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Speaking in his press conference on Thursday, Patrick Vieira confirmed the news that Crystal Palace fans will have been dreading.

The Eagles manager revealed that talismanic duo Wilfried Zaha and Michael Olise both picked up injuries on international duty.

What’s the latest?

The Ivory Coast forward missed out on facing his former international side England at Wembley after suffering a hamstring problem, whilst Olise withdrew from the France under-21 squad after suffering inflammation in his foot.

Neither have trained since their returns from international duty, but with their game against Arsenal set to be played on Monday night, Vieira is hopeful that both players could feature.

On Zaha’s status, the Crystal Palace boss said: “We will wait and see what happens. We have until Monday so hopefully he will get better, and he can have a couple of days of training with the team. We have to wait and see what will happen over the next couple of days.”

On Olise’s chances of featuring, Vieira added: “He just had an issue with his foot. Until he gets back from the French Under-21s, he is still in the treatment room as well. He is not ready to do some work outside.”

Palace fans face nervy wait

The absence of both players at such a crucial time in the season will come as a massive blow to Vieira and the Palace faithful. In Zaha and Olise, we are talking about the Eagles’ top scorer and leading assists provider respectively.

At just 20 years of age, the latter has been a shining light in what has been a revamped Palace side under Vieira this season. The French under-21 starlet has proven himself as the foremost creator in the squad, with his tally of seven big chances created placing him in the top 15 most creative players in the Premier League this season.

Take nothing away from Zaha, either. The Ivory Coast international has been a big influence in Vieira’s side this season, conjuring up a respectable total of ten goal contributions in England’s top flight, with nine goals and one assist to his name indicative of his potent threat in the final third.

While Palace fans will be gutted to hear that two such influential players are doubtful to feature against an in-form Arsenal side, they can take solace in Vieira’s assertion that the duo “still have a chance” of making it in time for the Monday night kick-off. A nervy 48 hours awaits for the Selhurst Park faithful.

In other news – Vieira struck gold on “massive” £31k-p/w Palace “tank” whose value has rocketed 200%

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Luka Jovic to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report from Spain (via Sport Witness), which claims that all three of Spurs, West Ham United and Arsenal are interested in a move for the Real Madrid centre-forward at the end of the current campaign, with Carlo Ancelotti thought to be more than willing to cash in on the 24-year-old this summer.

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The report goes on to state that the Serbia international himself is also desperate to secure a move away from Santiago Bernabeu ahead of next season, as he has become fed up with continually being left out of the Italian manager’s matchday squads.

Imagine him & Kane

While it is true that Jovic’s reputation in the wider footballing world has declined somewhat since his €60m (£52.4m) move to Spain back in June 2019 – with only 13 of his 49 appearances for Los Blancos coming as starts – the centre-forward is nevertheless a player who boasts an incredible amount of potential.

Indeed, over his 32 Bundesliga appearances in the season prior to his move to Madrid, the €30m (£25m) hitman was in sensational form for Eintracht Frankfurt, bagging 17 goals, registering five assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £152k-per-week player who Mladen Krstajic dubbed both “courageous” and “dangerous” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.14, ranking him as Eintracht’s third-best performer in the German top-flight that year.

That same season, Jovic – who Lionel Messi labelled a “magical” talent – also caught the eye over his 14 Europa League outings, scoring a quite remarkable ten goals, providing one assist and creating two big chances, with these metrics seeing the Serbian average a SofaScore match rating of 7.26.

As such, should the player who Zvezdan Terzic once tipped to “become the best striker in Europe” be able to refind this kind of form after a potential switch to Spurs this summer, Fabio Paratici and Daniel Levy would have undoubtedly formed an incredibly attacking exciting duo alongside Harry Kane – something Tottenham have been desperate for in recent years.

AND in other news: Paratici can seal biggest Spurs deal yet with £42m machine “everyone is talking about”

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Stoke City have confirmed the signing of Sam Vokes from Burnley, the club have confirmed via their official website.

The deal sees Peter Crouch move to Burnley in part exchange, per BBC.

What’s the word?

During a seven-year spell at Turf Moor, Vokes scored 64 goals, per Transfermarkt, and now drops down the leagues to link up with Championship outfit Stoke.

The Potters are currently 15th in the second-tier, eight points behind sixth-placed Derby County in the play-off positions.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Stoke have struggled for goals this season, scoring just 33 times in 29 matches. Only the bottom five teams in the table – Wigan Athletic, Rotherham, Reading, Bolton Wanderers and Ipswich Town – have netted less.

Vokes, however, has experience of scoring goals in the Championship and has netted 52 times in 198 second-tier appearances.

A major upgrade

Stoke have got the better end of this deal.

Crouch, of course, is an experienced Premier League campaigner after spells with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, but he is ageing and it remains to be seen how often he will be used by Sean Dyche at Turf Moor.

