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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react following Vicente Guaita’s excellent performance vs Cardiff, which helped the Eagles keep yet another clean sheet as well as justify Roy Hodgson’s decision to bring in another stopper to compete with Wayne Hennessey.

The Spaniard, signed from Getafe back in the summer, has kept two clean sheets in his three Premier League appearances for Palace, with the only exception coming in the 3-2 away win at Manchester City.

Guaita has shown dominant leadership of his own area in coming for crosses and organising his defence, whereas his one-on-one shot stopping is particularly eye-catching and something that Hennessey is nowhere near as good at.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below...

It is credit to Hodgson for seeing that the Welsh international was perhaps not good enough, and rectifying it by swooping for the highly-rated Guaita on a free transfer back in the summer.

The Palace fans are clearly loving the 31-year-old’s impact at Selhurst Park…

Liverpool should make a stunning double transfer raid on Leicester for their defensive duo of Filip Benkovic, who is currently on loan at Celtic, and the impressive Ben Chilwell, who has caught the eye of some of England’s biggest clubs with his performances this season.

What’s the word, then?

Well, it has become apparent that the Reds’ strength in depth at the back isn’t good enough to maintain the form that their first choice defenders have set, as we have seen by their latest mini crisis in defence.

Jurgen Klopp lost both Joe Gomez and Joel Matip to long-term injuries not too long ago, which has seen the likes of James Milner shoehorned into right-back and the error-prone Dejan Lovren become Virgil van Dijk’s partner for some huge games.

The recent loss to Manchester City at the Etihad, in which the Croatian international looked lost, showed that Klopp needs more defenders through the door at Anfield to cope with another potential fitness disaster – the problem isn’t the defence itself, rather the depth of it that should worry the Premier League leaders.

Why should they get Benkovic and Chilwell?

21-year-old Benkovic is starring out on loan with Celtic, and his excellent performances have even seen the Bhoys’ fans compare him to their former star van Dijk – high praise indeed. The Croatian would provide solid back up to the Dutchman and Joe Gomez at Anfield, and would ensure that they can cope with injuries at the back for next season.

Judging by the fact he has started just two Premier League games this season, along with his comments about wanting to leave the club, it seems as if Alberto Moreno will be heading for the exit door very soon. When the Spaniard does depart, Klopp will need another left-back to compete with Andrew Robertson, who is the only other player the Reds have in that department.

Who has the loudest fans in Europe? PSG certainly state their claim in the video below…

England international Chilwell has been sensational so far this season, and looks set to be one of the best left-backs in England for the foreseeable future. He would be an amazing signing in his own right, but stopping City from securing his services as well would also be a huge factor.

The league leaders don’t have many weaknesses right now, other than their defensive strength in depth – if they can amend that, they will be simply unstoppable.

According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, Everton are interested in a January move for winger Yacine Brahimi. The 28-year-old currently plays his football in Portugal with Porto and has done so since leaving Granada back in 2013, with his impressive exploits for the Primeira Liga heavyweights seemingly attracting the interest of Toffees manager Marco Silva.

And that’s because reports suggest that the Merseysiders are eyeing up a cut-price deal for the £23.4 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) this month in a bid to improve their attacking ranks, with Brahimi’s possible addition potentially ridding the Premier League club of the hopeless Theo Walcott.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Algeria international Brahimi has proven to be nothing short of a revelation since making the move to Porto five-and-a-half years ago, with the winger netting 40 goals and laying on 48 assists in that time to help the Portuguese giants remain near the summit of the Primeira Liga, including winning the title only last season.

And with seven goals and six assists in all competitions for the club this time round, the 28-year-old continues to go from strength to strength in producing the goods in Portugal – only Moussa Marega (21) and Tiquinho Soares (14) have directly contributed to more goals than Brahimi for Porto this term.

But with his contract up in the summer, Silva’s Everton appear to want to strike a deal for the 28-year-old this month – and doing so could finally rid them of the hugely ineffective Walcott.

