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Crystal Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam says he would be stunned if Patrick Vieira selected Odsonne Edouard on the flanks against Brighton and Hove Albion on Monday night, tipping the summer signing to potentially start in a front two instead. 

The lowdown

Edouard has yet to start a game for the Eagles following his Deadline Day move from Celtic.

He made his first appearance as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month and scored twice in the final 10 minutes.

The Frenchman became the first player to bag a brace off the bench on their Premier League debut since Sergio Aguero in August 2011 (via Opta Joe).

But Patrick Vieira stuck with Christian Benteke up top for the visit to Liverpool the following week, turning to Edouard after 65 minutes.

Palace face rivals Brighton on Monday night as they look to climb to 12th in the early Premier League table. Edouard will be hopeful of making a full debut for his new club.

The latest

A Palace supporter suggested that Vieira might consider swapping out Jordan Ayew for Edouard, who would then line up at right wing with Wilfried Zaha on the left and Benteke through the middle.

“I’d be amazed,” Woosnam replied in The Athletic’s discussion board, “to see Edouard on the right or left for a game like this.”

If Edouard and Benteke are to play together, he thinks it will be as part of a front two.

The verdict

Brighton’s big back three seem like they would be comfortable dealing with the aerial threat posed by Benteke, but Edouard would ask altogether different questions with his movement, so there’s a strong case for him starting on Monday night.

Vieira may be exercising patience, but you can understand why many Palace fans might be clamouring for Edouard after that spectacular debut.

And, if the manager does go for broke and start both of his main goalscorers, one would have to assume Woosnam’s front two prediction is more likely than playing the big summer arrival out of his natural position.

In other news, read this pundit’s verdict on a potential attacking signing for Palace.

Aston Villa could sign a hugely exciting upgrade on Anwar El Ghazi in Burnley star Dwight McNeil.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer transfer window suggested that Dean Smith’s side were very much interested in signing the England youth international, but a deal failed to materialise before the deadline.

Now, McNeil has opened up on the fact he ended up staying at Turf Moor despite the interest in him, and shed some light on some of the rumours surrounding him over the summer.

He said: “I heard it, but nothing came about it. When I asked my agents the question, they hadn’t heard anything. When I spoke to my dad and family about it, the main thing, for me, at the time, I am still a Burnley player.

“I think, in the summer, it was important for me to still keep thinking about Burnley and my ambitions are with Burnley this season. The main thing is that I am here and happy to be at the club.”

Upgrade on El Ghazi

While McNeil has suggested he is happy to be at Burnley, there’s absolutely no reason why Villa shouldn’t be pursuing a move for him again in the January transfer window, or even next summer.

At just 21, the winger has got plenty of time to grow and develop under Smith at Villa Park, and that potential is something his teammate with the Clarets, Ashley Westwood, has previously raved about.

He said: “He’s really mature. I think the world of him, he’s a special talent. It’s been good to see him grow up because when he first came training with us he was really quiet.

“He’s already racked up more than 50 games in the Premier League now, which at his age is phenomenal. He’s producing as well so if he keeps doing that and we all keep doing what we’re doing then there will be teams circulating.”

And, with reports in recent weeks and months claiming that Villa would be open to selling El Ghazi, the Midlands club could sign a major upgrade on the Dutchman in McNeil.

When you compare his stats to that of El Ghazi, it really is night and day.

While the Dutchman averaged more shots than McNeil last season in the Premier League, in every other department, the Burnley man betters him considerably.

As per Whosored, he averaged more key passes, dribbles and crosses per game in the Premier League, while also boasting a far better passing accuracy and being fouled more times per match too.

The £26m-rated star could add to an already exciting Villa attack, and is exactly why Smith should go back in for him amid latest transfer comments.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered a major Aston Villa update on Emi Martinez…

Harrison Ashby may not be a name familiar with many West Ham fans but he could well be the next name to emerge from their Chadwell Heath academy base in the next few years.

The 19-year-old right-back has impressed David Moyes since the Scotsman returned to the dugout for a second time and could be in line for more opportunities throughout the season, having made his debut in last season’s Carabao Cup win over Charlton Athletic.

He was later named in the starting line-up against Hull City in the very same competition, featuring alongside Aji Alese and Ben Johnson in a youthful backline.

That fact that he was selected over many more youngsters, some of whom only made the bench, was rather telling and only goes to show how much Moyes thinks of the Scottish gem.

Just like Declan Rice, Ashby found his feet at the Irons after being released prematurely by local rivals Chelsea, so he could well follow in the England international’s footsteps in the near future.

West Ham have been blessed with plenty of young defensive talents over the years, with Glen Johnson being a notable name and he went on to have a glistening career, playing for the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.

If Ashby can break into the first team, then he certainly has the potential to become the new Johnson around these parts.

The word “fearless” is something that has stuck with the promising full-back throughout his short career to date. It’s how his father, Barry, described him to The Athletic, and he was a former defender himself, featuring for Watford and Gillingham.

