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Crystal Palace will take on local rivals Charlton Athletic in a pre-season friendly, the club confirmed on Friday morning.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Palace revealed that they will take on the Addicks at Selhurst Park on Tuesday, 27th July.

The two sides faced off in a pre-season friendly prior to the 2020/21 campaign, with Eberechi Eze starring in what was his first appearance as a Palace player.

Eze won’t be available this time around, though, after he suffered a serious injury in training which will keep him out for at least six months.

The Eagles are still on the search for a new manager, and you’d hope the club will have found Roy Hodgson’s long-term successor by the time they take on the League One side next month.

Palace fans react

Palace shared the news on their official Twitter page, with a number of supporters giving their immediate reaction to the fixture below, with one describing the match as ‘tasty’.

“This might not end well”Credit: @MattCPFC”what a day”Credit: @cpfcbennn”Good game to try out our youth, respect to Parish for giving small local clubs a chance”Credit: @bazbrown123″Gonna be tasty but announce Ismael”Credit: @CPFCMax9″Let me be manager”Credit: @eaglescpfcsam”Should be good”Credit: @cpfc_sean

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

Gio van Bronckhorst is in with a chance of securing a treble of trophies with Rangers before the end of the season as we enter the clutch stage of the campaign.

The Gers are second in the Premiership as it stands and are in the semi-finals of the Europa League and the final of the Scottish Cup. This means that the Dutchman can end his debut term at Ibrox in glorious style if they can get over the line on multiple fronts.

He is looking to carry on the excellent work done by his predecessor, who won the Scottish top-flight title ahead of their rivals last season.

Steven Gerrard led the Light Blues to glory in 2020/21 as he enjoyed an unbeaten league campaign, with his sublime work in the transfer market playing a big role in that success.

One signing he played a blinder with was the addition of English winger Ryan Kent, who joined on a permanent deal in 2019 – after initially arriving on loan a year earlier.

At the time of the move, he was valued at just £1.58m by Transfermarkt as he finally left Liverpool after a number of loans away from Anfield.

Gerrard previously labelled Kent “a constant threat” while others have claimed he’s “the Mbappe of Scottish football” and it is easy to see why when you look at his statistics for the club over the years.

In 2020/21, the Englishman produced ten goals and 11 assists in the Premiership to help the side secure the title and he has carried his fine form over into this season. Under Gerrard and van Bronckhorst combined, the forward has three goals and 17 assists domestically and in Europe.

Kent has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.14 in the league this term and this shows that he has been consistently delivering superb displays throughout the campaign. He is a reliable player for the Dutch head coach and has gone from strength to strength since making the switch from Merseyside.

At the time of writing (21/04/22), Transfermarkt value him at a whopping £12.6m, just over £11m more than his price tag in 2019. This highlights his incredible progression in Glasgow over the years as he has been able to drastically raise his market value by performing on the pitch for the Light Blues.

Bringing him to Ibrox was a sensational piece of business by Gerrard and it will be interesting to see where his career goes from here, whether that be at Rangers or elsewhere – hopefully the former.

AND in other news, Sources: Shock Rangers transfer claim emerges that will leave Wilson excited…

Said Benrahma has found game-time hard to come by since his October switch to West Ham United but, on Monday night, he fired a huge message to David Moyes with a phenomenal showing.

The Irons defeated Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor to move back into top-four contention and the Algerian winger played an integral role in the result. Moyes’ men are now just three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who defeated them last week to leapfrog them into the Champions League qualification berths.

Benrahma, who cost a combined total of £30m, was starting only his 12th league game of the season after a string of cameos from the bench.

Moyes may well want to consider his involvement from the off in their final four games after such a creative performance, certainly if Monday night’s outing is anything to go by.

Whilst he is yet to score a league goal for the Hammers since arriving from Brentford, Benrahma added his fifth assist of the campaign when Michail Antonio poked home his low cross from close range to seal the three points at Turf Moor.

As per SofaScore figures, the 25-year-old winger was graded amongst West Ham’s star performers with a rating of 7.7, which was only bettered by the aforementioned goalscorer (9.0), who bagged a brace, and Vladimir Coufal (7.9), who delivered the assist for the opener.

Similarly, the Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser claimed that it was “one of his best performances” for the club. Benrahma recorded a squad and match-high five key passes, which included one big chance created as he proved to be a major attacking outlet for Moyes’ side. He also recorded four shots on the night.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-and-the-latest-gossip-moyes-gsb-london-stadium” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

He is averaging just 0.9 key chances per match in the league this term, so he was certainly making a point with these impressive returns during a cold evening in Lancashire.

The tricky winger was a constant nuisance, often cutting in to try and find that elusive maiden goal. He recorded four shots, made 93% of his passes and successfully pulled off 100% of his dribbling attempts, via SofaScore.

