Southampton are interested in signing a Crystal Palace star in the summer transfer window.

The Saints failed to gain promotion to the Premier League last season following a controversial incident which saw them kicked out of the playoffs.

Southampton were caught spying on Middlesbrough ahead of their semi-final match, which Tonda Eckert’s side went on to win to reach the final.

Following an investigation, Southampton were found guilty and were removed from the playoffs, sending Middlesbrough into the final.

After a long season in the Championship, Southampton now have to go again, and as a result, they will be looking to bring in reinforcements.

They unfortunately won’t have Premier League football to offer to new signings, which they may have been expecting when they reached the play-off final originally.

Southampton eyeing Crystal Palace star

According to a report from journalist Alan Nixon, Southampton have entered the race to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Justin Devenny in the summer transfer window.

The Saints face competition from Leicester and Preston for the midfielder, with the former willing to pay in the region of £5m.

Southampton are looking at Devenny as a potential replacement for Shea Charles as he nears a move to Leeds United.

The Northern Irish midfielder started just seven Premier League games for Crystal Palace last season, so there is a chance that they would be willing to sanction a departure.

Devenny did, however, play 30 times in all competitions, but the majority of them were from the bench.

Southampton desperately need midfielder

If Charles leaves the club in the summer transfer window, then Southampton desperately need to find a replacement in midfield. The Saints midfielder was one of their best players last season, playing a crucial role in them reaching the play-offs, so they need to replace him for numbers and quality.

If Southampton can receive a fee over £20 million for Charles to a Premier League side, then it’s understandable that they are looking to cash in.

It is now imperative that they find a suitable replacement in the coming weeks and months, as they can’t afford to go into the new season without a new midfielder.

Tottenham Hotspur have been the most active Premier League club in this summer transfer window so far, yet Roberto De Zerbi could still add a few more signings to complete his dream starting eleven for next season.

The Lilywhites narrowly avoided relegation last term, finishing 17th in the English top flight for the second consecutive campaign. Evidently, significant investment in the squad was required, and thus far, Spurs’ hierarchy have delivered.

Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson arrived on free transfers for Bournemouth and Liverpool, respectively, to add experience and defensive resilience at the back. Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has also arrived from Burnley.

Jan Paul van Hecke was acquired for £52million from Brighton in a staple move, while a major midfield overhaul is in motion. Mateus Fernandes has joined from West Ham United for £85million, and Sandro Tonali is set to complete a mouth-watering £100million switch from Newcastle United.

The forward line still needs work, but by all accounts, Tottenham aren’t prepared to slow down in the market. With that said, GIVEMESPORT have put together a dream Spurs eleven for next season, which includes two further signings.

Goalkeeper

Kinsky

In one of their more low-key moves of the summer, Tottenham have also added experienced free agent Premier League goalkeeper Martin Dubravka to their ranks. This acquisition suggests that De Zerbi is committed to using Antonin Kinsky as his first choice in between the sticks.

When the Italian manager arrived in North London, Kinsky was still ruing the humiliating experience he’d endured away at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League under Igor Tudor. However, De Zerbi resurrected the Czech’s career at Tottenham, and he subsequently enjoyed an impressive end to the season.

Kinsky signed a new long-term deal last week, which essentially confirms De Zerbi’s plans to platform him as the number one, ahead of Guglielmo Vicario and Dubravka.

Defence

Porro, Van Hecke, Senesi, Van de Ven

All of a sudden, Spurs have a plethora of options in their backline, and many favourites from the previous iteration of the team won’t start on a regular basis.

At right-back, Pedro Porro is expected to keep his place. De Zerbi showed faith in the Spaniard in the final weeks of the season, and while there were some suggestions that the player could depart this summer, few concrete developments have emerged on this front. Djed Spence will have a tough task on his hands to compete with Porro.

At centre-back, De Zerbi has several different combinations he can experiment with, although the Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven partnership is likely to be a thing of the past. Romero has reportedly told Spurs he wants to stay, but other reports indicate that the North London club are prepared to cash in on the Argentine.

Regardless of whether he remains in N17 or not, it appears De Zerbi might be keen on moving on from being overly reliant on the ill-disciplined defender. Van Hecke and Senesi have been signed for a reason, and the two players could complement each other perfectly in a new-look Tottenham defence. Spurs’ passing issues from deep areas are likely to become a thing of the past with these two excellent ball-players at the heart of their back four.

