Crystal Palace have endured a slow start to the summer transfer window, with Oscar Mingueza so far the only fresh face at Selhurst Park.

The former Celta de Vigo man is set to be the understudy for Daniel Munoz with Pierre Sage yet to see a marquee signing come through the doors in South London.

The biggest piece of transfer news from the Eagles so far has been the sale of Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea. Crystal Palace pocketed £52m through that deal, but must now replace the star, who played nearly 5,000 minutes of football last season.

Crystal Palace target Lens defender

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Sage may take his shopping to former club Lens to do so. Transfer specialist Pete O’Rourke reports on Monday that the Eagles have shown interest in centre-back Ismaëlo Ganiou, along with other Premier League clubs.

The 21-year-old, described as a ‘monster’, is a product of the Lens academy and is naturally a right-sided centre-back. The Burkina Faso international made 23 Ligue 1 appearances last season, scoring three goals. Ganiou remains under contract until 2028.

French outlet Top Mercato claims that he is valued at €20 million, or £17 million, but that Lens will demand around £35 million in a bid to deter interest. Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund are both named as potential suitors.

Ganiou, who has been described as

Pierre Sage praises ‘solid’ Ismaëlo Ganiou

REUTERS

Crystal Palace could have an advantage thanks to Sage’s time at Lens. The Eagles head coach was in charge of the French outfit for the 2025/26 campaign and promoted Ganiou from the bench into the starting XI halfway through the season.

Last summer, Ganiou had broached leaving Lens with Sage as he desired more playing time. The manager blocked that request at the time with Sage backing him to make an impression over the campaign.

Sage has been a staunch advocate of the youngster. Following a costly error against Strasbourg, which saw the opposition open the scoring in a 1-1 draw in February, the head coach said: “He played a solid game after that; the risk was that he might let that mistake rattle him. He is a young player who learns from his errors, and he was quite effective in his subsequent actions.

“In any case, it’s not the first mistake he’s made, nor will it be the last; I hope he makes plenty more and enjoys a very long career—and, above all, that he reacts the same way he did in that match.”

Juventus have made Tottenham Hotspur star Guglielmo Vicario a concrete target for the summer window, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Italian star has lost his place as the number one goalkeeper at the club, with Antonin Kinsky deemed a better fit for Roberto De Zerbi’s squad after his excellent performances during the run-in last season, when Vicario was dealing with a hernia problem.

Kinsky has since signed a new contract and will be the starter, and Vicario is expected to leave after being left out of the club’s pre-season squad for their tour of New Zealand. Now a potential destination has emerged.

Juventus Make Vicario ‘Concrete’ Target

via Reuters

Vicario, who has been described as ‘unbelievable’, made the move to north London in 2023 and has made 117 appearances for the club in that time, including starting the Europa League final win over Manchester United.

But the Italy international has never quite convinced as a top-level goalkeeper in the Premier League, and he is now ready to make his move away from England by returning to his homeland.

A number of clubs, including Inter Milan have previously shown an interest, but speaking in his latest YouTube video, Romano has revealed that it’s Juventus who are now the club at the front of the queue for his signature.

“Now Vicario is a concrete option for Juventus from Tottenham, where he is not going to stay at the club,” he said.

Juventus had previously been showing a strong interest in Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, but a deal has proven to be too expensive for them to complete, and that move has now collapsed.

Vicario has now emerged as a prime alternative, and all parties are working towards finding an agreement to get a deal over the line.

Vicario Has No Spurs Future

Tottenham have done really well in the transfer market so far with their arrivals, but they’ve also been smart by replacing their deadwood before they’ve let them go.

Cristian Romero is expected to be on the move, but the club have already brought in Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke to replace him, while questions over the future of Djed Spence are offset by the arrival of Andy Robertson.

With Kinsky promoted to number one, and Martin Dubravka brought in to compete with him, Spurs have already confirmed that Vicario has no future in north London, and this should be a deal that gets completed relatively simply once a fee is agreed.

The full details of Mauricio Pochettino’s new contract as USMNT boss have now emerged, with the former Tottenham and Chelsea head coach staying on after leading the Stars and Stripes at the 2026 World Cup.

USMNT won their opening two games of this summer’s tournament, which they co-hosted alongside Mexico and Canada. Back-to-back victories over Paraguay and Australia were something they had only achieved once before, at the inaugural 1930 World Cup, and football fever quickly swept across the nation as fans began to dream.

But their fairytale run came crashing back down to earth in the Round of 16, where a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Belgium burst the bubble in brutal fashion.

To add insult to injury, their elimination came in the same week it emerged that Donald Trump had personally tapped up Gianni Infantino in an attempt to have Folarin Balogun’s red card overturned for the tie.

Mauricio Pochettino Signs New USMNT Contract

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Political interference and widespread backlash towards certain players – most notably Christian Pulisic – delayed any plans Pochettino’s bosses had to renew his deal.

It had been reported that an extension to his current terms was already being drawn up before this summer’s tournament, and the fallout from an otherwise promising campaign should not overshadow the commendable job he has done at the helm of a nation not traditionally known for its football.

While his predecessors struggled to take the USA beyond qualification, ‘Poch’s’ charisma and tournament know-how proved to be a breath of fresh air. He also guided the USMNT to their first World Cup knockout victory since 2002 with their win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the new Round of 32.

On top of that, he broke US records for the most World Cup wins (three) and the most goals scored (11) by a national team manager. It felt as though his footballing identity had truly rubbed off on the side throughout June and July, and with a new deal now agreed, his reign should still be only just getting started.

Full Details Of His Staggering New Deal

Kirby Lee via Imagn Images via Reuters

As per ESPN, Mauricio Pochettino signed a two-year contract and will receive $6 million a year (roughly £4.4 million). He’s the highest-paid USMNT coach ever as a result and, in comparison, Gregg Berhalter earned $2.3 million in 2022 including World Cup bonuses.

Pochettino’s new deal runs through the 2030 World Cup, meaning he will also take charge of the 2028 Copa America. Long-time assistants Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino and Toni Jimenez, as well as more recent additions Sebastian Pochettino and Silvia Tuya, will remain on his staff list.