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Crystal Palace have enquired over the possibility of signing former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

That’s according to transfer expert Nicolo Schira, who claims that both the Eagles and fellow Premier League side West Ham ‘have asked info’ over the possibility of signing the Wales international.

Ramsey’s summer exit?

Schira believes Ramsey could leave Juventus in the summer, and it appears as if he is wanted at Selhurst Park. He’s made 61 appearances in Turin since leaving Arsenal in 2019 but has started just 12 Serie A fixtures this season.

Ramsey is still under contract in Italy until 2023 and is valued by Transfermarkt at £18m.

Transfer Tavern take

Some Eagles fans will still remember Ramsey’s injury-time winner for Arsenal against Palace seven years ago, and it’s safe to say he’s gone on to big things since then.

He won three FA Cups with the Gunners and already has two trophies under his belt in Italy.

To us, we can’t see a Palace move for Ramsey materialising. He’s reportedly on £187,000-a-week with Juventus – £57,000-a-week more than Palace’s top earner, Wilfried Zaha.

Journalist Matt Woosnam recently admitted that the club will look to reduce the wage bill this summer. It has also been suggested that there will be no significant funds available for transfers.

That said, if they could find a way to bring in the man with 40 Premier League goals and 51 assists to his name – and keep him fit – it would be one hell of a coup.

In other news: Many Crystal Palace fans react as ‘awesome’ transfer news emerges, find out more here. 

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has suggested that Leeds should target Fulham midfielder Zambo Anguissa in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Cottagers are battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League, and Hay has urged Marcelo Bielsa’s side to try and convince Anguissa over a move to Elland Road in the summer.

Speaking on The Phil Hay Show, he said: “He’s a player I would go for, yeah, absolutely. I think whether or not they can realistically sell a move to Leeds to him, I don’t know because you have the problem of an England international (Kalvin Phillips) in there who just keeps getting better, looks more and more secure, looks more and more accurate and effective with his passing.

“If you were saying to Anguissa, ‘Look, we need somebody to come in and not necessarily compete with Phillips, but to be there if Phillips isn’t available – it’s not too much of a sell to a player.

“I think they’ll go for somebody else. I think they’ll try and find somebody potentially younger or somebody who is more willing to be a backstop to Phillips. But Anguissa, to me, looks extremely talented and a player I would have.”

Bielsa worked with him before

While Anguissa is making a name for himself in London, he actually really came into the spotlight at Marseille and was there when current Leeds boss Bielsa was in charge at the Stade Velodrome.

The Argentine took Anguissa under his wing, with the midfielder himself admitting that the manager played a big part in his future success despite not playing under his management following Bielsa’s resignation. The 25-year-old said: “He believed in me and said, ‘You have a lot of quality, I am going to put you in the group’. If a youngster has potential, he can surprise the world.”

Joachim Andersen, his teammate at Craven Cottage, has waxed lyrical about the midfielder, saying: “He’s a top player. He’s a machine in the midfield. He’s winning so many balls and driving forward with it.”

Given that Bielsa has worked with Anguissa before, and having seen his potential, he will surely know how to get the best out of the £22.5m-rated midfielder.

As Hay says, while Leeds may fancy someone younger, there is surely more of a guarantee in going after Anguissa, who now has Premier League experience under his belt and has the added advantage of having already worked with the manager.

Meanwhile, Victor Orta pulled off an absolute masterclass for Leeds with this signing…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League defender Steve Howey believes Jurgen Klopp could still take the German national team job at the end of the season, despite saying he wasn’t interested last month.

Joachim Low announced he would be stepping down from the role which he has held for eight years after this summer’s European Championships, having guided his country to a World Cup victory in 2014.

According to Sky Bet, Germany are the fourth-favourites to win the competition, behind England, France and Belgium which could largely be down to their group that consists of Hungary, Portugal and France.

Speaking on why Klopp may decide to take the job at the end of the season and what might have changed his mind, Howey told FFC:

“If I’m being brutally honest, I don’t think it matters that Klopp denied wanting the Germany job because come the end of the season he might think he has done enough and needs a new challenge. He may say ‘I know I told you that I would stay, but things have changed’.

“However, he could be a massive man of his word, which you would like to think he is, and I do think Liverpool will come good again next season.”

Klopp was quick to distance himself from the rumours linking him with a change of scenery to manage his country of birth.

Jurgen Klopp has turned Liverpool into a strong force domestically and in Europe having guided them to a Champions League and first-ever Premier League title.

