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Crystal Palace have been handed a fresh blow in their quest to find their next manager…

What’s the word?

According to former Celtic winger Davie Provan, Eddie Howe won’t be going to the Eagles this summer as his move to Parkhead is a “done deal.” He told Go Radio (via Daily Record):

“I don’t think for a moment Dermot Desmond would have exposed himself to the possibility of being embarrassed by Eddie Howe. And Eddie Howe himself has chosen not to rule himself out. So reading between the lines I think there’s an agreement, I think it’s a done deal,” he said.

Provan later added: “I don’t think for a moment that Eddie Howe is going to take a Crystal Palace, I don’t think Dermot Desmond would leave himself open to that embarrassment.”

Huge blow

Only last month, Football Insider reported that the former Bournemouth manager was on Palace’s three-man shortlist and had even held talks with Steve Parish and the club’s hierarchy. If that’s true, then the Selhurst Park owner and CEO is in line for a devastating blow following these fresh claims that Howe is heading for the Glasgow giants.

The Eagles still do not know who will be in charge next season, as with Roy Hodgson’s contract set to expire, the 73-year-old veteran seems likely to be heading for the exit.

Palace were set to be boosted by the fact that Howe was ‘not close’ to any club and was waiting until the summer to decide his future, but the comments from Provan are hard to ignore.

The 43-year-old was largely the mastermind behind the Cherries’ rise through the leagues – across two stints on the south coast, he took charge of 454 matches, winning 42% of those. That is a better return than Hodgson at Palace, with the former England boss managing a poor win rate of just 33%.

Howe, a three-time winner of the Premier League’s ‘Manager of the Month’ award, managed to keep Bournemouth in the top flight for four straight seasons until their unfortunate relegation last year, but in reality, they were always punching above their weight under him.

To lose out on him is certainly a blow to Parish considering he was amongst his top three options. He will likely be gutted that the 43-year-old appears Celtic-bound.

AND in other news, Fresh twist emerges in Crystal Palace managerial hunt, it’s bad news for Parish…

A major update has emerged on Frank Lampard, regarding a potential move to Rangers to take over at Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

According to Record Sport, the Gers held talks with the 43-year-old over a potential deal and have now settled on a short-list of three candidates, which does not feature his name.

The report claims that the discussions with Lampard were brief, whilst he also reportedly spoke with Norwich prior to their appointment of Dean Smith earlier this week.

Delighted

It had recently been reported that Rangers were not looking at Lampard at all, but this update reveals that the club were considering a deal for him at one point and went as far as holding talks with the ex-Derby County head coach since Steven Gerrard’s departure.

Gers fans will be delighted that Ross Wilson ultimately made the decision not to progress the talks further, as he could have been a poor appointment by the club. Wilson made a big call to axe Lampard from the running and is now eyeing three other candidates and that could benefit them in the long run, as the 43-year-old’s C.V is unimpressive.

He finished sixth in the Championship in his first season with Derby, despite xG suggesting they should have finished 18th. Lampard was then handed the Chelsea job and finished fourth in his debut campaign before being sacked 19 Premier League games into the next term.

Following his exit from Stamford Bridge, Italian midfielder Jorginho provided a damning assessment on why he failed in the role. He said:

“Look, I’ll be really sincere here on Lampard. I believe, given he was a legend at the club, he skipped some steps necessary for learning before moving to a big club.

“He came to a club where he is a legend, without having experience at other clubs. I think he came too soon, skipped a few steps ahead and wasn’t ready for a job at this level, to be honest.”

This provides an insight from a player who worked under Lampard for 18 months and shows why fans will be delighted that Wilson has opted against bringing him to Ibrox. He has not won a single trophy as a manager and his dismal xG statistics at Derby, followed by his sacking at Chelsea, suggest that he has had an underwhelming coaching career to date.

Therefore, Rangers fans will be happy that he will not be coming to Glasgow to potentially fail in a third job, with Wilson now looking at other candidates.

