Wilfried Zaha was the hero once again as Crystal Palace managed to salvage a point against West Ham last week.

The Hammers took a first-half lead after Mark Noble scored from the penalty spot after just 24 minutes. The Eagles constantly threatened to equalise and the goal finally came when Zaha beat Lukasz Fabianski from a tight angle. Roy Hodgson’s men were able to hold on to secure a vital point against Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

It seemed at times that Palace were once again going to draw a blank on home soil – an issue that has plagued them throughout the season. When Zaha hasn’t been on form, Palace have looked toothless in the final third. This is a problem that the former England manager simply must address when the transfer window reopens in the summer.

One man the Eagles could target is AZ Alkmaar star – Oussama Idrissi. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the former Netherlands U21 international has been a mainstay in the team since joining from FC Groningen back in January 2018. The 22-year-old has been in inspired form this season, helping his side to fourth in the Eredivisie table so far.

Idrissi has been excellent in front of goal, netting seven times already in the league. As well as his goalscoring exploits, the youngster has also chipped in with six assists for his team-mates. Comfortable on either wing or through the centre, Idrissi would shoulder some of the goal-scoring burden currently on Zaha’s shoulders. The Morocco citizen possesses fantastic technical ability, completing an incredible 3.7 successful dribbles and 2 key passes per game in the league (WhoScored).

The winger is only getting better and Palace should do all they can to bring him to England.

Crystal Palace fans, thoughts?

تحدث أوناي إيمري، المدير الفني لفريق فياريال في تصريحات بشأن فريق برشلونة الإسباني وقائده ليونيل ميسي.

ويلتقي البارسا في أول مباراة له هذا الموسم مع فياريال، يوم الأحد المقبل، ضمن منافسات الليجا.

وقال إيمري في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “ميسي سيكون له تحركاته على أرض الملعب، وفرص فردية للتسجيل، سواء كان ذلك بالتسديدات أو تمريراته مع جوردي ألبا، أو سيرجي روبرتو، أو أنطوان جريزمان،  أومجهوده الفردي”.

وأضاف: “ميسي لاعب يسبب المشاكل دائمًا وسيكون هذا هو الحال طوال 90 دقيقة، يصعب مواجهته، لاعب نعتقد أنه كان وما زال الأفضل في العالم”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سواريز: شكرًا لأتلتيكو مدريد على الثقة.. سنحقق أشياء عظيمة معًا

وتحت قيادة إيمري، يتطلع فياريال للمضي قدمًا بعد حصوله على المركز الخامس في ترتيب الليجا بالموسم الماضي، وأكد الإسباني: “نحن متحمسون ومتفائلون بهذا”.

وأكد: “الدوري مفتوح دائمًا، لكن عليك أولاً أن تتذكر أن ريال مدريد انهى الموسم الماضي بقوة وأن برشلونة لا يزال لديه لاعبين رائعين، وهذا هو السبب في أن هذين الفريقين هما المرشحان للفوز باللقب، ثم لديك أتلتيكو مدريد وإشبيلية”.

وأتم إيمري: “علينا أن نرتقي إلى مستوى، ونريد أن نستمر في الحصول على مراكز أعلى، والأحد هو اختبار جيد لنرى كيف سنرد”.

Chelsea have been avoiding using their academy for years. A number of young talents have been left to rot in the Blues’ developmental system, and not only has this impacted upon their own aspirations, but it’s also prevented Chelsea from being able to make use of their talents too. 

However, the Blues’ need to change that appears to be more immediate than ever. According to the Sun, German scouts are flocking to England in order to find the next Jaden Sancho.

They’re clearing smelling blood, owing to the lack of focus being placed on young talent in England. Sancho, of course, left Man City in favour of regular football with Borussia Dortmund – and he’s now flourishing.

If Chelsea weren’t already sweating on the futures of some of their key young players, they certainly should be now. This doesn’t just stop at Callum Hudson-Odoi, of course.

Chelsea’s academy is filled with brilliant young talent, with players like Dujon Sterling, Ethan Ampadu and Mason Mount all on the cusp of greatness. However, as Chelsea continue to spend millions upon millions, their futures are looking bleak.

That now, however, needs to change. In the past, they could afford to ship players out on loan and forget about them, only giving those that dazzle away from the club a chance in the first team.

Instead, though, with German scouts looking on, players are likely to recognise that they can find permanent homes elsewhere like Sancho did, and that can improve their development greatly.

For the first time, the youngsters hold at least some of the power, and for teams like Chelsea, that’s a real worry.

Thoughts?

