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A major update in Crystal Palace’s search for Roy Hodgson’s successor has emerged after it was revealed Swansea City manager Steve Cooper is no longer seen a candidate to replace the former England man.

What’s the story?

The 41-year-old tactician had been heavily linked with the vacant role at Selhurst Park in recent weeks, but the Palace hierarchy have reportedly ripped up their shortlist, which included Cooper, and they are now looking at some brand new candidates.

That’s according to The Sun, who claim that Cooper could be set to replace Scott Parker at Fulham, with fellow Championship outfit Bournemouth expected to move for the current Cottagers boss following their play-off semi-final defeat.

Fans will be gutted

Hodgson’s four-year reign brought stability and consistency to the capital club, however, the 73-year-old has left Palace in a precarious position.

A major squad overhaul is needed, and there’s likely to only be limited resources available for whoever takes over the reins in south London.

Therefore, Cooper may have been seen as the ideal candidate by a large section of the club’s supporters, meaning this latest revelation will them feeling gutted.

The former England Under-17 manager has experience of working on a shoestring budget at the Liberty Stadium and has an enviable reputation of developing young talent.

Both attributes would have served him well had he been offered the Palace job by chairman Steve Parish.

It’s been several weeks now since Hodgson declared he was stepping down, but the Eagles are still without a new leader.

Ex-Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo looked set to take charge following extensive talks, although some last-minute demands made by the Portuguese maestro saw that deal collapse.

Cooper’s track record of player development and working with younsters, something which Palace really need to get better at given how they’ve used an older squad in recent years, made him look like an ideal candidate but Parish and the Eagles’ board seemingly disagree, and that should come as gutting news for Palace fans who will be keen for their new manager to bring in a freshness after a bit of a stale few years under Hodgson.

And, in other news…Parish must swoop for “unstoppable” £13.5m-rated goal machine, Palace badly need him 

Liverpool are keen to offer new contracts to six first-team players this summer as Jurgen Klopp looks to keep hold of his most prized assets.

What’s the story?

According to Liverpool Echo reported Paul Gorst, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are priorities for fresh terms.

The trio of Salah, Van Dijk and Fabinho all have just two seasons remaining on their current deals, so the urgency to tie them down is more pressing than the others.

Robertson, Alexander-Arnold and Alisson have contracts lasting until the summer of 2024 but are all still on the list of priorities, such is their importance to the Reds.

Fans will be buzzing

All six players have made a massive contribution to the recent success of Klopp’s charges, winning the Champions League in 2019 before adding a Premier League title 12 months later.

While Salah has asserted himself as Liverpool’s main source of goals and attacking talisman, bagging 125 goals in 203 appearances, the other five have helped to form one of Europe’s most formidable defensive units.

Brazil international shot-stopper Alisson signed a six-year deal back in 2018 upon his arrival from AS Roma, while compatriot Fabinho completed a deal lasting until 2023, and Salah penned an extension in the same summer that the two Brazilians came to Anfield.

Alexander-Arnold’s last extension came in January 2019, as did his fellow full-back Robertson, while Van Dijk hasn’t put pen to paper since joining from Southampton a year earlier.

Although Liverpool surrendered their Premier League title without a fight last season, finishing a whopping 17 points behind champions Manchester City, the sextet are still crucial components of the Reds’ team.

Only Salah has been linked with a move away from the club in recent weeks, but news that the Liverpool hierarchy are planning to extend so many contracts must have the supporters buzzing. Gini Wijnaldum is set to depart after letting his contract run down, joining French giants Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, and they’ll be desperate to avoid a similar situation in the future.

In other news…Time’s up: Klopp must ruthlessly axe £25k-p/w LFC flop this summer, he’s been shocking 

Sunderland once again failed to secure promotion out of League One despite having the second top scorer in the league as well as the top assister in Charlie Wyke and Aiden McGeady.

Both are still yet to sign new deals at the Stadium of Light with the former expected to depart, something Peterborough United’s Director of Football Barry Fry can’t understand.

The Black Cats appeared to be on course for an automatic promotion spot during a 12-game unbeaten run, but a sudden turn in form saw them win just once in their final seven matches, which coincided with Wyke finding the back of the net just three times.

Wyke has been offered a new deal to remain on Wearside although he does have reported interest in him from the likes of his hometown club Middlesbrough and Celtic, so it appears that moving on may be better for his career.

If a team has a proven goalscorer then they can usually achieve what their aim is for the season so it seems bizarre that Sunderland did not tie down Wyke before the end of the season, according to Fry who gave his thoughts exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“I can’t believe that he’s a free agent because at Christmas time he was up there for top scorer so Sunderland should have got him in the office and tied him down to a new deal then.

“I just can’t understand it as Sunderland are a huge club potentially and we keep hearing about them having fantastic supporters but that’s bad business at the top. I can’t imagine Lee Johnson when he went in, said that he didn’t want a centre forward who would score 25-30 goals a season.”

Lee Johnson will be hoping that with a pre-season under his belt he can be the manager to guide them back into the Championship, after delivering the club’s happiest day for a long time when they beat Tranmere Rovers 1-0 to win the Papa John’s Trophy.

