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Do you remember the name John Bostock? Once upon a time, he was the next big thing at Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs poached him from Crystal Palace in a controversial deal which saw a tribunal set the fee at just £700k, leaving then Eagles chairman Simon Jordan furious.

That was hardly a surprise given his revelation several years later that La Liga giants Barcelona were once courting him aged 14. Chelsea even had a bid turned down for him in the region of £900k prior to his move to N17.

Bostock was at Spurs for five years, first arriving under Juande Ramos in 2008 before Harry Redknapp and then Andre Villas-Boas took the reigns. He made only four senior appearances in north London.

During that time, he was sent out on loan to five different clubs, ranging from League Two Swindon Town to MLS outfit Toronto.

Though, he could never hit the heights he had once been touted for. Bostock was among the same age group as Harry Kane yet it was often the former that was tipped for greatness.

The Daily Mail dubbed him “the golden boy of English football”…

Where is Bostock now?

The short answer is nowhere. The 28-year-old does not currently have employment with any club anywhere.

At the start of October, he was released by Ligue 2 outfit Toulouse, who were relegated from France’s top tier last season, after a loan spell at Championship side Nottingham Forest.

His journey to France came via a spell in Belgium for Thursday night’s Europa League victors Royal Antwerp and then OH Leuven.

It was then Lens and a short stay at Turkish Super League club Bursaspor before returning to French football.

At international level for the England U17 squad, Bostock captained the side but now at 28, he finds himself at a crossroads without a contract.

Whether it was a decision from Villas-Boas or from chairman Daniel Levy, they were clearly right to dump him for free in 2013.

He evidently wasn’t going to make it at Spurs and that call has been fully vindicated as proven in the interesting path his career has taken since.

AND in other news, £63m-rated lightweight may have blown his final chance at Spurs…

Manchester United will sell Andreas Pereira this summer if a ‘reasonable’ offer arrives, according to reports. 

As reported by The Times, Man United will sanction a transfer for Pereira, who is Paul Pogba’s best friend at the club, if they receive a suitable bid.

The Red Devils are ready to let eight or nine players leave as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to get rid of the dead wood in the summer. However, finding buyers for these fringe players could be Solskjaer’s biggest challenge yet.

Pereira has struggled to break into the first team during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge at Old Trafford, although his chances have improved under Mourinho’s successor.

The 24-year-old recently made headlines off the pitch, though. after blasting “arrogant” Liverpool rivals Virgil van Djik and James Milner following the Reds’ Premier League trophy lift last week.

The Brazilian, who has won one cap for his country, played 25 games in the Premier League this season, scoring once, supplying three assists, taking 1.5 shots per game and successfully completing 1.3 key passes on average (via WhoScored).

While Pereira has insisted that he has no plans to leave Old Trafford, he admitted he could see himself playing for the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Santos in the future.

Clubs are operating in unprecedented financial circumstances and it is hard to imagine that any of the aforementioned sides will be willing to spend anywhere the £14.4m valuation for a player who has only scored two goals in the entire season so far.

Solskjaer wants to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, as he believes the England international is the signing he needs to rebuild the Red Devils, which could push Pereira further down the pecking order if Sancho arrives in the summer.

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward should sell Pereira before the start of next season? Let us know your views by commenting below!

According to Il Secolo XIX (via Football Italia), Leeds United are interested in bring back Ronaldo Vieira this summer.

What’s the word?

The 22-year-old left Elland Road in the summer of 2018 for a reported fee of £6.2m, with Andrea Radrizzani later admitting that the midfielder had to be sacrificed in order to make more investments in the squad.

Can you name every one of the Leeds’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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Now, Il Secolo XIX claim that the Whites have sent scouts to watch Vieira in action for Sampdoria, although they are set to face stiff competition from the likes of Tottenham, West Ham, Burnley, Leicester City, Southampton and Everton.

The report adds that the midfielder’s price tag is currently around €10m (£9m).