The England international made the move to Goodison Park 12 months ago after falling down the pecking order at Arsenal, and while he made a solid start to life on Merseyside, he has since struggled to produce the goods on a regular basis.

The 29-year-old scored three times and laid on three assists in the second half of last season to help Sam Allardyce’s side eventually finish eighth in the Premier League table, and while he started this campaign with two goals and an assist in his first two appearances, Walcott has since netted just once more in the Premier League for Silva’s side.

In fact, since that 2-1 win over Southampton back in August in which the Englishman scored once and set up another, the ex-Gunners star has scored only twice and laid on one assist in 19 league appearances for the Toffees – and in a side harbouring ambitions of competing with the top six in the near future, that simply isn’t good enough.

And that is why a move for Brahimi this month makes complete sense to Silva and the Everton hierarchy – other than Richarlison down the flanks, the likes of Walcott and Bernard haven’t really produced the goods so far this season, although the former in particular has struggled to make a meaningful impact in the last few months.

And with Algeria international Brahimi likely available for a cut-price fee this month given his contract situation, he’s a player the Toffees must seek to sign, not only to bolster their attacking ranks, but also given his arrival could finally rid the Merseysiders of the hopeless Walcott.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

According to The Daily Record, Nottingham Forest’s new manager Martin O’Neill could potentially recall 22-year-old centre-back Joe Worrall from his loan. 

The England under-21 international is currently on loan at Scottish giants Rangers, and has received a lot of admiration from manager Steven Gerrard in Glasgow.

Despite making over 50 appearances for Nottingham Forest in the Championship in the two seasons prior to this one, it was made clear that Worrall was not part of former manager Aitor Karanka’s plans at the beginning of the season. This was due to a large number of signings for The Reds, leaving the Toulon Tournament winner free to move to Ibrox on loan.

His spell in Scotland has been a mixed bag, as he has come in and out of the team. Gerrard has spoken very highly of him, but the proof would be in whether he consistently picks him, which he has not.

However, Nottingham Forest have been severely depleted in recent weeks when it comes to their centre-backs, which has actually seen midfielder Claudio Yacob playing there in recent fixtures. The Argentinian has not performed particularly well there, but he cannot be blamed. But that is nonetheless symptomatic of how much Forest are struggling with their defence this season.

With the combination of a lot of players equally being out of form, it would make sense for Forest to recall Worrall. In fact, it would be senseless not to, given the fact that two defenders got red cards at the weekend, meaning they will be depleted even further. O’Neill has no grudges with Worrall and should bring him in from the cold to save The Reds’ season.

According to The Mail Online, West Ham have been linked with Chelsea duo Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud. 

This comes as the departure of Marko Arnautović looks increasingly likely, as well as new reports that Javier Hernández could be on his way out of the London Stadium.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini will be terrified by the prospect of only being left with Lucas Pérez and Andy Carroll up front for the rest of the season, although the former is also linked with a move away. West Ham must, therefore, find a replacement, or two, as a matter of urgency this month.

Of course, Giroud is a proven goalscorer in the Premier League, and with his contract at Stamford Bridge expiring at the end of the season, Chelsea may want to make some money from him rather than letting him leave for free. However, the more intriguing prospect here is the arrival of Morata.

The Spaniard has been an unfavourable figure throughout his entire stint with Chelsea, excluding the first few months. The former Real Madrid and Juventus striker has struggled to acclimatise to Premier League football, and that did not bode well given the club’s lofty expectations and demands.

West Ham can offer him a place to salvage his reputation in England, and show to many that he is perhaps not as much of a flop as first believed. He has proven in other leagues that he is an accomplished goalscorer, otherwise, Chelsea would have never signed him for a record fee- The Hammers could give him a chance to prove it.

Newcastle have had another quiet transfer window in the main thus far, and Rafa Benitez will know once again he has a job on his hands to keep the club in the top flight.

