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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…

Speaking on the HLTCO podcast, Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha had some pretty revealing words to say on what happened this summer regarding his transfer wishes.

As has been well documented, the Ivory Coast international handed in a transfer request amid interest from Arsenal and Everton this summer in a bid to force an exit, and was reportedly left “devastated” when no such move materialised.

The Toffees moved on with the £34m deadline day signing of Alex Iwobi from Arsenal, while the Gunners also found an alternative in £72m man Nicolas Pepe.

Zaha has since appeared in all five of the Eagles’ Premier League games this season, but he has now hinted at the truth behind the summer saga.

What did he say?

Zaha told the HLTCO podcast: “I feel like what happened in the summer happened.

“Obviously there were things I was told that didn’t happen and I wasn’t happy about it but I feel like all I can do is just move forward now.”

Suggests promises were broken

“There were things I was told that didn’t happen” is a pretty damning statement from the Palace academy graduate and it suggests that promises were broken by the board this summer.

This suggestion can only be further reinforced by Roy Hodgson stating himself that Zaha’s “beef” was with the chairman and the owners, when reiterating that everyone at the club had a good relationship with the mercurial forward.

He said: “Everyone here has a good relationship with him. There’s not a problem with that. His beef is with the chairman and owners of the club because he’s wanted to leave and they haven’t received the offer that they think is sufficient to allow him to leave.”

The south Londoners will get to keep their prized asset until at least January now, but don’t expect this saga to come to a close anytime soon given his evident frustration at being denied a move away from Selhurst Park.

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Rangers progressed into the Scottish League Cup semi-finals with a gritty win against Livingston on Wednesday night and they will now face Hearts at Hampden Park in just over a month from now for a place in the final.

The Gers are certainly looking their strongest for a long time with good league form and a solid start in Europe under their belts, as they look to relieve Celtic of their stranglehold on the domestic scene in Scotland.

It was by no means the Gers’ best performance of the season against Livingston, but the main thing is that they won and if you can record victories whilst not at your best and up against it, that is a very good sign.

Indeed, Steven Gerrard referred to that fact in his post-match comments – taken by the Gers’ official Twitter account:

Gerrard knows from his playing days that trophies are won simply by winning games – you don’t always need the performance with it, and flowing football isn’t always possible.

Indeed, Livingston looked to ruffle the Gers’ feathers at times on Wednesday night but the Light Blues came through.

Plenty has been said on Twitter in reaction to these comments, meanwhile, so let’s see what Rangers fans have said about them on the social media site…

Leeds United supporters may need to accept that this could be Raphinha’s last season at Elland Road, according to journalist Joe Donnohue.

The Lowdown: Raphinha Leeds’ best player

Raphinha has been a wonderful signing for the Whites since joining from Rennes last year, scoring 10 goals in 40 appearances, as well as registering nine assists.

On current form, the Brazilian is arguably Leeds’ best and most important player, finding the net in Sunday’s 2-1 win away to Norwich City and being described as ‘incredible’ by journalist Phil Hay last month.

Raphinha’s performances have led to reports linking him with a move away from the Whites, with Liverpool one of the clubs thought to be interested in signing him.

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The Latest: Journalist makes worrying claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Donnohue claimed this is likely to be the 24-year-old’s last season at Leeds before heading on to pastures new:

“I think some people might be resigning themselves to the fact that it might be Raphinha’s last season.

“But, ultimately, he’s still a Leeds United player. There’s not been any real concrete soundings from him to say that he’s unsettled or anything like that.”

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The Verdict: Inevitable exit?

In truth, Raphinha’s head is likely to be turned by interest from a club in elite European competition next summer, even if he would ideally stay put at Elland for many years to come.

Given the quality of his performances for club and country – he has scored twice in his first three caps for Brazil – he may well want to test himself alongside superior players and in a team challenging for major trophies.

If this is to be Raphinha’s final six months or so at Leeds, the hope is that he steers them well away from the relegation zone and end his Whites career on a high, banking Victor Orta and co a big profit in the process which can be reinvested into the squad.

