Crystal Place Archives

Premier League transfer merry-go-round as winger dictates moves across the country and out-of-favour Chelsea trio set to depart

It is understood that Mykhailo Mudryk is set to join Tottenham Hotspur on loan, with Tosin Adarabioyo set to make the same move permanently. Robert Sanchez is also Como bound, per Fabrizio Romano. Iliman Ndiaye also looks to be on the way from Everton to Manchester City, which could dictate transfers elsewhere in the league. Mudryk, who cost Chelsea £89,000,000, has not played for the club since November 2024 as the Ukranian tested positive for doping and was handed a 4-year-ban, losing his #10 shirt to Cole Palmer in the process. The ban was overturned in July after his appeal ruled he did NOT dope. It however seems he’s not in Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea plans as he’s yet to play a competitive match since his return with Alonso’s front three of Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro appearing nailed down. The winger was previously linked with a loan move to Leeds United, but it now seems his destination will be across London with Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham Hotspur. It’s been a busy window for Spurs, who initially looked to add Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye to their wide options, but it’s said that Manchester City have hijacked the move with their deal to bring Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo seemingly falling through, thus forcing Tottenham’s hand to offer Mudryk more game time during his comeback season. A move for Ndiaye could cause a transfer domino effect in the Premier League. It was rumoured that Richarlison would become a bargaining chip in the deal should Ndiaye have moved to Spurs, with the Brazilian being keen to return to Merseyside. Despite not wanting to be used in a swap deal, he said: “After everything I’ve been through in the last few years, I’ve decided that never again will anyone decide my future for me. “If they reach an agreement between Spurs and Everton, I will return to my beloved club. “My intention was to go back to the place where I was very happy, yes, but the negotiations happened only in the way certain people wanted, and it will no longer be like that. “Despite all this turmoil, I am under contract at Spurs and will remain at the club’s disposal.” Prior to the transfer hijacking, Manchester City were previously linked with Ndiaye as Jack Grealish was rumoured to go the other way after impressing at Everton before injury last season. Whilst he’s not said to be involved in this deal as Enzo Maresca’s side are rumoured to pay a £65,000,000 fee for the winger. It’s also understood Everon have begun pushing to bring Grealish back to the club in a separate deal. Ndiaye’s move to Manchester now comes after their proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo collapsed. The Dutchman was set to join Manchester City, but rumours suggest Liverpool failed to agree fees for Brighton’s Yakuba Minteh and Crystal Palace’s Ismailia Sarr, leading to them opting to hold on to Gakpo. Liverpool announced the signing of Bradley Barcola from PSG in a £123,000,000 deal yesterday, but would look for their third winger of the summer should Gakpo leave. Tosin Adarabioyo has also been out-of-favour in West London as Xabi Alonso looks to trim an incredibly bloated squad. Roberto De Zerbi revealed that centre-back Kevin Danso has asked to leave the club, so it is expected that Adarabioyo could be the replacement that allows Danso to move on. The Englishman is a product of Manchester City’s academy and moved across West London from Fulham to Chelsea two years ago. Finally, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is looking set to join Cesc Fabregas’ Como side on loan following the signing of Emiliano Martinez. Sanchez was slammed for his performance during Chelsea’s 3-2 win away to Fulham on opening day, forcing the club to move for the World Cup winning goalkeeper. Martinez made his debut on Sunday as Chelsea defeated Brighton 4-3 at Stamford Bridge, with Sanchez being left out of the squad. If any of these deals are set to happen, the clubs involved will need to act fast as the English transfer window closes at 11pm tonight.

