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The upcoming summer is crucial for Crystal Palace and a number of key players at the club.

As many as 16 first-team players are out of contract at the end of the season, as well as manager Roy Hodgson, leaving the Premier League outfit in deep uncertainty.

One of those out-of-contract players Andros Townsend has revealed that a “decision” is set to be made in the summer but Palace must start getting organised now or risk a chaotic 2021/22.

It is extremely rare for a club to let so many of their key players get so close to the end of their contract.

Whilst some are naturally going to be released after a frustrating spell at Selhurst Park such as Connor Wickham and Stephen Henderson, there are also a few club stalwarts on the list including Townsend, Gary Cahill, Patrick van Aanholt, Joel Ward and many more.

It all means that the Eagles could be set to lose as many as 16 of their current 28-man senior squad, approximately 58%.

For context, just the 12 remaining players would only just be enough for the club to field an 11-man team, as well as have a reserve goalkeeper on the bench. That would be simply unfeasible for a Premier League club.

It could be argued that due to the financial constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is tough to renew contracts at the current time, and to some respect that is true. However, the fact that the Eagles would have to dip into the transfer market to replace those players is surely far more of a costly commitment.

Nevertheless, without a definitive decision on which players actually need replacing, it would surely be even more difficult for the club’s recruitment department to properly start their summer work.

One alternative solution could be to promote as the club has done in recent years with the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tyrick Mitchell but once again, it might be far too much expectation to shoulder that much responsibility on the club’s youngsters so early.

Steve Parish and his Crystal Palace hierarchy though can relieve considerable uncertainty for everyone by making decisions on those expiring contracts earlier than the summer.

AND in more news,  take a look at which Stoke City star the Eagles could swoop for…

In a recent interview, Noel Whelan claimed that it is inevitable Harry Kane will leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

According to a report by Football Insider four days ago, Tottenham sources have revealed that Kane has told people close to him that he is “100 per cent thinking of moving on” from Spurs this summer, even if the club go on to win the Carabao Cup at the end of April – which would represent the first trophy of the 27-year-old’s career.

And, in a recent interview with the same website, Whelan stated that he is convinced the England international will leave north London at the end of the season, which would plunge the club further into chaos.

He said: “We know the inevitable is happening and that’s Harry Kane leaving. The players sense that as well, there seems to be a lot of negativity at Tottenham this season. The players don’t look like they’re enjoying it at the moment and it’s only going to get worse when Kane leaves.”

Transfer Tavern Take

While Whelan appears rather certain that Kane will be moving on to pastures new at the end of the season, transfer expert David Ornstein recently stated that it seems “incredibly unlikely” the striker will be able to secure a move away from Tottenham this summer, due to the fact that Daniel Levy will be demanding at least £120 million to “even consider” parting with the 27-year-old.

It would appear as if, whether Kane likes it or not, he could well be staying at Spurs for the foreseeable future, but Whelan is just the latest in a long line of pundits and media outlets seemingly queuing up to claim the talisman will leave.

In other news: ‘It may be’ – Spurs target drops huge hint on transfer; Mourinho fascinated by ‘remarkable’ star – find out more here!

Jesse Lingard is ‘almost certain’ to seek a permanent exit from Manchester United this summer, according to Eurosport journalist Dean Jones.

The 28-year-old has been in sensational form since making a loan move to West Ham in January, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 11 appearances (Transfermarkt). Irons team-mate Vladimir Coufal hailed him as an ‘unbelievable player’ and admitted that he ‘couldn’t understand’ his lack of involvement at Manchester United.

The Europa League semi-finalists have inevitably taken notice of his form and will decide on their course of action at the end of the season.

Lingard was unhappy with Solskjaer

However, Lingard is said to have been left ‘frustrated’ and ‘unimpressed’ by his treatment earlier in the season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not hand him a single Premier League appearance in 2020/21 before he relocated to east London.

The Eurosport report stated that West Ham tried to insert a £15m option to buy in the loan agreement but the Red Devils refused this request.

Nonetheless, they are ‘convinced’ that qualifying for Europe will be enough to persuade Lingard that he belongs in east London. The Hammers are well-placed to do just that, currently sitting fifth and only three points off the top four.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Manchester United’s hesitancy is understandable. Lingard has reminded the whole of English football of his ability and he could be a valuable part of Solskjaer’s squad given more opportunities. However, he has been thriving as an attacking midfielder for West Ham, and a certain Bruno Fernandes has that role nailed down at Old Trafford.

Lingard must recognise his limited prospects and he seems a perfect fit at the London Stadium. Manchester United should focus on maximising the fee, because West Ham will be desperate to retain him.

You can probably add another £10m onto that January figure.

In other news, some Irons fans have been reacting to reported interest in one of their star players.

It’s fair to say that Aston Villa struck absolute gold when they snapped up Matt Targett from fellow Premier League side Southampton a couple of years ago.

Signed for around £11m from the Saints back in the summer of 2019, Dean Smith made it clear just how delighted he was with his new signing after confirmation of a deal.