Former Premier League striker Marlon Harewood has given the thumbs up to Rafael Benitez to Celtic in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Following the resignation of Neil Lennon last month, Celtic are in need of a new permanent manager, and Benitez is just one name that has been linked with the job.

The 60-year-old Champions League-winning boss is currently available after leaving Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Professional earlier this year, so he would be free to join the Bhoys in a move that would be massive for the club, according to Harewood.

Speaking of the possibility of Benitez in the Celtic Park dugout, the ex-Aston Villa and West Ham forward exclusively told FFC:

“It’d be good if they can get him. Wow, that’d be a massive appointment for them. Obviously, it’s hard when you talk about [Scottish] football [to ignore] Celtic. Everyone looks forward to the Celtic-Rangers games.”

Harewood, however, did question whether the Glasgow club could convince the ex-Liverpool manager to join. He added: “It’s hard to get a manager to go up there and be excited, so they obviously have to get a package together for him to go up there.”

After losing the SPFL title to rivals Rangers and missing out on 10 in a row, Benitez is exactly the type of manager Celtic could do with.

With experience in England, Spain and Italy, winning multiple trophies during his time in those three countries, the Spaniard has the kind of pedigree that could help Celtic wrestle the title back from his former player and progress in Europe.

It remains to be seen just how interested Benitez would be in the gig at Celtic Park if at all but, even so, he is an option that surely has to be considered.

Leeds were handed a defeat in the Premier League last night at the hands of a merciless Arsenal side. The struggling Gunners were 3-0 up before half-time even struck, thanks to a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang brace and a strike from Hector Bellerin.

Aubameyang struck again in the second half, just two minutes after the restart but Leeds shifted up a gear in a desperate attempt to claw something back.

Pascal Struijk and Helder Costa found the back of the net but it was only enough to half the deficit. It was an overall disappointing performance from this Leeds side, with Illan Meslier receiving the brunt of the stick for letting four goals past him and conceding a spot-kick. One man who also heavily let the side down was Ezgjan Alioski.

Ezgjan Alioski vs Arsenal

Sofascore gave him a match rating of 5.9 which was the worst of any outfield player on the night, and when you look at some of his underlying numbers, it’s easy to see why. He made just 23 passes at an accuracy of 70% (only Klich fared worse), and was much lower than his 55 passes and 81% accuracy against Crystal Palace in the match prior.

He also failed to register a single block, interception or clearance and made just the one tackle, which isn’t good enough for a defender and significantly lower than his season average.

This campaign, Alioski has averaged two tackles per match in the Premier League, while he also has come up with 0.7 interceptions and one clearance per match too.

And that’s not all. As a full-back, the revolutionised role sees them contribute heavily to the attack as well as the defence. Alioski contributed two key passes and completed 100% of his crosses in the 2-0 win over Palace, but in his performance against Arsenal, he failed to put in a single cross and managed just one key pass.

Leeds have now slipped into 11th place after Arsenal leapfrog them and go two points ahead. For Alioski, his position at the club hangs in the balance. Talks have swirled around a potential exit for the £55,000 per week left-back as he finds himself linked to Galatasaray on a permanent contract.

Poor performances will only further nudge the North Macedonian out the door and force Marcelo Bielsa to bench him in favour of other personnel.

One of the big talking points ahead of the game was about Alioski coming up against Nicolas Pepe following the Ivorian’s sending off in the reverse clash at Elland Road earlier in the season, with Patrick Bamford openly revealing his teammate was looking forward to Sunday’s game.

Pepe of course didn’t come on, but Alioski’s awful performance will certainly not have made Bielsa happy. Bukayo Saka ran rings around him with his pace and movement, making seven dribbles and winning five fouls, both of which were game-highs.

Leeds’ full-back struggled to cope, and it was no surprise that Saka won his side a penalty (that was overturned by VAR) with a darting run infield that Liam Cooper had to come across to deal with because Alioski didn’t.

Meslier may take the headlines for his gaffe in the build-up to Arsenal’s legitimate spot-kick, but Alioski hardly covered himself in glory either, and Bielsa will be surely disappointed with him.

In other news, Gaetano Berardi injury news may not be the boost many believe it is…

Steve Bruce should repeat his genius Matty Longstaff move of throwing a Newcastle United product in at the deep end with Elliot Anderson against Manchester United on Sunday.

The Toon boss gifted Longstaff his Premier League debut at home to the Red Devils last season and saw the decision come good with the 20-year-old scoring the winning goal.