AND in other news, Time’s up: GVB could become an instant hit at Rangers by axing £1.8m-rated dud…

In their latest attempt at escaping League One and making a return to the Championship, Sunderland probably haven’t had the start to their campaign that most at the club would have hoped for.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though Sunderland could make an addition to their squad during the next window with someone that will be pretty familiar to a lot of fans at the Stadium of Light.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Chronicle Live that Sunderland will review Jack Diamond’s loan spell at Harrogate Town in January and the possibility of recalling him back to the Wearside club.

Since joining Harrogate back in August in what is his second loan spell with the club, Diamond has started all of the 12 League Two games he’s appeared in prior to their midweek match against Carlisle United, scoring three goals and providing two assists in the process.

With this in mind, it’s easy to see why the possibility of Sunderland recalling him from his latest loan early has been raised recently.

As a product of Sunderland’s youth academy, the 21-year-old winger has a total of 78 appearances under his belt for the U18 and U23 sides combined with ten goals and ten assists to his name.

For the senior side, Diamond has made 40 appearances across all competitions where he has managed to score two goals and provide six assists, showing that he can be a fairly useful attacking option.

With this in mind and the fact that Diamond, who has been described as a “dynamic” by Johnson in the past, could offer the Black Cats boss an extra attacking option to his side for the second half of the season, one that could sway Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and co from spending money on new players in the winter.

His return could end up being crucial for Sunderland should they lose any of their current attacking options to injury, that could well help push the side to a promotion place and revive their campaign having lost a fair amount of games already this season.

However, given how many minutes Diamond has got under his belt so far this season at Harrogate, it seems like his potential playing time back at Sunderland would be a big factor in whether he will return to his boyhood club in January or not.

In other news: Johnson must ruthlessly axe “unique” lightweight tonight, he could cost SAFC dearly – opinion

Celtic have been dealt a big setback in their bid to bring Reo Hatate to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Dan Orlowitz (via Everything Celtic), with the Japan Times journalist revealing that, despite reports suggesting that the player’s contract with Kawasaki Frontale is set to expire in January, the 24-year-old is actually contracted to the J League club beyond the end of the current campaign.

Subsequently, in recent comments cited by the Daily Record, Orlowitz went on to reveal that that Frontale are commanding a fee in the region of £2.4m in order to part with Hatate this January, something which is reported to be a stumbling block in Celtic’s move for the midfielder.

Speaking about the Bhoys’ interest in the player, Orlowitz said: “I’ve heard that Frontale want £2.4m for Hatate.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Hatate has been in Japan this season, the news that Celtic will not be able to land the midfielder on a free transfer, and may even end up missing out on his signing if they do not meet Frontale’s asking price, is sure to have left Hoops fans gutted.

Indeed, over his over 30 J League appearances this term, the £720k-rated man scored five goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking two shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the 24-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.16, ranking him as Frontale’s fifth-best performer in their title-winning campaign.

Furthermore, Hatate’s ability to play at both left-back and attacking midfield is something which would prove incredibly useful for Ange Postecoglou, as Celtic are currently lacking strength in depth in both positions.

As such, it would indeed appear as if the 24-year-old’s signing would be a fantastic one for the Bhoys to get over the line this winter, and why Orlowitz’s latest update could come as a big blow to the club, as well as worrying news for fans.

In other news – Get rid: Ange must now axe £20k-p/w “waste of money”, he’s stealing a living at Celtic

In a recent interview, Paul Robinson heaped a considerable amount of praise on Glasgow Rangers centre-forward, Jermain Defoe, after footage of the Gers man emerged.

In the footage posted by Rangers TV, an emotional Defoe discussed Rangers’ title win, touching on how much the championship meant to him personally as well as to the club as a whole.

And, in reaction, Robinson – who played with Defoe at Tottenham Hotspur – claimed it was “incredible” to see his old friend win his first league title at the age of 38, before stating his belief that Steven Gerrard will be doing everything in his power to keep Defoe at Ibrox next season.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “It is incredible to see him get a title at this stage of his career. I played with Jermain for quite a bit of my career, I spent a lot of time with him for club and country and let me tell you, he is an infectious character.

“I know he will be loving life up there at the moment. I am sure Steven will be doing everything he can to keep him there for another year after what they have just achieved.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Since joining Rangers on what was originally a season-long loan deal that the club went on to make a permanent move last summer, Defoe has scored 29 goals and provided 10 assists over his 66 appearances for Gers.