Sheffield Wednesday defender Matt Penney is set to make the move to Ipswich Town this summer, according to a fresh report.

The Lowdown: Outgoings expected at Hillsborough

The Owls suffered the agony of relegation to League One last season, having failed to win away to Derby County on the final day when they needed victory to preserve their Championship status.

Darren Moore now has the task of perfecting his squad ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, but a number of key players could move on from Hillsborough.

The Latest: Penney set to join Ipswich

Penney is one of those, with his Wednesday contract expiring at the end of this month, bringing an end to his time at the club.

According to The East Anglian Daily Times, the 23-year-old on his way to fellow League One side Ipswich, having managed just 12 Championship appearances last season.

The Verdict: Big loss for Owls

Penney is a talented young player – former Owls manager Jos Luhukay once described him as ‘fantastic’ – so it is a blow to lose someone of such promise, even though the club didn’t exactly try too hard to keep hold of him by letting his contract run down.

While the 23-year-old didn’t feature regularly for Wednesday in 2020/21, his tackling average of 1.6 per game was still the joint-fifth highest in the squad, while only three team-mates bettered his 0.8 dribbles per match (WhoScored), so he will be quite a loss to Moore’s squad.

Ipswich are expected to be one of the Owls’ promotion rivals in League One next season, so potentially strengthening Paul Cook’s squad isn’t an ideal scenario.

The hope is that the versatile Penney is replaced this summer, with improved squad depth badly needed at Hillsborough as Moore considers new signings.

In other news, Sheff Wed are reportedly eyeing up a move for a midfielder – find out who it is here.

Ben Godfrey and Ben White could be the future of Everton, the club’s former defender Michael Ball told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview.

Arsenal were thought to be close to signing the English centre-back. However, according to the Daily Mail, Everton are looking to gazump their Premier League rivals and are in talks with Brighton over a £50m deal.

When it comes to that centre-back position, the Toffees currently have the likes of Yerry Mina, Michael Keane and Godfrey. And alongside the latter, Ball believes White could help give the club a centre-half partnership for years.

Speaking exclusively to TT about Everton’s interest in the 23-year-old, the retired full-back said:

“You can obviously see Ben White and Ben Godfrey playing together and as the future of the club.

“Yeah, 50 million does seem a lot of money, but it’s the way football’s gone nowadays.”

White was one of Brighton’s standout defenders last term. He averaged more tackles per league game (1.4) than fellow centre-backs Adam Webster (one) and Lewis Dunk (0.9, via WhoScored).

The England international also averaged 1.7 interceptions, again more than the team’s other central defenders.

Ultimately, the defensive quality is certainly there, though the £50m fee he is commanding is questionable after just one season in the Premier League.

Get French Football News features editor Adam White fears Crystal Palace could be relegated after appointing Patrick Vieira as their new manager.

Vieira signed a three-year contract last weekend and succeeds former England boss Roy Hodgson, who walked away from Selhurst Park at the end of the season.

The Frenchman, who won the Premier League title three times during his playing career with Arsenal, was not Palace’s first choice to take over from Hodgson.

Nuno Espirito Santo, who has since taken charge of Tottenham Hotspur, could not agree terms with the club before former Borussia Dortmund chief Lucien Favre passed up the opportunity to move into the Selhurst Park hotseat.

As a result, Vieira has been handed the reins following mixed spells at the helm of Major League Soccer franchise New York City FC and Nice.

The 45-year-old was sacked as Nice’s boss in December, following a five-match losing run, and Adam White does not feel Vieira is the right man to take Palace forward.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think it’s going to be difficult. Is he going to improve on what Hodgson did? No, I don’t think so. Will he keep them up? Maybe.

“Hopefully he isn’t as bad as Frank De Boer but I think it’s a huge risk.”

A number of Liverpool supporters have been reacting positively to the news that Daniel Sturridge has joined La Liga side Real Mallorca.

The 31-year-old had an injury-plagued career at Anfield, but he was a popular figure during his time at the club.

Sturridge scored 68 goals in 160 appearances for Liverpool, and had it not been for fitness issues, his tally would likely have been far greater.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

On Tuesday, the Liverpool Echo confirmed that the striker would join Mallorca on a trial this summer, with a view to joining permanently ahead of next season.

It is easy to forget that Sturridge is still only 31, so the hope is that he can settle in Spain and still enjoy a number of good years in his career.

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Liverpool fans pleased for Daniel Sturridge

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to express their happiness for the Englishman, wishing him all the best in the process and highlighting how popular he remains.

“So happy for Sturridge wish him all the best”

Credit: @Zed_B19

“Aboy Danny, chuffed for him”

Credit: @JamieIrishRed

“Return of the mack. Fly my guy”

Credit: @chukdozie

“Boss this. Love @DanielSturridge”

Credit: @KingsofL

“So happy for my man”

Credit: @Thiago6STAN

“Can’t wait to see this man back, was my favourite player for years”

Credit: @Dansmyth1806

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting negatively to one transfer rumour that has emerged.

