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Many Crystal Palace fans have been delighted on Twitter, after striker Jordan Ayew posted a photo on with the caption ‘Enjoyed that one’, following his goal in a 3-1 pre-season friendly away to Reading [Berkshire Live].

In what was a brilliant solo effort by the Ghanaian, Ayew picked up the ball in his own half after an interception by Conor Gallagher, drove forward into space and hammered home low past the Reading goalkeeper [Berkshire Live].

In an entertaining friendly, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Scott Banks were the other scorers for the Eagles, whilst John Swift found the net for their opponents.

Rounding off their preparations for the new season, Palace will host Watford at Selhurst Park on Saturday 7th August [Crystal Palace FC Official].

In light of the Ayew post, no wonder loads of Crystal Palace diehards took to social media to give their thoughts, given his penchant for spectacular goals in the past.

Crystal Palace FC fans react:

Replying to Jordan Ayew’s official Twitter account, here is what some Palace fans had to say:

“Nice strike yesterday champ.”

Credit: @zippy777777

“Ghanaian Prince”

Credit: @CPFCMax9″Thought you were brilliant yesterday. Your close control is one of the best I have seen whilst I’ve been watching Palace”Credit: @PaulDenney7″Deserved it for the shift you put in”Credit: @gasman_g”Beautiful”Credit: @wallHil59834857″JORDANNNNN”Credit: @cpfcgoaatIn other news, Crystal Palace fans react to a coaching update.

Newcastle United have long been the favourites to sign Kristoffer Ajer but The Atheltic are now reporting that a move for the Norweigan international appears to be unlikely as they pursue other targets.

His attitude off the pitch may not have gone down well with Steve Bruce, according to Steve Howey who urged the club to do their due diligence on the defender.

The 6 ft 6 centre back’s likely destination is now Norwich City with fresh reports emerging in the last 24 hours claiming the Canaries are well and truly underway to secure a deal for the Celtic man.

There has been previous criticism about the £12 million rated defender’s performances on the pitch for Celtic but also for how he conducts himself in the media when he’s not with the Bhoys, something Frank McAvennie has spoken about before.

If Ajer is a type of player that looks at his own personal gain and performances before how the team are doing then it may be a bullet dodged by the Magpies and hopefully, they have done thorough scouting into him, according to Howey, who spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“The club have to do their due diligence on players and the recruitment team have to be spot on about what he’s like on the pitch and with that criticism from Frank McAvennie they have to know what he’s like off the pitch.

“You don’t want him to come in and then all of a sudden he thinks it’s not the move that he had hoped for and then wants to leave. So, it’s imperative that the club look at him and look at his background to see what kind of character he is.”

Newcastle have had their fair share of players that have arrived at the club and then within a season or two have wanted to force their way out of the club – two recent examples are Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sissoko with the former even going on strike to try and force through a move to Arsenal.

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Leicester City midfielder Your Tielemans as the summer transfer window approaches.

What’s the story?

According to Belgian reporter Sven Claes, who keenly tracks the latest developments of his compatriots across Europe, the Red Devils are interested in acquiring the 24-year-old’s services after an impressing 2020/21 campaign.

In an interview with The Empire of the Kop, the journalist revealed that the Liverpool target is also attracting admiring glances from fellow Premier League giants United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aims to build a title-winning side.

Next Carrick

“It will be a very difficult decision for Tielemans. The tears speak for themselves after receiving the POTY award two weeks ago,” Claes told EOTK Insider.

“When he’ll play a good Euros, I expect him to be leaving yes. He’s ready for a new challenge/next step – and I also believe that. It’s an absolute talent with an excellent mentality on and off the pitch.

“A lot of clubs like Man U and a Spanish top team already want him. He had it difficult in the past at AS Monaco, but at Leicester, everyone saw his real qualities again. I think we’ll hear soon more about his near future.”

Tielemans was the Foxes’ standout performer last season as they won their maiden FA Cup crown and finished a highly respectable fifth in the top-flight table.

His impressive performances have caught the eye of the continent’s top clubs, and Brendan Rodgers faces a fight to retain the services of his prized asset.

United are currently assessing their options after the Old Trafford outfit achieved a consecutive top-four finish for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, with several big names linked to the 10-time English champions.

