive songs. Those claims were soon disproven (via The Daily Mail), but that did not stop Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf demanding players be sacked if they were found guilty within hours of the clip emerging (Yahoo).

In this case, there appears to have been no such rush from Yousaf.

The video was shared on Twitter by @AgentP22, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“Wrong type of bigotry for those tagged. What’s going wrong in Scotland? This lot are no better than the EDL.”

Credit: @TheWorthingRed

“As if they would even acknowledge it unless they had rangers tops on. Wit an embarrassment for a government.”

Credit: @_simpson7

“Silence from these two rockets is deafening”

Credit: @RJG24943067

@GBNEWS please ask the SNP minister humza yousaf why he is not commenting on this!

Credit: @DonnyMclean

“Guaranteed every one of them would be greetin if it was English fans mocking Scots.”

Credit: @RangersBear_55

“Doesn’t fit his agenda.”

Credit: @walterwalk

In other news, Rangers fans laud this man’s Euro 2020 performance.

According to a report by Viola News, West Ham United have ‘asked for information’ over recent weeks in an enquiry to sign colossal Fiorentina goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski.

The Lowdown: Hammers searching for a shot stopper?

Despite reports indicating that manager David Moyes’ summer priorities are a new striker, new centre-half and permanent deal for Lingard (Claret & Hugh), West Ham have also been touted to bolster other positions.

One of those is in between the sticks, with current number one Lukasz Fabianski arguably approaching the end of his West Ham career despite recently signing a one-year extension in east London.

The Hammers could be on the lookout for a new shot stopper as his possible heir this summer and the club have already been linked to the likes of Sam Johnstone.

The Latest: West Ham enquiry now made for Dragowski

As per local Florence outlet Viola News, the Irons have now made an enquiry to sign Dragowski amid the search for a possible new keeper.

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Indeed, West Ham have apparently asked for information in recent weeks but are not the only club looking into a possible deal for the 23-year-old.

They face stiff competition from the Premier League with Tottenham, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers all placing Dragowski on their radar.

The 6 foot 3 powerhouse started 36 matches for Fiorentina over the 2020/2021 Serie A campaign, keeping eight clean sheets in that time (Transfermarkt).

The Verdict: Promising but not a priority…

Drawgowski comes as a decent prospect in the goalkeeping department, having made his international debut already at just 23 and playing at a consistently in a top league throughout 20/21.

However, given West Ham’s considerable lack of depth going forward, with star striker Michail Antonio in and out of the side due to reoccurring fitness issues, the Irons have bigger priorities.

A permanent deal for Lingard and new centre-forward should sit top of the pile when it comes to West Ham’s transfer agenda.

The east Londoners should also be monitoring new centre-backs ahead of new keepers, especially given the club’s decision not to renew Fabian Balbuena’s current deal.

Fabianski’s extended stay means West Ham can bide their time in search of a new keeper, but the same cannot be said for other positions in Moyes’ squad.

In other news: ‘Have started negotiations’…Journalist makes exciting West Ham transfer claim, find out more here.

A number of Liverpool supporters are hugely excited after a report claimed the Reds are on the verge of signing striker Patson Daka this summer.

The summer transfer window promises to be a busy one at Anfield, with Jurgen Klopp working hard on perfecting his squad ahead of next season.

The 53-year-old will no doubt be keen to bringing in top-quality additions, but he will also be wanting to offload fringe players who are deemed surplus to requirements.

One player who Liverpool have been linked with before is Daka, who has been a sensation for RB Salzburg, scoring 68 goals in just 125 appearances for the Austrian side.

According to Fichajes, the Reds are set to make the 22-year-old their second addition of the summer, having already signed Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig.

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Liverpool fans delighted with Daka update

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to provide their thoughts on the news after it was shared on Twitter via Sports Illustrated, with plenty of happiness on show.

“Please be true”

Credit: @rieny_rein

“I’d be over the moon with that”

Credit: @its_lew

“Replacing Origi with Daka would be fantastic. So much potential there”

Credit: @IrishRED05

“Don’t give me hope”

Credit: @_euanito

“This would be an incredible signing if true. Daka is being slept on across Europe”

Credit: @YourMateJez

“Good news”

Credit: @itwasashtag

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly willing to sell an attacking player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Aston Villa have been urged to ‘hijack’ Leicester City’s move for Odsonne Edouard by their former striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.

The lowdown

According to Sky Sports, Leicester have held constructive talks with Celtic over signing the French Under-21 international.

Edouard could apparently cost around £18million, with one year left on his contract at Parkhead.

He’s scored 83 goals in 168 appearances for Celtic, contributing a further 37 assists.

The striker is intent on a move to one of the top European leagues and Brendan Rodgers is said to be a ‘keen admirer’ after their time together in Glasgow.

However, Villa have been mentioned in connection with the talented young Frenchman as well.

The latest

Agbonlahor was effusive in his praise of Edouard and believes he’d be an excellent addition to Villa’s attacking ranks.

“I’ve said it for so long about Edouard, I rate him highly,” he told Football Insider. “If I had the money, I’d buy him myself.