In other news, a pundit believes one Leeds player is struggling currently. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United winger Raphinha has been praised for his call to be substituted against West Ham United last weekend by injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Injury setback

Raphinha has started the 2021/22 campaign in sizzling form with three Premier League goals in six games, half of the tally from his debut top-flight season in England already.

The Brazilian winger picked up a hip injury in the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United two weeks ago and was a doubt for the defeat to David Moyes’ side last Saturday, but he lasted 70 minutes and opened the scoring with a brilliant left-footed strike.

Following the game, Bielsa claimed that the 24-year-old made it known it was becoming difficult to continue and the Leeds manager duly replaced him with Tyler Roberts.

The Latest: Right call

Speaking to Football Insider, injury expert Dinnery has insisted that Raphinha made the right decision to alert the Leeds backroom staff that he wasn’t right to continue.

He said of the White winger: “It’s the right thing to do, absolutely. If you aren’t feeling 100 per cent, do you push on and risk potentially suffering a more serious setback?

“Or do you do the sensible thing and flag that to the medical team and ask to be removed.

“We know Raphinha had problems going into the Newcastle game. There were question marks about whether he would be involved at all.

“He had missed large parts of training due to what Marcelo Bielsa referred to as a ‘hip issue’.

“if he isn’t getting those sessions in on the training pitch, fatigue could be a factor.”

The Verdict: Important for Leeds

With Leeds in the relegation zone in the Premier League and one of five teams without a win in the top flight, having Raphinha fit will be vital for their upcoming games against Watford, Southampton and Wolves.

Last season, the winger created 12 big chances and completed 21.1 passes (72%) and 1.9 dribbles per game in his first season in England (Sofascore), highlighting the importance of his contribution and availability to Bielsa.

If Leeds are to exit their current rut, they will need Raphinha to keep hitting the heights that he has done so far at Elland Road. Dinnery is right to praise the 24-year-old for admitting that he had to come off last week, as playing on could have further aggravated the injury and possibly being ruled out for a lengthy spell.

In other news: Dinnery made a less than encouraging claim about one of Raphinha’s Elland Road team-mates

Liverpool currently have a solid selection of midfield options in their squad such as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, James Milner, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

However, it seems as though the Merseyside club have their eyes on a new addition for that role.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Spanish media outlet El Nacional (via Liverpool Echo) that Liverpool are apparently interested in signing Barcelona’s 17-year-old midfielder Gavi at some point in the future.

Gavi, who is a product of Barcelona’s youth academy, made his senior debut for the club back in August in a 2-1 La Liga win over Getafe.

Since then, the midfielder has made seven appearances for Ronald Koeman’s side across all competitions this season in which he has played in a number of positions across the pitch such as central-midfield, left-wing, right-wing, left-midfield and attacking midfield, showing just how versatile he is at such a young age.

In addition to making his debut at club level, Gavi recently made his debut for the Spanish national team in their recent 2-1 win over Italy in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League.

After his performance in the win against Italy, Spain head coach Luis Enrique said Gavi’s performance was “fantastic” and the he is “something exceptional.”

Taking all of this into account, it’s easy to see why Liverpool have been mentioned with a potential move with the young star.

Future Red?

If Liverpool were to sign Gavi at some point in the near future, we feel he could well go onto be a long-term option for the Reds, given his age and perhaps take over from Henderson if he ends up leaving the club when the new four-year contract he signed over the summer runs out in 2025, which could therefore allow Gavi to take a more prominent role in the team should he make the move to Anfield at any point before then.

However, it would be understandable for Barcelona to be reluctant to potentially sell their youth star after only just making his breakthrough in their team.

On the other hand, given the widely reported financial issues at the Spanish club at the moment, there could be a situation where cashing in on a player like Gavi could be the best option for Barcelona if a club such as Liverpool were willing to come in and pay a significant transfer fee for him.

In our view, if Liverpool are interested in signing Gavi, they should probably wait until the next summer transfer window at the earliest before approaching Barcelona so they can have a better idea of the player he can develop into based on what he does throughout the remainder of this season.

