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We are almost midway through the January transfer window, and Crystal Palace have had no luck in the market as of yet. A number of names have been linked with a move to Selhurst Park, including the likes of Michy Batshuayi and Oumar Niasse, but two other players have also been linked who would represent a huge shift in Palace’s scouting qualities.

20-year-old duo Josh Maja and Ebere Eze, who play for Sunderland and QPR respectively, have been linked with a move to SE25 to help ease Roy Hodgson’s woes in front of goal, both of whom are a far cry from Palace’s usual targets – past names such as Emmanuel Adebayor and Kevin Doyle show that they do opt for the cheaper, washed up option at times.

However, by being linked with the duo, it shows a shift in momentum in the transfer department. Maja would be an impressive coup, given his 14-goal haul in League One this season and his huge ceiling for growth – he has also recently rejected a new contract from the Black Cats.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

In Eze’s case, he is an electric forward who is reminiscent of a young Wilfried Zaha, in the way that he takes people on and looks to make things happen.

It is a tough choice, but we recently asked Palace fans which of the two they would prefer to sign if they could only have one.

As shown by the results below, it was a narrow vote, but 55% of those who partook in the poll would rather see Eze sign instead of Maja…

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According to the Daily Star (January 8th, page 47), reported via HITC, Southampton are interested in signing Everton winger Ademola Lookman in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Lookman has only managed to feature irregularly for the Toffees so far this season, making just 11 Premier League appearances, only one of which was as a member of Marco Silva’s starting XI.

Having resisted offers from German outfit RB Leipzig in the summer, it is perhaps surprising that the England under-21 international hasn’t been more central to Silva’s plans this season.

American Soccer Fan is back! You should check out the video below but Southampton fans should look away now…

However, the Portuguese coach appears unconvinced by Lookman’s ability to thrive in the Premier League at this stage in his career. For the sake of his own development then, Lookman should once agains try to force a move away from Goodison Park in this January transfer window.

It is unsurprising that the Saints are interested in taking on the young winger’s services, and St Mary’s Stadium is in fact the perfect destination for Lookman.

A happy reunion

Whilst Silva may have doubts about his ability, Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl certainly has faith in Lookman. The Austrian coach was in charge of RB Leipzig when the English youngster enjoyed his fruitful loan spell there in the second half of last season.

Hasenhuttl got the best out of Lookman in the Bundesliga and will back himself to be able to do the same again on the English south coast. If he can, then a switch to St Mary’s would also see Lookman finally flourish in the Premier League.

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Mauricio Pochettino faces something of a selection dilemma this weekend ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Manchester United.

The Argentine regularly rotates his full-backs, but he’d be best advised to stick with Danny Rose over Ben Davies this weekend after the England international made a strong return to form against Chelsea.

On the chalkboard

Rose has been in and out of the Tottenham team this season, making 11 appearances compared to Davies’ 16 in the league.

Rose has seen his game time significantly limited due to a groin injury that kept him out of five successive league encounters.

But the Englishman is a better attacking option, and a quicker defender.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…

In fewer games, Rose has laid on two assists while Davies has yet to create a league goal. And the former’s performance against Chelsea in midweek suggests he is back to his best.

Despite having their backs pinned firmly against the wall, Tottenham kept a clean sheet and emerged from a scrappy game with a vital 1-0 first leg semi-final lead.

The 28-year-old performed admirably against the largely unheralded Callum Hudson-Odoi on the left flank, not allowing the youngster to push past him, and marginalising him to the point of substitution, as Olivier Giroud was thrown on by Maurizio Sarri in a bid to salvage the game.

Ruin United’s attack

United’s weakest position in attack is on the right flank.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has fielded Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata twice each in the position in his first four league games, and stuck with the Spaniard for the FA Cup clash with Reading.

Neither offer the searing pace of Marcus Rashford, who will either play through the middle or on the left, nor the brutish aggression of Romelu Lukaku.

Rose, then, should be able to nullify either of them and, crucially, then press forward in search of attacking options.

For as good as Davies is defensively – he enjoyed a renaissance at centre-back earlier this season due to a spate of injuries – he appears afraid of pushing too high up the pitch.

With this weekend’s clash likely to be settled by fine margins, having Rose as an attacking weapon could be all the difference for Tottenham.

Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin is set to miss the rest of the season following an anterior cruciate ligament injury picked up in a recent 2-0 Premier League victory over Chelsea at the Emirates.

As a result, the north London club could now move for a new right-back with Napoli’s Kevin Malcuit said to be a possible option.

The Breakdown

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign £11.25m-rated (Transfermarkt) Malcuit, despite the 27-year-old only joining Napoli last summer, in a deal that probably would have made sense even before Bellerin’s serious injury.

The Gunners brought in Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer last June to provide cover at right-back, but the former Juventus man has looked absolutely atrocious at times. And at 35 years of age, he was never going to be a long-term option.

Meanwhile, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who has rarely let Arsenal down when forced to fill in at right-back or right wing-back to his credit, probably sees his future in central midfield.

Does that mean Malcuit, specifically, is the solution? Only time will tell if he actually does end up making the move from the San Paolo to the Emirates.