“I think he’s outstanding and I’d love him at Aston Villa as the second striker behind Watkins.

“I think Villa should hijack Leicester and go and get him.”

The verdict

Villa’s depth would be pretty enviable if they were to snap up Edouard, a significant upgrade on the likes of Wesley and Keinan Davis.

The issue, though, is that he has a clearer route to first-team football at Leicester. Jamie Vardy will turn 35 during the 2021/22 season and Edouard, 12 years his junior, would see himself as a long-term successor to the Englishman.

At Villa, he might be concerned that he’d only be a back-up option for Watkins.

Perhaps Dean Smith would look to change shape in order to accommodate both, but it seems likely the current set-up will remain, with Jack Grealish, new signing Emiliano Buendia and one of Bertrand Traore or Anwar El Ghazi deployed behind Watkins.

In other news, there’s been a fresh update on Jack Grealish.  

In recent weeks, former Newcastle United and Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, has confirmed that he’s ready for a return to the Premier League and that is somebody Steve Bull could see ending up at Molineux.

Bruno Lage has been installed as the favourite for the Wolves job and is reportedly having talks with the hierarchy this week as they look for a swift appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor.

Benitez would bring defensively solidarity to Wolves after a season where they conceded 55 goals and having a striker like Raul Jimenez would potentially be perfect for the Spaniard having seen what he did with Salomon Rondon at Newcastle.

Whoever Wolves end up appointing, they are likely to have some form of connection to Jorge Mendes but Benitez would be a good fit in the Midlands given his experience and knowledge of the game, according to Bull who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“Rafa Benitez is an old-headed foreign manager which we could do with and I think if he came, Wolves the fans would welcome him with open arms because you saw at Newcastle what he was like up there.

“I could actually see Benitez down there at Wolves and I think he could do a good job.”

Nuno enjoyed a very successful period of time at Wolves having guided the club to a Europa League quarter-final as well as also winning three Premier League manager of the month awards.

Benitez loves to have a strong solid defensive base in his starting lineup and that is something Wolves could benefit from especially with accomplished defenders in Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Romain Saiss already at the club.

Many Southampton fans have been fuming over the performance of Theo Walcott in their 2-0 defeat at Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday night.

Sadio Mane and Thiago grabbed the goals to give Jurgen Klopp’s men all three points at Anfield, with the Saints left to rue some missed opportunities.

Walcott did not have the best of games against the Reds, as the former Arsenal man lost out on four of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on goal, dribble or cross (Sofascore).

He was subsequently taken off in the 66th minute after failing to make any real impact, recording a mere 25 touches of the ball in total and losing possession on 11 separate occasions in the match (Sofascore).

Southampton fans slam Walcott’s performance

These disgruntled Southampton fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter going as far as to claim that the 32-year-old was ‘shocking’:

“Walcott seriously has to be in the minus points rating for his performance tonight. God awful #SaintsFC”

Credit: @saintadam1981

“Get Walcott off. Just runs into people. Absolutely awful #saintsfc”

Credit: @saintstevo85

“Walcott really is terrible, isn’t he? #SaintsFC”

Credit: @HarryStokes_93

“Walcott bottles tackles too #SaintsFC”

Credit: @miserygutscoop

“Walcott on the counter makes my eyes hurt #SaintsFC”

Credit: @RahilMajid

“Get Walcott off at half time. Shocking #SaintsFC”

Credit: @JamesBe43198539

In other news, find out what big Ryan Bertrand hint has been dropped!

Birmingham City’s Chief Executive Officer Xuandong Ren has resigned from his position at St. Andrew’s.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a statement posted on the Birmingham City website, which confirmed the departure of the CEO, before the club’s board thanked him for his “service and contribution” to the Blues throughout his four-year spell in Birmingham.

In reaction to the news, Lee Bowyer claimed that he was unaware of Ren’s apparent resignation until shortly before the club’s statement, but insisted that his side will look to move on as quickly as possible following the development.

As cited by Birmingham Live, the 44-year-old said: “The first I was aware of it was late [Monday], I got made aware late [Monday] they had made that decision, I was not aware that discussions were going on behind the scenes regarding Dong or any other member of staff.

“That’s a decision they have made and us as a football club, we have to move on. I will now look to try and sit in front of the people upstairs and see what the plan is going forward for the football club because the most important thing is we get things right and all move forward.”

Fans will be buzzing

Ren had been the face of the club’s owners, Trillion Trophy Asia – the company that have overseen the parting with or appointment of eight different managers, spanning from Gary Rowett’s time at the club up until the current manager Bowyer – since 2017, and his departure is likely to leave fans of the club buzzing.

Blues fans recently protested against the way that Ren and Trillion Trophy Asia have run their club in recent years, with the fanbase left furious at seeing their side having points deducted after breaching the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules, selling their 115-year-old St. Andrew’s stadium to a third party, as well as the aforementioned regular chopping and changing of the manager in charge of the side.

Indeed, following the confirmation of Ren’s departure on Twitter, fans of the club appeared to be understandably over the moon, with one dubbing it as the “best news ever” while others claimed that Ren “won’t be missed.”