In other news: £180k-p/w Liverpool “problem” sees his value crash £45m in nearly 2 years under Klopp – opinion 

After West Ham United boss David Moyes reportedly told club chiefs to sign him in the summer, an official update has now dropped involving Genk striker Paul Onuachu.

The Lowdown: Moyes in West Ham summer plea…

The Hammers were consistently linked to Onuachu as a main striking target over the summer and talks were apparently held with his agent (OwnGoalNigeria).

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Indeed, as per Nigerian sources, West Ham were plotting a bid for the 27-year-old and it is claimed that manager Moyes personally told Irons hierarchy to get a deal done (allnigeriasoccer.com).

Now, an official update has dropped in regards to Onuachu and his future in Belgium.

The Latest: Onuachu signs new deal…

As officially announced by Genk, the towering striker has put pen to paper on a new contract until 2024 – arguably making it more tricky for interested clubs to snap a bargain.

Onuachu has signed a one-year extension after his previous deal was due to expire in 2023, gifting the Jupiler Pro League side a big boost as they look to keep hold of their talismanic star or sell for a handsome profit.

This news could hand them plenty of leeway in possible future negotiations if they do indeed receive offers.

The Verdict: Big blow for West Ham?

On paper, Onuachu appears to be exactly what West Ham need in regards to a Michail Antonio alternative – a powerful, prolific, out-and-out centre-forward.

The 6 foot 6 monster bagged 35 goals for Genk in all competitions last term and has shown no sign of slowing down so far in 2021/2022 – already scoring six in eight appearances (Transfermarkt).

Labelled a ‘goal king’ by former England international John Fashanu (Punch) having bagged an impressive 130 strikes in 275 career games, it is safe to say that this news could come as a blow for West Ham and Moyes’ hopes of signing Onuachu.

In other news: West Ham source: GSB could now make move to sign ‘absolutely immense’ player for Moyes, find out more here.

Many Aston Villa fans have been fuming on Twitter, following comments from Wesley suggesting that he could leave the club upon return from his loan spell at Club Brugge [Nieuwsblad via Sport Witness].

Enjoying an injury-ridden spell at Aston Villa so far, the Brazilian has registered seven goal contributions in 26 appearances; six goals and one assist [Transfermarkt].

Now on loan at Club Brugge after finally returning to fitness, he has suggested he could be open to leaving the club at the end of his loan spell in a recent interview.

Speaking to Nieuwsblad, the 24-year-old stated: “After this year I will be under contract with Aston Villa for another 2 years. I may return, I may go to another club.” [Nieuwsblad via Sport Witness]

In light of this news, no wonder loads of Aston Villa diehards took to social media to vent their frustration at the comments from their player – while he is away temporarily, he is still a Villa Park employee, and really shouldn’t be so open about wanting to seek pastures new.

Aston Villa FC fans react:

Replying to popular Aston Villa FC fan outlet The AVFC Faithful on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about the centre-forward:

“Bad attitude”

Credit: @pavlos1874

“Sounds like he’s had enough”

Credit: @Jelly31807434

“Bye”

Credit: @Eli_techno

“Get rid!!”

Credit: @morley_kev

“Sorry, you are…?”

Credit: @keebo00

“Unfortunate with the injury but wasted money same with Samatta”

Credit: @ADAMVILLA1971

In other news, a huge behind the scenes update has been revealed at Aston Villa. Find out more here.

As per reliable Tottenham Hotspur journalist Jonathan Veal, sharing more news on superstar Son Heung-min, Nuno Espirito Santo has been handed a big blow before his side’s return against Crystal Palace this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Spurs’ international nightmare…

It’s safe to say the last international break was one of the worst for Tottenham in recent memory.

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After a 100 per cent winning start in the Premier League, new Spurs head coach Nuno has had to cope with a plethora of issues involving players who represented their countries.

Son Heung-min, Steven Bergwijn, Ryan Sessegnon and Skipp have been at the centre of doubts over their availability to face Palace on Saturday, while Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Davinson Sanchez remain in Croatia after their South American fiascos (football.london).