Burnley right-back Matthew Lowton, who lost 50% of his battles with him, and his fellow defensive teammates simply struggled to contain the sensational Algeria international.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Moyes lauded his the £18m-rated dynamo, saying (via TEAMtalk): “He played well tonight but he has even more consistency to come – asking the boys to succeed in their first season in the Premier League is not easy. I hope he adds that [goals and assists] to us. I always thought it would take him a little longer. He’s a really good team player.”

Benrahma will undoubtedly be disappointed by the lack of action he has received this season but he has just made one hell of a statement with that display, especially as he was fasting for Ramadan, which makes it all that more spectacular.

It’ll be hard for Moyes to omit him from the starting XI in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Forget Antonio: Irons dynamo who had 90 touches was Moyes’ unsung hero vs Burnley…

Aston Villa will try to sign Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma in the summer, according to Ryan Taylor of The Express.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa fans were quick to flock to the update on social media.

Villa were credited with an interest in Bissouma earlier this month and even reportedly had a £25m bid turned down.

It now seems as if Juventus’ Rodrigo Bentancur is the club’s main midfield target, but Bissouma is still on Johan Lange and Steven Gerrard’s radar.

According to Taylor, Villa are expected to go back in for Bissouma in the summer, when he could be into the final 12 months of his Seagulls contract. However, Brighton remain adamant he is not for sale at any price.

Villa fans react

The AVFC Faithful relayed Taylor’s claim on Twitter on Wednesday evening. This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with one believing the summer window could be ‘absolutely mental’.

“We’re cooking”

Credit: @buendiazboyz

“I can’t see us getting Bissouma in the summer so many clubs will want him”

Credit: @Benavfctooth

“Dw we’re big time again now”

Credit: @youngprodigy08

“Our summer is gonna be absolutely mental”

Credit: @JayVtid

“Good we need Bissouma”

Credit: @mattdavis281

“110% have to”

Credit: @AvfcRegan

In other news: ‘Bottled it’ – Many Villa fans react to Fabrizio Romano transfer update. 

After scoring 13 goals in their last three games, Celtic are in a positive place right now.

It’s not often we’ve been able to say that about the Hoops during the last 12 months but they have started life under Ange Postecoglou in fine fettle.

What’s the word?

The Australian hasn’t managed the most convincing of summer transfer windows so far but it’s hard to fault much of his work. Kyogo Furuhashi has four goals in as many games while Liel Abada also has four goal involvements to his name.

However, one area where the new manager still needs to improve the squad is in defence.

Fortunately, the Bhoys are making moves to bolster their ranks in that department. Just a day after being linked with a move for Josip Juranovic, they have been touted with a swoop for Yan Couto.

This isn’t the first time the Brazilian’s name has surfaced in the same conversation as Celtic this summer.

As per Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas, they are still hoping to persuade the Manchester City full-back to join on loan. The defender was even invited to Parkhead to watch the Hoops yesterday evening.

He said: “Celtic still hoping to persuade Yan Couto to join them on loan from Man City. Been trying since window opened but other clubs want him too and Brazilian yet to decide.”

Fans buzzing

With Celtic in conversations to bring Couto to Paradise, it should leave supporters absolutely buzzing.

After all, the one area where they’ve been crying out for reinforcements is at right-back. Anthony Ralston has caught the eye with goals in successive league outings, but against stronger opposition they will need a player of greater quality.

Celtic face AZ Alkmaar in the next round of Europa League qualifying and that will represent their toughest test yet in terms of continental action this term.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-transfer-news-larsson-lovric-thomas-henry-diego-costa-postecoglou” title=”Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]

Ralston has begun the season in impressive form but there are still questions to be asked of him in the long run. Therefore, providing competition for the full-back in the shape of Couto would be a smart decision from the Hoops hierarchy.

Being compared to Dani Alves, the Brazilian possesses attacking and defensive qualities in abundance.

Described as “extremely dangerous on the counter” by scout Jacek Kulig, the 19-year-old was labelled the Spanish second tier’s best right-back last season during a loan spell with Girona.

He completed one key pass per 90 minutes, as well as making 1.3 tackles and producing 1.8 dribbles over the same metric. In comparison, no player at Celtic managed more dribbles per game last season.

On that evidence, Hoops fans should be elated at the idea of their club signing Couto. He has an immense set of skills and could create a wonderful partnership with Abada on the right.

AND in other news, Celtic close to signing £2.5m “creative monster”, he’s perfect for Postecoglou…

Everton’s season ended in the worst way possible last weekend as they were well and truly battered by the Premier League champions.Their defence was cut open like a knife through butter while they lacked cutting edge and penetration on the counter-attack.

What’s the word?

One way of improving their fluency in the final third would be to sign a winger.

