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Crystal Palace are unlikely to make a move for out-of-favour Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

The Lowdown: Martial struggling for minutes

The Frenchman has struggled to force his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans at Old Trafford this season, making just two Premier League starts prior to the Norwegian’s departure from the club this morning.

The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani and Jadon Sancho all appear to be ahead of Martial in the pecking order, so he could leave the Manchester club soon.

Palace have been linked with a move for the 25-year-old, who has scored 94 goals in his career during spells with Monaco and United.

The Latest: Barclay plays down Palace move for Martial

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Barclay played down the idea of Martial heading to Crystal Palace, admitting that the Eagles likely couldn’t afford his wages.

The journalist said: “Would he even want to go to Crystal Palace? He’s obviously out of favour at United, and they probably are looking to let him go, but I would be pretty shocked.

“He would either have to take a massive pay cut or Palace would have to go down a massively different route.”

The Verdict: Highly unlikely

Martial is a talented footballer who has had good times at United – his record of 79 goals in 266 appearances is not to be dismissed – but as Barclay says, it is hard to see a move to Palace ever materialising.

The France international earns an eye-watering £250,000 per week at Old Trafford, which is almost double that of Palace’s highest-earning player Wilfried Zaha (£130,000). Also, Martial’s current United deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2024, so Patrick Vieira couldn’t even snap up his compatriot on the cheap.

Besides, it’s not as if the Eagles have been stuck for goals this season either – Christian Benteke, Wilfried Zaha, Conor Gallagher and Odsonne Edouard have already netted 15 times between them in the Premier League alone – so Martial isn’t a player that Palace desperately need.

In other news, some Palace fans criticised one player’s performance against Burnley. Find out who it is here.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Michael Bridge of Sky Sports has made a transfer claim involving Tottenham and AC Milan star Franck Kessie.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Kessie move…

As reported by numerous sources, Spurs are one of the clubs in contention to sign one of Milan’s prize assets as his contract at the San Siro steadily winds down.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Ivory Coast star could leave at the end of 2021/2022 for free as it stands with the Italian giants still yet to agree a contract extension, putting many clubs on high alert.

One of them is Tottenham, with reports even recently suggesting that it is far more advanced than simply interest.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Get Italian Football News) claimed that the Lilywhites were in very advanced talks to sign Kessie while reporter Rudy Galetti even stated that a Spurs agreement was ‘close’ (Twitter).

While not exactly backing those audacious updates, Sky reporter Bridge believes Spurs’ interest isn’t going anywhere.

The Latest: Bridge makes Kessie to Spurs claim…

Speaking to GMS, sharing what he’s heard from Italy, the journalist relays that Antonio Conte has apparently given the ‘thumbs up’ for his new club to swoop for Kessie – green lighting a move.

He explained:

“The talk of Kessie at AC Milan is not going away. There’s talk in Italy that Spurs really want him and Conte’s given the thumbs up.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Given his new deal situation, managing director Fabio Paratici and Conte could secure a real bargain for Tottenham by signing him on a pre-contract in January.

Valued at a sky-high £49.5 million by Transfermarkt, Spurs could bypass that fee entirely and snap up a proven Serie A star who has attracted all sorts of praise.

European football specialist Nicky Bandini lavished Kessie as ‘extraordinary’ on ESPN, for example, while the player’s manager, Stefano Pioli, called Kessie ‘sumptuous’.

An all-round midfield star, the African racked up an impressive 13 goals and four assists in 36 Italian top flight starts last season despite being a natural defensive midfield player (WhoScored).

Meanwhile, this campaign, he’s averaged a higher pass accuracy (92.2%) than any of Tottenham’s midfielders – indicating he would add real class and composure in the middle of the park under Conte.

Taking all this into account, we quite simply urge Spurs to get a deal done.

In other news: Spurs agreement to sign £200,000-per-week star possible as Paratici makes exciting plea to club chiefs, find out more here.

Things have been looking increasingly on the up for Celtic under the leadership of Ange Postecoglou in recent weeks at Parkhead, with the Hoops securing their first two away wins of the league season in their last couple of outings, as well as clinching a much-needed three points in Europe on Tuesday.

This impressive run would continue when St. Johnstone visited Parkhead on Saturday, with Celtic putting on an extremely dominant performance in the 2-0 win over the Lions – boasting 79% possession of the ball, completing 731 passes and creating three big chances.