The Spaniard will have been hoping to land some big name signings to bolster his squad against the inevitable relegation battle what awaits his side in the coming months.

There remains some time though for the Magpies to act in the window, and one or two additions could still be sorted out if Benitez is backed with funds from controversial owner Mike Ashley.

If the funds are freed up, we here in the Tavern feel Newcastle simply have to put themselves at the head of the queue to sign young Leeds winger Jack Clarke, who has been putting in some superb performances of late for the Whites.

Clarke has caught the eye with some breathtaking wing play, and has impressed manager manager Marcelo Bielsa enough to be handed a starting berth on a number of occasions already.

Leeds, of course, will not want to lose their prize asset, but with the form and ability he is showing already, it won’t be long before Premier League clubs come knocking at the door.

He could well make an immediate impact too at St James. What better way to get the crowd going than to introduce a new exciting talent to the ranks and have him make a big impact on the first XI?

Clarke is well suited and settled at Leeds at the moment, but Newcastle need new faces, and he’d be a brilliant capture for the club.

Newcastle fans, agree? Let us know in the comments!

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According to The Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa’s January window is far from over and the Midlands club will look to bring in three new faces before the end of the month. Newcastle’s Isaac Hayden is a target, while Chelsea’s Gary Cahill and Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings are also on the radar – the latter duo could transform the Villans defence if Dean Smith can get them in.

On the chalkboard

The Birmingham Mail reports that the trio, who are all being targeted with the aim of establishing defensive security at Villa Park, will be moving to the Midlands if Smith gets his way, with Birkir Bjarnason also being allowed to leave should a suitable offer come in.

Villa lost out to Bournemouth in the battle for Brentford centre-back Chris Mepham’s signature earlier this month – the Welshman opted for the Cherries instead – but have identified other targets as they look to plug a defence that has leaked 46 goals already this campaign.

If they can get Mings and Cahill in, we could be seeing a completely new look come February and the Villans may finally start racking up the clean sheets.

How do they change the defence?

Villa have been lacking a leader in the backline since John Terry retired at the end of last season having guided them to a play-off final – the Chelsea legend’s presence has been sorely missed at the heart of defence – but the signing of old friend Cahill would help regiment the team immediately.

The 33-year-old might not fit the bill at Stamford Bridge, most likely due to a lack of technical ability, but he is arguably the best defender in the ranks in terms of clearing his lines and getting his body in the way – Villa simply need to do both of those more often and it’s clear to see how he would make a huge impact.

Mings, meanwhile, gives Smith the interesting option of switching to a five-at-the-back formation – the 6-foot-5 defender can play at both left-back and centre-back – and doing so could mean the ball hits the back of the Villa net much less frequently.

If Villa want to push for promotion via the coveted play-off spots, they need to sharpen up at the back – Tammy Abraham can’t fire them to glory if they let in as many goals at the other end – and maybe straying away from the 4-2-3-1 in favour of a 5-4-1, for instance, is the way forward.

However, this only seems possible if Cahill and Mings, in particular, are brought on board; the clock is ticking at Villa Park.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video above…

[ad_pod ]Some Crystal Palace fans have often questioned Roy Hodgson’s preference to select Jeffrey Schlupp over summer signing Max Meyer, with the former always seemingly preferred ahead of the German international to come off the bench to change the game, or come in and cover for an injured teammate.This was the case yet again on Saturday against Fulham, as the 71-year-old Eagles boss opted for the Ghanaian over the more glamorous name in Meyer to replace the injured Cheikhou Kouyate, much to the frustration of fans on Twitter (see below) who felt the former Leicester man cost them three points against Southampton after his late cameo.

