Noni Madueke has been told that he is "better than Bukayo Saka", with Paul Parker questioning Chelsea's' "strange" decision to let the England winger join Arsenal. Madueke completed a £50 million ($67.8m) switch to Stamford Bridge in the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old starred for England on Tuesday as Thomas Tuchel's side thrashed Serbia 5-0.
Madueke told he is 'better than Saka'Chelsea slammed for selling MaduekeStarred in England's win over SerbiaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Madueke featured in Thomas Tuchel's starting lineup in both of England's World Cup qualifying games in September and contributed with a goal in the Three Lions' 5-0 rout of Serbia. Tuchel's side maintained their 100 per cent win record in the qualifiers and took a step closer towards sealing a berth at the 2026 tournament in North America.
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After his impressive performances for the national team, Madueke garnered praise from former Chelsea and England defender Paul Parker, who claimed that the Gunners' new signing is a better player than their star winger Bukayo Saka. Parker also questioned Chelsea's "strange" decision to let Madueke leave the club.
WHAT PARKER SAID
Speaking to , Parker said: "Chelsea let Noni Madueke go to Arsenal even though he’s one of England’s best wingers, and he was probably their best player against Andorra. He came on when Arsenal were behind against Liverpool and I think he looked really positive. I thought it was a strange decision for Chelsea to let him go.
"With the way he plays, I actually think he’s better than Bukayo Saka. Saka doesn’t go on the outside, he doesn’t have a great change of pace and he doesn’t frighten defenders. Madueke does strike that fear into defenders because he wants to run at players and go past them."
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Saka continues to recover from a hamstring injury that he suffered against Leeds United last month. The Gunners star is not expected to return for a few weeks and will not feature for Arsenal in their next Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The left-arm spinner has been one of Sydney Thunder’s key weapons after emerging from a career low
AAP26-Nov-2024Sam Bates’ secret to her best ever WBBL season at the Sydney Thunder was convincing herself her career was almost certainly over.Bates will enter Wednesday night’s knockout final against Hobart Hurricanes at Drummoyne as one of Thunder’s key weapons and leading wicket-taker with her left-arm finger spin.The 32-year-old will also do so with a fresh two-year deal in her pocket, ensuring Thunder’s most-capped player will be around until 2026. But for most of the past year, Bates believed her career was about to be finished.Related
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After an underwhelming 2023-24 season where she was cut by Victoria and took only five WBBL wickets, Bates moved back to Newcastle ready to finish her paramedics degree.She began training with NSW in the pre-season, but even when she was called up to play for the Breakers in September she still believed this summer could be her last.”It put life in perspective,” Bates told AAP. “I actually decided early on, if this was my last season of cricket, that was going to be OK. It took a huge weight off my shoulders, not putting any pressure on me to try and be someone different or bowl something I am not good at.”If I was going to not have a contract it would suck, but I would still be okay. I think that’s what’s also put a real big clarity on where I was going to bowl and led to good bowling performances.”Bates’ 2023-24 summer was impacted by injury, and she came into last year’s WBBL underdone after a foot issue. But she is also the first to admit concerns over her future had impacted her cricket.”There was definitely a mental drain last year,” Bates said. “What I came up with I was just putting so much pressure on myself to be someone I wasn’t, to be a cricketer that I wasn’t.”I was able to work with Lisa Sthalekar a little bit in the pre-season this year to work out who I was and what I wanted to bowl. And I just wanted to own that.”Bates has absolutely done so. She claimed four-wicket hauls in two separate matches this year, while her 19 scalps at an average of 12.10 make her the WBBL’s second-leading wicket-taker and earning a spot in the team of the tournament.Her form had helped Thunder sit first on the ladder with one round to play, but they now face the task of needing to win three straight games to clinch the title after a last-start loss to the Melbourne Renegades.They do at least carry a home-ground advantage at Drummoyne into Wednesday’s knockout with Hurricanes, with the winner to go to Brisbane for a grand-final qualifier against Heat.”It’s mixed feelings,” Bates said. “We haven’t hit out straps yet, we haven’t played our best game yet going into finals when it is a do-or-die situation.”Official WBBL team of the tournamentEllyse Perry (Sydney Sixers), Lizelle Lee (Hobart Hurricanes), Beth Mooney (wk, Perth Scorchers), Georgia Voll (Sydney Thunder), Phoebe Litchfield (Sydney Thunder), Hayley Matthews (Melbourne Renegades), Sophie Molineux (capt – Melbourne Renegades), Alana King (Perth Scorchers), Chloe Ainsworth (Perth Scorchers), Shikha Pandey (Brisbane Heat), Samantha Bates (Sydney Thunder) 12th: Georgia Wareham (Melbourne Renegades)
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher fears the club's failure to sign Marc Guehi could come back to haunt them in the Premier League title race.