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Well, it would be fair to say that the Tottenham Hotspur fans do not want their club to move for Newcastle United attacker Ayoze Perez in this summer’s transfer window.

In a recent interview with Marca, Perez admitted that he will return to Spain before the end of his career, whilst he also discussed reported interest from the likes of Tottenham and Everton.

The 25-year-old was brilliant against Everton last weekend, scoring twice and providing an assist in Newcastle’s 3-2 win at St James’ Park.

In total, the forward has scored seven times and registered four assists in 33 appearances in all competitions for his English club this season.

The Tottenham fans have been discussing a potential move for the Spaniard and it would be fair to say that not too many are interested in chairman Daniel Levy signing Perez.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Spurs supporters can be seen below:

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Neal Maupay scored the only goal of the match as Brentford recorded a 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the Championship on Wednesday night.

Maupay has now managed 18 Championship goals this term and there is no question that he is one of the best forwards in the second tier of English football.

Villa were linked with a move for the 22-year-old last month, but Brentford did manage to keep hold of the Frenchman.

Now their fans are absolutely desperate for their club to seal Maupay’s signature this summer, however, having watched him register on Wednesday night.

It seems unlikely that Tammy Abraham will stay at Villa Park beyond the end of this season, meaning that the Bees striker could be a replacement for the on-loan Chelsea forward.

The Villa supporters were extremely impressed with what they saw from the 5ft 7in striker and many have called on their club to complete a deal ahead of the 2019-2020 campaign.

A selection of the Titter reaction can be seen below:

أجاب المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي أتلتيكو مدريد، دييجو سيميوني، على سؤال هام بشأن الثنائي الهجومي المميز، لويس سواريز ودييجو كوستا.

وانتقل سواريز إلى أتلتيكو مدريد يوم، الجمعة الماضي، من صفوف برشلونة ونجح في تسجيل هدفين وصناعة آخر في أولى مبارياته مع الفريق أمام غرناطة في 20 دقيقة فقط.

وشارك الأوروجوياني في المباراة بدلًا من دييجو كوستا الذي سجل هدف أتلتيكو مدريد الأول في المباراة، وهو ما جعل سيميوني يستبعد رحيله عن الفريق بعد أن كان قاب قوسين أو أدنى من الانتقال إلى فناربخشة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أسباس يشيد بـ فاتي ويؤكد: بالطبع أفضل برشلونة بدون سواريز

وتحدث سيميوني عن إمكانية لعب سواريز وكوستا معًا في خط الهجوم في تصريحات بمؤتمره الصحفي لمباراة الغد أمام هويسكا، وقال: “يمكن ذلك، دييجو مختلف عن لويس من خلال تعديل مركزهما مع الفريق حسب احتياجنا كجهاز فني”.

وتابع: “سواريز يجيد التحرك على الأطراف والمساحات وهو ما شاهدناه منه دائمًا في الفترة الماضية، مما يمنحنا مزيدًا من الخيارات داخل منطقة الجزاء”.

وأضاف: “سنرى متى يمكننا الدفع بهما معًا في المباريات المقبلة، الشيء المهم هو أن يعطينا كلًا منهما ما نحتاجه”.

وعن إمكانية التعاقد مع كافاني: “ما نهتم بهم هما اللاعبين المتواجدين في أتلتيكو مدريد، والذين نسعى معهم للوصول إلى أهدافنا في كل موسم”.

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The Scottish Premier League title race is almost over, and Steven Gerrard should use the last few games of the season to test out a new system that may help his side in the future.

After Celtic’s win against Dundee on Sunday, Rangers’ campaign is effectively over.

The Gers still have the Old Firm to look forward to, but there will be no silverware at Ibrox this summer, and Gerrard is surely already plotting his plans for next season.

The boss brought in a whopping 14 new signings during his first summer at the club, so there could well be some serious movement in the transfer market again, but what can he do with the players already at his disposal?

Well, with nothing left to play for this campaign, the gaffer should switch to a three at the back. It may not be a system he employs permanently, but the experience will only help his squad in the future, and hey, what’s the worst that could happen?

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

On the chalkboard

So what exactly does switching to a three at the back system do for the Gers? To start with, it would make life an awful lot easier for the midfielders, who would not have to spend half of every game filling in for the full-backs.

James Tavernier and Borna Barisic both like to bomb forward, and having three centre backs covering would allow the midfielders to keep their eyes forward, rather than constantly looking for gaps to protect because their full backs are nowhere to be seen.

The switch would also help Alfredo Morelos, who has been completely isolated in every match he has featured in since the beginning of March.