Vokes, however, joins Stoke with genuine Championship pedigree and has twice been involved in promotion campaigns during his career, both with Burnley.

He will have a positive influence on his team-mates and it will take little effort for him to top Crouch’s tally of one goal in 23 Championship appearances thus far this season – again recorded by Transfermarkt.

It’s safe to say that this season has been a disaster for West Brom, who are now sitting in 12th in the Championship table, seven points off the play-offs with eight games to go – after Valerian Ismael’s dreadful spell as manager of the club, which led to him being sacked before being named manager of Besiktas.

While promotion back to the Premier League isn’t mathematically impossible, ensuring they don’t slip up and that all six teams above them do in three games or more is unlikely, and it looks like they will have to re-build this summer in order to mount a better challenge for the title next season.

However, losing one of their key men won’t help with that.

What’s the news?

According to a report from Turkish news outlet Haber365, Besiktas want to initially loan Daryl Dike for around £2.1m to £2.5m, with a view to then signing him permanently for a higher fee.

With the American still just 21-years-old and under contract until 2026, it’s unlikely the Baggies will part ways with the striker just yet, but if they do, they will want to at least recoup the £7m they spent on him to bring him to The Hawthorns in January.

Still time to shine in Midlands

Ismael could yet inflict more misery on the club’s fans, as he is now linked with making a move for new signing Dike.

The Frenchman’s time was marred with inconsistent results and if he returned to claim someone who could prove so vital to the Baggies, it would be nothing short of a disaster.

He’s played just 84 minutes of Championship football due to a hamstring injury suffered in January which he has just recovered from, and will likely take part in the club’s next game on Sunday – against nearby rivals Birmingham City.

If he can replicate the form he showed at Barnsley, where he scored nine goals in 22 games on loan there in the second half of last season, or the form he has shown throughout his time at Orlando City where he has scored 18 MLS goals in 35 games, he will surely become one of the top young strikers in the country.

New manager Steve Bruce needs to hold on to the exciting 21-year-old, and make him a key part of his plans for the rest of the season, as his clinical goalscoring ability could help steady the sinking ship and steer them back towards play-off contention.

That’s precisely why it would be a nightmare situation if he departed so soon, especially after such a sizeable investment too.

In other news: Sold at £13m, now worth £49.5m: WBA will have nightmares over 6ft4 “beast of a man”

Erik ten Hag is ‘close’ to making a decision on whether to join Manchester United, according to reliable reporter David Ornstein for The Athletic.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag’s demands

The 52-year-old appears to be United’s first-choice target after positive discussions last month, with reports last week suggesting that a move was close.

As we know, a deal is yet to be announced, and the Dutchman has made a number of demands to United chiefs before putting pen to paper on a long-term deal. According to Fabrizio Romano, Ten Hag has asked to be 100% involved when it comes to new signings, outgoings and fresh contracts and believes now is a ‘key point’ when it comes to a United rebuild.

The Latest: Ornstein’s update on Ten Hag

Ornstein posted on Twitter on Monday morning to share a corresponding article from The Athletic, claiming that Ten Hag is ‘close’ to making his decision.

He added that United may now negotiate with Ajax instead of paying his release clause, with no announcement due before the Dutch giants’ KNVB Cup final with PSV Eindhoven this weekend.

Ornstein has since added that United have now reached a verbal agreement in principle with Ten Hag.

The Verdict: Strange

United sources recently revealed that the club would trigger Ten Hag’s release clause this week, but it looks as if there has been a twist, with them now looking to negotiate.

The 52-year-old’s release clause is just £1.7m, so it does seem strange that the Red Devils are looking to possibly bring that down.

Ultimately, Ten Hag will be the man to decide on an Old Trafford move, and hopefully United officials will be doing everything they can to persuade him over a move to England.

In other news: ‘Interesting’ Man Utd news has pundit talking; says Leeds supporters ‘will be devastated’

While deals for Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne and Robin Olsen during the current January transfer window show that Aston Villa have been keen on strengthening their senior side, the fact that they then signed Kerr Smith suggests that the Midlands club are eager to add some young talent to their ranks that can grow and develop into future first-team players.

Another example of this would be if the club manage to strike a deal for Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil, who has recently been mentioned with a move to Villa Park from the Wearside club.

After working his way through the club’s youth system, Neil made his senior debut for the Black Cats back in March last year in a 1-0 League One win over Swindon Town.

Since then, the 20-year-old, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £1.4k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has gone on to make 41 appearances for Lee Johnson’s side across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing eight assists along the way.

Having been likened to a “young Paul Gascoigne” in terms of his “lovely dribbling technique” by Johnson, Neil has proved himself to be an important figure for Sunderland this season with only Ross Stewart and Callum Doyle having played more minutes in League One than the midfield talent.