Liverpool missed out on Guehi signingCrystal Palace pulled plug late onCarragher fears it could cost LiverpoolFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Guehi, 25, was on the brink of joining the Reds on transfer deadline day after they agreed a £35 million fee (€40.5m/$47m) with Crystal Palace for the defender. However despite undergoing a medical with Liverpool, Palace pulled the plug at the last moment following reports that manager Oliver Glasner threatened to quit should the transfer go through without his side securing a replacement.
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And while Carragher believes Liverpool remain firm favourites for the Premier League despite missing out on Guehi, he says the club will now be sweating on the fitness of defensive duo Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk in their pursuit of a second successive title in 2025-26.
WHAT CARRAGHER SAID
Speaking to The Overlap Podcast, Carragher – who made 737 appearances for Liverpool – said: "Might they [Liverpool] regret that [missing out on Guehi]? Listen, they are three games in, nine points from nine and probably not played that well, so we would probably all say they are big favourites, Liverpool. But that is the one area [defence] where that could come back and blow up in their face because they haven't really got that [cover]. What Guehi was getting was giving Liverpool competition at centre-back. They haven't really got that. They've got two starters and two understudies.
"Joe Gomez, injury-prone himself, and the young lad from Italy [Giovanni Leoni], he is going to be a great prospect, but if you think if one of them had to play for a couple of months, it is a big difference."
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DID YOU KNOW?
Guehi showed no signs of lingering frustration over his scuppered Liverpool move after starring in England's victories over Andorra and Serbia during the international break. The former Chelsea centre-back started both games and scored his first Three Lions goal in the thumping 5-0 win over Serbia on Tuesday.
Arsenal are currently trying to offload some noteworthy players behind-the-scenes, with a few Gunners squad members up for grabs as we slowly approach the summer transfer deadline on September 1.
Mikel Arteta is gearing up for his side’s first Premier League game of the season, away to Man United on Sunday, but sporting director Andrea Berta’s transfer tasks aren’t done yet.
Berta has enjoyed a statement first summer window in his new role as Edu’s replacement, splashing over £200 million on Kepa, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera and Viktor Gyokeres.
However, amid their links with Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, or potentially even another left-winger if Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli leave, Arsenal are also open to offers for the likes of Fabio Vieira, Karl Hein, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Reiss Nelson and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The same can be said of defender Jakub Kiwior, who Arteta views as an important player in the squad after he filled in well for the injured Gabriel during periods of last season.
However, Kiwior isn’t guaranteed consistent game time at the Emirates if both Gabriel and William Saliba are consistently fit next term, so the Poland international could well decide to take an opportunity elsewhere amid interest from AC Milan.
Going back to Zinchenko, though, it is believed the Ukraine international is firmly on Arsenal’s ‘for sale’ list after falling down Arteta’s pecking order.
The 28-year-old is even reported to have held a meeting with José Mourinho recently about a move to Fenerbahçe (Sabah), but Jose isn’t the only big-name manager to register a serious interest in him.
Oleksandr Zinchenko expresses desire to leave Arsenal
According to Italian newspaper Il Mattino, Zinchenko is being offered around to various clubs as Berta looks to trim his £150,000-per-week wages off the books.
One of the sides who could take the left-back off Arteta’s hands are Italian champions Napoli, led by Antonio Conte, who is personally keen on signing Zinchenko and believes he’d be a solid signing.
Conte and Napoli are in the market for new full-back options and believe Zinchenko could fit the bill, with the former Man City star also expressing a desire to leave N5 behind-closed-doors as he pursues more game time.
As Napoli are handed the chance to sign Zinchenko, Arsenal supporters will remember him as a reliable servant when he does finally secure a move away, and Arteta will have even fonder memories of him.
