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Derby County could benefit from Will Hughes’ potential move to Crystal Palace this summer, due to a sell-on clause when he left the Rams.

The Lowdown: Hughes could join Palace

The 26-year-old made a name for himself at Derby as a youngster, scoring 12 goals in 189 appearances and looking a class act in midfield.

He eventually departed for Watford back in 2017 and is now being linked with a summer move to Palace, with new Eagles manager Patrick Vieira eyeing him up after he rejected the offer of a new deal at Vicarage Road.

The Latest: Derby could be boosted by transfer windfall

It turns out that Hughes’ potential move to Selhurst Park could work in Derby’s favour, with The Derby Telegraph reporting that the Rams’ 15% sell-on clause for the midfielder could see them receive a ‘transfer windfall’.

Hughes moved to Watford for £5m four years ago, with the deal potentially rising to £9m if add-ons were triggered. If the latter figure is the eventual cost of any such transfer, the Rams could stand to earn a seven-figure fee due to the sell-on clause.

The Verdict: Financial boost for Rams

Derby find themselves in a tough period in their history both on and off the pitch – they sit 18th in the Championship table after two matches and have endured a horrendous few months in terms of the club’s finances – so this could be a welcome boost for them.

While the money they could receive for Hughes may not be overly substantial, it could help raise much-needed transfer funds for Wayne Rooney before the transfer window shuts, as they look to give themselves the best possible chance of enjoying a successful season.

Manchester United failed to build on their emphatic opening day victory over the weekend after Southampton held them to a draw on the south coast.

The Red Devils entered Sunday’s encounter as big favourites following their 5-1 demolition of Leeds last time out, but a much-improved performance from Ralph Hassenhuttl’s charges upset the odds.

A quick start from United soon faded, and the Saints began to pile to pressure on their visitors, resulting in a deflected Che Adams strike spinning off Fred’s outstretched leg into the corner of David de Gea’s net on the half-hour mark.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side came out after the half-time break with more purpose, and it only took 19-year-old Mason Greenwood 10 minutes to level the score.

However, United’s frustrating display continued, with every fluid, exciting, attacking move seemingly being undermined by a mistake in the centre of the pitch or in defence.

One player epitomised their infuriating performance more than most, though. Anthony Martial was given a chance to impress in the central striking role due to Edinson Cavani’s enforced absence, but the Frenchman failed to deliver.

As per SofaScore, the £40.5m-rated forward received a match rating of just 6.2 out of 10 for the 59 minutes he was on the pitch, the lowest rating awarded to any United player.

Martial struggled to get into the game at St. Mary’s, touching the ball just 13 times in total, 10 fewer than goalkeeper De Gea. The former Monaco ace also managed only one shot before being substituted, failing to hit the target all afternoon.

After winning just 40% of his duels, losing possession five times and being caught offside twice, Martial made way for summer-signing Jadon Sancho just before the hour mark, and he may find himself on the bench once again next week.

The enigmatic forward was linked with an Old Trafford exit in previous weeks, something Solskjaer said wouldn’t happen, but the Norwegian manager may be left regretting backing the 25-year-old so vehemently after his latest shocking display.

And, in other news…Man Utd could finally replace RVP with £141k-p/w “phenomenon”, fans would be buzzing 

Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira is set to name a strong side against Watford on Tuesday evening in the Carabao Cup.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles supporters have been sharing their thoughts to the news on social media.

Vieira is still waiting for a first goal in charge of Palace after a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea on the opening weekend and a 0-0 stalemate against Brentford in his first competitive game at home.

Vicarage Road will play host to the second-round tie, with Vieira admitting a strong side will be on show against their Premier League rivals.

Talking to the media, relayed by London News Online, the Frenchman was quizzed on his team selection plans against the Hornets.

“So the next one is on Tuesday, and we will put a strong team out to compete because it’s important for us to build momentum. It is important for us to build our confidence. It is important for us to win football matches to win games. So our objective is to win the next one.”