Forget Lewis Cook

Vieira hasn’t been the only player in recent weeks to be linked with a potential return to Elland Road this summer, with former starlet Lewis Cook, now at recently relegated Bournemouth, also being touted with a move back home.

But whilst Cook has built up some invaluable Premier League experience in his time with the Cherries, Vieira may actually be the smarter swoop for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Despite generally being seen as a holding midfielder, the 22-year-old covers a lot of ground all over the pitch, snapping into challenges and then making passes into the attacking third.

As per Sofascore, he averaged 1.2 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game, and boasted a pass accuracy of 84%, including an impressive 77% accuracy when making forward passes into the opposition’s half.

Hailed as a “top player” by former Leeds boss Steve Evans, Vieira could lighten the defensive burden on the shoulders of Kalvin Phillips, and give Bielsa the chance to either play with two anchor men in the middle of the park, or give the Yorkshire Pirlo some rest.

Glasgow Rangers have confirmed that they have sold 32,000 season tickets already for the upcoming 2020/21 campaign.

The planet is currently in the middle of a pandemic, with the full extent of the disease still unknown, but measures such as the closing of businesses and enforced lockdown means that people generally do not have the same funds as they would normally do.

However, that hasn’t stopped the Gers supporters backing their team, with the club confirming they have already sold a huge number of tickets – more than they had done at this point last year. In a statement that was released on Sunday morning, the club shared the news as a “phenomenal response from our supporters whose loyalty continue to surpass their own high standards”.

Given that the cheapest season ticket last term cost £327, that means the club will earn at least £10.5m from the fans continuing to show they believe in Steven Gerrard and what the club is trying to do. As they look to close the 13-point gap to Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, the Ibrox outfit will need funds in their attempts to add new players to their squad, with Gerrard himself already confirming that their exciting things happening behind the scenes (Rangers TV via The Glasgow Times).

The fans have shown that they still believe in Gerrard – it is now up to him to reward that faith.

Let us know what you think below!

Sunderland Ladies could face competition from rivals Newcastle United as they hope to sign Middlesbrough duo Olivia Watt and Emily Scarr.

With the coronavirus pandemic bringing a premature end to the 2019/20 Women’s National League North season, Sunderland will now look to next term to see if they secure the league title.

Having been 11 points clear at the top of the table when the league was abandoned, the Black Cats’ ladies’ side were unfortunate not to secure the title and it looks as though plans are now being put in to place to ensure that they seal it in the 2020/21 season.

Sunderland Echo have reported that 23-year-old right-back Watt, who began her career at the club, is ‘almost certain’ to seal a return, having played for ‘Boro over the last few seasons.

Meanwhile, Emily Scarr is also said to be on the radar of Sunderland, having impressed for Middlesbrough on 16 occasions this term in which she scored six times. A potential move for the 20-year-old, however, could be halted as rivals Newcastle have now been linked with interest.

It looks likely that former Wearsiders player Watt will return to the club this summer, but Scarr’s potential arrival could be a slightly more complicated deal,which may involve a heated transfer battle between Sunderland and Newcastle.

The unfortunate turn of events this season saw Sunderland miss out on the title and the potential additions of Watt and Scarr would seemingly make them favourites to ensure that the league is unequivocally won next term.

Do you think Sunderland can sign the ‘Boro duo? Let us know in the comments section below…

Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott is already a record-breaker.

The 17-year-old became the youngest-ever player to play in the Premier League when he appeared for Fulham during the 2018/19 campaign, which then convinced the Reds to make a move for the teenager. As of yet, he is not a regular fixture in either Jurgen Klopp’s starting line-up or matchday squad, but he has featured in all but one of their cup matches this season.

Clearly, the Anfield outfit have already seen enough, and they are now ready to give him a new contract, as per Football Insider. However, despite his young age, they are said to be offering him £20,000 a week, which is only £8,000 less than 22-year-old England international and first team regular Joe Gomez.

Lots of the Liverpool supporters, it seems, are unhappy that he will reportedly be earning such a high fee at his tender age. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Plenty of Manchester City fans have been reacting to a tweet from German football journalist Christian Falk about the possibility of Leroy Sane being sold to Liverpool.