“First of all, his mentality. He’s used to winning – winning is the only thing and winning in the right way,” said Arteta about Zinchenko in the summer of 2022.
“He’s a perfectionist and a really demanding boy, I know him so well, and after that he brings qualities that we didn’t have in the squad. He gives us a different option to play within the role in different spaces, and I’m really happy to have him.”
Manchester United have posted their highest ever amount of revenue for last season, despite having their worst campaign on the pitch in 51 years. On Wednesday, the Red Devils published their latest financial results, which they said show 'the enduring strength and resilience of the club' as well as the benefits of 'difficult decisions taken', namely making an extra 200 staff members redundant.
United boast record revenue
The Red Devils amassed total revenue of £666.5 million ($909m) for the year ended 30 June 2025. It was only a small increase (£4.7m or 0.7 percent) from the previous year, but it was enough to break the previous record. The biggest increase (by 10%) was in commercial revenue, as a result of the club's front-of-shirt sponsorship with Snapdragon, the most valuable deal of its kind in world sport, and the launch of its new ecommerce model with SCAYL.
AdvertisementSalary cuts lead to £51.5m saving
United saved £51.5m thanks to reduced operational costs and a 14.1% fall in employee expenses. That was partly driven by the club making employees redundant, referred to as 'wider club restructuring' although the main factor was the 25% reduction in player wages as a result of the failure to qualify for the Champions League for the last two seasons.
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United are hailing one measure in particular, EBITDA of £182.8m. The acronym stands for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation and is described as the best reflection of underlying business performance. It is the highest level of any club in European football since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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United's chief executive Omar Berrada said the results, which came despite finishing 15th in the Premier League and failing to qualify for any European competition, reflected United's strength as an institution. "To have generated record revenues during such a challenging year for the club demonstrates the resilience which is a hallmark of Manchester United," he said. "As we settle into the 2025-26 season, we are working hard to improve the club in all areas."
Newcastle United have had a helter-skelter of a summer transfer window, and Eddie Howe’s side haven’t reached the end of the tunnel just yet.
Of course, the frenetic nature of this window doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been a poor one for the Magpies, even though a slew of transfer targets have slipped through Toon fingers, namely at centre-forward.
And so we have the Alexander Isak conundrum. Will the Sweden striker play in black and white two weeks from now?
If Newcastle stick to their guns and resist the player and Liverpool’s attempts, his threats of maintaining his self-ostracisation might seem somewhat shallow, for the 25-year-old would surely not jeopardise his career in such a manner, with Champions League football looming and a World Cup campaign looming on the horizon across the pond.
However, keeping Isak at St. James’ Park comes with the huge caveat that there is no telling what version – if any – will front Howe’s ship over the coming year.
That’s why sealing a move for Yoane Wissa is so important.
The latest on Yoane Wissa to Newcastle
Wissa was one of the most prolific forwards in the Premier League last season, scoring 19 goals across the term. Bryan Mbeumo often took the plaudits under Thomas Frank’s wing, but the DR Congo striker was every bit as effective.
Frank, now manager at Tottenham Hotspur, wants to sign Wissa before the closure of the transfer window, thus putting another spanner in the works for Howe.
Luckily, the 28-year-old is determined to sign for Newcastle this summer, having removed all Brentford affiliation from his social media footprint as he looks to seal his move to England’s North East.
Yoane Wissa celebrates for Brentford
A deal for Wissa has always been a separate entity when considering the fight to keep Isak on Tyneside.
That’s why – while Newcastle are prepared to keep their star striker at the club – plans are still being explored for a potential successor.
Newcastle consider rejoining transfer battle
According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle are willing to forgo their interest in Nicolas Jackson if it means Aston Villa secure the Senegalese’s services, because then they could re-enter the race for Ollie Watkins.
Villa have been hindered by the trammels of PSR this summer, but the public stance at Villa Park is that their 29-year-old talisman is going nowhere, even if they land Jackson from Chelsea.
However, this hasn’t stopped Newcastle from preparing to register their interest once again, though it would seem that Aston Villa are sticking to their £50m valuation.