Longstaff stayed in the side for a trip to Chelsea and clash with Wolves before returning to the periphery, only to bounce back at Old Trafford two months later by netting his side’s sole effort in a 4-1 defeat.

It was a brave decision by Bruce to hand a then 19-year-old Longstaff his top-flight debut after a run of one win in seven, but a move that would see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side left stunned when the Rotherham-born midfield let rip from 25-yards out.

After the game, Bruce could only salute his efforts after seeing Longstaff add a refreshing twist to his tactics after going back to basics on the back of a 5-0 drubbing at Leicester City.

“He trains every day with a big, beaming smile on his face, he’s refreshing, wants to play, he’s a great kid and I’m delighted,” the Magpies boss said, via quotes by BT. “Typical of him, the first thing he said to me coming off was ‘Thank you’. It’s ridiculous after what he’s just done.”

Now, it is time for Bruce to place the same trust in Anderson that he placed in Longstaff, with the 18-year-old seemingly chomping at the bit for his big break at Newcastle.

The Toon boss handed Anderson his senior debut as a late substitute in January’s FA Cup defeat to Arsenal before the tie headed for extra-time and was not let down by the youngster who emerged as United’s only true positive at the Emirates Stadium.

He appeared again for a brief three-minute run out in north London nine days later when Newcastle returned to Arsenal for a league game but has since seemed to fall out of favour after being left out of Bruce’s matchday squad for Monday’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea.

Anderson had taken a seat on the bench in United’s previous seven Premier League games before the Magpies’ trip to Stamford Bridge and has scored six goals in eight matches with the Under 23s this season.

The teenager reacted to his omission from the squad to face Chelsea by posting an Instagram story sharing a quote from Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, suggesting age should never be what prevents a player’s involvement.

“I never liked talking about age. If you’re good you play, if you’re not good you don’t play. If you’re good, you take the responsibility. If you’re not good, you shut up and watch the others. Don’t talk to me about age, talk to me about levels,” the post read, as noted by Chronicle Live (16/2, 16:06).

Whilst the young midfielder has received plenty of glowing endorsements, his former youth coach John Forrest told The Athletic: “He knew how to dominate a game, which is a natural skill that’s hard to coach. He really was an outstanding footballer. He stood out, even then.”

In the very same article, several of Anderson’s former Newcastle academy team-mates have told The Athletic that, not only was he the “most talented player” in their side, he was also “supremely driven” and will not lose focus.

Bruce should now repeat his move of dropping Longstaff in unexpectedly with Anderson, and see if the youngster can repeat the levels of his performance against Arsenal after seemingly hitting out at his lack of game time, as he could be Newcastle’s new secret weapon.

AND in other news, Newcastle weigh up free-agent swoop for striker with two career Premier League goals…

Liam Kennedy has dropped a reassuring claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

Writing in his latest piece for The Shields Gazette, when asked whether the Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) interest in taking over at Inter Milan was genuine and what it would potentially mean for the original deal with the St. James’ Park faithful, the football journalist claimed that he has “not heard any information to suggest they do not retain an interest” in the North East club.

Kennedy also stated that “they have given guarantees to PCP Capital Partners”, the company in which Amanda Staveley, who is part of the KSA consortium, is currently head of.

He added that the evidence seems to suggest that PIF “aren’t going anywhere” for now, although he also claims that they “won’t wait forever” as they are still waiting for a path to be cleared in order to get themselves back onto the table.

PIF claim reassuring

Although there is an interest being held by PIF in buying Inter, it is reassuring to hear that they still hold an interest in buying the Tyneside club as well, providing that a pathway for them is cleared.

The pending arbitration case between the Magpies and the Premier League should give a much clearer picture in terms of where exactly the direction of the potential takeover is heading, and if the Toon were to win that legal battle, then it could well turn out to be a big step in clearing that path.

In other news, find out what light has been shed by Ben Jacobs on PIF and the potential takeover here!

Tottenham Hotspur witnessed the sensational return of Gareth Bale in 2020, though his impact thus far has been far from that.

Of course, nobody was expecting the Welsh superstar to his the dazzling heights of his former spell in north London considering he’s 31, but he’s barely shown any signs of why the Premier League outfit should keep hold of him past the summer.

Injuries have somewhat blighted Bale’s spell, restricting him to just 598 minutes in all competitions; he isn’t likely to usurp Heung-min Son or Harry Kane either.

Eurosport journalist Dean Jones believes both Jose Mourinho and Daniel Levy are enticed by the idea of keeping the Real Madrid star around despite all of the doubts – something that would certainly please the La Liga giants as it would get his enormous salary off the wage bill.