Indeed, these are statistics that would suggest Ange-ball is finally beginning to pay dividends for the Bhoys, while the performance of Callum McGregor on Saturday afternoon highlights his importance within the 56-year-old manager’s system.

126 touches

After something of a shaky start to life under Postecoglou towards the beginning of the current campaign, McGregor has started to turn in consistently impressive performances in the heart of the Celtic midfield in recent weeks – with his performance against St. Johnstone being one of his best of the season so far.

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £6.3m-rated man enjoyed 126 touches of the ball, made 105 passes, attempted six long balls, completed one dribble and made two key passes.

The £20k-per-week central midfielder also won three of his five duels, made two tackles, two clearances and took four shots at the St. Johnstone goal.

These returns saw the player who Postecoglou dubbed “outstanding” earlier this season, earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.5, his joint second-highest rating received so far this season.

As such, if McGregor can maintain, or even improve on, this level of performance going forwards, Celtic will undoubtedly be in with a shout of reclaiming their Scottish Premiership crown come the end of the season – something that looks increasingly likely, with the Bhoys now just one point behind the league leaders.

In other news: Kyogo 2.0: Celtic nearing exciting deal for 18-goal machine, Postecoglou will love him

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left slamming the display of Alfredo Morelos despite their 2-0 win in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

It was overall a very good performance from the team to get three points on the board at Ibrox, with Leon Balogun and Kemar Roofe the scorers in the first half.

Morelos was unlucky to hit the post for one of his chances, but was again pretty wasteful overall, not being able to score from four of his shots on goal, as his 100th goal for the Light Blues still escapes him.

The Colombia international was also guilty of losing possession of the ball on no fewer than on 13 separate occasions in total in the game, the fourth-most out of his teammates (Sofascore).

Rangers fans on Morelos display

These supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Ger even going as far as to claim that the striker was ‘horrendous’:

“Morelos? Really! Not for me….poor performance again”

Credit: @willstorrie

“Massive result, & bar a couple of defensive howlers, thoroughly deserved, more like it at times. Big Aribo unplayable at times, sensational, but Alfredo Morelos folks, absolutely horrendous. The only thing for him now is the bench I’m afraid. Imperative that Balogun is fit.”

Credit: @cozy1872

“Alfredo Morelos poor show tonight”

Credit: @michellemacrae2

“Morelos poor again, we can’t really justify starting him on Sunday.”

Credit: @Rangers_View

“Morelos having a nightmare”

Credit: @Rf1195401550

“Morelos, Roofe and Hagi have been less than satisfactory!”

Credit: @penfoldcommando

In other news, find out whose first-half display had Gers stunned here!

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans can’t believe their bad luck as more injury news is confirmed, this time for striker Roberto Firmino.

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has had to cope with mounting injury problems in his squad recently, akin to the issues he was having last term, as he now sweats on six players in total.

Before Firmino’s setback, Liverpool already had five players sidelined for the trip to West Ham today with James Milner, Naby Keita, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez all unavailable (This is Anfield).

Confirming yet more injury news, Klopp has said that Firmino, who already has six goals to his name this season, has been added to the list after he sustained a ‘serious hamstring injury’ (Liverpool FC on Twitter).

“Bobby is not good news with a serious hamstring injury, really unfortunate,” Klopp said.

“Losing Bobby Firmino is a blow. It’s weeks and I don’t know exactly but more than four which I would consider a serious injury. We have to see, Bobby is a quick healer.”

Flocking to this news, it’s little wonder so many Reds supporters are livid given that they are slowly running out of options with the Africa Cup of Nations also on the horizon, when they will lose the in-form Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Check out some of the reactions from Liverpool fans below as news of Firmino’s injury was revealed by Klopp.

Liverpool fans erupt over Firmino blow…

“Horrible news. Feel for Bobby – he was in great goalscoring form this season. Next man up is Minamino!”