This and the fact that Neil put pen to paper on a new long-term contract back in October to keep him at the club until 2025 means that it could be difficult for Villa to sign the Englishman, particularly halfway through a season that the Black Cats are attempting to win promotion back to the Championship in.

With that in mind, this could be one situation where Villa rely on their manager’s reputation as one of the Premier League’s greatest midfield players to try and lure Neil to Villa Park to give him the chance to learn under Gerrard’s management and eventually play in the Premier League.

Given the hype around him at Sunderland and the fact that he has been described as an “exciting” player by Kevin Phillips, it’s definitely worth Villa making a move to sign Neil in the summer to see if he can make the step up in his career to an ambitious Premier League side.

In other news: Gerrard can finally axe £46k-p/w dud as AVFC eye bid for “extraordinary” £9m-rated gem – opinion

West Ham United are now in a race with Brentford to sign Hull City starlet Keane Lewis-Potter, according to a report by Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Lewis-Potter’s career so far

The 21-year-old has firmly cemented himself as one of the most exciting prospects in the Championship. In 44 league appearances for the Tigers this term, the attacker has netted 11 goals and produced four assists. This adds to his impressive overall tally for his boyhood club, which now totals 29 goals.

With the winger’s contract set to expire next summer, Hull will be desperate to hold on to their star man. If this isn’t possible and the player chooses to pursue a move elsewhere, then the Yorkshire club will likely cash in on the youngster this summer whilst his price is high.

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The Latest: West Ham in Lewis-Potter transfer race

According to a report by Football Insider, West Ham are in a race with Brentford to secure the services of Lewis-Potter.

It is claimed that Irons manager David Moyes was spotted at the Hull v Millwall game on Easter Monday as he cast an eye over the promising youngster. Bees manager Thomas Frank was also believed to be in attendance.

The Verdict: Shades of Bowen

This news will spark echoes of West Ham fan favourite Jarrod Bowen, who arrived at the Hammers from Hull in 2020, when the winger made the step up to Premier League football.

With Lewis-Potter playing in the same position and possibly coming from the same club, this will likely cause excitement amongst Irons supporters in the hope that the youngster can be something of a Bowen 2.0.

Labelled a “special talent” by former Tigers boss Grant McCann, the 21-year-old has been likened to Premier League legend Eden Hazard, with comparisons made to his “low centre of gravity” and his ability to cut inside and shoot.

Therefore, if Lewis-Potter can emulate what Bowen has gone on to achieve at West Ham, this would be a fantastic signing for Moyes if he can execute it.

In other news: David Moyes is eyeing a move for a defender from one of his former clubs

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Armando Broja to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a West Ham source has revealed that David Moyes and Rob Newman have been keeping a very close eye on the progress made by the 20-year-old while on loan at Southampton, and are plotting a bid for the centre-forward in the closing stages of the winter market.

The report goes on to state that Newman has been personally scouting the Chelsea starlet in recent weeks, with it being reported that Thomas Tuchel’s side would demand a figure of around £20m with a buy-back clause inserted into the deal in order to part with the Albania international this month.

Finally, it is also suggested that Southampton are hoping to make the striker’s loan deal a permanent move before the January transfer window is up, while West Ham would also have to convince the forward to cut his temporary spell on the South Coast short in order to get a deal over the line in the coming days.

The new Carlton Cole

Considering just how impressive Broja has been while on loan with Saints this season, in addition to the fact that West Ham are in desperate need of greater depth in the centre-forward role, it is easy to understand why Moyes and Newman appear to be keen on securing a deal for the 20-year-old prior to the closure of the January transfer window.

Indeed, over his 18 Premier League appearances in the current campaign – only ten of which have come as starts – the £34m-rated man has already scored five goals and registered one assist, as well as bagging a further two goals in two Carabao Cup outings – with the striker directly contributing to a goal every 154 minutes of football played this season.

However, it is not only at Southampton where the centre-forward has impressed, as Broja also bagged 11 goals and provided three assists over 34 appearances while on loan at one of Chelsea’s feeder clubs, Vitesse Arnhem, last season.

This level of form has led to high praise for the forward, with Martin Keown stating his belief that Broja “looks the part” leading the line for Southampton, while former Hammer Joe Cole dubbed the 20-year-old, who he worked with in the Chelsea youth setup, a “real talented player.”

And, should Moyes manage to get a deal over the line for the Chelsea starlet this winter, the transfer could well replicate the £2.7m signing of another Cole, Carlton, all the way back in the summer of 2006.

Indeed, the £8.5k-per-week Albanian appears to more than have the potential to replicate Cole’s goalscoring record for the Irons, with the now-38-year-old bagging 67 times, as well as providing 33 assists, over his 293 appearances for the East London side.

