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Liverpool are ‘leading the charge’ to sign Pape Abou Cisse from Olympiacos, according to The Daily Mail. 

The lowdown

The defender, who is 1.98 metres tall, has been at Olympiacos since the summer of 2017 but spent the latter half of last season on loan at Ligue 1 outfit Saint-Etienne (via Transfermarkt).

According to WhoScored, his main strengths lie in winning aerial duels and intercepting the ball, but his passing is a weakness.

The 26-year-old has three years left on his contract in Piraeus and is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt. He is currently on international duty with Senegal, linking up with Liverpool forward Sadio Mane.

The latest

Liverpool were among the clubss who sent scouts to watch Cisse in action against Fenerbahce in the Europa League last month, as per The Daily Mail.

Arsenal and Everton also had officials in attendance, and while ‘several inquiries’ have been lodged, Liverpool are understood to be ‘showing the most intent so far’.

Cisse features on the Reds’ shortlist as they look to further strengthen at centre-back following the £36m summer addition of Ibrahima Konate.

The verdict

This would be a questionable decision from Liverpool, as Cisse would probably slot into fifth in the centre-back pecking order behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Konate, especially if his ball distribution is suspect.

That’s also the position Nathaniel Phillips currently occupies, and he has found game-time so hard to come by that he was given a runout with the under-21s in the EFL Trophy last week.

Liverpool don’t need any more centre-backs and should look to use all of their available funds elsewhere.

In other news, many Liverpool fans bemoaned this international break blow for the Reds

Leeds United starlet Sam Greenwood is impressing behind the scenes at Thorp Arch, amid an update on his future.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports, six Championship clubs, including the likes of Swansea and Bournemouth, were interested in signing the 19-year-old before transfer deadline day, only for Leeds to reject that interest.

Now, Football Insider have claimed that Marcelo Bielsa and co have been left impressed by his development, and Leeds believe that he could turn into a real star at Premier League level.

The report said: “But one of the cheaper, less-heralded signings of last year has the United coaching staff at Thorpe Arch increasingly convinced he has a massive future ahead of him.

“A Leeds source has told Football Insider that teenage forward Sam Greenwood has blown Marcelo Bielsa and his backroom team away with his promise and potential to be a bona fide Premier League star.

“To say the 19-year-old is highly thought of is an understatement, with the word “phenomenal” regularly used to describe him behind the scenes.”

Fans will love it

In his debut season campaign at Elland Road, Greenwood bagged 12 goals in just 18 games, playing in a number of different roles, including up front, behind the striker and further back as a central midfielder.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has previously hailed the youngster for his beginning to life at Leeds, saying: “He’s started really well at Leeds and he was very well thought of at Arsenal, and they weren’t rushing to get him out (of) the door this summer. From what we’ve seen of him so far, his movement and his finishing and everything else, he looks like a very natural striker.”

Given how Leeds fans are already big fans of the teenage starlet, this latest news that he’s making waves behind-the-scenes at Thorp Arch is sure to have them excited.

Meanwhile, Victor Orta delivered a Leeds masterclass…

Crystal Palace shared a lengthy interview with attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze on Monday evening.

And, as to be expected, a number of Palace fans have been giving their thoughts to the club’s official Twitter post.

He’s been out of action since May after suffering an Achilles injury in training, which, at first, may have kept him out until 2022.

However, reports last month suggested that Eze is ahead of schedule when it comes to his recovery.

The 23-year-old recently shared a teasing update on his fitness with a seven-second clip online. He was seen running freely on the training pitch, giving Patrick Vieira a possible boost in the near future.

Eze opened up about his injury came about, his possible England call-up for the European Championships and his rehabilitation, with the full video available to view here.

Palace fans react

Palace’s tweet received plenty of interaction, with a number of positive replies from numerous Eagles supporters available to view below.

“I’m seriously in love with this man”

Credit: @robertmeilak

“What a fantastic attitude he has. Brilliant interview.”

Credit: @cmhufc

“Wonderful stuff. Thank you for this”

Credit: @Matchday365

“A young & fantastic player in the making but what an absolute lovely, grounded & decent bloke. Also a fantastic role model & not just as a footballer. We are truly lucky to have him on a number of levels”

Credit: @HC15OnTour

“I’m not sure I’ve heard many players of his age, speak so eloquently. If you get a chance, watch the full interview. It’s more than worth your time!”