Credit: @jon_s1989

“Absolutely awful news the form he has been in. Injuries racking up now. Still can’t believe we never brought more quality in”

Credit: @BennyBlanco22

“Our season is over when AFCON starts”

Credit: @MehdiAHG

“They just don’t stop do they”

Credit: @ibrahimkhvn

“Bad news on Bobby”

Credit: @derekcollinsmsl

“Absolutely devastated”

Credit: @NabySzn_

“It never ends”

Credit: @xAVKOx

In other news: Plenty of Liverpool fans erupt as club confirms ‘bad news’

Pakistan and Netherlands are taking on each other in a group game in which Pakistan might do and still die

Osman Samiuddin08-Jun-2009Match Facts
Tuesday, June 9
Start time 13:30 local (12:30 GMT)Big Picture
If there is bounce still Lord’s, you can be sure Dirk Nannes will be utilising it•Getty Images

Who’d have thunk it, that Pakistan and Netherlands would be taking on each other in a group game in which Pakistan might do and still die? Such has been the way with this strangest of groups but clarity has now emerged. Netherlands, to progress and thus consign Pakistan to a fate they seem worryingly resigned to, can afford to lose, but by no more than 24 runs. If Pakistan chase, then they must do so with roughly three overs to spare.The problems are Pakistan’s. Not for a moment since they landed in England have they looked like a team that is playing in a World Cup. Younis Khan’s bizarre, careless dismissal of the format and the tournament seems to have filtered through to the side. Anyway you’d think, given their lack of international games recently, that Pakistan would be itching to rip through a Ramadan 20/20 night tournament in Karachi’s Pakistan Chowk, let alone a World Cup. The attitude is, however, only the most overarching concern: on the field, they are the worst fielding side, have an unsettled batting order and are rusty with the ball. Beyond that, they’re fine.Netherlands, on the other hand, have accorded this tournament the respect it deserves and have shown, with that fabulous opening win, just why the format is celebrated. As well as skill, the Netherlands will remind one and all, Twenty20 rewards discipline, hard work and bravery. The problem for them, of course, is to recreate the intensity of Friday, something which often proves beyond associate nations and lower-ranked sides.Form guide(last five matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LWLWWNetherlands WN/RWLWWatch out for
Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul have looked the only players up for a battle so far and on their eight overs, will rest most of Pakistan’s Super Eights aspirations. Netherlands will not have much experience of Ajmal’s doosra and Gul’s arrow-straight, pacy yorkers are a handful for most.Pakistan have a long history of bouncer-induced trauma adding Sunday’s defeat to England to the list. If there is bounce still Lord’s, you can be sure Dirk Nannes will be utilising it. He has the pace and natural angle to trouble them, but that he makes such a good story – Japanese-speaking, saxophone playing wanderer who took to the game late – means that he is a headline (not a good one for Pakistan) in waiting.Team news
Pakistan will make changes, most likely dropping Salman Butt and possibly pushing Kamran Akmal in his place. Sohail Tanvir may also get in, his unusual angles and action, worth confusing the Netherlands with.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Younis Khan (capt), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Yasir Arafat, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal.Given that the win against England was their biggest one yet, there are unlikely to be any changes from that starting XI.Netherlands: (probable) 1 Alexei Kervezee, 2 Darron Reekers, 3 Ba Zuiderent, 4 Tom de Grooth, 5 Peter Borren, 6 Ryan ten Doeschate, 7 Daan van Bunge, 8 Edgar Schiferli, 9 Jeroen Smits (capt/wk), 10 Pieter Seelaar, 11 Dirk Nannes.Pitch and conditions
Unfortunately for Pakistan, rain is forecast, but the Lord’s pitch has offered both runs and movement off the seam.Stats and trivia
25 – The least number of runs Pakistan must win by if they bat first to go through to the Super Eights. 7-0-73-1 – The combined figures of Pakistan’s opening bowlers Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Aamer against England. 8-0-63-1 – The combined figures of Netherlands’ opening bowlers Dirk Nannes and Edgar Schiferli against England.Quotes
“It would be sad if we don’t make it, but I have never attached too much importance to Twenty20 cricket, as it is fun cricket. I mean it is more for entertainment, even if it is international cricket. It is all for the crowd.”
“Cricket is no longer so boring.”
NRC Handelsblad

Tottenham Hotspur star Steven Bergwijn posted a worrying hint over his latest injury problem to social media this week…

What’s the word?

The Dutch winger returned from international duty nursing a knock after being pictured with his ankle wrapped with ice during the Netherlands’ 6-1 World Cup qualifying win over Turkey.

Bergwijn made his comeback last week for Spurs’ opening group match against Rennes in the UEFA Europa Conference League, only for him to last just 30 minutes before being withdrawn for an injury to the very same ankle.

He did not feature in Sunday’s defeat to Chelsea and he has since posted an update, as relayed by fan account The Spurs Web on Twitter.

Terrible setback

Speaking after their 2-2 draw in France, Lilywhites boss Nuno Santo made his frustrations known.

