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Crystal Palace signed Nathan Ferguson from West Bromwich Albion in the summer, but the player is currently recovering from surgery. This has seen him not feature for the South London side yet.

However, he has now provided fans with an update on his recovery and his plans for the short-term.

What Ferguson had to say about his injury

Speaking via London News Online, Ferguson said: “Short-term, I want to get myself out of this injury and back to where I was, or even better. Then, hopefully, I can then implement myself into the team and help to develop other players while I’m also working hard myself.”

This could be a great boost for Crystal Palace

He is only 19 years-old and already showed the great potential he has when he played in the Championship last season. The defender managed 2.4 tackles and 1.7 clearances on average per game, via WhoScored.

Palace currently have Joel Ward in that position, who is 30, and also brought Nathaniel Clyne back on a free transfer. However Clyne’s deal expires in January, so it would be great for the club for Ferguson to return sooner rather than later.

Speaking last season about the player, Lee Hendrie said: “You look at the best full-backs in the league, in the Premier League even, he’s a younger Kyle Walker for me. He’s got so much potential to go forward, he’s quick, he’s good on the ball, and he can get forward and shoot and score goals.”

With Ferguson’s age and potential, it definitely looks like he was signed as a player for the future at the club, and with the current success of fellow summer signing Eberechi Eze, supporters will be hoping the defender follows suit when he is fit to play.

In other Palace news, one player at the club is being rewarded for his good performances lately. Have a read how here!

Name: Jamal Lewis

Club: Norwich City

Date of Birth: 25 January 1998

Position: Left-back

JAMAL LEWIS – HIS CAREER SO FAR

At 22 years of age, it’s pretty safe to say that Jamal Lewis is still pretty much at the very beginning of his career. And despite Norwich City’s eventual demise in the Premier League, seeing how they are now officially heading back to the Championship, the youngster has had quite a decent season in the top-flight throughout 2019/20.

But where did it all begin for him? Ever since he was just a kid, Lewis was extremely talented and bound to end up in professional sports sooner rather than later. So much so that as a youngster, he was competing in athletics at the national level for his age-group, even representing England Schools and finishing second in the English Schools’ U17 cross-country in 2014. His first footballing steps, however, were made with Luton Town.

Lewis would spend his early footballing years in their academy, even managing to win the Aarau Masters, a European 5-a-side U11 Championship back in 2009, which is where his talents started to show properly. Soon afterwards, he was scouted and eventually signed by his current team, Norwich City, in 2014. At first, of course, Lewis was still a part of their academy, but would quickly progress through the ranks.

By 2016, he was already in the U23 side and at the end of that 2016/17 season, he would pen a contract until 2021. His senior bow arrived in November 2017 when he came on as a substitute against Brentford. And needless to say, he hasn’t looked back ever since, becoming a big part of the Canaries and one of the hottest young talents in the team. In 2018, he was named the EFL Young Player of the Month for September and a couple of months after that, as recognition of his outstanding work and development, Norwich rewarded him with another deal, this time running until June 2023.

So far, he has made a total of 100 appearances for their first-team, scoring two goals and assisting four. Due to his ever-increasing popularity, Lewis is now reportedly a very sought-after prospect on the market and with Norwich going down to the Championship again, he may very well leave to greener pastures quite soon.

Only time will tell.

TRANSFER LATEST

According to the latest transfer news, Liverpool have shown a lot of interest in Lewis recently as Jurgen Klopp is looking to strengthen his bench and increase the overall squad depth. Of course, with Norwich relegated and with the Reds’ prestige, it should be quite a straightforward deal for the Merseyside squad.

However, Lewis has to keep in mind that he would very much come as a second-choice left-back behind Andrew Robertson. There have been some transfer rumours suggesting that this might indeed be the biggest stumbling block for the deal but it’s difficult to imagine the 22-year-old turning down the chance to play for Klopp.

We’ll have to wait and see if any other Liverpool transfer rumours pop out in the coming weeks of the summer window but if the Reds persist, it’s likely we see Lewis in a different shirt quite soon.

PLAYER PROFILE

Lewis is very much a very attacking-minded full-back who can often be seen blazing down the left flank and taking his markers head-on. He is very dynamic and extremely pacey, which enables him to be a big threat to the opposition in those isolated scenarios out wide. An additional strength of his is definitely his technical side.

He may not have been one of the best full-backs across the Premier League roster but for a player playing in a largely underperforming team, Lewis did well to stand out whenever he could. Defensively, he is also pretty solid and combines it with good movement and positioning to snuff out the danger. Of course, his pace can often get him out of trouble even if he makes a mistake. But at such a tender age, it’s perfectly normal that there are at least some issues in his game.

Still, with the sheer talent under his belt and hard work, Lewis can definitely go far.