The match against the Cottagers was vital, as a win for Claudio Ranieri’s men would’ve taken them to just three points behind Palace, and dragged the south Londoners well into the relegation scrap.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Whilst the Selhurst Park faithful looked around, wondering who would step up and replace the suspended Wilfried Zaha’s mesmeric talents – and also casting an eye towards new signing Michy Batshuayi on the bench – it was Schlupp who took matters into his own hands.

The 26-year-old was hard working and industrious throughout, and even provided an attacking threat for the Eagles in a game where his main task appeared to be just to replace Kouyate’s harrying presence in midfield.

Schlupp had four shots at Sergio Rico’s goal, with one of them finding the back of the net after he cleverly followed in on Batshuayi’s parried effort. However, it was his defensive work that really caught the eye on a day where he seemed to be everywhere.

As per WhoScored, the former Leicester player made three interceptions, three tackles and one key pass as Palace recorded a vital 2-0 win over their London rivals.

Tellingly, his strike puts him on four Premier League goals for the season, one more than the main man Zaha – perhaps now, his inclusion in the team won’t be met with such outcry anymore.

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According to The Sun, Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund are plotting to raid Crystal Palace for exciting full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka in a £40million swoop.

What’s the story?

The aforementioned report states that both Manchester City and Chelsea are also interested in securing the services of the 21-year-old right-back. The Eagles will be keen to hang on to their academy graduate, but Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Chelsea all boast the financial might to prise him away from Selhurst Park should they wish.

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If Wan-Bissaka were to join the German outfit, he’d become the latest in a growing list of promising young English talents to take their careers to the Bundesliga. Ex-City ace Jadon Sancho is currently starring at the Westfalenstadion himself.

Sancho’s form for Dortmund has earned him three senior England caps. The 18-year-old’s remarkable career progression in Germany is something Wan-Bissaka would surely be tempted to emulate.

A necessary sacrifice?

Crystal Palace’s initial goal at the outset of this summer’s transfer window will be to hang on to the England under-21 international. Should they succeed in that aim, then Roy Hodgson will continue moulding the defender into a star of the future.

However, should a huge offer come in for the full-back, the Eagles must accept it. Such opportunities to cash in on talented youngsters are rare, and the south London could reinvest those funds to make their squad collectively stronger despite the loss of the talented youngster.

With so many improvements needed to the playing staff at Selhurst Park, the loss of Wan-Bissaka could be a necessary sacrifice.

Everton caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson will be looking for another positive result when he takes his team to face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The 47-year-old got off to the perfect start following the sacking of Marco Silva last week as he led the Toffees to a 3-1 win against Chelsea at Goodison Park last weekend, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring twice and Richarlison netting once after the Scot decided to play the two up top together.

It could be a different challenge this time around however with the Red Devils hitting some form and recording three straight victories – against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and AZ Alkmaar respectively.

Here is our predicted Everton XI at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.

Jordan Pickford is a shoo-in for the goalkeeper position, and we are only expecting one change from the back five that started against Frank Lampard’s men last time out.

Did he play for Everton? Simple question but a lot tougher than you think…

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Ferguson confirmed this week that Lucas Digne could be a doubt for the trip to Old Trafford because of a groin problem he picked up against Chelsea, which saw him replaced by Leighton Baines.

We think the veteran left-back could get the nod here with the former Toffees striker not sounding overly confident about the Frenchman’s chances of being ready to be named in the starting XI on Sunday.

The 47-year-old selected a 4-4-2 system against Chelsea, but we expect him to revert back to a 4-2-3-1 formation at Old Trafford to get some more bodies in the middle of the park, which also sees Tom Davies and Fabian Delph come in to replace the more attack-minded Gylfi Sigurdsson and injured Morgan Schneiderlin.

Ahead of those two, Richarlison, Alex Iwobi and Bernard – in for Theo Walcott after he was also confirmed to be out – take up the more attacking midfield positions, with last week’s hero Calvert-Lewin playing the lone centre-forward role.

In other Everton news, one 56-year-old’s chances of being named as Marco Silva’s successor are ‘fading’…