And, although the 38-year-old has found his playing time more limited this season, featuring just 11 times in the Scottish Premiership, he has undoubtedly contributed to Rangers’ title win, scoring two goals and providing one assist serving in a back-up role.

Having said that, with Defoe’s contract set to expire at the end of the season and the centre-forward reported to be earning a whopping £65,000 per week at Gers, Robinson’s claim that Gerrard will be doing all he can to keep the striker at the club this summer may depend on the striker’s willingness to take a pay cut.

In other news: some Rangers fans slammed this politician’s comments – find out more here!

According to a Tottenham Hotspur source, speaking to Football Insider, Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho is planning to start Gareth Bale in ‘virtually every game’ over these final few months of the season – with an exciting behind the scenes claim emerging that he is looking like a ‘world beater’ whilst being ‘lean, fit and hungry’. 

Bale has recently returned to form following months of being overlooked by Mourinho, but Football Insider explain this was down to being careful rather than indifferent to the 2020 summer signing.

Mourinho set for Tottenham plan

Indeed, the Portuguese boss apparently devised a tailored plan for the 31-year-old after he spent two seasons barely featuring for parent club Real Madrid.

It is claimed that Bale’s lack of cameos was to steadily ease him back to full fitness, with this Spurs source explaining to Football Insider that Mourinho is now planning to play him in ‘virtually every game’.

Transfer Tavern take

The Tottenham boss is apparently set to unleash the Wales international as he is convinced that Bale is now fully fit and ready to cope with the demands of Premier League football.

This Football Insider source also explained that Bale is looking like a ‘worldbeater’ behind the scenes, not to mention ‘lean, fit and hungry’.

And going by this exciting claim, it’s safe to say Spurs supporters could be about to see a lot more from Bale in the next few weeks.

In other news: Tottenham transfer message exposes failed Levy coup, find out more here.

Wolves are interested in signing Mexico and Napoli winger Hirving Lozano in the summer transfer window, according to a latest report.

The Lowdown: Lozano in-and-out at Napoli

The 26-year-old has found himself in and out of Napoli’s team this season, with injuries and illness holding him back at times but the wide man still managing to contribute.

Lozano has chipped in with four goals and assists apiece in Serie A, in just 16 starts, and he has helped them compete in a tense title race with AC Milan and Inter Milan.

The Mexican’s current deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2024, but according to a fresh update, a move to Molineux could be on the cards.

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The Latest: Wolves keen on move

According to Napoli Today [via Sport Witness], Wolves have been ‘following’ Lozano ‘for some time’, as they weigh up a potential summer move.

The idea of him staying pout at Napoli is ‘not entirely a foregone conclusion’, which further gives Wanderers hope of sealing an exciting signing.

[freshpress-poll id=“388780″]

The Verdict: Audacious swoop by Wanderers

Lozano has proven himself on the biggest stage of all, catching the eye for Mexico at the 2018 World Cup, registering one goal and assist each and standing out with his pace and directness.

For that reason, it is hugely exciting to see Wolves being linked with a move for him and he could be someone who takes their attacking game to the next level in the Premier League.

With Adama Traore likely to leave permanently this summer and Francisco Trincao expected to leave, too, Lozano could fill the void out wide, and much more, becoming the latest attacking hero at Molineux.

In other news, a journalist has dropped an exciting Wolves transfer claim. Read more here.

When you narrow down the transfer business that every Premier League club is set to do this January, Leeds’ expectations will probably be somewhere near the bottom.

It’s unlikely they will add any bodies but an exceptional circumstance may have presented itself to Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta.

What’s the word?

Last month, it was revealed that former Chelsea striker Diego Costa would be leaving Atletico Madrid on a free transfer.

The forward’s contract was set to expire at the end of the season but he had his terms in Spain mutually terminated.

As a result, a number of clubs have put themselves in the race to land the Spain international. Wolves are one team, but Leeds have now been thrown in the hat by pundit Kevin Phillips.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said:

“They might need someone like Diego Costa, he might be looking at Leeds and thinking: ‘Look at the way they play football, I could score goals in there’,”

“I know he’s been linked with Wolves but he’s a free agent, isn’t he, so it would not surprise me with Bielsa if he pitched up at Leeds.”