Sport Bild’s head of football tweeted (via @cfbayern) that the Anfield club had shown an interest in signing the winger, who dismissed the idea as he doesn’t want to swap Manchester City for a direct rival and instead desires a move to Bayern Munich.

The Bundesliga champions had reportedly lined up a transfer offer of €100m (£87.13m) for the 24-year-old last summer, according to Sport Bild, and they remain keen on trying to bring Sane back to Germany. Last week, The Telegraph reported that Bayern are considering a bid of £56.75m for the player, whose contract at Manchester City is set to expire next year.

The notion of Sane going to Liverpool sparked a mixture of reactions from these City fans on Twitter – some thought gleefully about the possibility of Sadio Mane being displaced at Anfield while others baulked at the idea of the Premier League champions selling a prolific winger to a club with whom they have developed an intense rivalry.

Scroll down to see further reaction from some Manchester City supporters:

Man City fans, what did you make of the rumours about Liverpool’s interest in Sane? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

According to The Scottish Sun, Crystal Palace have identified Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard as a potential January signing, while Roy Hodgson also holds an interest in Rangers hitman Alfredo Morelos.

Edouard – who has nine goals in just four appearances for France’s U21 side – has been in exquisite form for the Bhoys this term having netted 12 times, while also registering 12 assists.

It is believed that the south Londoners are plotting a £20m swoop for the 21-year-old striker, and this report states that Edouard is the Eagles’ first-choice in terms of finding someone to ease the club’s goalscoring woes – Hodgson’s side are the second-lowest scorers in the Premier League this season with just ten goals in 12 outings.

Celtic reportedly don’t want to lose Edouard in January as they enter the Europa League knockout stages and also fight for the Scottish Premiership title.

So, would Edouard be a good signing for Palace?

Billy Meyers

“I think the Frenchman would be an excellent addition to Palace’s squad, and would also help solve more problem than just their lack of having someone to finish off chances. Edouard, along with his 12 goals, has also notched 12 assists, showcasing how he can also create chances as well as score them. As much as Palace need a goalscorer, they also need a creator just as badly having conjured up the least ‘big chances’ in the Premier League this season. 

“The Eagles are also second behind only Newcastle in the xG table for least expected goals with 11.96, which is only 1.96 more than they have actually scored – in this respect, Edouard would be a shrewd capture as he has many strings to his bow rather than just goalscoring.”

Lewis Blain 

“A striker this January appears to be high on Hodgson’s wishlist but the veteran manager needs to be cool and calculated about it – for too long they have had to suffer. It speaks volumes when their top goalscorer last season was defensive midfielder Luka Milivojevic as he netted 12 times, mostly from the penalty spot. This term, Christian Benteke is yet to even get off the mark while Jordan Ayew is tasked with leading the line having bagged four so far.

“However, a move for Edouard would be a huge risk. The 21-year-old may have scored 12 times in 24 appearances for Celtic with the majority coming in the Scottish Premiership – a league that just isn’t comparable to the Premier League – but he would also come with a huge weight of expectation as Palace have clearly long-desired a striker. If he were to get off to a slow start, supporters may soon turn. 

“At 6 foot 2, he is in a very similar mould to one of their current flops – do they really need another Benteke?”

Harry Sherlock

“Edouard is something of an unknown quantity. Yes, he’s been scoring goals in the SPL, but what does that really mean?

“Think of the players who have made the jump from Scotland to England: the likes of Steven Naismith and Nikica Jelavic haven’t quite cut the mustard in England.  Naismith scored 20 goals in the Premier League, Jelavic hit 30 in 114 outings. 

“Steven Fletcher, by comparison, scored 53 goals in 189 outings but one has to wonder which path Edouard is going to follow. It’d be a massive gamble for Palace to take, purely because it isn’t clear how those goals in Scotland will translate to England. Palace might be better off going for a proven option.”

