Wilfried Zaha has posted a nine-word tweet following Crystal Palace’s win over Watford on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson’s side recorded their third successive victory having also beaten Newcastle and Brighton in the weeks before their clash with the Hornets, pushing them onto 39 points for the season and only six points off fourth place before Sunday’s action kicked off.

While Jordan Ayew netted a stunning goal and Vicente Guaita made an equally brilliant stop to deny Troy Deeney, Zaha was also superb against Nigel Pearson’s men.

The Ivory Coast international embarked on more dribbles than any other player with five to his name, while also drawing three fouls from the Hornets.

Zaha also stuck to his task defensively with two successful tackles under his belt, while also completing two crosses.

The Eagles have now recorded three straight wins, all of them finishing by the same scoreline – 1-0.

You can see the former Manchester United man’s nine-word tweet below:

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans have heaped praise on this “colossal” and “class” player…

Southampton have had a relatively successful season so far but one man who didn’t live up to The Guardian journalist Ben Fisher’s prediction is Che Adams.

What did he say?

After scoring 22 goals in 46 Championship games for Birmingham last season many would have been forgiven for expecting Adams to shine in Saints colours.

Fisher was one of those, and he wrote at the beginning of the current season that he expected the 23-year-old to make an immediate impact on the south coast, but in reality the opposite has occurred.

Adams has played in 27 games without scoring for the club, and he can’t exactly blame teammates or a lack of service since Danny Ings has netted 15 times in 29 league games.

In his prediction previewing Southampton’s season, Fisher described Adams as a “powerful striker”, and made a comparison between the forward and current England international Callum Wilson, writing in The Guardian:

“The arrival of Adams from Birmingham City represents a major boost. Named after Che Guevara and released by Coventry at 14, the former Birmingham forward has the tools to transfer his goalscoring form into the Premier League, in the same way Callum Wilson prospered along the south coast at Bournemouth.”

That has proved far from the case and Southampton even contemplating loaning the striker out in January, with Leeds interested, though that is not to say that he can’t show his quality in the future.

Reasons to be positive

Given the way in which the Saints’ season has panned out there are not many who could have predicted how things have gone.

A 9-0 defeat would ordinarily hint at a team struggling for much of the campaign, and although the south-coast outfit were sitting in the relegation zone in mid-December a run of fine form means they haven’t had to consider the threat of relegation for some time.

Watch Southampton Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

They are now seven points clear despite the lack of form of Adams, though the former Birmingham man did play a significant role in the memorable wins at Chelsea and Leicester, grabbing an assist against the latter.

Now the team has a few weeks off Ralph Hasenhuttl should do whatever he can to work out how to get the best out of Adams, and if Southampton do secure safety with games remaining then he should be given a chance to start in order to get off the mark.

Idiots Abroad: Do you know where these famous Brits are playing now?

That could prove vital to his confidence ahead of next season, and if he manages to return to form then Hasenhuttl could have a lethal partnership with Ings alongside him up-front.

In other news, Southampton should look to boost the squad by looking at players at a certain club they’ve had success buying from before…

Aston Villa face competition to sign Werder Bremen forward Milot Rashica this summer, per Gazeta Blic via The Daily Mirror.

On the chalkboard

Rashica could well be Jack Grealish’s replacement at Villa Park.

The latter, of course, has been linked with a £70m switch to Manchester United and there is every chance that, if they stay in the Premier League, Villa could use that money to secure the signature of the Bremen ace.

Per Gazeta Blic, he would cost €38m (£35.2m) this summer, with Liverpool also interested, though Villa’s move is contingent on them remaining in the top-flight, otherwise they could well miss out.

And the stats show that Rashica could well step into Grealish’s shoes.

Per WhoScored, the Kosovo international has scored seven Bundesliga goals this season, registered four assists, and averages three shots, 1.6 key passes, and 2.2 dribbles per game, while he is fouled 1.9 times.

Compare that to Villa’s in-demand captain.

Grealish has scored seven Premier League goals, registered six assists, and averages 2.1 shots per game, 2.7 key passes, and 2.2 dribbles, while he is fouled 4.9 times, again per WhoScored.

Rashica is also younger than Grealish at 23, and he appears a man for big occasions; he has scored against both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich this season. The latter, unfortunately, was Bremen’s only goal in a 6-1 drubbing.

Fill the void

If Grealish does go, and one has to think that United’s financial muscle may come into play whether Villa are relegated or not, he will need replacing quickly.

A move for Rashica, then, would make all the sense in the world.

They dribble the same amount per game, have a similar eye for goal, and while the Kosovo native would need to work on threading the eye of the needle outside the box, he could well become a similar influence to the Villa skipper.

Did he really play for us?! No Villa fan has managed to name all of these obscure Villans….