Spurs are thought to only be paying 40% of his £600k-per-week wages, luckily.

Whilst it would be a fairytale to see Bale back to his best in a Lilywhites shirt, it is probably time to move on from that dream and accept that it just hasn’t worked out.

And they needn’t worry as they have a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings – or at least, waiting over in Germany as Ryan Sessegnon continues to impress during his loan spell at Hoffenheim.

The 20-year-old is getting valuable game time and has quickly become their first-choice left wing-back, the very position where Bale made his name.

In nine Bundesliga starts, he has contributed to four goals and has also made 12 dribbles, 16 interceptions and 24 tackles, per WhoScored.

We’re finally starting to see why Spurs paid £25m for him in 2019. It would be silly to not give him an opportunity upon his return.

Already, he’s been likened to Bayern Munich dynamo Alphonso Davies, whilst Hoffenheim sporting director Alexander Rosen has dubbed him “highly talented.”

Even before his arrival in north London, Sessegnon was drawing. comparisons to Bale, so it seems only right that the transition is made with the Welshman now back at the club.

The “huge talent” – now valued at £18m – is doing everything asked of him out on loan and will present far better value than whatever Spurs will have to pay to keep hold of their former generational talent.

AND in other news, Fresh injury BLOW a cause for concern for Spurs boss Jose Mourinho…

According to a behind the scenes report by football.london, Tottenham star Lucas Moura, who has been rarely seen on the pitch this season, made a ‘big impression’ in training ahead of the Lilywhites’ huge afternoon clash with Man City – and he could be likely to start after wowing the club staff. 

Moura, who has been limited to mainly substitute appearances recently, starting only a handful of Premier League matches, could be set for a surprise start against the Sky Blues after reportedly turning heads.

The Brazilian has been largely left out in recent weeks in favour of Gareth Bale or Steven Bergwijn, with the majority of his starts under Mourinho coming at the very beginning of the campaign.

Moura set for nod?

Now that Bale is nearing 100% capacity, after being slowly eased into the team by Mourinho, Moura’s place in the pecking order could have dwindled – but he is now being tipped for a potential start by football.london due to his performances across the week at Hotspur Way.

The 28-year-old, once described as a speed ‘demon’ by former Arsenal defender Martin Keown, could potentially hurt City on the break when Spurs are forced to sit back and plug the gaps.

Transfer Tavern take

Pep Guardiola’s side will be looking to retain the ball and hem Spurs into their own half, utilising the high press as well as possession-based play, but Moura could be an asset when Tottenham are given the opportunity to counter.

Given Steven Bergwijn has only just returned to fitness, starting Moura could be the best way to go if Mourinho wants to utilise Bale as more of a super-sub option.

In other news: Tottenham could lose this ‘fundamental’ star on one condition, find out more here. 

After Tottenham Hotspur lost some ground against Liverpool on Wednesday evening in a last gasp 2-1 defeat at Anfield, sections of the media still held high praise for shot-stopper Hugo Lloris.

Lloris, who made two massive saves in the first half from Reds attacker Roberto Firmino, also held firm for much of the 90 despite Spurs’ conceded goals – keeping calm under pressure and largely claiming whatever came his way.

While Harry Kane and Son-Son-Heung min are of course the star men in north London this season, it was Lloris who impressed most.

Lloris praised by the media

However, regardless of the ‘world-class’ international’s display, Jurgen Klopp’s side still managed to find a way through – with Mohamed Salah breaking past a stern Spurs defence to score the opening goal with a cruel deflection.

Tottenham’s resolute game plan appeared to pay off soon after, however, as Son buried the Lilywhites’ first opportunity of the match in a devastating counter-attack.

In a twist of fate, just minutes before the final whistle, Lloris could do nothing about Firmino’s header as the unmarked Brazilian guided home his header from a corner.

Regardless, the media have saw fit to lavish the 9/10 Frenchman, who was Tottenham’s unsung hero according to their ratings.

Transfer Tavern take

Indeed, the ‘extraordinary’ Lloris certainly enjoyed his fine moments in the game but could do little about Liverpool’s strikes.

This result means Spurs are knocked off top spot in the Premier League as a gruelling and congested fixture calendar looms, and only time will tell whether they can claw back an advantage over the Merseysiders ahead of a long season.

In other news: Jose Mourinho has been tipped for a huge call over this rarely-seen ‘diamond’, find out more here.