Why Newcastle should sign Ollie Watkins
Despite the late advance of Tottenham, Wissa continues to keep his sights on Newcastle’s first team, and at some stage, Brentford are sure to ease their resistance.
Whatever happens, Newcastle must also put their focus into signing Watkins, for he would do a half-decent job at stepping in for Isak.
Described as “one of the best 9s in the world” by Statman Dave, Watkins has proven time and time again his expertise as a Premier League frontman, and that could remain so with a one-way trip to Tyneside at this later stage of his career, leading the line as Isak’s replacement, should that come to pass.
He has a good record against Newcastle: five goals and three assists across ten matches. Watkins blanked, however, last weekend.
Even so, it wouldn’t hurt to take from the Premier League a striker rich in potency when pitted against United, and fronting their team with him.
Last season, Watkins wasn’t at his best, but he still managed to finish the league campaign with a return of 16 goals and eight assists.
A willing runner behind defences and a combative forward with a wide breadth of ways to hurt opponents, Watkins would be the cream of a new crop of attacking talent at Newcastle, for sure.
While Wissa and Watkins could cohabit within Howe’s Newcastle frontline, it’s hardly controversial to suggest that the former might outrank the other. The Villan star has proven himself and then some in the world’s toughest league, and he’s also got more variation to his attacking game than the Brentford sharpshooter.
Indeed, as per FBref’s data, Watkins ranks among the top 3% of strikers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 19% for progressive carries per 90.
Quite the player. And he’s something of a star on the big stage too, boasting some pretty impressive individual records against the English top flight’s legacy ‘big six’.
As Howe looks to mastermind the latest success in his growing list of triumphs as Newcastle manager, there’s every chance that Watkins at the spearhead would allow Newcastle to reprise their place in the Champions League at the end of the season while competing for further slices of silverware, having gotten a taste for the big prizes during last season’s Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool.
Would Watkins definitively prove to be an upgrade on Wissa? It would appear so. He’s got more about him, and even after a ‘poor’ campaign in the Premier League last year, the Three Lions star still managed to trail Wissa in his pomp by just three goals.
Newcastle have a problem in Alexander Isak. He has divorced himself from the Newcastle squad and appears willing to stay in isolation.
But with Watkins added to the fold, United would have what they need to attack the season. He’d certainly be an upgrade on Wissa, but given the two forwards would be competing alongside each other, that doesn’t really matter, does it?
Superior to Wissa & Watkins: The "next Gyokeres" is Newcastle's new target
Newcastle could sign the new Viktor Gyokeres before the deadline.
Pakistan head coach says he will focus on getting batters used to such conditions
Danyal Rasool24-Jan-2025Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed has launched an impassioned defence for the recent spin-friendly pitches for Test matches in the country.Ahead of the second Test against West Indies in Multan, Aaqib said that if the decision to prepare such wickets been taken sooner, Pakistan may have been closer to making the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Speaking publicly for the first time since assuming the role of interim coach of the Test side, he said he remained focused on winning Test matches and dismissed concerns about his side’s strategy.”Why is it that if fast bowlers take wickets, [people say] Test cricket is moving forward, and if spinners take wickets, Test cricket’s going backwards?” Aaqib said on the eve of the game. “I don’t understand this. When you go to Australia and England, they prepare pitches how they like. So, if we prepare turning wickets and spinners take wickets, what is the problem?”Of course, we were right to prepare a spin pitch [in the first Test] against West Indies. Their batters are not as proficient against spin when compared to fast bowling. I also want to address concerns about where our Test cricket is going. If we had taken these decisions earlier, then we would have been in the race for the WTC [final]. The rule of Test cricket is to win at home. If you win at home and you win two to three Tests away, you become a strong candidate for the final.”Related