Many have outlined the need for a new right-winger and central defender in the red half of Manchester, but with Paul Pogba set to entire the final 12 months of his contract, the need for a midfield conductor could be greater than ever.

The club have arguably failed to replace Michael Carrick since his retirement back in 2018. He was the heartbeat of United for many years, dictating the tempo and setting the rhythm for his teammates to follow.

Pogba’s range of passing makes him the closest embodiment of the now United coach, although, in truth, Tielemans has a skillset far closer to that of the former England international than Pogba ever will.

Claes values the Belgium star at around £56 million, and the man once labelled as “quality” by former Leicester defender Steve Howey would certainly improve United’s chances of ending their eight-year wait for Premier League crown next season.

United should be doing all they can to get the Belgian to Old Trafford.

And, in other news…Woodward heading for another huge Man Utd mistake over £160k-p/w liability 

Fabio Paratici’s next task at Tottenham Hotspur will be to offload some of the club’s unwanted players, according to Football London journalist Alasdair Gold.

The lowdown

Tottenham confirmed Paratici’s appointment as the club’s managing director of football on Saturday.

The former Juventus executive doesn’t officially start in his new role until 1st July, but he has already identified Paulo Fonseca as his preferred managerial candidate.

And Spurs are now closing in on the appointment of the former Roma boss, which could be announced this week.

The latest

Gold reports that, with the managerial appointment all but finalised, Paratici’s attentions will now turn to sales.

Spurs are said to be in need of funds to ‘revamp’ their squad after losing £200million in revenue as a consequence of the pandemic.

He adds that a number of players’ agents have already been told to seek out new clubs for their clients.

Paratici will be working with technical director Steve Hitchen on player recruitment, and the pair are ‘believed to be friends’.

He’s expected to take advantage of Hitchen’s ‘knowledge of the English game’ and Spurs’ current group of players.

The verdict

Spurs’ apparent sell-to-buy plan looks to be off to a strong start, with Serge Aurier reportedly set to join PSG for a healthy €20million. They’ve arguably got the better end of that deal.

If they’re serious about this ‘revamp’, they should now look to the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Harry Winks and Erik Lamela as potential sources of funds.

They’ll want to wrap up these deals swiftly so Fonseca isn’t left waiting on the green light to move for his own targets.

In other news, could this be a possible Serge Aurier replacement?

Aston Villa are now eyeing a move for Todd Cantwell, Emi Buendia’s former teammate at Norwich City, this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports from The Telegraph last summer suggested that Dean Smith’s side were weighing up a potential move for the Canaries midfielder, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the window.

The same outlet has now claimed that Villa are continuing to monitor Cantwell ahead of a possible move, with the Midlands club having already sealed a deal for Buendia earlier this summer.

Imagine him and Buendia at Villa

Given how they both played together for a few years at Carrow Road, the prospect of seeing Cantwell line up alongside Buendia at Villa is a tantalising one, especially with the success they enjoyed – they helped Norwich to two promotions to the Premier League.

Described as someone with a “God-given” talent by his former youth team coach Gary Cockaday, the 23-year-old was one of the shining lights of a Norwich side which ultimately couldn’t avoid relegation from the Premier League in the 2019/20 campaign, scoring six goals and providing two assists in the division.

Last season saw him help lead the charge back to the top flight, bagging six goals and setting up another seven in the Championship, with the Canaries making their return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Former Norwich striker Dean Ashton raved about him, saying: “When I first saw him I said to Darren Huckerby, ‘how is that lad not training with the first-team?’. He was incredible. The way he was drifting past players. His speed of thought and his awareness. He’s just a wonderful player.”

Just like Jack Grealish, the 1.77m (5 foot 10) Cantwell has that ability to glide past players with his close control and skill, and it’s no surprise that his average of 1.6 dribbles per game in the Championship last season ranked him joint-top for the Canaries alongside Buendia.

With the 23-year-old labelled an “exceptional” talent by Chris Sutton, Cantwell and Buendia could rekindle their partnership at Villa Park this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa are closing in on this big-money signing…

West Bromwich Albion have ‘shown interest’ in Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi, according to a report from The Athletic.