Credit: @Pets93

“I love this man…can’t wait to see you back on the pitch”

Credit: @cpfc7791

In other news: ‘Lots of CPFC fans flock to shock Conor Gallagher transfer update. 

Kris Commons believes that Glasgow Rangers’ Champions League exit could see players leave Ibrox before the end of the transfer window.

The Lowdown: Gers out of Champions League

After winning the Premiership last term, the Gers were entered into the Champions League third qualifying round, where they faced Malmo over the past two weeks.

However, they fell at the first hurdle, losing both games 2-1 against the Swedish champions. Steven Gerrard’s men will now face Alashkert over the next fortnight for a place in the Europa League group stage.

The Latest: Commons expects Ibrox exodus

Writing in his column for The Daily Mail (via Glasgow Live), five-time Premiership winner Commons believes that the Gers could now need to sell players. He said:

“The implications for Rangers of not getting to the Champions League group stage are huge. It changes the dynamics within the club.

“If you do reach them, you are suddenly in a position of massive strength with tens of millions of pounds at your disposal.

“I’ve no doubt Steven Gerrard and the Rangers hierarchy would have had a blueprint of top-quality players they were looking at attracting to help them compete at that level.

“But not qualifying is almost like taking one step forward and two steps back.

“Now you don’t have the money for transfer fees and wages for those players, and those people you would have been interested in are no longer going to want to come. You are also likely to find yourself on the receiving end of bids for your top players.

“Potentially the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent or James Tavernier could leave if acceptable offers come in.

“Gerrard has already acknowledged that when he spoke in the wake of the 4-2 aggregate defeat to Malmo.

“But players could also leave if they decide they want to be playing Champions League football and they’re not going to be getting that at Rangers.”

The Verdict: Big few weeks

Commons certainly makes a good point. The Gers’ failure to reach the Champions League group stage may well have deprived them of upwards of £30m (BBC) – huge money for any club in Scottish football. Not only that, but several players may now be looking to leave Ibrox given that they will not be playing at European football’s highest table this season unless they leave Glasgow.

In the likes of Morelos, Kent and Tavernier, the Gers do have several assets with whom they could part ways. However, this season could well offer the best chance possible for the Gers to reach their objective.

If they retain the Premiership title, they will almost certainly be in the Champions League group stage next year without having to pre-qualify. As such, they must do all they can to hold on to their star players to give them the best possible chance of such success.

In other news, an update has been provided on Alfredo Morelos’ future.

Leeds United could end up battling Southampton for Dundee United centre-back Kerr Smith, according to The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Smith’s positional change

Smith is just 16 years of age but has already changed position during his time with The Tangerines.

Dundee United’s academy director Andy Goldie admitted earlier this year that Smith has transitioned from a central midfielder to a centre-back – perhaps meaning he’ll have the ball-playing ability to be a centre-back of the future for Marcelo Bielsa.

He’s made seven senior appearances for his current employers and was actually on trial with Manchester United last year.

Smith has two years remaining on his Dundee United contract, but it seems as if a late transfer away from Scotland could be on the cards.

The Latest: Saints leading the way

The Scottish Sun shared a story on Monday lunchtime regarding Smith, with Leeds name-checked with an interest.

Dundee United’s board are expected to part ways with the youngster before the end of the month, with Southampton thought to be leading the way.

However, Leeds, along with Celtic, Crystal Palace and Leicester, are all tracking the defender ahead of a possible late swoop.

The Verdict: Another shrewd U23 addition?

Should Leeds end up making their move for Smith and pip the Saints to a transfer, the teenager could be the latest exciting addition at Thorp Arch.

Victor Orta has already helped the club bolster its academy ranks this summer with the acquisitions of Amari Miller, Sean McGurk and Lewis Bate.

Celtic centre-back Leo Hjelde also looks set to make the move to Yorkshire, and who knows, the Whites may end up swooping for another teenage defender from Scotland in Smith as well.

In other news: Leeds linked with move for Championship forward, find out more here. 

Arsenal are pursuing a move for James Maddison, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg and Fabrizio Romano claim that the Gunners are on the hunt to add creativity to Mikel Arteta’s squad and the Leicester City attacking midfielder has emerged as a key target.

Arsenal have already spent £73m this window and may have to offload some more players before being able to fund a move for the 24-year-old, who still has three years to run on his current £110k-per-week contract.