Vieira continued:

“I will use this cup game to build on the confidence, and if on Monday morning, if every player is available, it will be for me to put the strongest team out because we want to compete in this competition.”

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared London News Online’s report on Twitter on Sunday evening.

These Palace fans all responded to the post with positive thoughts, with many happy at the manager’s plans and one describing it as ‘welcome’.

“love this”

Credit: @EBERZEE

“Yessss let’s go on a cup run baby”

Credit: @SWPalace

“So good from him”

Credit: @Jackcarter98_

“Well that’s a welcome change of approach….”

Credit: @ChugChugPickle

“Paddy is the right man for our club”

Credit: @HenryKerrG

“Cup run please. At Wembley beating this lot in the semi’s was amazing 5 years ago”

Credit: @Harkie_no1

In other news: Many Palace fans react as another exit is confirmed. 

Tottenham would only consider an initial loan move for Aston Villa target Weston McKennie.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who admitted there are other Premier League clubs keen on the Juventus midfielder, which had a number of Villa fans talking on social media.

McKennie emerged as a player of interest to Villa earlier in the week, with reports suggesting both Villa and Crystal Palace had joined Spurs in the race for the 22-year-old.

Romano revealed on Thursday that Tottenham aren’t considering any swap deal and would ideally want to sign the USA international on loan.

Reports elsewhere have claimed that the Italian giants would want cash offers only for McKennie.

Villa have already made three big-money signings in Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings, so McKennie could well be the fourth in a late swoop, should Villa firm up their interest.

Villa fans react

Romano’s post regarding Spurs, McKennie and other interested Premier League clubs on Thursday had these Villa supporters talking.

“Villa and Everton are looking like the other contenders, Lange do ur thing”

Credit: @Avfc_Barry

“GET IT DONE VILLA”

Credit: @ConnorFlynn719

“Gotta be us”

Credit: @Avfc_Barry

“Come on Villa”

Credit: @JackAVFC__

“Who else want him and are they negotiating? Villa please!”

Credit: @TheVillaDecree

“McKennie to villa here-we-go”

Credit: @KONSAISTHEGOAT

In other news: Aston Villa source: Talks opened for ‘brilliant’ ace to leave; Smith already given his blessing. 

David Norris reckons that Romelu Lukaku has been the signing of the transfer window.

Chelsea won the Champions League just four months after appointment Thomas Tuchel but were in desperate need of signing a striker following Timo Werner’s underwhelming first campaign in English football.

Whilst Werner contributed to 27 goals across all competitions, he scored just six times in the Premier League, which was just one more than defender Kurt Zouma and one fewer than Jorginho.

With that in mind, once Lukaku became available, Chelsea wasted little time in securing his return to Stamford Bridge in a £97.5m deal from Inter Milan earlier this month.

Lukaku, who Norris thinks could make the Blues serious title contenders, took less than 15 minutes to start repaying that fee by opening the scoring in a man of the match performance against Arsenal last weekend – his first ever goal for the club.

When asked who he believes is the best signing of the window, Norris exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Lukaku for me. He has turned Chelsea from knocking on the door to being contenders now. Manchester City are really strong, but Lukaku has made a huge difference.

“That strength, power, he’s a finisher. He’s put them back in the race. Up until now, he’s the one that I’m thinking ‘that’s good business from them’.”

A journalist has named five players that Newcastle United could now sign outside of the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Window shut

The window is now shut, meaning that the St. James’ Park faithful cannot bring in any players from other clubs until January.

However, they are still able to sign free agents outside of the window, which is a market that they may explore given that Joe Willock from Arsenal was the only first-team signing in the summer window.

The Latest: Free agents

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ed Mackey has named five free agents that the North East club could now sign.

They are Serge Aurier, Nicolas Nkoulou, Jack Wilshere, Daniel Sturridge and Eliaquim Mangala.

The Verdict: One or two could work

Given that the Tyneside outfit were linked with the likes of Boubacar Kamara, Axel Tuanzebe, Hamza Choudhury and Tom Davies, it is clear that they wanted to bring in another central defender and box-to-box midfielder.