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Aaqib was speaking after his team wrapped up victory in the shortest completed Test in Pakistan – the first Test against West Indies. He said Pakistan were trying to prepare a similar surface for the second Test too, and the decision to pivot to spinning tracks, masterminded largely by him and selector Aleem Dar when they were appointed to the men’s selection committee in October, was partly necessitated by a drop in the skill levels of Pakistan’s current fast bowlers.”We used to be strong on [bowling] reverse swing, but now that skill level has gone down,” he said. “We have told our fast bowlers if you want to take wickets here, their reverse-swing skill will have to go up. In the past, we had Shoaib [Akhtar, Waqar [Younis], Wasim [Akram], and both spin and pace bowlers took wickets.”In the clearest sign that Pakistan’s latest strategy looks like it might be here to stay, Aaqib acknowledged the toll this was taking on his side’s batters because “even they have never played in these conditions”. He indicated broad changes would follow in the off-season with regards to Pakistan’s domestic pitches as well as the training regimen the batters would be put through to prepare them for these wickets in the future.”Even though foreign players are struggling with spin pitches from abroad, so are our players, because they have never played on these pitches,” Aaqid said. “Moving forward, we have told them their training and practice routines will be geared towards this, and we will change domestic pitches too. Our next Test is not until October, so that gives them time to improve their batting.”All three pitches against England last October were declared satisfactory by the ICC•PA Images via Getty ImagesPakistan’s tactics have come under intense discussion, and at times criticism – both from outside the country and within. While they escaped ICC censure for the surfaces they prepared against England last October – all three were declared satisfactory – a decision on the pitch for the first Test against West Indies has not yet been made.Criticism from abroad has focused on whether Pakistan’s tactics amount to pitch doctoring. Concerns have been raised at home over Pakistan’s future ability to develop fast bowlers and quality batting talent, and if this is likely to further erode Pakistan’s competitiveness in away Test series.”We were in South Africa just now, and we came very close to winning a Test,” Aaqib said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t take those last two wickets in Centurion. No spinner played those Tests for us there. You have to select a team depending on the conditions you get.”It’s about winning Tests; that’s what matters. We think we can prepare these pitches in every center of Pakistan, and it should be as difficult to beat Pakistan here as it is to beat Australia or South Africa away. People should know if they’re going to Pakistan, they will have to do something extraordinary to beat Pakistan.”
The EFL has confirmed that Blackburn Rovers' abandoned Championship clash with Ipswich Town will be replayed in full, despite the Lancashire club's frustration at losing their late advantage. The match was called off in the 79th minute with Blackburn leading 1-0 against ten-man Ipswich, but a majority EFL Board vote has ruled the fixture must restart.
Blackburn-Ipswich abandoned; EFL wipe unfinished match
Blackburn were leading Ipswich 1-0 at Ewood Park when torrential rain waterlogged the pitch and forced the referee to abandon play just ten minutes from time. The visitors had already been reduced to ten players after Jacob Greaves' dismissal, with Todd Cantwell's penalty putting Rovers ahead. Despite being in a strong position to have gone and win the game, the score-line has now been wiped away, as revealed by EFL's statement on Thursday.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesEFL Board reveal decision to restart game from scratch
The EFL Board said: "The Sky Bet Championship fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town should be replayed in full following its abandonment.
"The Board comprehensively considered all options alongside representations made by both clubs and decided by a majority that the fixture should be replayed. This decision follows recent precedents relating to abandoned fixtures and upholds the integrity of the league."
Getty Images SportBlackburn Rovers rage at EFL's decision
Blackburn responded angrily to the announcement, saying they were denied a deserved win given their late advantage in the original fixture.
In a lengthy statement, the club said: "At the time of the abandonment, Rovers were leading 1-0 and Ipswich Town had been reduced to 10 men…Rovers were on course to record a third Championship victory in four games. The club is extremely disappointed by the outcome, which fails to take into account the significant advantages Rovers held at the time of abandonment."
The 1994-95 Premier League champions confirmed they are considering an appeal.
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When will the match be replayed?
A new date for the replay will be agreed between both clubs and the EFL in due course. Blackburn will now have to refocus on their upcoming league fixtures while deciding whether to pursue further action against the ruling.
Ipswich, meanwhile, may benefit from the reset as they prepare to go again with a full squad.