One thing that is for sure, though, based on Lichtsteiner’s performances this season, Arsenal could definitely do with a new right-back.

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Rangers recorded a priceless 4-2 victory over Aberdeen on Wednesday evening – a game in which Ryan Kent enhanced his growing reputation at Ibrox with an excellent all-round display.

How has Kent fared since arriving at Rangers?

Unsuccessful loan spells with SC Freiburg and Bristol City last season evoked reasonable cause for concern amongst the Gers faithful when Kent arrived in Scotland.

He didn’t quite hit the ground running during the early stages of his Rangers career but fleeting moments of quality hinted that there was a huge talent brewing beneath the surface.

Suspicions regarding the 22-year-old’s potential to thrive at this level have since come to fruition, with a series of potent attacking displays helping him to establish himself as a key player under Steven Gerrard.

Kent looks comfortable in his temporary environment, but the fact he would face huge competition for a starting berth at Liverpool suggests that Gerrard should be discussing the possibility of a permanent deal with Dave King in the coming months.

A future Ibrox legend in the making?

Predicting the emergence of a future legend is no easy task. Players come and go from football clubs at the first sight of a pay rise or a bigger challenge, and it doesn’t take too many positive performances to draw interest from afar either.

But considering Kent’s glowing form in recent months and the position Rangers currently find themselves in, it’s fair to say he should do everything he can to make his temporary stay a permanent one.

If the Glasgow giants manage to strike a deal with Liverpool there is no question he could grow into a legend on the Ibrox terraces.

After watching Celtic dominate Scottish football with such imperious swagger in recent years, the supporters will want nothing more than to silence their bitter rivals by clinching the title.

Any player who plays a key role in a future title win will have a special place in the hearts of Rangers supporters, especially a player in Kent who plays with the flair and dynamism of a truly memorable talent.

Whether the winger will stay at Ibrox beyond the season remains to be seen, but the quality he has showcased this season suggests that Gerrard’s decision to bring him to the club last summer might have set the wheels in motion for a new Rangers legend to emerge.

Time to secure a permanent deal, Mr King.

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Arsenal were completely outclassed by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a fixture which Mesut Ozil played no part despite being available on the substitutes bench.

What’s the word?

The future of Mesut Ozil has been a topic of rife discussion in north London this season.

Aaron Ramsey’s imminent summer move to Juventus has already provided Emery with one significant body blow, but comments from former Arsenal forward Ian Wright hint that Ozil will follow the Wales international out of the exit door.

Indeed, Emery left Ozil on the bench against the Premier League champions despite the fact his side were hopelessly devoid of creativity in the second-half, opting instead to hand Denis Suarez his debut against his former club.

While speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day 2 show (via Goal), Wright had this to say about Ozil: “Captain one week, next week he plays a left-back in midfield ahead of arguably our most creative player.

“Doesn’t look very good for him.”

Emery’s biggest setback yet?

To say it doesn’t look very good for Ozil is an understatement; the writing is firmly on the wall after Emery’s latest snub.

Whether Emery has personally fallen out with Ozil behind the scenes or if his decision-making is purely football orientated remains unclear, but the enigmatic playmaker’s position at the club right now is markedly more transparent: Emery simply doesn’t trust him.

While there is no room for friction and distracting sub-plots in Emery’s endeavour to help Arsenal progress into a positive future, the fact the club look set to wave goodbye to another immensely talented senior player in the summer is hugely concerning.

Not only would losing a player of Ozil’s ability represent a blow to Arsenal’s long-term ambitions on the pitch, it would also represent a metaphorical setback for the club.

The departure of Alexis Sanchez in 2018 and the imminent exit of Ramsey have already set a dangerous precedent for the future regarding their most indispensable players, and Ozil’s decision to follow them out of the Emirates will further compound the regressive theme which has emerged at Arsenal.

Wright’s assessment of Ozil’s position at Arsenal is a damning indictment of how tentative the situation is between player and manager right now, and one can only assume that Emery’s latest selection decision is just another sign that a bitterly disappointing summer departure is looming on the horizon.

Manchester City moved back to the top of the Premier League with devastating win over Chelsea this afternoon.

City were simply too hot to handle for the Blues and had the game won inside 20 minutes, with four quick fire goals putting the tie to bed before Mauro Sarri’s men had even got going.

Chelsea put some pressure on for a bit in the opening half, but it was inevitable the Citizens were going to get more, and they duly obliged with two more in the second period.

The performance was something we have not seen from City for quite a while now, and showed us here in the Tavern exactly why they are going to be Premier League champions come the end of May.

The way they dismantled a team who, despite being in a bit of bad form themselves, had come into the game off the back of a 5-0 win over Huddersfield, and confidence should have been high.

City yet again though struck early, and it is this early goal which is seemingly killing teams off before they have even had chance to hit their stride.

Pep Guardiola will be loving the early strikes, and the delight on his face knowing teams will then have to come and attack his team is clear to see.

WIth Sergio Aguero in the form of his life, a returning Kevin De Bruyne kicking into gear, and the likes of Bernardo and Raheem Sterling in impressive form, the sky really is the limit for this City side.