Olivier Giroud may have hoisted himself up the Chelsea pecking order following his recent international milestone. 

After his substitute performance against Croatia, the striker now has 99 international caps and 40 senior goals to his name. The 33-year-old tucked away a penalty to extend France’s lead and see the game out with a 4-2 victory.

Giroud came off the bench to play 27 minutes in Tuesday’s Nations League fixture against Croatia. As well as his goal, the front-man won 100% of his ground duels and had a 70% pass accuracy rating (via Sofascore).

The £6.3million-valued ace’s ongoing presence in his national team shows that he is still a force to be reckoned with. Indeed, Frank Lampard relied heavily on him during the back end of Chelsea’s 2019/20 season.

After the break in football, Giroud went on to score seven goals in 11 appearances for the Blues after taking Tammy Abraham’s place as first choice striker.

There’s no doubt about the fact that Lampard will look toward Timo Werner to spearhead the Chelsea attack this season. The new signing notched a seriously impressive 34 goals in 45 appearances for RB Leipzig last term (via Transfermarkt).

However, the Blues will of course need someone reliable on the bench and going off Giroud’s international performance plus his impressive run last campaign, he may edge out rising talent Abraham.

Indeed, by comparison the £36m-valued Abraham failed to get any minutes for England during the international break and has only scored twice in his last 13 Premier League appearances.

Which striker would you rather see play back-up to Werner? Have your say in the comments below!

Arriving at a club in the midst of a crisis, Rafa Benitez is held in the highest esteem on Tyneside for the job he did by guiding Newcastle back to the Premier League.

When he first joined the club it was something of a surprise to see a coach with so many honours behind him agree to become the manager of a side fighting relegation.

However, Benitez quickly proved his worth and while he was unable to prevent his side from being relegated shortly after his arrival, he guided them back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Two seasons of mid-table solidity followed in spite of the backroom uncertainty and a lack of support in the transfer market, which meant that the news he was departing last summer was met with sadness among many observers.

Here, we look back on Benitez’s stint at St James’ Park and test your knowledge on the details of his reign…

Everton supporters will be glad that their 2019/20 season is over but first, they’ve let their anger out over the performance from one player in particular.

The Toffees were well-beaten by relegated AFC Bournemouth at Goodison Park, succumbing to a 12th placed finish.

A rare start from Moise Kean was rewarded with an equaliser in the first half after Josh King had opened the scoring with a penalty, but the Cherries netted two more goals through Dominic Solanke and Junior Stanislas.

It wasn’t enough to save them from the drop, though.

Gylfi Sigurdsson received the brunt of the anger on social media with the Merseyside faithful slamming him for being “utterly pointless” and “10x worse than [Tom] Davies.”

The Icelandic midfielder was also dubbed as the “worst no.10 in football history,” this criticism is somewhat justified considering he cost the club £45m back in 2017.

And his figures from this game aren’t inspiring either – per SofaScore, the 30-year-old won less than half his duels, lost possession nine times and was dribbled past on three occasions.

Some fans labelled him a “crab” whilst others criticised his inability to keep the game – and their attacks – ticking over.

It’s also led to many more wanting the club to offload their veteran midfielder in the summer – if they can find anyone willing to take him.

One supporter said there wasn’t another player he wanted to see leave more than Sigurdsson whilst another pleaded that it was the last time they’ve seen him play in a Blues shirt.

AND in other news, Everton must sanction £12m swoop for Gerrard favourite…

West Ham’s season has fallen off a cliff in terms of results, winning just once since beating Manchester United in September.

Pressure has mounted on Manuel Pellegrini, with fans clamouring for change following a run of poor results.

The Hammers are dangerously close to the relegation zone, despite investing heavily in the squad in the summer, especially on striker Sebastien Haller.

With a busy festive period on the horizon, here are three things West Ham need to do to turn their season around:

Cheer the fans up

Since their move to the London Stadium, there has been a sour atmosphere around West Ham at times. Fans weren’t happy with their poor performances under Slaven Bilic and David Moyes, and this season has been no better under Pellegrini. With just one win in their last 11 games, the mood around the club is again pretty gloomy, with the fans needing a touch of Christmas cheer, which could also help the players on the pitch. Big performances and results over the festive period could be crucial to their Premier League survival.

Get the best out of Haller

Haller joined the club for £45m in the summer with high expectations surrounding his move. While he started well, scoring three in his first three games, his form has dropped off since. The Frenchman has scored just once in his last 12 league games, a run of form that saw Pellegrini name him on the bench for the games against London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal. Getting the best out of their striker is vital for the Hammers, as only four teams have scored less than their tally of 18.