Football FanCast revealed last month that the Toffees were in the market for somebody who could play on the right-hand side. However, we believe Everton should stop at nothing to bolster the other flank as well.

Fortunately, it looks as though they’ll be doing exactly that. Football League World report this week that Carlo Ancelotti’s men are battling for the signature of tricky Bournemouth flanker Arnaut Danjuma.

Everton are looking to take advantage of the south coast side’s failure to get promoted from the Championship.

A number of top-flight sides are now circling with Wolves, West Ham and Brighton also interested in Danjuma’s signature.

Iwobi upgrade

If Everton can lure the attacker to Goodison Park this summer then he’d represent a huge upgrade on Alex Iwobi.

The Nigerian signed for £28m in the summer of 2019 but his arrival on Merseyside hasn’t been greeted particularly positively.

On his day, he can frighten the opposition with his dribbling but very rarely does he combine that with end product.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-everton-transfer-news-lukaku-leao-bissouma-berge-antony” title=”Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

Iwobi has scored just twice this term, taking his tally in the royal blue of Everton to four strikes in 65 appearances.

Those numbers aren’t strong enough whatsoever for a side challenging for a place in European football so improvement is need.

Danjuma would provide Ancelotti with the ability to beat a man but also provide goals and assists.

The Dutchman was in inspired form for the Cherries this term, racking up a mightily impressive haul of 17 goals. Capable of playing anywhere across the front three, it was on the left where he truly stood out.

The 24-year-old was impressive when it came to creating chances for his teammates as well, providing eight assists in all competitions.

He claimed the award for the EFL Championship Player of the Month in April and has gone from strength to strength this season, particularly under Jonathan Woodgate.

With the former defender at the helm, Danjuma totted up ten goals and six assists in just 18 league outings.

It’s hardly a surprise that Woodgate’s found the time to wax lyrical about his abilities: “I know last season that he didn’t really get a run in the Premier League and he maybe found it a bit difficult to get game time, but this season he’s been outstanding.â€

The Bournemouth boss continued: “I can only talk of what he’s done under my reign, but at the minute, he’s playing some exceptional football, and what else he is doing is working for the team.â€

Capable of producing moments of magic from nowhere, he’s the type of player you’d always love to have in your team.

Against Norwich he showed exactly what he’s capable of, skipping past two Canaries players before rifling a bullet right into the top corner.

It showcased his scintillating dribbling skills too, an area of his game that usurps nearly every player at Everton. Danjuma managed 1.8 dribbles per game this season, a number that only Richarlison can replicate.

This would be a top drawer signing from Ancelotti and Marcel Brands.

AND in other news, Everton can begin the transfer window with a bang by signing “dangerous” 16-goal beast…

Nuno Santo is walking into a mess at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Portuguese coach has been appointed as their next manager, less than a week before pre-season training gets underway on Monday and right from the off, he will have a lot on his plate.

Several of his players are away at Euro 2020 and the Copa America, whilst the future of star striker Harry Kane is by no means certain. And he’ll have to consider his own transfer targets as several positions need strengthening.

There’s also question marks over what to do with the likes of Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko, who have both been linked with exits this transfer window.

If either one or both depart, then there’s a space that needs filling and it’s one that Nuno may already have a solution for in the current squad – that being Oliver Skipp.

The 20-year-old has been earmarked as a future leader of Spurs and has returned from a pretty successful loan spell at Championship winners Norwich City.

“I think he’s genuinely Tottenham’s future,” said ex-manager Jose Mourinho of the England U21 international before his move, via the Evening Standard. “I see this kid being one day a future captain here by his character, by his personality. I feel really happy that he signed.”

Skipp went on to play 45 times in the league for the Canaries, playing the second-most minutes of any player under Daniel Farke. He also averaged the second-highest average for tackles per game (2.2), on top of an impressive 88% passing accuracy and 1.1 interceptions per outing, as per WhoScored.

By comparison, the only Spurs central midfielder to better this sort of output was Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (2.6 tackles, 1.3 interceptions), so clearly the young prodigy is in good stead heading into pre-season.

“He makes my job a hell of a lot easier, I’ll tell you that,” claimed Norwich teammate Kenny McLean. “He’s been outstanding all season and we’re lucky to have him to be honest. For this level, he’s very outstanding and he’s got a huge career ahead of him.”

Valued at just £9m by Transfermarkt, Skipp could save Nuno and the club a lot of money as they won’t have to spend big to bolster the central midfield position this summer.

The solution is staring right at them.

Described as a “machine” by former head of Goal.com James Dickens, Skipp would have no problem in rising to the pressures of being a first-team regular in North London as he’s already clocked up 23 senior appearances for his boyhood club.

Nuno simply has to unleash the young midfielder.

AND in other news, Nuno could instantly fix major Spurs problem by signing “pretty special” £54m-rated beast…

Everton will be aiming to return to winning ways when they welcome Watford to Goodison Park for their Premier League clash this afternoon.