Bring him to Elland Road

This is an interesting take from Phillips and it will be interesting to see whether Orta tries to pursue this deal.

Last January, they got things horrifically wrong they brought Jean-Kevin Augustin to the club. On paper, it looked an eye-catching addition. However, what followed was just 48 minutes of football and a legal battle after Leeds refused to pay their obligation to buy the striker from RB Leipzig.

Consequently, Bielsa may think twice before green-lighting a transfer this January. Though, if they do choose to sign anyone, they wouldn’t go too far wrong with Costa.

Patrick Bamford is having a fabulous season with ten Premier League goals in 16 outings, but the man in question here is a proven international footballer. He’s capped 24 times and has enjoyed enormous success throughout Europe.

It would also give Leeds a different option in attack and provide a quality they haven’t necessarily had since the days of Chris Wood. The Kiwi was a brute in the air and used his seismic strength to bully opponents.

That’s exactly what Costa does too. For context, the former Atleti attacker won 3.1 aerial duels this season in La Liga, which is only 0.2 below the number Wood amassed in his final campaign at Elland Road.

Speaking about the 32-year-old in 2019, Diego Simeone typified him perfectly: “Costa is a beast, he’s raring to go, he’s ambitious and as everyone knows, he’s a warrior.”

This would be a brilliant addition, especially on a free transfer. Costa could carry Leeds to a top-half finish.

AND in other news, Forget Rodrigo: Leeds must move for “extraordinary” £30m gem, Orta has found Pablo 2.0…

Alasdair Gold has revealed that, while Mauricio Pochettino’s future at Paris Saint-Germain remains uncertain, he has not yet had contact with Tottenham in regards to a potential return to the club.

The Lowdown: Manager search continues

Pochettino was replaced by Jose Mourinho in November 2019, who himself was sacked last month just a few days prior to the Carabao Cup final.

The managerial position at Spurs remains vacant as Daniel Levy continues his search for the next man to step into the hot seat.

The Latest: Pochettino future uncertain but not yet in Spurs frame

As it stands, PSG are three points behind Ligue 1 leaders Lille with just two games left to play (BBC), so it seems unlikely that they will retain their league crown.

In an article for football.london, Gold has said that the 49-year-old’s future at the Parc des Princes is up in the air, but added that there has not yet been any contact between the Argentine and Levy.

The Verdict: Up in the air

Pochettino replaced Thomas Tuchel at PSG in December of last year on an 18-month contract – he will earn £467,000 per month (gentside.co.uk), or about £8.4m overall. The Parisians have won seven of the last eight league titles in France, so to not finish top of the table would be a huge disappointment.

Pochettino remains a hugely popular figure from his time in north London (The Boot Room) and there could well be a contingent of the support who would welcome him back with open arms.

However, returning to his former club, who are further away from success than PSG, could be perceived as a step backwards, so it remains to be seen what the next few months hold for the former Southampton manager.

In other news, Levy is reportedly desperate to hire this man for Spurs.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has admitted that he is not Danny Rose’s biggest fan.

This comes after another former Leeds star, Paddy Kenny, suggested that the Yorkshire club should look to re-sign the 30-year-old this summer.

Leeds’ search for a new left-back has been well-documented, with Ezgjan Alioski set to leave Elland Road when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The Whites have been linked with the likes of Ajax’s Nicolas Tagliafico and Crystal Palace man Patrick van Aanholt.

Like Van Aanholt, Rose will be a free agent in the summer and has loads of Premier League experience, so he could be an option worth exploring.

Palmer, though, remains far from convinced. On the Tottenham defender, he told TT in an exclusive interview:

“I’m not a big fan of Danny Rose. As a person, I think he’s a really decent person. But as a player, I’m not a big fan of his, to be fair.”

Rose, who came through the youth ranks at Leeds, is not currently a part of Spurs’ Premier League squad after being excluded by former manager Jose Mourinho.

Even with the Portuguese coach now gone, the England international’s future still looks to be away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as his contract continues to run down.