Be clear on Pellegrini

Given their dreadful run of results, there has been a fair amount of doubt surrounding the future of the Chilean as Hammers manager. Fans have been very unhappy with his role in their slump, and several other managers have been linked with taking over, including Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. With a new year fast approaching (which will bring with it the January transfer window), the West Ham board need to be clear and decisive with whatever they choose to do with Pellegrini for the sake of supporters and the club’s status in the division.

Name: Jack Wadham

Club: Bournemouth

Date of Birth: Unkown

Position: Midfielder/Centre-back

Jack Wadham – his career so far

The now 17-year-old Jack Wadham has been at Bournemouth since he was an under-ten footballer, having joined and trained at Dumpton since an early age. Even back then, he was highlighted for his great talent and for always being among the best youth performers in the club’s lower age groups.

The Yorkshire-born youngster is currently a first-year scholar with the Cherries and can boast with appearances for Bournemouth’s U18 squad. He also played for Weymouth Cougars from the age of seven, having moved from Germany as a really young kid.

Unfortunately, there’s no data available on the youngster as of right now since he’s had limited exposure with the team at any levels but has presumably been making quite a bit of noise clawing his way up the ranks at Bournemouth and impressive the staff along the way.

Back when he was just starting out as one of the Cherries in their U11 squad, he was touted as being the most talented kid in the whole team and big things were expected from him even then. Even though he was younger than his peers at that time – being officially still a U10 player – he was still able to tango with the older kids. He continued impressing and moving up the ranks, eventually making it to the U18 squad where he is playing his football right now.

But he is still very much an academy player through and through and it remains to be seen when will the club decide he is ready for a big step-up towards the senior squad. At only 17 years of age and minimal exposure at this point, however, it could still take some time before we see him anywhere near Eddie Howe’s troops.

His talent and potential do mean he has what it takes to make it but Bournemouth have to be patient with their young and still mostly unpolished gem.

Transfer latest

Since we are talking about a first-year scholar after all, there are no transfer rumours or transfer news presently surrounding the young player. It will be interesting to see, however, how the club handles his contract.

He is yet to pen that first professional deal with the team and there’s currently no Bournemouth news indicating that might be on the table. Given his talent and the rise through their academy ranks, the Cherries may want to tie him down as soon as possible.

There was some big Bournemouth news concerning the young lad at the end of 2019, however, when he was picked in the Guardian’s 20 best Premier League talents among some of the other breakthrough gems from all the top-flight teams in England.

This could indicate that he is already out there on the media’s radar but just not quite there yet.

Player profile

Wadham could be described as a deep-lying playmaker as the midfielder likes to occupy that pivot role, just ahead of the defensive line, and contribute to the build-up by securing a safe transition of the ball from the first to the final third of the pitch.

Even though he is still quite young, Wadham is quite mature for his age, making the right decision both on and off the ball and also showing a certain dose of aggressiveness when trying to snatch it away and break the opposition’s attacks.

He is also quite fast but can’t boast with a muscular physique, which could be necessary if he is to eventually make that big step up into the Premier League where players will generally be more aggressive and physical in their approach.

Interestingly enough, he can also be deployed as a centre-back, courtesy of his strong tackling abilities and a good sense of positioning and anticipation.

At the moment, even though he still has much to go, he is working to become a well-rounded midfielder with both attacking and defensive attributes along with the ability to play equally well with both feet.

The future indeed seems bright for the 17-year-old talent, which is some Bournemouth news the fans will be happy to hear.

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…

As we approach the end of the year, awards are being given out to the players who have lit up football over the past season.

Of course, the Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious, but a number of publications have been putting their own lists together, including ESPN. In a slightly different format, they have decided to choose the best player in each position rather than a simple list with all the players mashed together.

Liverpool have had a clean sweep of the defence in the rankings, with goalkeeper Alisson, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, centre-back Virgil van Dijk and left-back Andrew Robertson all picking up top spot in their respective roles.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The latter was particularly reserved when picking up his award. Rather than patting himself on the back, he was adamant that, in his eyes, Barcelona’s Jordi Alba was still number one. However, although his humility is nice to see, he needs to have more confidence in his ability. Over the last year, there is only one winner.

Both players were mainstays in their respective sides last term. The Scotland international started 36 Premier League games, whilst Alba was in the starting XI on 32 occasions in La Liga – although he did make four substitutes appearances as well.

In terms of their attacking contribution to their respective teams, the former Hull City man led the way. He picked up 11 assists to the 30-year-old’s eight, which came from 1.4 key passes per game to his rival’s 1.3.

Not only that, he managed more dribbles per match – 0.8 to 0.4 – and also landed 0.6 crosses to 0.3. In terms of pass accuracy, the Blaugrana man had the edge, with 85.6% to 83.2%, but he still lags behind in those other areas.