The Toffees suffered their first home loss of the season against high-flying West Ham United last time out, and Rafa Benitez will be looking for a positive response from his side.

However, the Spaniard will be forced to cope without several key players for the visit of the Hornets as his injury list continues to grow.

Star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has suffered a setback in his recovery process from a muscle issue, while Abdoulaye Doucoure and Yerry Mina have also been ruled out of action with a foot injury and hamstring strain, respectively.

However, there is one piece of good news as Richarlison is available once again after being sidelined since the 3-1 victory over Burnley on 13 September.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects Benitez to line up against Watford, with just two changes from the side which started last weekend…

In goal, England’s number one Jordan Pickford will retain his between the sticks after keeping two clean sheets in his seven league outings to date.

Ahead of the 27-year-old is likely to be an unchanged back four given Mina’s enforced absence, with Lucas Digne, Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Seamus Coleman making up the defensive unit.

The engine room could have a couple of fresh faces, though. The £19.8m-rated Alex Iwobi could find himself relegated to the bench due to Richarlison’s return and his own ineffective performances, while Tom Davies may get a rare opportunity to impress from the off because of Doucoure’s injury.

Allan and the in-form Andros Townsend will complete the Everton midfield, with the two experienced campaigners charged with leading the team to another three points.

Summer signings Demarai Gray and Salomon Rondon will complete the starting XI and will hope to provide the goals to see off an out-of-sorts Watford.

In other news… Report drops worrying Everton update over £40.5m-rated gem, fans will be concerned 

Sheffield United’s pursuit of Conor Hourihane does not hinge on Sander Berge leaving Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sheffield Star, who claim that Slavisa Jokanovic will pursue a deal for the Aston Villa midfielder regardless of whether or not Berge leaves the club.

The report goes on to touch on the interest in the Blades midfielder, with Napoli, Arsenal and Atalanta all said to be keen on a move for the 23-year-old this summer.

However, The Star claimed that Hourihane – on whom Dean Smith is believed to be willing to cash in ahead of next season – is viewed by the Sheffield United transfer team as a replacement for the recently-departed John Lundstram rather than the Norway international.

Fans surely buzzing

Considering the impressive record that Hourihane boasts in the Championship, should Jokanovic indeed go on to land the midfielder this summer while also retaining the services of Berge, Sheffield United fans would surely be buzzing.

Indeed, the £3.15m-rated 30-year-old impressed over his 22 Championship appearances on loan at Swansea City last season, scoring five goals, registering two assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.1 shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns saw the man Darren Bent dubbed a “brilliant” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.02, ranking him as Steve Cooper’s sixth-best performer in the league as he played a key role in helping the Swans secure a top six finish and subsequently reaching the play-off final.

Meanwhile, although Berge missed a great deal of last season due to injury, if the 23-year-old can replicate his form from 2019/20 next time out, he will undoubtedly play a crucial role in the Blades potential push for promotion.

Indeed the £16.2m-rated man scored one goal, provided one assist and created one big chance over his 14 Premier League appearances the season before last, in addition to averaging 0.7 interceptions and 1.6 tackles and winning 5.5 duels per game.

These metrics saw the £38k-per-week midfielder earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the club’s seventh-best performer in the top flight that year.

As such, the thought of £30k-per-week Hourihane partnering Berge in the middle of Sheffield United’s midfield next season is likely to be a mouthwatering prospect for fans of the club, with the pair very much appearing to have the potential to inspire the Blades back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

In other news: Journo drops 13-word Sheff Utd transfer claim on “superb” £30k-p/w gem, he’d be a coup

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted negatively to a development on the future of Divock Origi, with a journalist countering claims he could move to Turkey.

The Belgian has become surplus to requirements at Anfield over the years, despite producing some of the most iconic moments in recent history.

Origi has etched his name into Liverpool folklore with goals against the likes of Tottenham, Barcelona and Everton, but he has done very little of late.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

In fact, the 26-year-old has not played a single minute of action this season and he only made two Premier League starts in the whole of 2020/21.

Despite some rumours linking Origi with a move away, journalist Carl Markham has taken to Twitter on Friday to claim that there have been ‘no approaches’ for the striker from Turkey.

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Liverpool fans fume at Origi update

Needless to say, these Liverpool fans have not reacted well to the news, providing their negative thoughts on Twitter.

“Pain…”

Credit: @msuhail_17

“Bad news Carl”

Credit: @AhmEDUCATED

“Kill me”

Credit: @marwxn05

“Hate to see it”

Credit: @dshanahan930

“Just terminate his contract”

Credit: @vineetandtidy

“Should just loan him out at this point”

Credit: @6times2019_

In other news, some Liverpool fans have reacted negatively to another transfer rumour. Read more here.