While Romero could be axed from his starting role, De Zerbi will almost certainly want to utilise Van de Ven, but perhaps offer the Dutchman a new role. For the Netherlands at the World Cup, the pacey defender was used at left-back, allowing Denzel Dumfries to push forward on the right. A similar dynamic could unfold in De Zerbi’s team with Porro on the opposite side.

This means there is no space for Robertson in De Zerbi’s dream eleven. However, given where the Scotsman is in his career, a squad rotation role makes sense. Where all of this leaves the likes of Kevin Danso and Destiny Udogie is a different question, however.

Midfield

Tonali, Fernandes, Akliouche

via Reuters

Spurs are likely to start the new campaign with an entirely new midfield. The likes of Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Sarr and Lucas Bergvall may find themselves on the periphery of De Zerbi’s squad, as the new men take over.

After spending such a significant sum on Tonali and Fernandes, it would be fair to assume that the two players will form a double pivot at the base of Spurs’ midfield. This should create a nice balance, with Fernandes’ in-possession skills dovetailing nicely with Tonali’s hard-running and defensive work.

In front of them, while James Maddison and Conor Gallagher will certainly feel they should be included in this concept team, Spurs are seemingly attempting to sign a new creative player. Tottenham are in talks to sign Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche, who they view as the heir to Maddison.

Akliouche is an outstanding talent and has the ability to replace some of Maddison’s creative passing attributes.

Attack

Kudus, Kroupi, Simons

Finally, the attack at Spurs still needs some work, although De Zerbi already has some promising pieces in place. Xavi Simons is on the long road to recovery from an ACL injury, although once he’s back and available, he should be parachuted straight back into the Lilywhites’ best starting XI.

Simons was regularly deployed off the left by De Zerbi, so this is likely where the Italian sees his primary creator operating long-term. Off the right, Mohammed Kudus should reassume this position in Spurs’ attack, once he’s free of his own injury issues.

The Ghanaian started brightly at Tottenham last season, but was halted by a string of serious fitness problems. He should be ready to rebuild this fitness in pre-season, and De Zerbi will no doubt enjoy his direct dribbling skills.

Up front, a new number nine is needed at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Richarlison and Dominic Solanke are approaching their 30s, and neither can be trusted to fire Spurs back into the Champions League places. Instead, they should invest in a long-term option in this position.

Junior Kroupi is the most exciting young striker on the market, and the Frenchman has been heavily linked with Tottenham in recent weeks. An £80million move has been mooted for Kroupi, who scored 13 Premier League goals last season at the age of 19.

He should be able to lead the line for Tottenham for years to come.

The debate over football’s greatest-ever player has raged for decades, with Pele, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo all holding a genuine case.

Ronaldo has never been shy about where he stands on the matter, and back in 2017, fresh off the back of his fifth Ballon d’Or, he made his feelings clear in typical Ronaldo fashion.

Maradona, who was present at the time, wasn’t about to let Ronaldo’s statement slide, and his response has gone down as one of the great put-downs in football punditry.

With the host of records and achievements Messi has gone on to claim since, the whole debate looks rather different these days, and arguably points to a very different conclusion than the one Ronaldo was pushing back then.

Ronaldo Crowned Himself the Best Ever

REUTERS/Darren Staples

After collecting his fifth Ballon d’Or in 2017, Ronaldo left no room for interpretation when discussing his own legacy. Speaking to France Football via Goal, he said:

“I’ve never seen anyone better than me. I have always thought that. No footballer can do the things I can. There’s no player more complete than me. I play well with both feet, I’m quick, powerful, good with the head, I score goals, I make assists. There are guys who prefer Neymar or Messi. But I tell you: there’s no-one more complete than me.”

It was classic Ronaldo, supremely confident and unwilling to entertain any rival claims to the throne, a stance he still holds today.

Maradona’s Brutal Reply, and Messi’s Case Since

Maradona, who has a claim of his own when it comes to being the greatest of all-time, wasn’t having any of it when AS asked him about Ronaldo’s comments shortly after. Upon learning that Ronaldo considered himself the greatest of all time, Maradona simply replied:

When pushed about where Ronaldo’s claim leaves Maradona, he doubled down, near-enough repeating the same line: “That’s why I said stop taking the p***.” He did soften slightly as the interview went on, calling Ronaldo “marvellous” and praising his reliability whenever his team needed him most, comparing that quality to the great Johan Cruyff.

Nearly a decade on, Messi has done more than anyone to settle the argument, winning the World Cup with Argentina in 2022 and adding an eighth Ballon d’Or to his tally the following year, extending his own record and possibly ending all reasonable debate.