Any deal, of course, is complicated by the fact that Dean Smith’s side are staring down the barrel of the gun when it comes to relegation – they are 19th, two points off safety.

But if they stay up, they should make a swoop for Rashica a priority.

Receiving £70m for their key star and reinvesting half of it in his replacement seems like remarkably good business, leaving change left over for other signings in other areas.

It would make sense all round.

Meanwhile, this should happen to Dean Smith if Villa are relegated!

West Ham United are set to give Jack Wilshere another chance.

The Daily Star has reported that David Moyes is set to build around a British core next season and they claim that involves key roles for current loanees Josh Cullen and Grady Diangana, at Charlton Athletic and West Bromwich Albion respectively, and Wilshere.

The latter is the problem.

The former Arsenal man joined the club in 2018. He signed a three-year deal and, per Spotrac, is earning £100,000-per-week.

He has played a total of 16 games for the club and has been on the winning side three times. It should be no surprise that he is currently injured.

It means that he has cost the club a total of £7.7m in wages, a figure which actually dwarfs his Transfermarkt value; that stands at £5.4m.

Wilshere hasn’t been a reliable asset at any point of his career.

Indeed, he last completed over 30 games in a single campaign in 2010/11 for Arsenal. He came closest during a loan spell with AFC Bournemouth, playing 27 times in 16/17.

Since his move to West Ham he has been nothing short of a leech, sucking his wages out of the club without putting in the requisite work to earn the pay cheque.

He is a hack, a player who continues to live off of one glorious night in the Champions League against Barcelona. That was 2011. He was 19.

Nine years have passed and he hasn’t surpassed it. He remains a decent midfielder with an eye for a pass; there isn’t a lot more to him. His lack of tackling ability is often mistaken for a hard-edged style. He just can’t time his interventions properly.

His contract is up in 2021 and, at this point, the Hammers should be looking to receive a fee for his services.

He is 28, should be at his peak, and has played 34 times for England. Whatever one may think of him, he has some pedigree, too, given his exploits for Arsenal.

The idea of building around him, though, is a fallacy.

Did he really play for us?! No West Ham fan has managed to name all of these obscure Irons signings….

He hasn’t completed 90 minutes in the Premier League since 2018, let alone a full season.

Wilshere simply can’t be trusted; Moyes should be selling up as soon as possible, and he should put the idea of making him a key lieutenant behind him.

Meanwhile, West Ham have made a major summer decision!

According to a report by The Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho’s summer transfer budget looks set to be significantly reduced.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Daily Mail report that the north London outfit’s projected income is expected to take a major blow given the current situation in the United Kingdom, with doubts over whether chairman Daniel Levy will be able to secure a lucrative naming rights deal for the stadium given what has happened.

The report says that as a result, Spurs are planning a range of cutbacks, including the club’s transfer fund.

Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can ou name them?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Levy said in a statement on Tuesday after announcing that all 550 non-playing staff had been placed on the government’s furlough scheme: “When I read or hear stories about player transfers this summer like nothing has happened, people need to wake up to the enormity of what is happening around us.”

Bitter blow for Mourinho

It is clear to see that this Tottenham team needs some major work if they are to be challenging at the top of the Premier League and in the Champions League again, following a dismal 2019/20 campaign.

The season may have come to a temporary standstill, but aside from trying to secure what looks to be an unlikely top-four finish in the English top-flight, the north London side have little else to play for.

Sky Sports’ transfer expert Kavel Solhekol said earlier this week that “there’s no chance” Mourinho is happy with his squad right now, while Bild reported last month that the Portuguese boss had a five-man transfer wish-list, with strengthening his defence a real priority.

With The Telegraph also reporting previously that the budget provided by Levy could be £50m if they miss out on Champions League qualification, this would be a further blow.

Mourinho’s plans could be about to be turned truly upside-down.

In other Tottenham news, Spurs’ 23-goal target has sent a promising transfer message to Daniel Levy…

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is rapidly becoming one of the most revered figures in English football.Having lifted the Champions League last season and then led the club to the summit of the Premier League this season, the 29-year-old has established himself as one of the best players in the country.But it is not only on the pitch where he has impressed.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Indeed, in the midst of the global pandemic everyone has their part to play, and The Times journalist Paul Joyce has revealed that Henderson is organising a fund for the NHS that will run into the millions.

The report also states the initiative pre-dates criticism from Health Secretary Matt Hancock towards Premier League footballers, and Henderson has spent the last few days contacting captains of other top flight clubs regarding the idea.

It’s the type of gesture that will be warmly received by people far and wide during this incredibly challenging time for society, and it’s one that has absolutely thrilled his adoring supporters.

The news from Joyce prompted hoards of praise for Henderson on social media, with fans suggesting he is a natural leader both on and off the pitch.

