Crystal Palace have been linked with both Tottenham Hotspur winger Brennan Johnson and Manchester City youngster Oscar Bobb, but there is one standout option out of the two.
The Eagles are clearly in the market for new attacking options ahead of the January transfer window, with their squad looking fairly thin in terms of depth. Oliver Glasner has struggled to rotate his side too much in the Europa Conference League, which is impacting some of their results domestically.
Palace did bring in Christantus Uche as an option in the final third, but Glasner doesn’t appear to fully trust him, especially in the Premier League. The likes of Romain Esse have struggled to make an impact, playing just 25 Premier League minutes, with Uche not much better, featuring for 63 minutes and failing to start a game in England’s top flight.
Man City’s Bobb, described as ‘incredible’, and Tottenham’s Johnson are both forward players who would benefit Palace, but they are different profiles. Bobb is more of a technical player who likes to come into central areas, whereas Johnson is more of a traditional, touchline winger, preferring to stay out wide and take on his marker.
In Glasner’s current system, Bobb would be much more suited. He’s played a large portion of his games in a central position, meaning he could slot into one of the number 10 roles for Palace. Johnson is more suited to playing in a side that plays with natural wingers.
Johnson is further ahead of Bobb in terms of his development, with the latter suffering a serious leg injury, halting his recent progress. Bobb, however, has already made an impact at senior level for Pep Guardiola’s side, and at the age of 22, he’s yet to reach his full potential. Bobb could be Palace’s version of Cole Palmer, signing a young talent from Man City who is waiting to burst.
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According to a report from The Telegraph, Palace are eyeing a move in the January transfer window to sign Tottenham forward Johnson. It’s claimed that the Eagles are in the market for a new forward in the winter, and Johnson might be tempted by a departure from Spurs to try and play more regularly.
Meanwhile, journalist Alan Nixon has reported that Palace are in the market for two new additions when the January window opens. Nixon suggests that Bobb is viewed as a cheaper alternative to Johnson, with Spurs demanding in the region of £40m for their Welsh international winger.
Arsenal have agreed a £17m deal with Besiktas to sell winger Leandro Trossard, according to The Athletic.
The Gunners claimed their first Premier League title in 22 years by finishing seven points above Manchester City, while they also reached the Carabao Cup and Champions League finals.
Manchester United could sign a Premier League alternative to Mateus Fernandes after missing out on the Portuguese midfielder. The Red Devils are keen to find a replacement for Casemiro this summer, with two midfield signings desired in total, including the early-season signing of Ederson.
It has been a frustrating search from Michael Carrick and Co so far, with Tottenham beating them to West Ham star Fernandes, agreeing to pay £85million. United were said to be willing to pay a similar fee, but Spurs were willing to pay upfront and without any major add-ons, something the Red Devils were not willing to do.
That means the search goes on, and it appears United are not close to securing an alternative at this stage, even if there is a likely candidate.
According to the Daily Mail, United are not close to finding an alternative to Fernandes, now set to reassess their options after missing out. But it’s added the Red Devils are ‘known admirers’ of AFC Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, and they could turn to the England international.
Scott was a vital part of Bournemouth’s superb season of last that saw them qualify for the Europa League, and he almost won a World Cup call-up, serving as the main back-up during the pre-tournament training camp.
Scott is a very different midfielder from Casemiro, and while he is more similar to Fernandes, he arguably has a more attacking frame of mind. From that perspective, it would be a little surprising the Red Devils to go in that route, but Scott is a hard-working midfielder who can also do the dirty work.
Still only 22 years of age, the Cherries are said to be demanding £80million to sell Scott this summer, so it wouldn’t be much of a cheaper compromise from Fernandes for United.
Scott was praised repeatedly last season, and Match of the Day pundit Micah Richards said: “I love him. He’s got everything that a midfielder should have playing in the Premier League. I love his game. He takes a good set-piece but it’s his calmness on the ball. He can pass well and receive the ball between the lines.
“A lot of midfielders hide and don’t want the ball but he’s brave on it. He keeps it moving. Every time I watch him, he’s so confident on the ball.”
Alan Shearer added: “He’s having a brilliant season and standing out in every game. Superb.”
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Rangers are looking to continue adding to their midfield even after winning the race to sign former Sunderland star Dan Neil, who found himself needing a new club after his contract came to an end. Neil secured back-to-back promotions after spending time on loan with Ipswich Town last season, and he now heads to Ibrox to work under Derek McInnes.
That deal followed a statement goalkeeper signing, with Ivor Pandur arriving from Hull City on a £6million deal, and Rangers are not done there. The Glasgow side know they need to improve the quality of their squad to catch up with Celtic – and perhaps even Hearts – and McInnes is being backed after his summer arrival from Edinburgh.
McInnes still wants more midfield strength even after signing Neil, and according to Rangers Review, Partizan Belgrade skipper Vanja Dragojevic is of interest. With Nico Raskin and Mohamed Diomande potentially heading out this summer, McInnes will feel he needs adequate depth in the middle.
The report claims 20-year-old Dragojevic is now an option, although a deal may not be easy to reach, given he only signed a new contract last season, theoretically keeping him in place until 2030.
Despite his youth, Dragojevic is Belgrade’s captain, and he is also a two-time Serbia international. Transfermarkt already have the defensive midfielder valued at £6.8million, and given his contract situation and age, the actual price could be more than that.
Rangers have already been busy this summer, snapping up Pandur, Neil Ross McCrorie, Ben Godfrey and Lawrence Shankland. Interestingly, rivals Celtic are yet to make a single signing this summer, although they have given Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a new contract. New boss McInnes clearly has a good idea of where his side need to be, and he should know having led Hearts within a whisker of the title last season. “A lot of the conversations were ongoing before I came in, but obviously getting things over the line isn’t easy,” McInnes told RTV this week.
“People think it is easy to get signings in, but when there are good players involved there’s more than one team involved, so I think the board and the recruitment team should be pleased with their work so far.
“Clearly there’s still more work to do, but we are pleased with the work we have got done and getting the boys in as early as possible for all the reasons I’ve just said is vitally important. Some signings will take a bit longer, which is just the way, but getting them in and familiarising themselves with the club and everybody else is important.”
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