The lowdown

It was reported this month that the Nigerian has finally secured his work permit and can ply his trade in the UK. He joined Liverpool in 2015 but has been unable to play for the club, instead being sent out on loan seven times, most recently to Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin.

Awoniyi has been directly involved in nine goals (scoring five and assisting four) for Urs Fischer’s side, who finished seventh in the table and qualified for the Europa Conference League.

West Brom could be looking to bolster their striking ranks after they confirmed the release of Hal Robson-Kanu and Charlie Austin.

The latest

According to Liverpool correspondent James Pearce for The Athletic, the Baggies are among the clubs eyeing a move for Awoniyi.

Their competitors include two Championship rivals in the form of Fulham and Stoke City, with Liverpool willing to let him go for a fee of around £8m.

That would put him just outside in the top 10 in the list of West Brom’s all-time record signings.

The verdict

A fee of £8m seems a little steep for Awoniyi, who is unproven in English football, but perhaps Liverpool could be persuaded to lower those demands.

He is only 23 years old and, having done reasonably well in the German top flight, Albion could be confident of a double-figure haul from him in the Championship if they fend off the competition for his signature.

In other news, Carlton Palmer has set out his expectations for West Brom in the transfer market.

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Dean Windass, who made 402 career appearances, has claimed that former West Ham attacker Marko Arnautovic would be an ideal fit for Crystal Palace.

Arnautovic, who left West Ham in 2019 to join Chinese Super League side Shanghai Port, has been linked with a move back to the Premier League with both West Ham and Palace interested in the 32-year old.

The Austrian enjoyed a relatively successful time in the Premier League with both Stoke City and the Hammers, as he managed to score a combined total of 48 goals for both clubs.

Speaking on why Arnautovic would be a good player for Palace and how the Austrian would fit into their side, Windass exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I think Palace would be a good fit for him on that right-hand side with Zaha on the left-hand side and it would take the pressure off of him a little bit.

“If he’s available then I think Palace will be looking at someone like him with the way they play, but the problem with him is that on his day he’s unbelievable, but when he isn’t he’s not very good.”

Arnautovic didn’t leave on the best terms with the Hammers back in 2019 as his brother pleaded with West Ham to accept an offer for the striker.

Crystal Palace are currently the league’s sixth-lowest scorers, so whoever their manager is next season will be looking to address their issues in the final third.

Daniel Levy has already been looking into a potential replacement for Harry Kane as his Spurs future has been thrown into uncertainty this week…

What’s the word?

That’s the latest claim from the Daily Mail, who suggest that the Lilywhites chairman has been planning ahead for several weeks now after the 27-year-old talisman told the club that he wants to leave this summer.

It is thought that the North London giants have also identified players they may be able to take in a part-exchange swap deal for Kane, and the name of Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has cropped up.

Given the Lilywhites value their leading talisman at £150m, cash, as well as a player, will likely have to be parted with.

Both Manchester teams are said to be interested but Levy is keen not to do business with either.

A perfect replacement?

Spurs are going to be in for one long summer of speculation, and potentially turmoil, if Kane does leave N17, but Levy can make life easier by signing someone like Martial.

It’s evident that Spurs’ squad is in need of a major overhaul as many of the players still remain from Mauricio Pochettino’s time at the club, and those very stars are the same ones that saw Jose Mourinho out the door.

If Levy is to drastically change things, then selling Kane may be the only way to raise enough funds to do so.

Although getting a player in return, along with a much-needed cash injection, could genuinely be a masterstroke as he’ll be getting a perfect replacement, too.

Valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, Martial has endured a tough campaign that has been blighted by a serious knee injury. He has directly contributed to 16 goals in 36 appearances, which is more than anyone not called Kane or Heung-min Son in North London.

His versatility to play out wide is another intriguing aspect to his game but his best-ever season came as United’s first-choice no.9, where he provided a whopping 23 goals and ten assists in 44 matches in the role during the 2019/20 campaign, as per Transfermarkt.

Former teammate and ex-Spurs man Michael Carrick believes that the frontman is “unplayable” on his day and that’s the sort of phrase you’d attribute to Kane.