Wilshere has a lot of experience of playing in the Premier League, and if he can stay fit, would be a solid addition in the middle of the park. Whether he can stay healthy is of course a massive ‘if’ however.

Both Nkoulou and Mangala also offer an option at centre-back, and the latter has the added experience of playing in the top flight with both Manchester City and Everton.

Nonetheless, there is still time for Steve Bruce to finalise his squad in time for when the international break finishes.

In other news, find out who may now miss the Manchester United game here!

Tottenham Hotspur have earned an early-season victory over Arsenal as they are set to officially overtake the Gunners in the UEFA rankings simply by participating in Thursday’s Conference League clash.

The Lowdown: How they work

The UEFA rankings, which has Germany champions Bayern Munich at the top of the tree, are based on results within the last five years within European competitions.

With Arsenal finishing eighth in last season’s Premier League and Spurs securing passage to the Europa Conference League on the final day, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will earn points this season for their games.

The rankings have Liverpool in third and European champions Chelsea in fifth, with Manchester United eighth after being knocked out of the Champions League group stage last season.

The Latest: It’s official

In an official development reported by the Daily Mail, Tottenham are set to overtake the Gunners in the rankings for the first time in 29 years due to their qualification for the Europa Conference League.

Arsenal’s worst league campaign of the century saw them fail for Europe and Spurs drop into UEFA’s brand new club competition, meaning they are to set to overtake their North London rivals for the first time since 1991-92.

Their campaign starts on Thursday evening with a trip to Stade Rennes, with Dutch side Vitesse and Slovenian top-flight side NS Mura completing the group.

Nuno’s side will be awarded bonus points for each round they reach in the competition, with two points for a victory and one for a draw.

The Verdict: Fall from grace

The news highlights the fall from grace for Mikel Arteta’s side, with Arsenal only coming out on top on four occasions in meetings with Spurs since 2015.

Whilst participating in another tournament every Thursday evening may disrupt Nuno’s season with injuries and fatigue, the chance to qualify for the Champions League or Europa League will be their goal for this campaign.

If Nuno can lead Spurs to their first trophy in 13 years – they are joint-favourites with Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma to lift the Conference League – he will put his name into the club’s history.

In other news, news emerges of Nuno Espirito Santo being unhappy with international events. Find out more here.

Everton released footage of Rafa Benitez’s post-match interview following their defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday night via their official Twitter channel, which had a number of Toffees fans talking.

The Spaniard suffered a first defeat as Everton manager after being forced into multiple changes prior to the Villa Park clash. Regulars Jordan Pickford, Seamus Coleman and Richarlison all missed the 3-0 defeat through injury and are set to be sidelined for two to three weeks.

Quickfire goals from Matty Cash, a Lucas Digne own goal and Leon Bailey sealed the three points for the hosts.

After the match, Benitez shared his thoughts on the loss to Dean Smith’s side and his team’s injuries and looked ahead to fixtures against Queen’s Park Rangers and Norwich, with his comments available to view here.

Everton fans react

Everton posted the interview with Benitez on their official Twitter channel and here is what these Toffees supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling his comments as ‘shocking’ and others venting at the club’s board over a quiet summer transfer window given the recent spate of injuries.

“Pace and power? What game did you watch? Shocking”

Credit: @OMaraBarry

“When everyone is fit – great, but to enter the season with such a weak squad is unforgivable. FFP is a pain yes, but we have loaned two decent squad players and could have brought in free transfers. Where is the backup on key positions?”

Credit: @MerseyMarc

“Our board are a shambles”

Credit: @YerrysBlue

“Phenomenal”

Credit: @Irontoffee

“Admittedly there were some key players missing but that performance today was shocking. Villa destroyed us, struggling to identify any positives for Everton… The team lacked heart, focus, ability… I could go on. We urgently need some class players…”

Credit: @neilthompson67

“We haven’t played badly until they scored imo. People blaming Rafa for our 1st defeat and the fact is his key players are injured while Dean Smith has Bailey and Buendia on the bench! 10 points after 5, be satisfied with that ”

Credit: @efc_aziz

In other news: ‘Sack Marcel Brands’, ‘We’re going down’ – Lots of Everton fans fume as injury update emerges. 