According to a report in the paper edition of Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness, Barcelona goalkeeper Neto is open to joining Tottenham this summer and the Lilywhites are ‘interested’ – coming amid strong reports of talks to sign shot stopper Pierluigi Gollini.

The Lowdown: Paratici eyeing Spurs overhaul…

It has been a hectic few days on Tottenham with the transfer market now well and truly in full flow.

The Lilywhites’ activity was delayed for long periods after the end of 2020/2021, largely due to their search for a new manager, but now managing director of football Fabio Paratici has his sights set on a major Spurs overhaul.

Spurs appear to be prioritising their defensive issues with advanced talks to sign both Gollini and centre-half Cristian Romero (Alasdair Gold).

Meanwhile, a swap deal for Bryan Gil of Sevilla, with Erik Lamela going the other way, is also in the pipeline (Sky Sports via Football Daily).

The Latest: Neto open to joining Spurs…

Despite Spurs’ negotiations for Gollini, Mundo Deportivo have come out with a claim detailing Tottenham’s interest in Catalans keeper Neto.

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The 6 foot 3 powerhouse, who started just seven La Liga matches over 20/21, is apparently eyeing an exit from the Camp Nou this summer and is now open to joining either Spurs or north London rivals Arsenal.

Tottenham reciprocate his fondness, with Mundo Deportivo claiming they are ‘interested’ in signing the Brazilian and England looks like his ‘only possible destination’.

As well as this, Spurs have already made enquiries over signing Neto, having approached Barcelona some months back and being told to pay €14 million (£12.09m).

Tottenham found the fee too expensive and looked at the possibility of taking him on loan, with the conditions slowing down any type of agreement.

The Verdict: Move on…

Coming amid news of Tottenham’s advanced talks for Gollini, this is quite the bizarre update to come from Spain.

While Neto is open to a north London move, signing Atalanta’s goalkeeping alternative arguably makes for a far better deal considering the 26-year-old’s superior amount of game time and great form since leaving Aston Villa.

Signing both players would also be a fruitless endeavour given Tottenham have a limited amount of money to spend this summer and other positions to bolster.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘This can’t be true’, ‘No way’…Tottenham fans erupt as Harry Kane news emerges, find out more here.

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt yet another blow in their bid to bring Trevoh Chalobah to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by French publication L’Equipe, who claimed that Crystal Palace and Watford have now joined the race to sign the Chelsea midfielder in the summer transfer window, while a host of clubs in France are also believed to be keen on a move for the 22-year-old.

It was previously reported that, following positive talks between the two parties, West Brom looked set to land the former England under-21 international this summer. However, following the latest update from France, it seems that Albion are no longer close to securing the signing of Chalobah.

Ismael surely livid

Considering just how impressive Chalobah was while on loan at Lorient last season, reports that the Baggies no longer seem the favourites to land the 22-year-old this summer is sure to have left Valerien Ismael seething.

Indeed, over his 29 Ligue 1 appearances for the French club last term, the £3.15m-rated defensively-minded midfielder averaged 2.4 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and 1.9 clearances and won 5.2 duels per game.

The man who Mark Hudson dubbed a “fantastic” player also chipped in for his team in an attacking capacity, bagging two goals, registering two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking 0.5 shots and making 0.3 key passes per match.

These returns saw the £12,000-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Christophe Pelissier’s joint fourth-best performer in the French top flight.

Furthermore, with Ismael currently only having Jake Livermore, Alex Mowatt and Romaine Sawyers as central midfield options, it would very much appear as if the position will be one of the Frenchman’s priorities in the summer transfer window.

As such, considering his impressive performances last season, as well as the fact that Chelsea are considering letting the 22-year-old leave for nothing, the signing of Chalobah would have been something of a perfect deal for the new manager to get over the line ahead of next season.

However, with interest in the midfielder appearing to grow on a daily basis, it would now seem likely that Albion’s offer would have to be hugely attractive in order for them to land the starlet this summer.

In other news: Ismael facing West Brom nightmare as Madeley makes worrying transfer claim

Former Everton defender Michael Ball believes that signing PSV Eindhoven’s Denzel Dumfries, coupled with having Seamus Coleman who plays right-back, would give the Toffees the same quality as when they had Leighton Baines and Lucas Digne.

Dumfries was one of the star players at Euro 2020 for the Netherlands and according to journalist Rudy Galetti, Everton are close to reaching an agreement with PSV for the full-back.

The Toffees would be getting themselves an attacking full-back, who showcased his attacking instincts last season for PSV and for the Netherlands, scoring four goals and creating nine for club, whilst also grabbing two goals for his country at the Euros.

A clear talent, Ball believes the addition of the 25-year-old would be comparable to that of having Leighton Baines and Lucas Digne from previous years, telling FFC: “We had it a couple of years with Leighton Baines and Digne. Leighton sort of had to sit back and we know he had his quality, but we just knew he couldn’t do that week in and week out and it worked for a couple of years.”

Seamus Coleman has been a terrific signing for Everton since joining from Sligo Rovers in 2009. The full-back has racked up 350 games, scoring 26 goals and providing 31 assists, but could now be handed some healthy competition for his place in the team from Dumfries, if the Dutchman arrives on Merseyside.