Here’s how the Liverpool fans reacted to Joyce’s revelation…

Match facts

October 4, 2012
Start time 2.30pm local (0900 GMT/1000 BST)England’s No. 3 Sarah Taylor will be a key wicket for New Zealand to target•ICC/Getty

Big Picture

The knockout stage of the Women’s World Twenty20 begins with a rematch of the 2009 final. Potentially, 14 of the 22 players that took the field at Lord’s could face-off again in Colombo, with New Zealand attempting to reach a third consecutive final – they were defeated by Australia in 2010 – and England looking to take a step further to regaining the trophy they won three years ago.The two sides are already familiar, with England having toured New Zealand earlier in the year. A 4-0 win extended England’s unbeaten run in T20 internationals, which was only ended last month by West Indies after a sequence that included 19 consecutive victories (and a couple of abandonments). They have picked up the thread of their dominating form in Sri Lanka, winning all three of their Group A games convincingly to qualify top.With a top three of Charlotte Edwards – the leading run-scorer in the format – Laura Marsh and Sarah Taylor, England have plenty of batting, while their array of spinners have so far excelled on the slow pitches in Galle. Although occasionally erratic, they are also capable of moments of brilliance in the field. After the disappointment of 2010, when England exited at the group stage, they appear to have left nothing to chance.For New Zealand, 2012 has not been a good year but two of their three wins have come in their last two matches. Sophie Devine, who opened the bowling and batted at No. 9 in the 2009 final, missed out on a place with New Zealand’s hockey team at the London Olympics but has returned to cricket as an attacking No. 3, while Erin Bermingham is the tournament’s joint-leading wicket-taker, with six.They also recorded the highest score of the group stage, making 151 for 5 against South Africa – but the seven-wicket defeat to West Indies, who England thrashed 4-1 last month, may provide a more reliable indicator of their chances. Whoever prevails, the prospect of playing in front of a capacity crowd as the stadium fills up for Sri Lanka’s semi-final against Pakistan in the men’s tournament will add an extra gloss to the occasion.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWLW
New Zealand WWLLL

Watch out for

Sarah Taylor was recently anointed as the leading batsman in women’s T20 by the ICC’s new ranking system, which would be quite something on its own, were she not also widely regarded as one of the best wicketkeepers in the world. Taylor has already made the highest score of the tournament, an unbeaten 65 as England cruised to victory over the holders, Australia, and her form in front of and behind the stumps will be key to England’s chances.Not only is Sophie Devine a dual international, she also has a sociology degree and is studying for a diploma in landscape gardening. The 23-year-old plans to try and win a hockey berth at Rio 2016 but, for now, she has the opportunity to appear in a third World T20 final. After 18 months out of the game, she made her first T20 international fifty in the win over South Africa, to go with three wickets in the group stage, and is surely reaching her peak as an allrounder.

Team news

England named the same side for all three of their group games so, barring injury, expect a familiar look to the team. Spin has accounted for 11 of the 17 wickets taken by England bowlers at the tournament, so the switch from Galle to Colombo shouldn’t hurt them.England (possible) 1 Charlotte Edwards (capt), 2 Laura Marsh, 3 Sarah Taylor (wk), 4 Arran Brindle, 5 Lydia Greenway, 6 Danielle Wyatt, 7 Jenny Gunn, 8 Anya Shrubsole, 9 Danielle Hazell, 10 Katherine Brunt, 11 Holly ColvinNew Zealand have also had a fairly settled line-up, using only 12 players so far. With Shane Bond as their bowling coach, they have relied on a battery of medium pace supplemented by Bermingham’s legbreaks but they could bring in Lucy Doolan as another spin option.New Zealand (possible) 1 Suzie Bates (capt), 2 Amy Satterthwaite, 3 Sophie Devine, 4 Frances Mackay, 5 Sara McGlashan, 6 Nicola Browne, 7 Katie Perkins, 8 Katey Martin (wk), 9 Erin Bermingham, 10 Morna Nielsen, 11 Sian Ruck

Pitch and conditions

The Premadasa has gradually got slower and lower as the tournament has gone on, so spin is likely to play a big part. The rain has held off in recent days but there’s every chance of a shower in Colombo at some point during the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• England beat New Zealand 4-0 in their five-match T20I series earlier this year.
• Prior to that tour, the teams each had a won four, lost four head-to-head record.
• Suzie Bates needs 51 runs to become the fourth women to score 1,000 in T20Is.
• Sarah Taylor is the leading women’s T20I run-scorer in 2012, with 576 at 44.30, almost 200 runs ahead of the next best, Charlotte Edwards.

Quotes

“Tomorrow will be a massive event for us and playing ahead of Sri Lanka versus Pakistan, I think they’ve had some massive crowds so far so I think that will be a big boost.”
“They’ve played really well and haven’t really been tested in the tournament. I think if we can get a couple of early wickets, some of their batters haven’t batted at this tournament, so we can hopefully put them under some pressure.”