“It’s been terrible. I must be honest. Let’s not hide behind nothing,” he told reporters (via the Evening Standard). After the Watford game, everything that has happened has not been very good for us. But this is football.”

The 23-year-old, valued at £34m by CIES Football Observatory, has hardly set the ground alight since moving to north London but he was slowly becoming a key cog of the Portuguese’s system, having started all three of their opening matches.

In his absence, Spurs have lost back-to-back league games 3-0 and have struggled immensely in front of goal.

Indeed, across 54 appearances, Bergwijn has only scored four goals and provided nine assists, via Transfermarkt, but he does so much more for the side.

Currently, the former PSV Eindhoven dynamo is the most creative option at Nuno’s disposal, having averaged 1.3 key passes per game. That’s ahead of Heung-min Son (1), Harry Kane (1), Tanguy Ndombele (1), Sergio Reguilon (0.8) and Dele Alli (0), per WhoScored.

His work rate to get back and help out defensively is also a massive plus – as described by The Athletic last season, he sometimes appears to be an additional full-back and after their north London derby win over Arsenal, it led to Jose Mourinho describing his efforts as “incredible.”

Therefore, seeing the Dutchman in a protective boot is certainly a major cause for concern as Nuno will want to see a reaction this week as they face his former club Wolves in the Carabao Cup before heading to the Emirates Stadium for their first battle of the 2021/22 season on Sunday.

It seems as if Bergwijn will be out for the foreseeable future and considering all the issues around Spurs right now, it’s a cruel and massive blow.

AND in other news, Watch out Winks: Nuno has a rising star in unseen 19 y/o “fantastic talent” at Spurs…

South Zone have to bat a day with seven wickets in hand to save the match, having all but lost the Duleep Trophy to West Zone after conceding a first-innings lead

Cricinfo staff08-Feb-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Robin Uthappa gave South Zone a strong start © Cricinfo Ltd.
For a couple of hours while Robin Uthappa and M Vijay were hitting West Zone’s bowlers all over the MA Chidambaram Stadium, South Zone fans would have dreamt of the possibility of an outrageous chase. However, a session’s belligerence could not undo three days of being dominated and the enormity of South’s task resurfaced as soon as the openers and Rahul Dravid were dismissed in quick succession. They have to bat a day with seven wickets in hand to save the match, having all but lost the Duleep Trophy to West after conceding a first-innings lead.West strengthened their vice-like grip on the match during the first session of the fourth day. Resuming on 232 for 4 with a lead of 492, they batted on and on, scoring 172 runs before lunch. Despite the conditions favouring spin, none of the South Zone spinners – specialist or part-time – could prevent West from achieving their objective of amassing an unbeatable lead. On a cracked surface with healthy bounce, the slow bowlers needed to focus on hitting particular spots and maintain a consistent line. They failed.Sreesanth battled hard to separate the overnight pair – Abhishek Nayar and Kedar Jadhav – but the lack of support from the other end allowed the batsmen to settle into a rhythm. South finally got their first breakthrough when an innocuous offbreak from R Ashwin, pitched on a length, spat dangerously off the pitch and nearly hit Jadhav on his face. He could only glove an easy catch to Rahul Dravid in the slips.However, West captain Wasim Jaffer was not about to declare for Parthiv Patel was ready to resume his innings on 64, after retiring due to cramps yesterday. Parthiv found his groove easily, placing the ball into gaps and putting away full tosses. He reached his century with a tap behind square off Badrinath for another four and later he charged against Vijay to hit a superb straight six.After Nayar had gone, failing to clear Badrinath at midwicket, Parthiv and Rajesh Pawar scored aggressively and the partnership was nearing 100 before Parthiv faltered by trying to hit against Ashwin’s turn and holed out to Robin Uthappa at mid-on. Jaffer declared an over after lunch, after Rajesh Pawar had reach his half-century, setting South a target of 678 in five sessions.South began their chase briskly, with Uthappa and Vijay racing to 93 for 0 in quick time by tea. Uthappa began with a fluent push to the straight boundary off Dhawal Kulkarni in the first over and repeated the shot in his next. Vijay also started positively, by standing his ground to dispatch a short outside off delivery from Siddharth Trivedi to the cover boundary.After five overs from his fast bowlers, Jaffer decided to introduce the left-arm spin of Rajesh Pawar. He nearly broke through immediately, when Uthappa tried to cut a ball that was spinning away but Jaffer failed to catch the ball as it flew over his head at first slip. With spinners bowling from both ends, the batsmen grew cautious but scored whenever an opportunity presented itself. Powar tried to draw the batsman out with his flight, but when he faltered he was made to pay. Uthappa had already pulled him for a boundary and now started to impose himself on the offspinner. He swept Powar past the square-leg boundary and then charged to hit a powerful six over long-on. He reached his half-century by stepping out again to hit Powar along the ground to the straight boundary.South’s opening partnership reached 165 before Vijay edged Powar to Patel. An over later, Powar induced another edge to get rid of Uthappa, who had made 94 off 98 balls, before bowling Rahul Dravid for a duck with one that kept low. South had lost three wickets for two runs but the slide was arrested by S Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik who added 65 for the fourth wicket. Their job has barely begun if they are to save the match.

