Donovan among many former USMNT players critical of Nation League efforts, saying "It was obvious in these games who cared"
Crystal Palace spent €77.70m (£64.2m) in the 2024/25 summer transfer window, looking to replace key figures leaving the club, such as Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen.
Squad building is key to sustaining the quality, especially when you are a club susceptible to losing your best players, being forced to replace them and being expected to remain at the same level of quality.
Controlling the wage bill is a big part of this, aiming to ensure your highest earners are proving their worth, justifying the financial resources being allocated to them.
The highest earner at the club joined on a free this summer, Daichi Kamada, The Japanese playmaker – who arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt – has made 15 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring two goals, providing two assists and totalling 883 minutes played.
Oliver Glasner’s side have two other players earning £100k-per-week, both of whom are considered key to the side, with Eberechi Eze being the star man, and Dean Henderson the number one between the sticks.
|
Crystal Palace highest earners |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Wages (£) |
|
Daichi Kamada |
£105,000 |
|
Eberechi Eze |
£100,000 |
|
Dean Henderson |
£100,000 |
|
Eddie Nketiah |
£90,000 |
|
Jefferson Lerma |
£70,000 |
|
Cheick Doucoure |
£70,000 |
|
Ismaila Sarr |
£70,000 |
|
Jeffrey Schlupp |
£60,000 |
|
Chris Richards |
£55,000 |
|
Will Hughes |
£50,000 |
|
Figures taken from Capology |
|
One man not in the top ten earners, but still earning a considerable £45k-per-week, is Rob Holding, who has become something of a forgotten man for the club despite being paid more than Daniel Munoz, Tyrick Mitchell and Adam Wharton.
Holding joined the Eagles in 2023 for around £4m, with his capture met with enthusiasm at the time by chairman, Steve Parish, who notably lauded the defender’s “tremendous quality”:
The 29-year-old – who previously made 162 appearances for Arsenal, scoring five goals – has now only managed to make one appearance since joining the club, however, amid reports that he has been somewhat frozen out following a dispute regarding a post-match running session during his last first-team involvement back in August, as per BBC Sport.
His ability to play as both a central defender and right-back was likely a big factor as to why Roy Hodgson acquired him at the time, but since then, Glasner has taken over, and established a three at the back system, using attacking wingbacks.
With Maxcence Lacroix, Marc Guehi and Trevoh Chalobah now making up the three central defenders, Holding has seen no action under Glasner. Even when one of those three hasn’t been available, Glasner has shown he prefers the attributes of Nathaniel Clyne as a wide centre-back or even Jefferson Lerma dropping into the backline, ahead of Holding.
Then in the wing-back department, Holding, whilst he can play as a nominal right full-back, would not have the ground-covering ability and attacking quality required to play as a wingback, who Glasner asks to hold width in attacking scenarios, as well as track back to form a back five in defensive scenarios.
With the wages Holding is on, and the fact he isn’t even making match-day squads for Glasner’s side, the obvious choice would be to sell him on, and look to reinvest that money he is earning on a more suitable profile for Palace’s style of play.
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An “astonishing” West Brom player has “little chance” of being fit to face Preston North End on New Year’s Day, according to journalist Lewis Cox.
The Baggies picked up their first positive result without Carlos Corberan in charge on Sunday, as they battled their way to a 1-1 draw away to rivals Sheffield United in the Championship. Having fallen behind, Karlan Grant responded just before half-time.
The search is now on to find Corberan’s successor, with West Brom desperately hoping his exit doesn’t rock their promotion charge, and a number of potential candidates have already been mentioned as possible replacements.
Liverpool first-team coach John Heitinga is seen as a front-runner to come in at the Hawthorns, despite no doubt enjoying life alongside Arne Slot this season, helping the Reds top the Premier League table. The Dutchman managed Ajax for a stint last year and may be keen to lead a team again.
Heitinga isn’t the only individual who has been linked with the vacant West Brom job, however, with Mark Robins backed to come in and lead the troops, having tasted victory against the Baggies twice in the past. He recently suffered a shock sacking at Coventry City and is likely to be keen to return to management. Away from the manager situation at the Hawthorns, the Championship club have now suffered an injury blow ahead of their return to action.
According to Cox on X, West Brom midfielder Alex Mowatt has “little chance” of facing Preston, having picked up an injury against Derby County on Boxing Day.
Not having Mowatt available for the home clash with Preston to start 2025 would be an undoubted blow for West Brom, even though they did well without him against the Blades. The 29-year-old is an influential performer with so much quality in the middle of the park, bagging four goals and two assists in the Championship this season and being lauded by Sky Sports commentator Gary Taphouse in the past.
If Mowatt does miss out on New Year’s Day, as is expected, the hope is that his absence is still only a short-term one and that he is back for the trip to Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.
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The Englishman is too important a player for West Brom to be without for a sustained period, and it would have an adverse effect on their hopes of sealing promotion to the Premier League.
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Off the back of a new manager bounce under Vitor Pereira, Wolverhampton Wanderers are in advanced talks to sign a defensive addition according to former Premier League scout Keith Wyness.
Undoubtedly in need of reinforcements this month, it could be argued that Wolves welcomed their most important signing of the season before the January transfer window could even get underway when they swapped Gary O’Neil for Pereira. Defeating Manchester United and Leicester City before earning a point against Tottenham Hotspur, the new manager has settled straight in to drag the Midlands club out of the bottom three in style.
Pereira’s job is far from complete, however, and reinforcements should still prove to be the key to survival this season with names such as Tim Kleindienst already mentioned in recent reports.