Champions Trophy match in Lahore on February 26 had been under threat after calls for boycott
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2025The ECB board has confirmed that England’s men will fulfil their fixture against Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy this month, despite describing the “appalling oppression” of women in the country as “gender apartheid”.Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chairman, said in a statement following a board meeting on Thursday that a “coordinated international response” would achieve more than unilateral action. The board has come under political pressure to boycott the fixture, with more than 160 British politicians calling for England to pull out of the match in Lahore on February 26.”What is happening in Afghanistan is nothing short of gender apartheid,” Thompson said. “At a cricketing level, when women’s and girls’ cricket is growing rapidly around the world it is heartbreaking that those growing up in Afghanistan are denied this opportunity, but the appalling oppression of women and girls by the Taliban goes so much further.”The Board recognises there are different views and opinions on the issue of boycotting the match and has listened carefully. We have been in close contact with the Government, the International Cricket Council (ICC), our England Men’s players and other stakeholders to discuss this matter, as well as considering how best the ECB can support those women cricketers who have fled Afghanistan.Related
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“Following this, we remain of the view that a coordinated international response by the cricketing community is the appropriate way forward, and will achieve more than any unilateral action by the ECB in boycotting this match, while we have also heard that for many ordinary Afghans, watching their cricket team is one of the few remaining sources of enjoyment. As such, we can confirm that we will play this fixture.”Thompson said that the ECB will press the ICC for further action, including ring-fencing funding to support female players from Afghanistan, and considering recognising an Afghanistan women’s refugee team. Last week, the board donated £100,000 to the MCC’s Global Refugee Cricket Fund.An Afghanistan women’s XI played an invitational T20 against a Cricket Without Borders XI in Melbourne last month, mounting pressure on the ICC to support their players.Afghanistan remain full ICC members – with full funding – despite no longer being able to fulfil the requirement to field a women’s team under its Taliban government. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo last month, two exiled players, Firooza Amiri and Benafsha Hashimi, called on Afghanistan’s men to be “the voice of the girls”, despite acknowledging that speaking out against the regime could come with its own risks.”The cricketing community cannot tackle all of Afghanistan’s problems,” Thompson added. “But we urge our international partners to stand together and demonstrate through our actions that we support the women and girls of Afghanistan, including those cricketers now in exile who just want to play and should be allowed to play the sport they love.”
Crystal Palace are ready to embark on an adventure in the Europa Conference League and have now made an approach to bring another talented defender to Selhurst Park with Jaydee Canvot.
Crystal Palace set to sign Toulouse defender Jaydee Canvot
After qualifying for the Europa Conference League, Crystal Palace are set to sign Canvot from Toulouse and only the final documents remain before he will officially be unveiled.
Revealing the news on social media platform X, Fabrizio Romano stated: “Crystal Palace agree deal to sign French centre back Jaydee Canvot after exclusive story revealed last week. CPFC finalising documents exchange with Toulouse. Here we go.”
Jaydee Canvot in action for Toulouse against PSG.
Seeking to bolster further up the pitch, Crystal Palace could also look to strike a deal for Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson before the window closes after capturing Yeremy Pino from Villarreal.
Coming in to replace Eze, Pino said on their website: “I’m very happy to be here. It is a dream of mine to come to the Premier League, to a historic club like Crystal Palace, and I hope that I can help the team.”
Of course, speculation over Marc Guehi and a proposed move to Liverpool refuses to die down, and it remains to be seen whether anything will advance after the Eagles booked their place in the Conference League league phase after defeating Fredrikstad FK.
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AZ Alkmaar, Dynamo Kiev, KUPS, Strasbourg, Aek Larnaca and Shelbourne await in the competition proper, offering a realistic chance of progression for the South London club as they aim to make inroads continentally.
With that in mind, Crystal Palace have made an approach for a reputable defender who could arrive on loan before the window closes, per recent reports.
Crystal Palace make late approach for Mohammed Salisu
According to Ed Aarons on X, Crystal Palace have made a loan approach to sign AS Monaco defender Mohammed Salisu to bolster their pool of options in defence.
With their pursuit of Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji still ongoing amid interest from Galatasaray and Bayer Leverkusen, it appears that the Eagles have moved the dial towards other players who could enrich their backline.
Labelled “phenomenal” by Danny Murphy, Salisu scored three times in 24 appearances across all competitions last season and won 66 duels in Ligue 1, per Fotmob.
Formerly of Southampton, the 19-cap Ghana international would arrive with Premier League experience under his belt and offers stability should Guehi leave before next Monday’s deadline.
Seemingly part of a moving sequence of events, it will be intriguing to see if their pursuit of Akanji is now abandoned, given Canvot is set to sign on at Selhurst Park.