With Tavernier and Barisic getting the freedom to fly down the wing and get balls into the box, as well as more progressive and risky passing from the midfield, the feisty Colombian international would see far more of the ball and would rarely find himself isolated against two towering centre backs.

Boost for McCrorie

This could also be the perfect chance to get Ross McCrorie some regular minutes, as the 21 year-old’s lack of playing time is really quite baffling.

He is strong, a fantastic leader (he is captain of the Scotland Under-21 side), versatile enough to slot into a back three, and has the ball-playing abilities to spread the ball around from deep.

The youngster does tend to struggle with his discipline, but with nothing left to play for this season, now is the right time to iron out those creases in his game.

McCrorie could be a star for the Gers in the future, but not if Gerrard doesn’t take this golden opportunity to erase the mistakes from his game and get him used to the intensity of regular first-team football.

Mesut Ozil’s long-term future at Arsenal remains unclear after falling out of favour in north London.

The former Germany international was once considered one of the finest playmakers in all of world football. However, Ozil has failed to replicate his world-class performances in recent years. After struggling during Arsene Wenger’s final seasons in charge, his woes have continued under Unai Emery who has constantly omitted the former Real Madrid man from his squad.

It’s surely likely that the Gunners will look to offload the midfielder during the summer window. Taking home a whopping £350,000-per-week, he simply isn’t justifying his mammoth wages. With cash likely to be limited for Emery, getting rid of Ozil could be a priority.

To replace him, the former Sevilla boss should snap up Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid – Kai Havertz. Valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt, the German was earmarked as one of the country’s hottest prospects after making his name in the Leverkusen youth academy. Havertz’s transition to the first-team has been seamless with the youngster now enjoying a prominent role in the side.

The 19-year-old drew comparisons to Ozil during his earlier years but his overall game has completely evolved since. Classy on the ball, Havertz is extremely well-rounded meaning he is comfortable in a variety of midfield roles. The Germany international is enjoying his finest season to date, helping his side with an incredible return of 12 goals and six assists in all competitions this season.

Havertz has the potential to develop into one of the world’s best midfielders; the Gunners should be doing everything in their power to lure him to the Emirates.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?

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Marcelo Bielsa’s arrival has galvanised a multitude of individuals who can now all make a genuine case for the club’s most improved player of the season accolade. The award is typically the least glamorous of all those on offer but widespread improvement throughout the Leeds squad has added a layer of prestige to this particular honour.

Discussion over exactly which Leeds player has showcased the greatest level of improvement this season has been rife at Football FanCast towers of late, but a consensus remains elusive. Read a handful of our writers’ verdicts below…

James Beavis – Liam Cooper

“While he may have been captain last season under Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom, the 27-year-old was seen as one of Leeds’ weak links – not helped by some of the errors he made. However, he has been a completely different animal under Bielsa, and like many of his teammates his game has come on leaps and bounds under the Argentine. A brilliant leader who isn’t afraid to put his body on the line for his side, he has improved massively from a technical point of view in recent months, and is arguably more important than Pontus Jansson now.”

Billy Myers – Kemar Roofe

“Admittedly, the diminutive forward was very good last year, but he seems to have stepped it up a notch this season and already has three more Championship goals than he managed in the previous campaign. Roofe bagged 15 Championship goals during the course of the previous two campaigns, and his 14 so far this term prove that he is always improving and working on his game.”

Ben Goodwin – Gjanni Alioski

“The Macedonian international was best known for getting caught offside last season, and likely would have been shown the door if fans had their way in the summer. He is now one of the first names on the teamsheet due to his engine, drive and versatility. In fact, his transformation is perhaps the best of all the Marcelo Bielsa success stories at Elland Road this season. With Barry Douglas struggling for form and fitness, Leeds may not even be in the title race without Alioski filling in at left-back.”

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According to reliable West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee on Episode 124 of ‘The West Ham Way’ radio show, Winston Reid has said he will be back in full training next week after almost a year on the sidelines, and Irons fans have been quick to react.

The 30-year-old has been out of action ever since landing awkwardly during a Premier League clash against Swansea City in March 2018, and it was reported back in July that he would be out for at least three months following surgery.

However, that timeframe didn’t prove to be very accurate at all and it is now only nearly 12 months on that the New Zealand international looks set to return to the training ground, having told people there he expects to be back in action next week.

In his absence the likes of Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna have featured at the heart of the defence, with the former duo – both summer additions – in particular impressing.

West Ham supporters have taken to social media to have their say on Reid’s imminent return, and while one said “OMG finally”, another said it is “exciting times”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…