Viji Jeevathayalan

“Make no mistake about it, Edouard would be an exciting coup for Crystal Palace. The Frenchman has comfortably stepped up following Moussa Dembele’s departure at Celtic, and has racked up an impressive 12 goals and 12 assists this season. Given the Scottish giants’ participation in European football, the 21-year-old has had the chance to play at the highest level, and that level of experience would be invaluable to an aspiring side like the Eagles.

In Celtic’s remarkable double over Lazio in the Europa League this year, Edouard notched an assist in both the home and away games. This is a man who rises to the occasion, scoring 34 goals in all competitions since the start of 2018/19, proving he is comfortably better than Benteke and Ayew. The duo have only scored a combined total of four goals in 23 games this term, with the latter scoring all four of those but only getting one in the Premier League last season.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League ace Danny Mills has tipped Liverpool to make a surprise move for Manchester City winger Leroy Sane in the summer if Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane were to leave the club.

What did he say?

The Germany international has been the subject of intense transfer speculation all season, with reports suggesting Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich were keen on taking him to Bavaria.

Meanwhile, Adama Traore being earmarked for a potential switch to Anfield in recent weeks, as a replacement for Salah or Mane.

Now, Mills has suggested that instead of going after Traore, Jurgen Klopp’s side should perhaps look at Sane, although he acknowledged that it may be difficult to tempt City into selling to one of their direct rivals in the Premier League.

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He said: “Traore makes a lot of headlines because of his pace and power but to step into a title-winning side, to replace somebody like Mane or Salah – I do not think he is there yet.

“Somebody like Leroy Sane – possibly. He is coming back from injury and has been linked with a move away recently and could be surplus to requirements. He is young, a great talent and has experience. That would be more realistic but I do not know if Manchester City would sell to rivals.”

Shocking

Were Liverpool able to convince City to sell Sane to them, then it would surely have to go down as one of the greatest coups in recent Premier League history.

The German’s long-term injury has been a major blow to both him and the Etihad side, but there can be no questioning how great he can be when fully fit.

The £90m-rated star has been a revelation for City since signing from Bundesliga side Schalke, scoring an impressive 39 goals and providing a further 45 assists in just 134 games across all competitions.

Very rarely do teams competing at the top of the tree in English football let one of their major stars go, so it certainly feels like a long-shot that Michael Edwards can get this deal done. But if they do, then it would be the kind of statement that would send shockwaves around Europe.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans react to links with this Ligue 1 ace.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

It has been over six years now since Crystal Palace returned to the Premier League via a Championship playoff final win over Watford.

Eagles chief Steve Parish is clearly keen to set about taking the south Londoners to the next step, having implemented a three-year plan for the club which involves the £100m redevelopment of Selhurst Park and a focus on developing the academy.

It was Parish who helped save the club from administration way back in 2010, taking over with help from the rest of the CPFC2010 consortium to drag Palace away from the brink at the final hour – he has truly transformed the Eagles’ fortunes in less than a decade.

Incidentally, two recent developments have helped boost the 54-year-old’s vision.

Firstly, the Eagles struck a deal with Australian bank Macquarie that will see the south Londoners net a £22.5m instalment owed to them by Manchester United early – the Red Devils were set to pay the fee to Palace in nine months’ time as part of the Aaron Wan-Bissaka deal, but that sum will now go to Macquarie.

This injection of cash will help aid Parish’s plans for the club sooner rather than later, while a more recent development has also boosted another aspect of the chairman’s three-year plan.

U23 coach Richard Shaw left the club on Tuesday to pursue other opportunities, meaning that Parish’s desire to redevelop the academy can start by finding a replacement for the man who made over 200 appearances for Palace as a player.

”I’ve enjoyed my time at Palace but now it’s time to explore other exciting coaching opportunities.”

If Shaw had decided to remain in his role, and the instalment from United were to have not arrived until nine months’ time, then the Eagles would perhaps have been left twiddling their thumbs waiting for the opportunities to arise.

However, these two recent developments will have undoubtedly boosted Parish’s hopes and dreams for the south Londoners.