In a blow for Spurs, Veal has now relayed some more news involving Son before Palace.

The Latest: Son ‘set to miss Palace’…

After Nuno’s pre-match press conference, where the Portuguese explained Son ‘is not so well’, Veal has now relayed news on the South Korea star.

Summing up the latest on him for supporters, Veal explains that the 29-year-old looks nailed on to miss the the trip to Selhurst Park this afternoon.

“Son looks set to miss Palace game with the injury he picked up on international duty,” Veal explained on Twitter.

“Will be assessed by medical staff before prognosis announced.”

The Verdict: Big blow…

While Spurs are arguably capable of getting the job done without him, the evidence is clear when stating he will be a big miss for Nuno and the Lilywhites.

Named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year last season, Son also finished 2020/2021 as Tottenham’s second-most prolific player in terms of goals and assists combined (WhoScored).

Former Spurs midfielder Michael Brown lauded the attacker as ‘unplayable’ on his day last year, with Nuno now sweating on just how serious the knock will be.

In other news: Nuno could now hand ‘relentless’ starlet his first nod for Spurs after injury blows, find out more here.

Chelsea captain Mille Bright continued her rehabilitation from injury as she sat out the Lionesses first game of the year.

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• Bright continues rehab in mud and rain
• Chelsea skipper missing since November
• Misses Lionesses first fixture of 2024

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The defender has missed the Lionesses winter camp in sunny southern Spain and will be absent when her colleagues take on Austria in Andalusia on Friday evening. But Bright shared some news on social media of her working hard on her recovery in soggy Surrey.

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• WHAT MILLIE BRIGHT SAID

  "Silently grafting, fun in the sun and mud today," posted Bright on her Instagram account alongside a photo of herself at Chelsea's training complex.

  Instagram @mbrighty04

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bright has been on the sidelines since suffering the recurrence of a knee injury in November. The skipper is not the only high-profile casualty for the Blues as star forward Sam Kerr suffered a season-ending ACL injury in January. Mia Fishel was recently struck down with the affliction on international duty too.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MILLIE BRIGHT?

  An exact return date for Bright remains unknown but the 30-year-old will be hoping to be back in action for the business end of the season as Chelsea chase silverware in four different competitions with the Emma Hayes era drawing to a conclusion at Stamford Bridge.

An update has emerged on Ederson and Gabriel Jesus, regarding their availability for Manchester City this weekend. 

What’s the talk?

According to Sky Sports, Manchester City are set to be without both Ederson and Gabriel Jesus for their clash with Leicester in the Premier League this weekend.

The report claims that FIFA are poised to hand five-day bans to players whose clubs blocked them from playing for Brazil due to Covid restrictions, at the request of the Brazilian FA.

Pep will be fuming

Pep Guardiola will surely be left fuming by this news as it means that two of his key players will have to miss out on the game against Leicester. The Spanish head coach’s team will be weakened due to issues that are out of his, or the player’s, control and that will be frustrating for everyone involved.

Man City only had two options; block the players from playing or allow them to play and have them miss 10 days through quarantine upon their return. Either way, given the subsequent action, it would have resulted in Ederson and Jesus missing the game against Leicester due to the Brazilian FA’s request.

The report claims that FIFA remains in talks with the UK government over an exemption to the 10-day quarantine coming back from certain countries, but that is with future international breaks in mind rather than with a view to rectifying the current issues.

Guardiola will be livid that two key players are out of Saturday’s clash. Ederson is his number one goalkeeper and has won the Premier League Golden Glove in each of the past two seasons, suggesting that he has been the best player in his position in the division during that period.

Jesus, meanwhile, has one goal and three assists in two Premier League starts for City this season, averaging a superb WhoScored rating of 7.85. This means that Guardiola will be without an in-form forward for the clash with Leicester.

Whilst frustrating, it is something ManCity are seemingly going to have to deal with for this match. They will then need to hope that the problems can be resolved ahead of the October and November international breaks, or else Edersona and Jesus may be in trouble again.

AND in other news, 73% duels won: Man City dynamo with 120 touches will have wowed Pep with performance…