September 1, 2026

Everything you need to know about the 2026/27 Premier League season

Arsenal regained their Premier League crown last season, but after a World Cup and a hectic summer which has saw nine new managers in the dugout this season, it’s bound to be another crazy season in England. Coventry, Hull and Ipswich have all returned to the division, two of which winning on opening day. With the first round of the Premier League in, here’s what to expect from every team this season. Arsenal: Mikel Arteta’s side became the first Arsenal team to win the league since the 03/04 Invincibles last season, and it only felt a matter of time after multiple 2nd place finishes. The Champions League finalists look in a good position to do it again, not only due to the squad Arteta has spent years building, or how hard they are to beat, but also thanks to the masses of change around them. Like mentioned, Arteta has spent years building a squad with depth only bested by Guardiola’s Manchester City team, which means Arsenal have been able to have a quieter window. That being said, the business they have done looks to be extremely smart, you can see where every player fits in. Players in: Bruno Guimaraes, Illian Meslier, Christos Tzolis, Ezri Konsa, Piero Hincapie (loan made permanent). Players out: Leandro Trossard, Christian Norgaard, Karl Hein, Jakub Kiwior (loan made permanent). What to expect: Champions Aston Villa: When Unai Emery took over at Aston Villa, they looked like they were bound for the Championship, but the Spaniard has transformed them into European regulars in a matter of years. Villa are now preparing for their second Champions League under Emery after he won his fifth Europa League last season. They’ll be without their star man Morgan Rogers after his big money move to Chelsea, Youri Tielemans could be a massive loss too. It looks like Emi Martinez will stay after all after another summer linked away. If the UEFA Super Cup against PSG is anything to go by, it looks like Villa could promote their youth this season, especially given the amount of big names that have left Villa Park this window. Players in: Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes, Modu Keba Cisse, Zion Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri, Alejandro Garnacho (loan), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (loan). Players out: Morgan Rogers, Donyell Malen, Youri Tielemans, Lewis Dobbin, Lucas Dinge, Enzo Barrenechea, Ezri Konsa, Samuel Illing-Junior (loan), Andres Garcia (loan), Joe Gauci (loan), Oliwer Zych (loan), Kosta Nedeljkovic (loan). What to expect: European places Bournemouth: Marco Rose has replaced Andoni Iraola in the Bournemouth dugout this season as the club prepare for their first-ever season of European football. Bournemouth are always hard ones to predict, but this year even more so with a new manager, a quantity of unproven signings and balancing playing twice, especially in a squad that doesn’t look to have too much depth. Players in: Alvaro Rodriguez, Antonio Silva, Juanalu Sanchez. Players out: Hamed Traore, Luis Sinisterra, Marcos Senesi, Enes Unal, Alex Jiminez (loan), Alex Paulsen (loan). What to expect: Bottom-half Brentford: Brentford so narrowly missed out on European football last season following a breakout year for manager Keith Andrews. From Ollie Watkins to Ivan Toney to Bryan Mbueno and Yoanne Wissa to Igor Thiago, they always have someone who knows where the net is. They’re always a hard team to predict and always seem to exceed expectations, so watch out for Brentford again. Players in: Mamadou Sangare, Jannik Schuster, Jaiden Anthony, Callum Wilson. Players out: Frank Onyeka, Jordan Henderson, Ryan Trevitt (loan), Yunus Konnak (loan), Romelle Donovan (loan), Matthew Cox (loan). What to expect: Top-half Brighton: Hearts stole the headlines last year, but Brighton have shown what Jamestown Analytics have been able to do for years. They’re in the Conference League Play-Offs this season, so could be balancing twice a week football too. It’s been a busy window for both ins and outs for the Premier League’s youngest ever permanent manager. Players in: Luka Vuskovic, Zadok Yohanna, Pascal Struijk, Costinha, Michael Svoboda, Rodrigo Rego, Promise David (loan). Players out: Jan Paul Van Hecke, Carl Rushworth, Diego Coppola, Danny Welbeck, Jeremy Sarmiento, Joel Veltman, James Milner (retired), Adam Webster, Solly March, Facundo Bounnanotte (loan), Tommy Watson (loan), James Beadle (loan), Rodrigo Rego (loan), Do Young-Yoon (loan). What to expect: European contenders Chelsea The post-Roman Abramovic era in West London can be summed up by one word, instability. Chelsea are preparing for yet another season under a new manager, but Xabi Alonso seems like one Chelsea fans can be really excited about. Of course, it didn’t work out for Alonso in Madrid, but his 2023/24 season with Leverkusen shows what the footballing legend is capable of. They’ve tried it all at Stamford Bridge, from the stability of Mauricio Pochettino to the exciting new managers such as Graham Potter, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior, but something about Alonso feels different. If he hits the ground running and is given time, the good times could be coming back to Chelsea soon. Of course, it’s been a busy transfer window at Chelsea, but Morgan Rogers has been one of the Premier League’s best players in recent years and should be suited to Alonso’s system. Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson don’t jump off the page at anyone, but the experience they’ll bring to such a young squad can only be a good thing. Players in: Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palesta, Goevanny Quenda, Valentin Barco, Emmanuel Emeghma, Pep Chavarria, Denner, Danny Welbeck, Dastan Satpaev, Jordan Henderson. Players out: Andrey Santos, Marc Cucurella, Trevor Chalobah, Tyrique George, Omari Kellyman, Dastan Satpaev (loan), Alejandro Garnacho (loan), Filip Jorgensen (loan), Benoit Badiashile (loan). What to expect: Champions League places Coventry City: Coventry return to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years this season, and after winning the Championship last season, certainly look the pick of the bunch from the promoted sides. One of the main questions surrounding Coventry going into this season will be whether Frank Lampard can keep up tactically in the Premier League as weak points have been pointed out in his previous sides.