The Villa manager said: “We’re very pleased to have Matt join us. He’s a player we have been looking at for a considerable amount of time. He fits our criteria of being a young player with experience of playing in the Premier League and having the potential to develop further. He will help make us a stronger defensive unit and we are all looking forward to working with him.”

Since his arrival, Targett has been a virtual ever-present, playing the full 90 minutes in all but of one Villa’s Premier League games this season.

The £35,000-a-week earner has been a bit of an unsung hero for Villa, something echoed Alan Hutton as he said: “I think he just quietly goes about his business and you’re right, because of the other players within that squad, he probably doesn’t get the praise that he’s due this season.

“He’s definitely went under the radar but I think the proper football fans and people will see exactly what he does for the team, much like Matty Cash on the opposite side.”

Such has been his form this season in the Premier League that Targett’s market value has risen considerably, with CIES now rating him at around the £17m mark, more than a 50% rise from when he joined.

The 25-year-old has even seen his name enter into the conversation for an England call-up, with The Mirror claiming earlier this month that Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate was considering bringing him into the fold.

Targett has been a reliable performer for Villa as Hutton says, and there’s no questioning that then-Villa sporting director Suso delivered an absolute masterclass with his signature.

Meanwhile, Villa must unleash this academy talent after his FA Youth Cup display; it’s not Aaron Ramsey…

Greg Stewart has endured a difficult two years with Rangers under Steven Gerrard and following the recent title win for the Ibrox outfit, sporting director Ross Wilson should axe the 30-year-old this summer.

The striker made the move to Scotland on a free transfer after leaving Championship side Birmingham City but has never really found his feet in Gerrard’s side, managing just three goals and six assists in 30 appearances.

Although he struggled at Birmingham, Rangers clearly saw enough from Stewart in his loan spells at Aberdeen and Kilmarnock in recent seasons to convince them that he was worth bringing to Ibrox, but unfortunately, that move hasn’t worked out.

The 30-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of the current season and having played just 13 minutes in the Premiership this season under Gerrard, it seems likely that he will be departing Ibrox in the summer.

Considering Jermaine Defoe is also looking likely to leave when his contract expires, there may be a small temptation to keep Stewart around the club as a backup to the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten, but in reality, he just isn’t good enough to play regularly under Gerrard.

The ‘Gers will want to give a good account of themselves in the Champions League next season after their impressive showings in the Europa League so far this campaign, and if Rangers want to keep on progressing as a club, they cannot afford to keep players like Stewart at the club.

The 30-year-old reportedly earns £7.5k per week at Rangers, more than Glen Kamara and the same as Joe Aribo, both of whom have been hugely important in Gerrard’s midfield this season, so it is difficult to justify keeping him at the club when he has contributed so little.

Therefore, Wilson should ensure that he leaves the club this season as if Rangers want to keep on getting better, then there is no time for niceties such as keeping deadwood at Ibrox.

And, in other news… Gerrard should axe £30k-p/w Rangers gem amid exit links

Carlo Ancelotti has been accused of lying about James Rodriguez and why exactly the Italian boss bought him for Everton in the summer transfer window.

Speaking to ESPN (via Sport Witness), former Colombia star Ivan Valenciano has claimed that Ancelotti is ‘totally lying’ about bringing the former Real Madrid ace to the Goodison Park faithful more for footballing reasons and added that he ‘is more about merchandising than football’.

He also went on to claim that the Merseyside club ‘invested more in advertising than in a player’, given that they would have gained a lot of fans from both his native country and on a more worldwide scale because of his previous pedigree in the beautiful game.

Rodriguez more than just an advertisement

The comments can be perceived as very harsh on Rodriguez’s actual footballing ability, especially given how well the attacking midfield player has done in adapting to the English game.

He has put in some very good performances for the Toffees in his debut season so far, with former Premier League striker Noel Whelan highlighting that the 29-year-old was especially ‘excellent’ in the 3-3 away draw against Manchester United back in February.

Rodriguez, currently valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, scored a very well-taken goal in that game, which is one of five strikes on top of a further eight assists that he has made in 21 matches in total over all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, although his signing has certainly grown the fanbase, the Colombia international certainly offers a lot more on the pitch.

In other news, find out what early news before Burnley has left Blues fuming here!

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has tipped the club to make a ‘vitally important’ signing at left-back this summer.

It looks almost certain that Ezgjan Alioski will leave the Whites at the end of the season, with recent reports even claiming he has agreed to join Galatasaray.

That would mean Marcelo Bielsa is short in the left-back area, as the Leeds boss looks to strengthen his squad ahead of next season.

It is imperative that the Argentine doesn’t rest on his laurels and fail to improve in key areas, as the Whites look to become an established Premier League outfit again.

[freshpress-quiz id=“292682″]

Whelan believes a new left-back will join

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said DoF Victor Orta will ‘definitely’ sign an out-and-out left-back this summer, especially assuming Alioski moves on:

“Yes. I didn’t think he was going to be staying anyway.

“Whether they put an offer on the table or not, he was going to be third, fourth choice from next season. We’re definitely going out there to get a natural left-back, there’s no doubt about that.