Whilst U Irons podcaster Sam Delaney echoed such sentiments after his senior debut, he said:

“He’s big as well. He’s like a big unit. He’s only young, but he’s like a giant. Usually, you’re used to seeing smaller players in those wing-back positions, but he looked big, strong, he was very fearless, decent on the ball.”

With more games in the Europa League and Carabao Cup to come, on top of the FA Cup in the New Year, and of course, the remainder of the Premier League season, the teenage sensation could be handed another opportunity to impress at some stage this term.

Ashby could well become the Hammers’ next Johnson, only this time, they’ll hope he stays and has a long career at the London Stadium.

AND in other news, Moyes could repeat his Bowen masterclass in West Ham swoop for £12m “special talent”…

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has been reacting to recent comments made by former Celtic manager Neil Lennon, as reported by Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Lennon speaks out

The 50-year-old, who left the Hoops back in February, has recently revealed that some Celtic players pulled out of games when they were fully fit.

The Northern Irishman was talking to The Scottish Sun and claimed that some members of the Hoops squad weren’t focused on matters at Parkhead as early as pre-season.

As we know, Celtic failed to make it 10 Premiership titles in a row last season, and Robinson has been reacting to what Lennon has had to say.

The Latest: Robinson reacts

The 41-year-old, who features on beIN Sports on a regular basis, was asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on Lennon’s comments.

He labelled the revelation ‘very interesting’ and said it was something he has ‘never seen’ happen in football, declaring:

“That is a very interesting one.

“One thing’s for sure, it was not a happy camp last season.

“Why would players do that? The only time I ever saw players not wanting to play was when the transfer window coming around. It was a case of players not wanting to play because they were trying to get out of the club.

“Other than that I have never seen that happen. It’s almost unheard of.

“It would be great if he would put a bit more meat on the bone of that story. Name some names and give some reasons.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-15/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: The signs were there…

Lennon claimed that he spotted problems in some players’ body language as early as pre-season, so the warning signs were there for a woeful campaign. He eventually called it a day in February by resigning, but it seemed as if things could have been handled better by all involved.

The Celtic hierarchy could have spotted the signals, Lennon could have been more honest and senior players could have stepped in to prevent a season to forget instead of being dragged down to the troublemakers’ levels.

In other news: Former Celtic player thinks Ange may land ‘exciting’ ace in cut-price deal who has the same agency as Ronaldo

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

Southampton fans were far from happy with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s quotes following the Saints’ exit at the hands of Chelsea in the League Cup.

The Saints travelled to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday to face the Blues in the fourth round of the League Cup. The hosts went ahead when Kai Havertz headed in, but Che Adams was able to take the game to penalties. In the end, the European champions progressed, but it was a display full of positives from the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit.

Hasenhuttl spoke to the media after the match, and was clearly happy with what his side produced against the current Premier League leaders. He claimed that his side were the “Pride of London” because of their showing – even though they were unable to progress to the next round.

The comments were shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Hasenhuttl comments below

“Play the same team against Watford. I dare you”

Credit: @TheBig_Borowski

“We lost Ralph”

Credit: @Eliassfc2

“Class! We didn’t win… again.”

Credit: @OllieSoton

“Going out of the cup is amazing. Sack him immediately”

Credit: @cleetus_van

“Yeh, I’d still rather we had played crap and scabbed a 1-0 win. Really had enough of heroic failure”

Credit: @rmbyres

“Still lost though.”

Credit: @SouthernMan7

In other news, Southampton fans were far from happy with this man against Chelsea.

A number of Wolves supporters have been showing their love for Jonny after a club tweet emerged of him continuing to work on his injury recovery.

Bruno Lage’s side find themselves on a good run of form at the moment, picking up ten points from their last four Premier League games.

In fact, it could be even better for Wolves, with four successive victories coming their way had it not been for Leeds United’s late equaliser on Saturday.

One player who Lage is having to make do without is Jonny, who hasn’t featured since April after suffering a cruciate ligament injury last season.

The popular 27-year-old is working hard on his recovery, with an official club tweet on Monday showing him in the gym looking typically focused.

Wolves fans react to Jonny footage

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to hail Jonny, reacting positively to the progress he is making.

“Guy’s a machine”

Credit: @MrR1g4t

“I love him. Vamos!!”

Credit: @dmarsden1988

“Brilliant to see @wolves”

Credit: @therealamarsden

“So good to see him”

Credit: @kellylouise3008

“Great to see him stepping his rehab up, what a player he is”

Credit: @DJRwwfc

“Come on Jonny!! Top defender! Badly missed, you will get there”

Credit: @JonMoss89615310

In other news, one player has been linked with a return to Wolves. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be closing in on the first signing of the Antonio Conte era, according to reports in Italy…

What’s the word?

Sportitalia journalist and transfer expert Rudy Galetti claims Spurs have reached an agreement to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie on a free transfer, with his contract due to expire at the San Siro at the end of the season.

Any deal won’t be officially complete until January when the 48-time Ivory Coast international is free to sign a pre-contract with teams outside of Italian football.

“Close agreement between [George] #Atangana and the #Tottenham for [Franck] #Kessie. Engagement from €10M per season for the del #Milan and max commission for the agent,” he tweeted.

