Revealed: 56% of Everton fans would welcome the signing of Cahill

Gary Cahill’s Chelsea contract expires at the end of this season, and the former England international has already stated that if he doesn’t get more game time at Stamford Bridge soon then he could leave as early as January, as reported by the BBC.

The Blues’ club captain has been a loyal servant to the West London club, but now finds himself behind the likes of David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger in the pecking order. At 32 years of age though, the centre-back still believes he has something to offer as a first team regular in the top flight.

The Premier League veteran is valued at £13.5 million by Transfermarkt, but could be available for less than that come the winter transfer window. 

One side who would be wise to act fast to secure Cahill’s services are Everton. With Kurt Zouma’s loan deal set to expire at the end of the season and Phil Jagielka way past his best, the Toffees could soon be in need of an authoritative, experienced defender. Landing Cahill in January would certainly save Marco Silva a job in the summer.

Everton fans, however, are somewhat divided on the issue. When we asked if they’d like to see Cahill arrive at Goodison Park, only 56% said yes. See the full results below.

Revealed: Celtic fans split on who should start at right wing against RB Salzburg

The Celtic fans that answered our recent poll were completely split on who should start on the right wing for the Bhoys in their Europa League away trip to Red Bull Salzburg in Austria on Thursday.

James Forrest started the weekend’s game against Aberdeen in the position, but he was largely ineffective as the Hoops struggled to break down their opposition for the first hour. Eventually it was a sublime piece of skill from Scott Sinclair that broke the deadlock and ended up being the winner.

The 29-year-old, who has been much criticised by Celtic fans so far this season, pounced on Leigh Griffith’s poor touch to brilliantly backheel the ball past Dons keeper Joe Lewis and give boss Brendan Rodgers a new dilemma.

Exactly half of the Celtic fans that responded to our poll now want Sinclair to start the Europa League group game in what is quite a change in fortunes for the Englishman from just a couple of weeks ago. Check out the full results of the poll below.

Crystal Palace suffer third defeat at home without scoring, fans react on Twitter

Crystal Palace might not be in quite a poor position as they were this time last season, but their problems on the pitch are similar.

The Eagles have failed to find the net in all of their four home games this season, picking up just one point at Selhurst Park. This points to the lack of a recognised goalscorer beyond the talismanic Wilfried Zaha.

In the absence of Belgian striker Christian Benteke, Zaha partnered loanee Jordan Ayew up top against Wolves, who have exceeded expectations so far on their return to the Premier League, but to little effect.

Even when Benteke returns from injury, Palace fans will expect Roy Hodgson and the recruitment team to delve into the market in January for a striker, as the big Belgian has failed to deliver on numerous occasions, having already missed four big chances already this season.

Palace came close through substitute Max Meyer and Jeffrey Schlupp, but both were denied in quick succession by a brilliant double save from Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio to keep his team ahead.

Palace fans may be asking for change but for Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, change seems to be the last thing on his mind as he once again named the same starting eleven that he has every week this season.

Crystal Palace fans react to the Eagles’ woes in front of goal below.

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Stan Collymore thinks that Aaron Ramsey should push for a move to Wolves

Following the withdrawal of Aaron Ramsey’s tabled contract at Arsenal, Stan Collymore writes in his column for The Mirror that a shock move to Wolves would suit him over staying at his current club.

What’s the story?

Ramsey’s made made 242 Premier League appearances for the Gunners since arriving from Cardiff as a youngster, scoring 37 goals, and Transfermarkt now value him at £40.2million, although his transfer fee will be zero if he runs down his contract. Previously, Arsenal had been trying to tie down the Welshman to fresh terms but it seems that they have deemed his salary demands too high.

Wolves, having won the Championship in 2017/18, are comfortably in the top ten and as of Saturday’s win over Palace, six games unbeaten. Former Liverpool man Collymore believes that Ramsey would be a good fit for Wolves, and vice versa.

Soccer Football – Premier League – Arsenal v Manchester City – Emirates Stadium, London, Britain – August 12, 2018 Arsenal manager Unai Emery and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account represent

Would it be a good move for both parties?