As such, should Broja go on to swap St. Mary’s for the London Stadium this winter, and the 20-year-old subsequently manages to replicate Cole’s record – or even better it – in a West Ham shirt, the £20m fee paid to Chelsea would very much appear to be worth it for Moyes and his side.

In other news: Moyes can land perfect Gabigol alternative as WHU submit offer for “quality” £8.5m gem

With Newcastle United 19th in the Premier League and deep in a relegation dogfight, Eddie Howe will be desperate to acquire as many signings this window as possible with the backing of PIF.

One particular area of weakness for the Magpies is in midfield, which could do with some major reinforcements. Having recently been linked with a potential loan move for Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek, the Tyneside club should now swoop for the Dutchman.

What’s the latest?

According to the Manchester Evening News, Van de Beek has been offered to Newcastle as well as Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the season.

The 24-year-old is still struggling for game time at Old Trafford under interim boss Ralf Rangnick, having made just 14 appearances all season for the Red Devils. Since joining from Dutch giants Ajax in September 2020, Van de Beek has made just 50 appearances for United, despite glimpses of brilliance and potential runs in the team.

After a Champions League win over Istanbul Basaksehir last season, the midfielder received plenty of plaudits, with former United player Owen Hargreaves stating: “I thought Van de Beek was close to perfect. He is so unselfish, he can just fit in and play the right balls everywhere.”

However, as a result of his lack of club game time, the midfielder has also lost his place in the Netherlands setup. Van de Beek has failed to make the last three Oranje squads and, with the World Cup in November, he will be desperate for regular football to regain his place under Louis van Gaal.

Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t seem likely to get it at Manchester United, so a loan move may be the best solution. If he is to become available, then Eddie Howe must swoop for the 24-year-old’s signature.

Howe must swoop for Van de Beek

To say that Newcastle are currently in a predicament is an understatement. The Tyneside club are deep in a relegation battle and kicked off the New Year with a 1-0 home defeat to League One side Cambridge United in the FA Cup, despite fielding a relatively strong team.

The lack of quality midfield options will certainly be a cause for concern for Howe, but also makes it clear for the Englishman where he needs to add players this window.

The likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock have had underwhelming campaigns thus far, with the trio totalling a combined three goal involvements in 40 Premier League appearances. That sort of output from three midfield players needs to be improved.

Back when Van de Beek was playing regularly at Ajax, he recorded 14 or more goal involvements in three successive Eredivisie seasons, also netting five Champions League goals in that time. Those figures suggest that he would be a major upgrade on the likes of Shelvey, Longstaff and Willock.

Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, a loan move for the Dutch midfielder may be sensible for the short-term. However, should Newcastle survive in the top flight and the Red Devils keep failing to offer him regular game-time, then a permanent move to St James’ Park may prove possible.

AND in other news, Newcastle are also eyeing a move for this player who’s been dubbed the “new Vidic”

According to local outlet La Lazio Siamo Noi, Tottenham Hotspur could make a shock attempt to sign Lazio star Sergej Milinković-Savić as they share an update out of N17.

The Lowdown: Conte issues transfer demands…

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte, reportedly already making demands behind-the-scenes, has apparently earmarked a few key areas of the squad he wants to strengthen this summer.

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Alongside the addition of a left-sided central defender, the Lilywhites allegedly have midfielders on the agenda, including Brentford playmaker and former star Christian Eriksen.

Conte has also specifically requested the signing of Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie (La Gazetta dello Sport via Sport Witness) with the Spurs manager and transfer chief Fabio Paratici now seemingly setting their sights on another Serie A star.

The Latest: Milinković-Savić on the agenda?

As per the latest from Italy, both Paratici and Conte are ‘crazy’ about Lazio star Milinković-Savić – so much so that Spurs cannot be ruled out of the race to sign him, even despite his lofty €75-80 million price tag (£62m-£66m).

Indeed, Tottenham ‘could really make an attempt’ to sign the midfielder, but a lot will depend on their qualification for Champions League football before lodging a major summer bid.

The Verdict: Big update…

Links to a player of Milinkovic-Savic’s calibre perhaps demonstrate just how far Tottenham have come under Conte this season.

AC Milan legend and Parma sporting director Demetrio Albertini is one Italian footballing icon who has lavished praise on the marquee 27-year-old – calling him a player with ‘extraordinary’ elegance.

A well-rounded star in the middle of the park, Milinkovic-Savic has averaged the highest match rating out of any Lazio player this season in Serie A whilst making the joint-most tackles per 90 (WhoScored).

He’s also effective going forward, ranking among Lazio’s top three players for most shots at goal per 90, most key passes and successful take-ons (WhoScored).

It’s clear to see why Conte and Paratici are head over heels, and with this news emerging, Tottenham’s possible top-four finish comes as even more crucial.

In other news: Tottenham officials sent to club as Paratici now eyes ‘imperious’ ex-Man City man for Conte! Find out more here.