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Defensively, too, Robertson stole a march. Specifically, he had 2.2 tackles to the former Valencia man’s 1.2, and gave away 0.5 fouls per match compared to 0.7.

The former’s contribution to his team’s backline led to them conceding just 22 goals in the league, less than any other team. Barcelona, meanwhile, shipped 36 in Spain’s top tier.

In the Champions League, £45m-valued Alba – as per Transfermarkt – has the edge, picking out five assists to Robertson’s two. But in the end, the former Dundee United defender had the last laugh, starting 12 out of 13 matches in the competition as the Anfield outfit lifted the trophy in Madrid after a 2-0 victory against Tottenham. Medals also play a part in these rankings, and Robertson had the edge once again.

Given Alba’s stunning career and brimming trophy cabinet – such as his five La Liga titles – he deserves credit and must be recognised as one of the best. Having said that, over the past 12 months, he has been out-done by the £54m-valued man – as per Transfermarkt. This is something for Robertson to revel in.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Dean Smith has stood up for Wesley following Aston Villa’s 2-1 loss against Chelsea on Wednesday evening, as reported by The Birmingham Mail.

What did he say?

The Brazilian striker’s inability to get a goal or assist against Chelsea extends his run of games without one to seven. He also cut a fairly anonymous figure at Stamford Bridge, failing to have a single shot, dribble or key pass to his name when the 90 minutes were up. The former Club Bruges man has already come under criticism from sections of the support for his lack of end product, but the Villa boss was quick to stand up for the club’s summer signing.

He said (as quoted by The Birmingham Mail): “He’s growing into what is a fledgling career in the Premier League. He’s just turned 23, a late comer to the game and a handful for centre-halves.

“Again, he went shoulder-to-shoulder with their centre-half and was given a free-kick against him. You come to clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea and, I’ll be honest, I don’t expect too many decisions and that’s been the case in both games.

“His contribution to the team is the most important thing. What are we? 15 games in. He’s scored four goals at a rate of one in three in a bit. He’ll score goals. We’ve just gone through a period of games playing Manchester City, Wolves away, Liverpool, United, Chelsea.”

An impact outside of goals

FFC looked at his performance in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United as an example of how Wesley can make an impact for Villa, even when he is not getting in and amongst the goals.

It’s sacking season in the Premier League! Quickfire questions on infamous top flight dismissals…

However, it can also be argued that Wesley’s record isn’t too bad, despite his current dry spell, as Smith pointed out that his ratio is almost one goal every three games (he has found the back of the net a total of four times in 15 appearances across all competitions).

It seems as though Smith will be sticking with the 23-year-old as his star man, especially after The Athletic suggested Villa will be in the market for a back-up option during the January transfer window, rather than a marquee centre-forward.

In other news, one Aston Villa man was able to prove his doubters wrong despite the loss against Chelsea.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Erling Haaland is one of the most coveted strikers in the world at the moment, and for good reason.

The Norwegian striker hasn’t been out of the headlines since netting nine goals in an U20 World Cup game, and he hasn’t stopped scoring yet.

Indeed, the 19-year-old has scored 22 goals in 15 games so far this term, and that has sparked talk of a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

However, it’s also caused a stir amongst the Leeds fanbase due to the fact that Haaland has an affinity with the Whites.

Of course, he is the son of former United midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland, therefore, he was born in Leeds and he has previously stated his ambition to win the league with the club.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Phil Hay provided some news on Leeds’ previous interest in the striker and where they stand on the matter going forward.

What’s been said then?

The journalist was asked in his Q&A session with The Athletic if he thought Leeds could ever bring the striker in at Elland Road.

“The way he’s going with his goalscoring, someone is going to pay very big money for him. The Leeds link is very obvious but money talks.”

One fan picked up on the fact Haaland is already playing Champions League football and that he wouldn’t want to take a step down at this stage of his career. Hay responded:

“That’s probably true. And even staying where he is for a while, that move has done great things for him. Leeds did try to get him before he took the Red Bull offer. They couldn’t match it.”

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

Missed opportunity

Hay’s update will sting.

To know that the Whites had spotted Haaland’s talents before he burst onto the scene must be heart-breaking, especially as he was practically in their grasp. A little extra on the wage bill and he may have proven to be one of their most inspired signings, particularly given his record this term.

The journalist says that Leeds couldn’t match Salzburg’s offer, but with him joining the Austrian outfit for a reported fee of €9m (£7.7m) it’s hard to say that Leeds couldn’t have afforded that deal, just that they thought it was too much of a risk.

If they’d have had more faith in Haaland’s abilities they would have been in a much stronger position right now as they’d have one of the best goalscorers in Europe at their disposal.

As it happens, they’re now struggling on the goals front with Patrick Bamford failing to find the net in nine matches.