The 24-year-old is currently valued at a whopping €40m (£34m) by CIES Football Observatory, so this could be quite the bargain and coup from Fabio Paratici and co.

An absolute steal

Kessie has been an absolute beast for Milan in recent seasons and he could seriously bolster Conte’s engine room, albeit next season.

After finishing the 2020/21 campaign as their second-highest goalscorer on 13 goals – only Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring more (15) – the box-to-box monster currently ranks amongst Stefano Pioli’s top-six for average WhoScored rating (7.04).

Across the past 14 months or so, Kessie has been solid in defence, managing an average of at least 1.5 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per 90 minutes in the Serie A and equally a threat in the final third.

On top of scoring goals, he’s managed to drive the ball forward with at least 1.5 dribbles per 90 minutes, as well as averaging at least 0.9 key passes and 1.1 shots per 90 too, as per WhoScored.

This unique skill set would hand Conte a very reliable option in the heart of midfield, particularly given his preferred formation, in which he will need someone capable of pulling the strings both defensively and offensively.

In the past, Kessie has been dubbed “devastating” by ex-Milan striker Antonio Cassano and “extraordinary” by his former AC head coach Vincenzo Montella, which only goes to show just how highly thought of he is by those that have been around him.

So with Spurs closing in on the 6-foot powerhouse, Paratici is on the verge of sealing Conte a remarkable star and that should leave both him and the fanbase absolutely delighted.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Conte: Paratici must now deliver £58.5m-rated “special player” at Spurs…

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left ecstatic following reports of what GSB and the club are planning in January.

The upcoming mid-season transfer window could be the the club’s most crucial one in a very long time as David Moyes’ men continue to fight on all fronts.

Top of their Europa League group and third in the Premier League, West Ham are also set to play London rivals Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

Depending on how they fare in the cups as they also aim to qualify for next season’s Champions League, Moyes could have it all to do, with a very congested festive schedule already awaiting him.

As such, West Ham may need to sign fresh faces in January to bolster the Scotsman’s chances of success, especially considering the lack of a natural backup option to Michail Antonio and Angelo Ogbonna’s cruciate ligament injury blow.

The Evening Standard shared an update on transfers after Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky officially bought a 27% stake in the club. They claimed that, while GSB aren’t planning a winter spending spree, Moyes will be sufficiently backed to bring in a centre-back, a striker and possibly 2020/21 loan star Jesse Lingard.

Flocking to this news from a reliable source, it’s little wonder that so many West Ham fans are ecstatic, as this development could plug most of their squad’s holes. As they voiced their opinions on Twitter, many heaped praise on GSB’s “brilliant” transfer plan for Moyes.

Check out some of their best verdicts below.

West Ham fans erupt over GSB transfer plan…

“Make it happen Moyeseyyyy”

Credit: @Kayron27

“This sounds positive”

Credit: @SamanthaWalsh1

“I’d be over the moon with that”

Credit: @RobWaldon

“That will do for me”

Credit: @bartong2011

“Yes yes yes, that would do me very nicely!”

Credit: @_samhowell

“This would be brilliant”

Credit: @colbyjaytait09

“a central defender, a striker and Lingard is a spending spree to us!”

Credit: @Hammer1966

“Hlozek, Lingard and Tarkowski and we’ve basically won the quadruple”

Credit: @AndrewIron85

In other news: ‘Huge’ – Sky pundit thrilled as West Ham eye ‘massive signing’ for Moyes, find out more here.

A number of Manchester United fans have been left buzzing over some managerial news on Zinedine Zidane.

Writing in his latest piece for The Times, Duncan Castles has revealed that the Red Devils are ‘stepping up’ their bid to try and lure the Frenchman to Old Trafford, in the hope that he will take over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

They are ‘working to persuade’ Zizou join, but he himself is ‘unsure’ of the proposal at this moment in time. However, the Red Devils hierarchy are ‘hopeful’ that his close relationships with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane can help to convince him to join.

Solskjaer is now under pressure as his team sit outside of the Champions League qualification spots in sixth place, after 5-0 and 2-0 defeats at home to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City respectively in the last month.

There is a worry that he is not getting the best out of the star players in the squad, whereas Zidane of course has worked with the likes of Ronaldo and Varane before at Real Madrid, winning a very impressive three Champions League titles in a row at the Bernabeu.

He is certainly a star name who knows how to win, and he would surely get the United supporters bouncing again.

Man Utd fans on Zidane manager news

These Red Devils fans buzzed as the Zidane news was shared on Twitter, with one supporter hailing it as ‘one last Woodward masterclass’ from the club’s departing executive vice-chairman:

“Yessssssss!”

Credit: @jahmikes7

“God I hope this is true”

Credit: @UtdA5h

“ZIZOUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @mackutdd

“Get in”

Credit: @haddin7

“One last Woodward masterclass”

Credit: @Pinkmanhart

“DUNCANNN”

Credit: @mufcLT

In other news, find out what Mauricio Pochettino update has had these United fans talking