Queens Park Rangers have been handed a potential injury boost ahead of the Rs’ upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by West London Sport, QPR midfielder Luke Amos is nearing a return to first-team football after spending nearly a year on the sidelines as a result of an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which the defensive midfielder picked up against AFC Bournemouth last October.

The 24-year-old, who had also spent a year on the treatment table with an ACL injury prior to his move from Tottenham Hotspur to QPR in 2020, started two fixtures in the space of a week for the club’s U23 side towards the end of August, and could be in contention for the visit of Reading this Saturday.

Warburton will be buzzing

While Mark Warburton bolstered his options in central midfield with a number of summer signings, including the likes of Stefan Johansen, Sam Field and Andre Dozzell, the return of Amos will undoubtedly have left the 59-year-old manager buzzing.

Indeed, the £900k-rated man played a key role in QPR’s 2019/20 Championship campaign, featuring in 34 league fixtures for the club, over which the former England U19 international scored two goals, as well as making an average of one interception, 1.5 tackles, 0.8 clearances and winning 3.8 duels per game.

The £5k-per-week midfielder also started the 2020/21 season brightly, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.76 over his five Championship appearances prior to his injury.

As such, while it is true that Amos may have a bit of work to do to re-establish himself in Warburton’s starting XI, his return from injury is undeniably good news for the Rs boss, who will be delighted that a player as talented as the 24-year-old looks set to be available for selection once again – adding further depth to a position in which QPR now boast a number of impressive options.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops QPR claim on “outstanding” £4k-p/w beast which will have fans buzzing

An update has emerged on Crystal Palace’s plans to sign a striker before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

What’s the talk?

According to The Guardian, Crystal Palace have narrowed their striker search down to two names; Eddie Nketiah and Odsonne Edouard.

The report claims that Palace are keen on a deal for the latter, who is valued at around £15m by his current club Celtic. Everton and Brighton also hold an interest in the French centre-forward.

Get it done

Steve Parish must sanction a £15m deal for Edouard before Tuesday’s transfer deadline as the Celtic attacker could be an excellent addition to Patrick Vieira’s squad, more so than Arsenal’s Nketiah would be.

Edouard is in form, playing regularly, and has proven that he can score can goals regularly at a decent level – in the Europa League and Champions League. He has seven goals in his last 15 starts across the two European competitions, whilst he also found the back of the net 16 times in 23 Scottish Premiership starts in the 2020/21 campaign – with two goals and one assist in three starts this term.

Former Hoops forward Frank McGarvey hailed the 23-year-old last year and compared him to ex-Arsenal striker Charlie Nicholas. He said:

“I just love watching Edouard. He has that bit of magic in his feet, and he reminds me of Charlie Nicholas.

“You just know if he gets the ball just outside of the box the other team are in trouble. Edouard has that ability to produce something out of nothing because he has such quick feet.

“I think someone will come in this summer and put £20million on the table for him. You can’t blame Celtic for taking it, especially in the current climate.

“I’ll be sorry to see him go because he is an outstanding footballer. His temperament and his ability are genuinely top class.”

This shows the level of quality Edouard has been displaying in Scotland and, along with his goalscoring statistics, suggests that he could potentially be a superb signing for Palace if he can adapt to Premier League football.

Nketiah, meanwhile, is yet to show that he can produce consistently at senior level. The 22-year-old has scored 11 goals in 70 games across the Premier League, Europa League and Championship for Arsenal and Leeds (loan) during his career. Last season, the Englishman scored three Premier League goals in 17 games as he averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.33.

This, along with Edouard’s impressive resume, is why Parish must sanction a £15m deal for the Celtic beast to bolster Vieira’s squad.