It’s thought that the Foxes will demand in the region of £60m for his signature, though Maddison himself is believed to be keen on a switch to the Emirates Stadium.

Better than Odegaard?

For now, Arsenal’s chances of sealing a return for Martin Odegaard seem slim after the Danish playmaker returned to parent club Real Madrid during the off-season.

Romano believes the North London giants “will be ready” if his situation changes as “Arteta loves the player”, although the club may want to fully turn their attention onto Maddison instead.

Despite being hampered by injuries throughout the 2020/21 season, the England international still emerged as one of Brendan Rodgers’ biggest outlets for goals.

As per Transfermarkt, Maddison provided 11 goals and ten assists across all competitions, which was more than every single Arsenal midfielder combined and the sorts of figures one might expect from an Aaron Ramsey or Mesut Ozil in their prime.

In the Premier League and Europa League alone, the 24-year-old midfielder averaged 1.7 key passes per game, which was 0.3 higher than Arteta’s two creative options, Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder that the £49.5m-rated sensation has been described as a “special talent” by The Times’ Henry Winter and as “absolutely excellent” by ex-Leicester man Steve Howey during an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

On the above evidence, Maddison is clear of Odegaard, based on his relatively short time in the English top-flight, so Edu Gaspar must look to urge KSE to sanction a move for him before this month’s transfer deadline.

If Arteta is to get that creative midfielder, then it’s time to act now.

AND in other news, Edu could seal Aubameyang upgrade in Arsenal swoop for “spectacular” £72m-rated beast…

Southampton are reportedly interested in Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall as Ralph Hasenhuttl continues his search for a Jannik Vestergaard heir at St Mary’s.

What’s the word?

According to Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach, Southampton are considering a move for the 24-year-old this summer, along with Burnley, Brentford, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Norwich City.

The Championship club are said to value the powerful centre-back at between £10m and £12m as he is contracted at the City Ground until 2024. That suggests he could be an affordable option for the Saints before the window shuts, as they have plenty of money in the bank following the departures of Danny Ings and Vestergaard.

Would Worrall be a good signing?

Despite being relatively young, Worrall has plenty of experience in the Championship having amassed 137 appearances for Forest in his career thus far, whilst he also spent a year on loan with Rangers, which gave him the opportunity to feature in the Europa League.

During his time at Ibrox, Gerrard was a big fan of the defender and sang his praises in 2019, saying: “I thought Joe Worrall was outstanding. What a big goal to keep his team in the cup.

“It was a Man of the Match performance, and he will be a captain of whatever team he plays for. He is a leader and he stepped up today.”

You could certainly argue that Southampton are missing a leader at the back when you look at the way they collapsed in the second half against Everton last weekend, so Worrall could help to organise the Saints’ shaky defence this season should he arrive at St Mary’s.

Although he doesn’t have any experience in the Premier League, his performances in the Championship in the last two seasons have been very solid; and at just 24, he has plenty of time to improve and adapt to the demands of top-flight football.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, he seems to fit the bill perfectly for Southampton in terms of what they need and the money they can offer, so Saints fans must surely be delighted to hear that he is on the shortlist of names to potentially join the club before the transfer window shuts.

In other news… Southampton can sign their next Lovren in “physically very strong” beast

Swansea City are considering a move to bring Eddie Howe to the Liberty Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Times, who claimed that, following Steve Cooper’s surprising departure from the club earlier this week, Howe has emerged as one of the leading candidates to take over from the 41-year-old at the Championship side.

The report goes on to mention that, after failing to land the Crystal Palace job earlier this summer, it was felt that the relationship between Cooper and the Swansea hierarchy had run its course, although the Welshman nevertheless remained at the club.

However, with just two weeks remaining until the start of the new Championship season, it was mutually decided that Cooper and the club would go their separate ways.

Howe would be Cooper’s perfect replacement

With Swansea’s parachute payments from the Premier League ending this year, co-owner Jason Levien is believed to be interested in appointing a manager who will continue Cooper’s impressive work of developing youngsters. However, as a result of the club’s financial situation, this is now a requirement rather than a choice of style.

With Howe having both a history of developing a club’s youth prospects, as well as boasting the record of having taken a cash-strapped Bournemouth side from League Two to the Premier League via three promotions in six seasons during his time in charge of the south coast club, the 43-year-old dubbed an “exciting” coach by Jurgen Klopp would very much appear to be Cooper’s perfect replacement at the Liberty Stadium this summer.