The Borussia Monchengladbach star has reportedly caught the eye of those in the Midlands and could yet arrive to hand Jorgen Strand-Larsen the ultimate attacking partner. That said, it’s not just Pereira’s frontline that Wolves could improve.
According to Wyness, Wolves are in advanced talks to sign Kevin Danso from RC Lens this month. The former Everton scout has even gone as far as to claim that talks are further along than initially reported earlier this week and the 26-year-old is a “red-hot favourite” to join the club.
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Wyness told Football Insider: “Our favourite agent, Mendes, wants to get back involved in Wolves. We could see him help them out in some way. Aside from that, there are lots of rumours about Kevin Danso coming in from Wolves.
“He seems to be the one, and talks are actually a little bit further on than we’ve been led to believe in the media so far. He’s the red-hot favourite to come in, because defence is the area they’ll be looking. Let’s wait and see what else they can do.”
Although it has become clear fairly quickly that it was the right time to part ways with O’Neil, there’s no doubt that the summer transfer window far from helped his side. The former manager was left without adequate cover at centre-back after bidding farewell to Max Kilman and was soon forced to turn towards Mario Lemina out of position as a result. The end, at that stage, looked inevitable.
It’s a mistake that those in the Midlands have seemingly been quick to learn from since hiring Pereira and could yet welcome Danso to finally solve their centre-back crisis. Described as an “excellent progressor” and a defender with “rapid recovery pace”, the Lens man would be a much-needed addition at Molineux.
As the January transfer window progresses, the central defender looks set to be one to watch as Wolves instantly look to back new manager Pereira.
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Everton have reached a £17m agreement to sign an “excellent” attacking player in the January transfer window, according to a fresh update from RMC Sport’s Fabrice Hawkins.
The Blues made a disappointing start to life under David Moyes on Wednesday evening, losing 1-0 at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League. It leaves them sitting 16th in the table ahead of Sunday’s visit of a struggling Tottenham side, which is a huge game for both teams.
Everton supporters would no doubt love to see new signings arrive this month and Lyon winger Ernest Nuamah is believed to be an option. The Merseysiders have been linked with the young speedster as they look to improve their attacking options.
The Blues are also believed to have been offered the chance to sign former Chelsea and Arsenal winger Willian in January, with the Brazilian currently a free agent. At 36, he may not be the force he once was, but that’s not to say that he couldn’t be a good signing for Moyes, who will know the importance of adding more firepower to his squad.
Everton have reportedly made contact over a move for Brighton striker Evan Ferguson, too, with a loan move until the end of the season mooted for the Irishman. He has struggled for minutes at the Amex since August, so a temporary switch to Goodison Park could benefit all parties – if they can get Armando Broja off the books first.
According to Hawkins on X, Everton have reached an agreement with Lyon for the signing of Nuamah. A deal of around £17m has been sealed, with “negotiations” currently ongoing with the player to finalise personal terms, which are not expected to be a problem.
This is a hugely encouraging update from a Blues perspective, with a move for Nuamah seemingly edging closer all the time. The 21-year-old has been hailed by compatriot Asamaoh Gyan, who has called him “excellent”, while football talent scout Jacek Kulig has described him as “outrageous”.
At 21 years of age, the Ghanaian is an extremely young player who is still maturing as a footballer, so it would be unfair to expect consistent brilliance every week, but he can still come in and be a great option from the off.
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He already has three goals in 12 caps for Ghana, and while at his best on the right-hand side of the attack, his versatility also allows him to do a good job on the opposite flank and as a centre forward.
Messi and Miami had no answer for Vancouver's speed and athleticism and paid for it with a 2-0 defeat
Vancouver Whitecaps fans reportedly paid close to three times face value to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi at BC Place in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals against Inter Miami on Thursday night. The 53,837 in attendance were not disappointed.
Not only did they get a 90-minute showing from the Argentine maestro, but they also saw their hometown side pull off a stunning 2-0 upset – sparked by a brilliant headed goal from Brian White. It was all Vancouver needed in the first leg, but the job isn’t done yet. Leg 2 is set for April 30 at Chase Field in Florida.
Still, this is a result that will live long in the memory of Whitecaps supporters, especially considering what happened when these two teams met last season. During Inter Miami’s previous visit to BC Place, then-manager Tata Martino rested stars Messi, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets due to fixture congestion – a match Miami still won 2-1. The decision sparked backlash from the Vancouver crowd and prompted Martino to publicly defend his call.
This year, with a spot in the Champions Cup final on the line, both sides fielded full-strength lineups – and it was Vancouver who seized the moment. Following a playbook that has given issues before, the Whitecaps ceded possession and waited for their chance to strike. White gave an early warning, just missing a through ball in front of goal in the third minute. About 20 minutes later, he made no mistake.
Despite Miami holding 73 percent of the ball in the first 20 minutes, it was caught out on the counter. Sebastian Berhalter picked out White with a perfectly weighted aerial pass, and the striker nodded home in the 24th minute.
Inter Miami looked flat in attack, with Messi leading the team in shots (three) but struggling to find space. Vancouver effectively denied the 37-year-old access to the box, forcing him into long-range attempts and set-piece opportunities. Two of his shots were on target, but Yohei Takaoka was up to the task with a stellar showing in goal.
Berhalter wasn’t done, either. In the 85th minute, the midfielder capped another swift counter with a rocket, sealing the match. Unless Miami can fix its persistent issues against athletic, counter-attacking sides, its Champions Cup run may be over next week.
GOAL rates Inter Miami from BC Place…
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