Liverpool remain the team to knock from their perch, but with City in this form, it’s looking more and more likely a second consecutive title is heading to the Etihad.

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…

What a week or so it’s been for Manchester United. From the depths of despair, to the heights of adulation. The Red Devils came into their Premier League game against Tottenham with the looming prospect of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer potentially being sacked. But after victories over the north London side, noisy neighbours Manchester City and against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night, the momentum has well and truly shifted.

United are on cloud nine at the moment, and appear to have found their groove when they quite frankly needed it the most. The results may well have saved Solskjaer’s job for the long-term. And on Sunday, the Manchester side face an Everton team that have enjoyed their own mini-rejuvenation following Duncan Ferguson temporarily taking over the reins. The Toffees swept aside Chelsea last time out, and arrive at Old Trafford knowing they can upset the odds again.

And that is why there is no doubt Solskjaer will return to one of his strongest starting line-ups for the game.

Having rested many of his team for the Thursday night clash against the Dutch side, Solskjaer will bring the majority of his usual starting eleven back. And that includes an almost entirely new back-line, with only summer signing Harry Maguire keeping his place from the mid-week game. That will mean Luke Shaw once again gets the chance to show that he still has a long-term future at Old Trafford following his long-awaited return from injury.

In midfield, Solskjaer hailed the growing partnership of Scott McTominay and Fred, and the two will no doubt form the midfield pairing. Ahead of him, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are also likely to retain their places from last week’s derby-day triumph against City. But the one area where the United boss may look to spring a surprise is out wide on the right.

A real test for any fan: Can you name all of these obscure Man Utd signings?

Whilst Daniel James has enjoyed a fine debut campaign at the club – he has scored three goals and provided a further five assists – he has not found the back of the net in his previous 12 games in the Premier League. And after Mason Greenwood’s goal-scoring display against Alkmaar, Solskjaer himself admitted that the starlet is “ready” to play in the Premier League. It would be a major vote of confidence in the teenager for the Norwegian to throw him into the starting line-up on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans have been hailing this ace for his performance against AZ Alkmaar.

Everton could be in for quite a ride this January transfer window following the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti, who will want to put his mark on and make improvements to an underperforming squad.

In order to do that, however, there are a number of key issues he’ll need to address in terms of both incomings and outgoings. With that in mind, Football FanCast have outlined two transfer priorities Ancelotti must confront when the transfer window reopens.

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Improve the spine

If Ancelotti is to bring in new signings next month then they simply must be down the spine of the team.

Everton lack top-level quality at centre-back, in central midfield and up front, which probably explains how a season that was meant to see them battling the big clubs has transpired into them being just four points off relegation.

Watch Everton vs Burnley Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

Injuries certainly haven’t helped in central midfield with Andre Gomes, Fabian Delpth and Jean-Philippe Gbamin all absent for significant portions of the campaign, but Everton also failed to replace last season’s loan star Kurt Zouma during the summer and still lack that guaranteed goalscorer up front.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored five Premier League goals this season but Cenk Tosun has netted just once and Moise Kean is yet to get off the mark, so improvement in that area is clearly needed.

Everton will struggle to strengthen all three positions in one window, but if they are to make any signings in January they need to bring depth to those areas at the very least.

Sell Cenk Tosun and Oumar Niasse

28-year-old Tosun has only featured in eight games during the first half of the season and chipped in with just one goal in the process, while Niasse has registered just one minute so far in the Premier League.

While selling two strikers would theoretically weaken the spine we’ve just spoke about strengthening, it’s clear Tosun and Naisse are part of the problem rather than the solution, two players who are making that very spine much weaker than it should be for a club of Everton’s stature.

Shipping off Tosun and Naisse will make room in the squad – and perhaps more importantly, the budget – for an alternative striker who can offer more support to Calvert-Lewin.

Something interesting happened at Leeds United this week.

Well, aside from the obvious interest around Eddie Nketiah being recalled and their game against West Brom.

The Whites broke an all-time club record as they benefitted from their sixth own goal of the season, a tally higher than in any campaign in the club’s history.

Some may call this lucky, but it was always going to happen under Marcelo Bielsa.

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Own goals

The idea that own goals are lucky is a bit outdated and too simplistic.

No player wants to put the ball in their own net, but if a ball comes in that a player simply can’t deal with they’re liable to put one past their own goalkeeper.

Leeds’ system is set up to put defenders in these types of positions.

Always going to happen

Bielsa’s system basically invites teams to score own goals due to the number of counter-attacks Leeds launch, and the number of crosses they put in.

Think about how hard it is to clear a regular cross to safety, and that becomes even harder when you’re running back in the wrong direction.

Leeds have scored the joint-highest number of counter-attacking goals in the Championship this term, while also putting in the highest number of crosses per match in the division.

Those two stats create a deadly recipe that defenders simply won’t want to deal with. It inevitably creates dangerous situations where opposition players are left in perilous positions to defend the ball.

Leeds breaking this record was inevitable under Bielsa and the fact that it has taken just 26 league games for it to happen shows that it’s no fluke.

In other news, Phil Hay has urged Marcelo Bielsa to make one change at Leeds.