There is no doubt that Ramsey has both the technical ability and work rate to flourish in the middle of the park under Nuno Espirito Santo. It would be another marquee signing and a statement of intent from Wolves that they want to establish themselves as a top half side. However, if Ramsey’s contract demands are too high for Arsenal, they are surely too high for Wolves as well.

With that kind of salary, you would be expecting a player to would walk into the starting lineup, but Portuguese duo Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves have majorly impressed in the middle of the park this season. Furthermore, Santo has shown reluctance to rotate his players or change formation, but to accommodate Ramsey he would most likely have to move away from his proven 3-4-3.

If Wolves could meet Ramsey’s wage demands, then he would probably be the signing of the summer, but it isn’t a necessary one for the Molineux outfit.

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Lazio identify Arsenal ace Aaron Ramsey as ‘dream’ signing

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Italian side Lazio are the latest club to express an interest in Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, Calcio Mercato reports.

What’s the word?

Major changes are taking place at Arsenal under Unai Emery, who is set to approve a major departure in 2019 as Aaron Ramsey rapidly approaches the end of his contract after the Gunners withdrew their offer of an extension.

While it remains to be seen whether Arsenal cash-in during the January transfer window or allow the Wales international to leave for nothing next summer, a host of clubs in the Premier League and Europe have entered the running.

According to Calcio Mercato, the latest side to express an interest in the 27-year-old is Serie A outfit Lazio after they identified the former Cardiff City man as a ‘dream’ addition.

Could this benefit Arsenal?

The Gunners would be handed a bonus by seeing Ramsey snub the advances of their Premier League rivals to move abroad but Unai Emery could use Lazio’s interest to his advantage by offering his services in the January window.

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Rather than get a fee for Ramsey’s services, which Lazio would be unlikely to pay as they could land his signature for nothing at the summer, Arsenal should use the Wales ace as makeweight to bring Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to the Emirates Stadium.

The Serbia international was widely linked with a move to the Premier League in the summer but his agent revealed earlier this month he wanted to stay for at least one more year to help Lazio with their push for Champions League football.

While persuading Milinkovic-Savic to move will not be easy, offering him a regular starting spot and handing Lazio Ramsey in return could suit all parties.

Rangers fans on twitter were actually pleased to see Umar Sadiq starting yesterday

Rangers faced Aberdeen yesterday in what was Steven Gerrard’s biggest game in management to date. The ex-Liverpool and England captain took a risk by rotating his lineup as he threw in Umar Sadiq for his first Rangers start at Hampden Park and unfortunately, it wasn’t a gamble that paid off

The usual suspects who start up front for The Gers are Alfredo Morelos and Kyle Lafferty. However, Gerrard opted to go for the unproven Sadiq and would have probably been hoping that Aberdeen knew little about him and that the on-loan Roma man could catch the Dandies off guard in the Scottish League Cup semi-final. It simply wasn’t to be, though, as Sadiq and co failed to dent Aberdeen and lost 1-0 in front of 50,000 at Hampden.

After watching the game peter out into defeat and with Kilmarnock on Wednesday, it’s unlikely that Sadiq will be given another chance so soon after the cup defeat by Gerrard and the Bluenoses will be looking forward to seeing either Lafferty or Morelos back in the side for the league. Umar Sadiq is yet to impress the Rangers fans and with yesterday being his first start it seems Gerrard showed a touch of naivety by thrusting him in from the start, even if the fans were pleased to see him starting when the teams came out.

You can read The Gers’ responses to Sadiq’s start here:

The Gers were initially pleased to see Sadiq getting a start and whilst he couldn’t influence the tie, the game time will have done him good.

Rodon deal is the best business Swansea have done all year

According to Welsh football website Y Clwb Pêl-Droed, Swansea defender Joe Rodon has signed a new four-year deal. 

The 21-year-old’s contract was due to expire at the end of the season, with a host of Premier League clubs ready to snap up the centre-back. However, these suitors will now be forced to cough up and pay if they want to buy the Welshman.

The youngster has played 12 times for Swansea in the Championship so far this season, and has been an absolute revelation under new manager Graham Potter. His brilliant form has earned him a call-up to Ryan Giggs’ Wales team, as he continues to progress in his breakthrough season.