So, with Ren now out of the picture, the future would appear to be slightly more bright for Bowyer and Birmingham, who can now concentrate on building a side over the summer that is capable of pushing on from their 18th place finish last season.

In other news: Bowyer must sanction Birmingham City summer swoop for “outstanding” £7.1k-p/w bargain – opinion

Watford are considering a move to bring Robbie Brady to Vicarage Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Mirror (via Football League World), who claim that the Hornets could make a move for the Burnley midfielder in the coming weeks, as the 29-year-old is set to leave Turf Moor at the end of his current contract – which expires next month.

It is also reported that Crystal Palace and Southampton are keen on the Republic of Ireland international, as well as Scottish Premiership side Celtic.

Giaretta should not move

Having joined Burnley from Norwich City in what was a club record £13m deal back in 2017, it would be fair to say that Brady has not quite lived up his price tag over his four years with Sean Dyche’s side.

This season, the £33k-per-week left midfielder made 19 Premier League appearances for the Clarets, scoring one goal, registering one assist and creating two big chances, as well as taking an average of 0.8 shots and making just 12.8 passes per game.

These metrics saw the 29-year-old earn a disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.66, ranking him as the club’s 13th-best performer in the top flight.

And, while the man Joe Dudgeon claimed has “something special” can also operate from left-back, a position in which Watford will be looking to strengthen this summer following the departure of Achraf Lazaar, his returns for Burnley, in addition to a quite frankly shocking injury record, would seem to indicate that a move for the midfielder would not be worthwhile for Cristiano Giaretta to get over the line in the coming weeks, even on a free transfer.

Indeed, when taking into account his hefty weekly wage, poor fitness history and disappointing performances, there would very much appear to be better a great many better options for the Watford sporting director to target this summer, as he looks to build a side capable of retaining their status in the top flight come the end of next season.

In other news: Transfer claim emerges on “immense” Watford-linked beast that’ll have Giaretta buzzing – opinion

Given the long and illustrious managerial career that Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa has enjoyed, it’s unsurprising that he’s managed some of the game’s biggest and best players – not least Argentina icon Roberto Ayala.

The centre-back worked under Bielsa during the pair’s time together at international level, winning the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics. Ayala himself has since openly credited with the Whites manager with having the biggest influence on his career, saying: “In my case, personally speaking, he was the coach who made me perform or get to a very high level in every game.”

In fact, there were even reports that Leeds were looking to sign the defender back in the summer of 2002 when the whole Rio Ferdinand saga was playing out, with his agent Fernando Hidalgo saying: “I am going to England for many issues, there is no meeting with Leeds executives regarding Ayala, but I have a good relationship with Leeds and if they call me that is fine.

“I think the club is interested in the player but it all depends on whether Ferdinand’s transfer to Manchester United is completed. Ayala is one of the main candidates to replace him.”

Ayala himself admitted: “I am flattered that a club like Leeds have shown an interest in me as a possible replacement to Rio Ferdinand.”

Despite only standing at 5 foot 10, Ayala carved out a very successful career at both domestic and international level, becoming an elite level centre-back despite his height, winning multiple trophies and earning 116 caps for Argentina.

In the 1.77m-tall (5 foot 11) Leif Davis, Bielsa may well be tempted to see if he could mould the Leeds starlet into a replica of the iconic Argentine, especially given that, like the ex-Valencia stalwart, he is someone who can play at full-back and centre-back.

A player profile on BBC Sport back in May 2002 wrote of Ayala: “He is commanding in the air and a tenacious tackler as well as being an excellent passer of the ball”.

While Davis has some work to do in the aerial department, his tenacity and tackling is something which has always stood out about him, with Stewart Drummond, his former academy boss at Morecambe,  saying: “He had similar attributes to what he has now; a great engine, pace, fit, aggressive in the tackle. He had a nice left foot, delivered the ball really well, all the basic attributes you try to find in players at that age.”

With more and more teams opting for their full-backs to push up high, the onus is now on the centre-halves to be able to deal with opposition wingers when they get dragged out wide. Given Davis’ natural instincts as a left-back, he should be more than comfortable in handling those kinds of situations, just like Ayala was.

The 21-year-old also appears to be turning heads at Thorp Arch, with The Athletic’s Phil Hay making it clear just how highly-rated he is behind the scenes. Speaking on The Phil Hay Show back in November, he said: “He’s very well thought of, is Davis, and he has been since he came, and of the Under-23s, he’s really been as involved as most under Bielsa and has quite often been the go-to player when Bielsa’s needed a left-back.

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“The bottom line is that at Leeds, they think an awful lot of Davis, and they think that he’s a bit of a steal for what they paid to sign him from Morecambe.”

While it would be much too farfetched to assume that Davis will certainly go on to enjoy as illustrious a career as Ayala did, converting him into a centre-back on a more permanent basis may be the kind of Bielsa masterstroke which really propels his time at Leeds.

Meanwhile, Leeds could finally wave goodbye to this liability…