August 25, 2026

Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham: Spurs Manage to Win Against Unlucky Palace to End 2025 on a High

Archie Gray scored his first ever goal as Spurs got a win away at Selhurst Park despite struggling for large parts of the game against Crystal Palace. Palace have two wins and three losses in their last five league games and sit ninth in the table after 17 games. Tottenham have just one win along with a draw and three losses in their last five in the league and sit 14th in the table with 22 points. Palace made four changes to the team that lost on penalties to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, Walter Benitez, Chris Richards, Jaydee Canvot and Eddie Nketiah were replaced by Dean Henderson, Nathaniel Clyne, Will Hughes and Justin Devenny. Spurs made two changes from the team that lost at home against Liverpool, Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons who were both sent off in that game were replaced by Kevin Danso and Richarlison. The first real incident happened just five minutes in as Jean-Philippe Mateta played through the on-running Devenny who was tripped blatantly by Danso, the Spurs defender was booked and after a VAR review the yellow card was upheld. Palace again pressed forwards as Hughes and Devenny linked well, Devenny’s shot from just inside the box was blocked and fell to Mateta again, but it was stopped by Spurs keeper Gugliemo Vicario. Spurs put the ball into the net after 17 minutes with their first real chance of the game, Mohammad Kudus picks up a slack header and a couple of nice passes between him and Lucas Bergvall they then find Archie Gray whose cross found the head of Richarlison, however Bergvall was found to be offside by VAR and the goal didn’t stand. Palace would then go up the pitch and Adam Wharton would win back possession and played an exquisite pass to Mateta who took a decent shot at goal with the ball stuck under his feet but drifted wide. Another chance came for Oliver Glasner’s team as they won another free kick taken by Yeremy Pino, his cross deep to the back post was headed back across goal by Maxence Lacroix and met by Mateta who headed over from about five yards. As we passed the half hour mark the game was extremely one sided with Crystal Palace holding the majority of the possession, but Tottenham were defending very well. Palace again went close just a minute later as left wing-back Tyrick Mitchell’s cross was met by Devenny, but his header went straight at Vicario. Djed Spence plays a blind pass on the edge of his own box that goes straight to Wharton who is able to hit a curling left foot shot but again it was a fairly easy stop for the goalkeeper. The one-way traffic continued, this time it was Hughes who had a shot go over the bar after more good work down the Palace left from Devenny and Mitchell. Tottenham unbelievably took the lead as they managed to get a corner that was curled into the far post by Pedro Porro, it was knocked back across goal by both Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison before the vital touch by Gray for his first senior goal to give the visitors the lead. As we hit half time Tottenham had grown into the game more but were undeservedly ahead with that Archie Gray header. Palace should have had a few goals by this point in the game, but they couldn’t find the definitive finishing touch. The early moments of the second half were dominated by Crystal Palace, mirroring long spells of the first half but again the final touch evaded them. Palace’s first shot of the second half came after 55 minutes a cross by Pino was headed by Clyne and his header found Devanny around eight yards from goal who had to hit it on the spin, but his