“We can’t keep putting round pegs in square holes in that position because it’s vitally important. We know how we use the wing-backs to get forward, with Kalvin Phillips giving us that security.

“That’s one side I felt that the club had to go forward with. They need a real quality, left wing-back on board. Someone to compliment defenders that we’ve already brought in. Also, the other players that we’re going to look to bring in.

“I don’t think it’d be a waste of money keeping him but there’s no friends in football. Sentiment goes out the window. He’s surplus to requirements next season because we need a better player in that position.”

Transfer Tavern take

It makes complete sense for Leeds to bring in an experienced, top-quality left-back, filling the void left by Alioski and hopefully even upgrading on the 29-year-old.

In Leif Davis, Bielsa has an exciting young player to call upon, but he isn’t yet ready to be starting games at the top level every week.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a move for an exciting young player this summer. Read about it here.

Alasdair Gold was left slamming the display of Davinson Sanchez despite Tottenham Hotspur winning 2-0 at home versus West Brom in the Premier League.

Harry Kane netted the opener for Spurs on his return from injury inside the opening 10 minutes of the second half before Heung-Min Son sealed the win to give the North London club a much-needed three points.

Although there were some very good performances for Jose Mourinho’s team, Sanchez’s display flattered to deceive Gold.

Writing in his latest piece for football.london, the journalist claimed that the former Ajax ace was ‘fortunate’ that Hugo Lloris saved a header from Mbaye Diagne in the first half which could have proved costly for the Lilywhites.

Gold also highlighted his general struggles at trying to contain Diagne, as he gave him a 6/10 overall rating, the joint-lowest out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch.

Sanchez did not have his best game for Spurs

Sanchez certainly did not have his best game for THFC, as the Colombia international lost out on no fewer than eight of his duels, the second-most lost out of his teammates (Sofascore).

He also failed to make a single interception and lost possession of the ball four times in the match (Sofascore).

Sanchez will be happy with the clean sheet, but the 24-year-old central defender can certainly perform better for his side.

In other news, find out who one pundit thinks will be replaced long-term at Spurs here!

Glenn Middleton is set for a loan exit away from Rangers in the January transfer window, according to the Daily Record.

As per the news outlet, there are teams from the Netherlands that are reportedly interested in signing him up on a short-term deal for the rest of the 2020/21 term, with Dutch teams Breda and Den Haag being named as two of his possible destinations.

The publication understands that Steven Gerrard rates the player highly and that he is keen for him to go out on loan abroad in order to develop ahead of the next season.

Middleton needs more experience

Middleton should be looking to take the opportunity to leave on loan in order to gain some more first-team experience with the overall aim of breaking into Gerrard’s side for the foreseeable future.

The 20-year-old has only played in one senior game in all competitions for the Ibrox faithful so far in this campaign and has yet to play a single match in the Scottish Premiership (Transfermarkt).

There is no doubting the potential that Middleton has, with his ability to play in a wide number of roles, and he has performed for the Gers before, with five goals and five assists in 29 appearances in total in all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, a loan move away to Holland next month would not do the Scotland U21 international any harm whatsoever as he continues to develop as a young footballer.

In other news, find out which RFC ace has been tipped to stay amid transfer talk here!

Glasgow Rangers were unable to keep their winning run up against Motherwell on Sunday, and the performance of Ryan Kent left a lot to be desired.

The Gers were held to a 1-1 draw at Fir Park. In fact, Steven Gerrard’s side even went behind to a Devante Cole strike before Cedric Itten popped up to equalise – albeit from what looked like an offside position. The draw ended the Gers’ 15-game winning run in the Premiership (Sky Sports), but they are still 21 points clear at the top of the table (BBC).

24-year-old Kent was not at his best. He failed to complete a single dribble (SofaScore), while he won just three of his seven duels, which was considerably fewer than a number of his teammates. As the Gers close in on a first league title in 10 years, it is vital that the likes of Kent perform to the best of their ability.

The club’s supporters were not shy in criticising his display, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Kent below

“Ryan Kent was complete mince today. As he was the past 6 weeks.”

Credit: @RyanMitch97

“This weeks training schedule for Ryan Kent should look something like this 9am: Cross before you dribble out of play. 11am: Repeat. 1pm: Repeat. 3pm: Repeat. He’s been sleep walking through games for about 3 months now. It’s beyond a joke for me.”

Credit: @Darren5Oliver

“Josh Windass would contribute more than Ryan Kent. There, a said it.”

Credit: @RangersDaft55

“Kent reverts to type. Ryan Kent is our Shane Duffy. £7m and £30k a week to run the ball out of the pitch.”

Credit: @IamtheLaw_rie

“He doesn’t do enough IMO. For his talent he should be making some sort of impact most weeks. Far far too inconsistent.”

Credit: @cozy1872

“I’ve been saying this for 2 years now, Ryan Kent is Barrie Mackay in disguise. I can’t warm to the guy at all, I’ve tried, just can’t do it, think he’s massively overrated.”

Credit: @StevieGaultPal

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this newspaper article.