Defender Iacovitti leaves St Mirren
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Marc Guehi could be sold this summer, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has conceded, with just one year remaining on the Eagles captain's contract. Palace defeated Liverpool on Sunday in the Community Shield and knocked back offers from Newcastle for the England centre-back in January, with the highest bid thought to be worth in the region of £65m. But with Guehi yet to sign a new deal and links with Liverpool, who have experienced defensive problems in pre-season, Palace could salvage some value in the player to avoid losing him on a free transfer next summer. "We'd have to do that, of course," Parish said. "For players of that calibre to leave on a free, it's a problem for us, unfortunately. "Joachim [Andersen] went [to Fulham last summer] and we couldn't afford to lose both. "We then had another bid [for Guehi] in January but that was a different situation. "We'll just have to see what happens. But, you know, it needs a new contract or a conclusion of some kind." The Independent understands that Liverpool have held an interest in the player over the last year and would consider a move before the end of the window, though the Reds have already splashed out £270m this summer. Guehi helped the Eagles beat Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday, securing the second piece of silverware under manager Oliver Glasner. But despite the arrivals of Argentina goalkeeper Walter Benitez from PSV Eindhoven and Croatia defender Borna Sosa from Ajax, Palace have been left frustrated with a lack of signings ahead of a campaign in Europe, either in the Europa League or Conference League, depending on the club's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport following their demotion over multi-club ownership rules. "It's difficult. We have an outstanding 15 or 16 players, trying to get that level of quality in is hard. The prices - at the end of the day we're Crystal Palace," Parish added. "The money at every football club is finite at some point. We will do what we can, try and help where we can. We all want to be better at football and we will try and do what we can."
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Tottenham have hope under Thomas Frank and the priority is now clear
'He understands Rome wasn't built in a day. We haven't said to him that we want to win the Premier League this year,' Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said on The Overlap with Gary Neville last week. He'd be wise to take on his own advice. Spurs head into another season with a new manager at the helm as Thomas Frank succeeds Ange Postecoglou at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium helm. That's not to say Postecoglou deserved a third season. It was a series that had run its course with a grand crescendo. Europa League success, while welcomed with open arms in north London, papered over a dire domestic campaign. Spurs, after all, lost 22 league games last season. It was the most by a team that was not relegated in a 38-game Premier League campaign. Emotionally, for supporters, it was sad to see Postecoglou go. He was a father figure who routinely went to bat for the club. However, it was impossible to overlook the tactical shortcomings. Remove the rose-tinted glasses, and the stats outlined a team that lacked structure and was routinely carved open in transition. Ange's gung-ho approach may have appealed to neutrals and rivals, who loved nothing more than watching Spurs crash and burn on a weekly basis. The honeymoon period saw Spurs go unbeaten in the opening 10 matches of the Australian's tenure, picking up 26 of a possible 30 points in the process. And 25 percent of the total points Postecoglou picked up during his reign came in those 10 games. Anyway, enough dwelling on the past, it's time to look to the future, and for supporters to jump on 'Thomas the Frank Engine'. It's been a mixed pre-season for Frank and Spurs, and one compounded by a miserable 4-0 loss at Bayern. That said, Frank oversaw a 'North London derby' win over Arsenal – Pape Sarr's first half strike enough to secure the coveted Herbalgy Trophy in Hong Kong. Draws with Luton, Wycombe and Newcastle hardly inspired confidence. Even so, supporters have welcomed a more regimented-looking Spurs side, with Frank implementing an aggressive, possession-based style of play. While Spurs would press heavily under Postecoglou, the team looks more in sync in a collective push to rob the ball of opponents rather than going forward all guns blazing, leaving gaping holes at the back as a result. There has also been a greater onus on maximising the attacking qualities of full-backs Djed Spence, Destiny Udogie – when fit – and Pedro Porro. Under Postecoglou, the pair would invert into midfield to give the team a semblance of dominance in the middle of the park as they pushed higher up the park. Rather, Frank is relying on the offensive output of the trio as a means of hurting opponents, ensuring their strengths are capitalised upon. To aid their impact, Frank is tasking his wingers with cutting inside from their respective flanks to open up space for the full-backs and create overloads down the right or left flank. Mohammed Kudus, Spurs' marquee addition so far, has quickly won plenty of admirers, and understandably so. The Ghana international, who crossed the great divide from east to north London, ranked second for successful dribbles (92) in the Premier League last season, to provide the required directness that had been found wanting. For context, Spurs' top dribblers last season were Dejan Kulusevski and Spence, with 38 apiece. Considering Frank's use of Bryan Mbeumo last season, the Cameroon international netted 20 Premier League goals, of which 17 were with his left foot, Frank is expected to task Kudus with a similar role. The Dane will certainly hope he can better his five-goal haul in 2024/25. On the opposite flank, there will be a Son Heung-min -sized hole to fill, and Frank does have options in the squad. Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Brennan Johnson, the latter of whom Frank wanted during his time at Brentford, all match the 'cut-inside' demands of the new Spurs boss, and in his favoured 4-2-3-1 setup, there will be ample protection for the flair players to work their magic in the final third. The loan arrival of Joao Palhinha adds steel to a previously flimsy midfield, and the arrival of the Portuguese ball winner, who ranks third for tackles (300) since the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season despite leaving for Bayern last summer, will go a long way to ensuring the team aren't caught out time and time again when opponents counter. Conversely, there are understandable concerns about the lack of creativity in the side. Yes, Kudus is a great addition, while the permanent signings of Tel and Kevin Danso add strength, but three of Spurs' top four most creative players last season have either departed the club or are presently sidelined. Kulusevski won't feature again for the foreseeable future, having undergone surgery on his right patella in May, and James Maddison suffered an ACL injury in pre-season against Newcastle, hurting the same knee that forced him off in the second half of the 3-1 Europa League win over Bodo/Glimt earlier this year. It could be seven months before he returns. Spurs either need to dip into the market for a replacement or rely on the likes of Lucas Bergvall or Sarr to shoulder the creative burden in a more advanced role than they are accustomed to. It's not all doom and gloom for Spurs, however. Cristian Romero is expected to assume the captaincy with the club successfully warding off interest from Atletico Madrid for the Argentine, while fellow centre-back Micky van de Ven is likely to benefit from a change in system that'll ease the burden on his chewing gum hamstrings. Palhinha, while not a ball progressor some may hope for, is an astute capture in a previously problematic area. That Spurs don't have a natural creator is a worry, though. The Super Cup meeting with PSG is looming and having been outclassed by Bayern, fans are concerned about similar, or worse, in Udine. It could prove a tough first season for Frank as he looks to build his own 'Rome'.