As per Italian news outlet JuveLive.it, there may have been a big development involving Tottenham Hotspur and their chase for AC Milan star Franck Kessie.

The Lowdown: Paratici in Kessie hunt…

Amid his ongoing contract saga, the 24-year-old has been linked with a Premier League swap to Spurs as Milan face losing one of their key players on a free transfer next summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-news-2/” title=”Spurs latest news…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, the Ivory Coast international could even be free to negotiate a free agent summer transfer as early as, January with managing director Fabio Paratici taking firm note of the situation.

A fresh development has now emerged as the Italian transfer chief eyes a possible coup for Spurs.

The Latest: Paratici ‘ready to satisfy’ Kessie and Milan…

As per Juve Live, Spurs and Paratici have ‘moved eagerly’ for Kessie and their request is ‘already advanced’.

In another enticing claim, it is believed that Tottenham’s new transfer chief is ‘ready to satisfy’ both the player’s and Milan’s demands in the winter market, potentially meaning they could even pay a fee.

It it also believed that Kessie is ready to leave the San Siro ‘immediately’ as Tottenham potentially jump ahead of Spurs in the race for his signature.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Lauded as ‘invaluable’ to Milan by Serie A writer Chloe Beresford, we believe that signing him in the winter market for a fee could be a great bit of business by Paratici.

Even though they could secure him on a free next summer as it stands, Spurs will arguably be paying a lot less in January given his contract situation.

The Rossoneri will want to make every penny they can from Kessie if they’re resigned to losing him, potentially putting Paratici in a very strong negotiating position.

In other news: Levy could now agree blockbuster new deal for another ‘magnificent’ Spurs player…find out more here.

Bruno Lage’s time as the manager of Wolves has been a perplexing state of affairs so far.

The Portuguese hasn’t done a lot wrong but the fact of the matter is, the Old Gold have only won one of their opening five league matches.

On the chalkboard

Wolves have played some vibrant attacking football this term without gaining many rewards for their efforts.

Raul Jimenez is yet to find the net while Adama Traore and Trincao are also struggling with their end product.

Lage’s men did witness an upturn in form in the Carabao Cup, however, demolishing Nottingham Forest 4-0.

They have a sterner test in round three against Tottenham where it’s likely the manager will make changes.

One area he should look at making an alteration is at left-wing back.

Marcal has played well this term but has let the manager down in some key moments. He let Mason Greenwood get by him too easily when Manchester United beat Wolves and gave away a strange penalty against Brentford.

The defender grappled Ivan Toney to the floor and the referee had to point to the spot.

The solution

If Marcal does miss out on Wednesday evening then Lage must turn to the vibrant young face of Rayan Ait-Nouri.

The Frenchman joined Wolves on loan last season and then made his move permanent over the summer.

However, he’s struggled for game time and has only started once this term – in round two of the EFL Cup.

That said, Ait-Nouri could provide his team with plenty this week, especially in the final third.

The 20-year-old’s performances were inconsistent last season but at his best, he’s an incredible weapon that Wolves have in their armoury.

That theory is back up by his former manager Stephane Moulin.

He said: “He [Ait-Nouri] also made a lot of progress athletically. I also like his way of evolving, he is a modern player, able to eliminate his opponent and make assists. He creates play and danger. Now, he takes on another dimension because he begins to defend well collectively while being interesting individually.”

With that in mind, the £16.2m-rated defender could be game-changing when the Molineux outfit take on Spurs this evening.

After all, he completed a whopping six dribbles against Forest last month and also won nine of his 13 defensive battles.

If he can show similar form against Tottenham this week, Wolves supporters could be in for a treat.

AND in other news, Lage must unleash “ridiculous” £46k-p/w Wolves beast this week, he’s a game-changer…