Overall, Martial has managed a goal or assist every 134 minutes in the Premier League since arriving in 2015, so it’s no wonder he’s also been lauded as a “beast of a player” as well as an “exceptional talent.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-managerial-latest-update-transfer-rumours-gossip” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

By comparison, the Spurs superstar sits at a direct goal contribution once every 99 minutes in that same time frame, so he’s not as far off as you might think, especially when he has played out wide more than Kane, too.

Of course, the England international is as irreplaceable as they come but given Martial’s top-flight experience, proven goalscoring record and Tottenham’s likely need to fill a void, there cannot be many better options out there.

For now, he’d be about as perfect a realistic replacement for Kane that Spurs could hope to get – whether it can actually happen or not, only time will tell.

AND in other news, Time to go: Levy must axe shocking £75k-p/w dud, he must never play for Spurs again…

Manchester City are reportedly willing to sell Bernardo Silva this summer, which could prove to be a huge error by Txiki Begiristain and Pep Guardiola.

It was suggested by Mike McGrath in The Telegraph earlier this week that City’s plans for a rebuild has sparked interest in the Portuguese winger ahead of the summer transfer window.

It has previously been reported that Atletico Madrid are among the clubs interested in signing him ahead of next season, which could well see him depart the Etihad Stadium over the summer.

Since joining from Monaco in the summer of 2017, the Portugal international has gone on to make 201 appearances for the Citizens, contributing 35 goals and 44 assists.

During his time with Guardiola’s side, he has helped City win three Premier League titles, four League Cups and one FA Cup, so he has been a big part of one of the most successful periods in City’s history.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

It seems strange, therefore, that City are apparently willing to sell the £63m-rated wizard this summer, especially as his £150,000-per-week contract at the Etihad doesn’t expire until 2025.

Although last season was arguably one of Silva’s least effective in a City shirt, as he managed just five goals and nine assists in 45 appearances in all competitions, his average rating of 7.07/10 from WhoScored ranked him as the ninth-best performer in Guardiola’s side in the Premier League during the 2020/21 campaign.

Therefore, he clearly still has a lot to offer in the Spaniard’s squad in future seasons, and at 26, he is arguably at his peak now, so it would be a strange decision to let him leave this summer. Indeed, Guardiola was full of praise for Silva earlier in the season, saying: “Every time he plays he is an exceptional player with exceptional quality.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936″]

Therefore, considering that next season City will want to go one step further and win the Champions League, it would surely prove to be a mistake to allow a player of Silva’s quality to leave this summer, so Begiristain and Guardiola should keep him at the Etihad.

In other news… Txiki should seal Man City swoop for “versatile” £22.5m-rated beast, Pep would love him

As West Ham United suffer a blow in their pursuit of European football next season, losing 3-2 away to Newcastle United this afternoon, many Irons slammed youngster Ben Johnson despite his impressive numbers today. 

According to SofaScore, he was the highest rated player on the pitch with an 8.0/10 – but Hammers supporters weren’t impressed with his overall showing and his role in Joe Willock’s late winner for Newcastle.

David Moyes’ side would have hoped for victory when they brought it back to 2-2 at St. James’ Park but the relegation battling Magpies instead picked up a vital win for their season.

Johnson appeared to contribute well to proceedings, evident by his wonderful clearance off the line late on – but he was also the culprit for losing Willock in the area for Newcastle’s late and final goal.

As a result, many Irons supporters were not happy, with SofaScore also revealing he lost possession around 17 times despite his high rating.

Find all of their verdicts on Johnson’s afternoon down below.

West Ham fans slam Johnson

“Ben Johnson has been out of his depth today! Shocking!”

Credit: @geordiehammer77

“Ben Johnson again. Not good enough to play at this level.”

Credit: @MattDay97

“I never wanna see Ben Johnson play for West Ham again, what a terrible footballer he is”

Credit: @hwade_

“Why is Ben Johnson still on the pitch? He is terrible”

Credit: @James01439718

“I’ve seen enough of Ben Johnson in a West Ham shirt now to realise he’s nowhere near good enough”

Credit: @WestHamMax6

“Ben Johnson should never pull on a West Ham shirt again. Nowhere near the level needed.”

Credit: @NickHarding91

“Ben Johnson the reason we lose today”

Credit: @joran_willems10

“Ben Johnson is simply not good enough, great block though”

Credit: @alfsterpmc

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this ExWHUemployee claim, find out more here.