He is already proving to be vital to The Swans and will be crucial to their development this season and aspirations of making back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.

However, while this will mean that other clubs will be forced to pay for the defender, it doesn’t necessarily keep him in south Wales for the next four years. If Swansea fail to make it back amongst England’s elite by next season, they will struggle to keep hold of the 21-year-old. This therefore gives the club an incentive to continue to improve this season, otherwise they may be waving goodbye to one of their star players. That, unfortunately, is the reality for many Championship clubs when they discover a talent like they have, however, it is still in their power to make sure he is still at The Liberty Stadium come next season.

Derby fans happy to see Curtis Davies back against Birmingham even after rusty start

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Curtis Davies made his return to action with Derby County on Saturday in the Rams’ 3-1 win over Birmingham City.

The 33-year-old had been sidelined since the opening day of the season against Reading, where the central defender picked up a hamstring injury that kept him out for two months.

Frank Lampard had brought the Leytonstone-born defender back into his plans via the bench in recent weeks, but did not feature for anything more than a five-minute run out against Sheffield United.

A two-month wait for regular action clearly took its toll on the 6ft 2in tall former Birmingham ace in his return against his former side. But after a sluggish display in the opening 45 minutes, Davies settled into the tie after the break.

The 6 foot 2 centre-back set WhoScored’s joint second highest rating of all Rams players on Saturday, having completed 93% of his 106 attempted passes while also winning six aerial duels and each of his three tackles – all coming in the second half.

His presence in the games was certainly noted by these Derby fans, who also noticed his improvements after the break.

Crystal Palace fans mostly sympathetic as Patrick van Aanholt apologises on Twitter

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Crystal Palace, despite equalising via Andros Townsend in the second half, eventually succumbed to pressure from Chelsea as the hosts ran out 3-1 winners at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Blues forward Alvaro Morata scored a brace – the first time the Spaniard has scored more than one goal in a single game since September 2017 when he netted a hat-trick against Stoke City – and his countryman Pedro added a third to send Maurizio Sarri’s men on their way to a comfortable three points.

Eagles defender Patrick van Aanholt was largely at fault for the goal that sealed his side’s fate, with the Dutchman unable to track Pedro as he ran onto the end of a Marcos Alonso cross to fire past Wayne Hennessey.

Realising his mistake, the number 3 took to Twitter to apologise for his lack of focus and although many fans responded with kind words, some were not so forgiving.

Here’s what the Selhurst faithful had to say in response.

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Crystal Palace should sign Gary Cahill on loan

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According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea will be willing to let Gary Cahill exit the club on loan in January ahead of his contract with the club expiring at the end of the season. 

What’s the word?

As per the aforementioned report, Southampton, West Ham United and Championship outfit Aston Villa are listed as the clubs thought to be interested in securing the experienced centre-back’s services.

Cahill certainly should attract plenty of suitors given his remarkable track record. Since joining the Blues in 2012, the defender has gone on to win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and one Champions League crown.

Check out Playmaker FC’s Joe Street’s unfiltered take on Wayne Rooney’s England legacy in the video above…

Cahill also racked up 61 England caps and captained both his club and his country.

Whilst he is no longer a first team regular at Stamford Bridge, the 32-year-old still has plenty to offer in the top flight. Before any of their Premier League rivals win the race for his signature, Crystal Palace would be wise to make a move for Cahill.

Survival boost

The Eagles have had a difficult start to the new campaign and currently sit in 16th place. Whilst scoring goals has proved a major problem for Roy Hodgson’s side, they could do with tightening up at the back too.

Britain Football Soccer – Crystal Palace v Chelsea – Premier League – Selhurst Park – 17/12/16 Chelsea’s Gary Cahill in action with Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke Reuters / Peter Nicholls Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for furt

As the south London club approach what may be a gruelling and desperate relegation scrap, they ought to be looking to strengthen their squad as much as possible in January. The addition of an authoritative, experienced leader at the back would certainly give a big boost to their survival hopes, and he would be as influential for them as Wilfried Zaha.

What do you think, Palace fans – should the Eagles swoop to bring Cahill to Selhurst Park?

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