shot flew over the bar. As we passed the hour mark, the trend of the game continued as Palace remained on the ball a lot, having just over 70% of the possession but still looked lost once they reached the Tottenham penalty area. Spurs were just clinging on desperately to their one goal lead. Yet again Crystal Palace go close from a header, a Wharton cross headed back across goal by Jefferson Lerma and Lacroix this time puts it wide as it was almost beyond belief at this point that Palace hadn’t scored. Again, Spurs are able to break up the pitch once and put the ball in the net, a long ball by Porro found Kudus, a one-two with Gray and Kudus plays a wicked outside-of-the-foot cross for Richarlison. However again VAR denies Spurs a goal and the deficit is back to just one. A Wharton corner was met six yards out by Marc Guehi, and he became the latest Palace player to miss the target from a close-range header. Spurs have another flurry up the pitch again a long ball towards Kudus whose lay-off finds Richarlison but his shot is straight at Palace keeper Henderson. A Spurs free kick taken by substitute Joao Palhinha was headed goalwards by another sub Radu Dragusin but it flew over the goal. Spurs again went close as another sub Wilson Odobert hit the post with a powerful shot after good work from Palhinha to win back the ball and get it into Odobert’s path again. Spurs had one last chance late into injury time as Odobert got the ball to substitute Brennan Johnson who cut it back for Rodrigo Bentancur but his powerful shot was saved well by Henderson. The game finished with a 1-0 win for Tottenham in a game they deserved to lose, Palace had the majority of possession and chances, but they couldn’t get enough of their attempts on target and the ones that did hit the target were easy to save. This result took Tottenham up to 11th place as they face another away game as Thomas Frank goes back to his old club Brentford

December 28, 2025

Crystal Palace star man on a potential move to Italy

Jean-Philippe Mateta has made his feeling known as the striker is keen on making a switch to Serie-A. Mateta could be on his way out this winter as AC Milan are set to be interested in the Palace man. The FA Cup and Community Shield winner is hoping in making the French world cup team as he eyes up the move abroad to increase those chances. Mateta’s deal in London expires in 2027 but hasn’t penned a new deal with the Selhurst Park side. Mateta has a high chance of being called up to the France national side after scoring on two occasions in three. AC Milan sit at the top of the Italian division and look to add to their attacking options with Mateta being listed. Mateta’s most recent goal for Palace came just five days ago in a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford. Mateta has nine so far this campaign for the London side which includes a hat-trick against AFC Bournemouth in October in a three all draw. The striker is the top goal scorer at Selhurst Park sitting on 9 with Sarr just one goal behind the forward. Mateta has featured in all games this season for Palace (22) with the French International starting 21 of those fixtures. If Mateta is to leave, they may be done with a second blow as key player, Guehi could also be set to depart with his contract set to run out this summer. The English International was heavily linked with a switch to Liverpool last window but fell through in the final few hours of the window. Just like Mateta, Guehi has also featured in every game so far, netting once providing three assists along the way. If both Mateta and Guehi are to exit, this will show to be costly and difficult to replace especially with Guehi possibly leaving on a free.

December 4, 2025