However, with it being widely reported that John Eustace now looks set to be named as the new Swans manager, it would appear unlikely that Howe will indeed be making a move to Wales this summer. Levien’s rather rapid decision to make a move for the Queens Park Rangers assistant manager very much seems to be a decision which has the potential to come back to haunt the co-owner, particularly with a candidate such as Howe freely available on the market.

In other news: Swansea handed transfer boost over “unbelievable” £9m-rated gem, Cooper surely buzzing

Former Chelsea defender Marc Guehi has been tipped to be a huge success at Crystal Palace by The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam.

What’s the story?

The highly-rated 21-year-old impressed during a loan spell at Swansea City last season, prompting Palace to pay £18m for his services this summer.

Woosnam believes that the stocky centre-back is an exciting acquisition for the capital club, who is only going to get better in the future.

In an exclusive interview with This Is Futbol, he said: “Marc Guehi is an excellent signing. He’s young, has a lot of potential to improve, and has played at every single England youth level.

“He was also schooled at the Chelsea academy, and there are a lot of positives to be had there. He’s got a decent amount of experience in the Championship as well.”

He’s a big upgrade

Palace are undergoing a major overhaul of the first team squad under new manager Patrick Vieira, and Guehi is set to be a key part of the new era in south London.

He arrives at Selhurst Park with an enviable reputation, having made 52 appearances for various age groups in England’s youth setup, as well as being part of a Swansea team which reached the Championship play-off final last term.

The youngster is likely to feature alongside potential new acquisition Joachim Andersen at the heart of the Palace defence, and Guehi should offer a significant upgrade to the previous options available.

Scott Dann, Mamadou Sakho and Gary Cahill were all released following the expiry of their contracts last month, leaving a sizeable gap in the club’s defence.

While talk of Cahill being offered a new deal rumbles on, Dann’s time at Palace appears to be over while Sakho has joined Montpellier, but Guehi’s arrival should make for a smooth transition.

As per WhoScored, the former Chelsea youngster recorded 1.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per league game in 2020/21, outperforming Dann’s tallies of 0.4 and 1.2, and Sakho’s 0.8 and 0.8, respectively.

Vieira still needs to bring in several fresh faces ahead of the upcoming campaign to ensure that he has adequate squad depth, but as Woosnam has said, it certainly seems as though he’s made a solid start by signing Guehi.

In other news… Parish must swoop for “underrated” £6.3m-rated beast, he’s an upgrade on Milivojevic 

Leicester City could save themselves millions in the transfer market this summer by unleashing academy graduate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

What’s the story?

The 22-year-old midfielder had an impressive 2020/21 campaign, scoring three goals and providing six assists in 39 league appearances for Championship outfit Luton Town.

Brendan Rodgers’ charges have already added Patson Daka and Boubakary Soumare to their ranks from RB Salzburg and Lille, respectively, meaning money could now be tight at the King Power Stadium.

Brendan Rodgers could save millions

After narrowly missing out on a Champions League qualification spot for the second consecutive season, the Foxes have already made some quality additions to their first-team squad.

However, with the effects of the ongoing pandemic continuing to hamper clubs’ finances, it may be unlikely that Leicester will be able to make any further big-money signings over the coming months.

That means they’re going to have to get creative when it comes to bolstering their options ahead of the upcoming campaign, and promoting from within is a logical solution.

After putting in a string of impressive performances for Luton last season, Dewsbury-Hall was given the chance to impress in some end-of-season training by Rodgers.

“He’s done very, very well. He’ll be one of the players I’ll be looking to bring back in,” revealed the former Celtic and Liverpool boss.

With Hamza Choudhary linked with a move away from Leicester after struggling for game time, Dewsbury-Hall could play an important role next season, offering cover and competition in the Foxes’ engine room.

He may not be the most glamourous and exciting addition, but he caught the eye of his Hatters teammates last season and could provide a much-needed boost to his boyhood club.

“He’s all right, isn’t he, he’s not bad at football is he? He’s been absolutely class since he’s come in, and long may it continue for him,” said Luton’s James Shea.

“He’s been one of our best players this season, he’s big for us, we’ve got to keep him fit, look after him.”

Dewsbury-Hall has only made two appearances for Leicester to date, but that could be about to change in 2021/22.

And, in other news…Leicester handed major boost in their pursuit of 86-goal gem, Rodgers will be buzzing