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Brighton shocked many in the footballing world when they gave Chris Hughton the boot last Monday with Premier League survival secured.

However, with the Seagulls having failed to win since their 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace back in March, the chiefs at the Amex Stadium can be forgiven for thinking a change of direction was needed.

Unlike their bitter rivals, Palace finished their season on a high note, putting five past Bournemouth at Selhurst Park and thus securing a 12th-placed finish, although they will still be haunted by the pair of losses to their seaside enemies in 2019/20.

Hughton guided Brighton from the depths of the football league to the top flight and Graham Potter, who replaced him this week, has some huge shoes to fill without a doubt.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

The 44-year-old guided Swansea to a tenth-place finish last term and will likely bring an exciting brand of football to Brighton – Eagles and Seagulls fans alike can expect some exciting derbies to come.

Here’s what the fans of the former had to say about the appointment on Twitter…

Given his ability and how long he has been around for, it is a surprise that Ruben Loftus-Cheek is only starting to make a real name for himself now.

Better late than never, though, and the 23-year-old will undoubtedly be delighted with how things are currently going after some very difficult moments at Chelsea.

Under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, Loftus-Cheek had constantly been overlooked before going out on loan to Crystal Palace, a move that has helped him get to where he is today.

There, when fit, the midfielder got regular minutes on the pitch and really started to strut his stuff.

Be it on the flank, an unfamiliar position for him at the time, or centrally, Loftus-Cheek was able to showcase his full skill set and impact games.

With his sheer power and ability to drive with the ball, the Chelsea academy graduate would often bulldoze past the opposition with ease.

The above were quite clearly qualities Gareth Southgate respected, with the England manager later handing Loftus-Cheek a place in his Three Lions World Cup squad.

Despite missing a chunk of that 2017/18 campaign due to injury, Loftus-Cheek had obviously shown the England boss enough in the appearances he did manage to make.

Fast forward to now, and Loftus-Cheek is a midfielder on the verge of tying down a spot in the starting XI of one of Europe’s elite clubs after helping his country reach a World Cup semi-final.

Since returning to Stamford Bridge, life has not always been easy under Maurizio Sarri, while a recurring back injury has done him no favours.

But for Loftus-Cheek, his future at Chelsea seems bright with that loan spell at Crystal Palace looking like it will go a long way for the England international.

Crystal Palace fans, what are some of your standout memories of Loftus-Cheek’s time at Selhurst Park? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Southampton can all but confirm their safety with a victory over Bournemouth this weekend and will be hoping to pile the misery on their visitors, who fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Fulham last time out.

The almost-weekly improvements made by the Saints since Ralph Hasenhuttl took the helm have seen the south coast outfit steadily climb away from relegation, meanwhile picking up some phenomenal results.

But Mark Lawrenson predicts that this will be the game after which the Austrian can begin planning for what is looking like being an exciting first full season in the Premier League.

The BBC pundit predicts a scoreline of 2-0 to the hosts, who he thinks will be able to capitalise on Bournemouth’s struggles at the back:

“The good news for Southampton is that Bournemouth are short of fit defenders, and they are not the greatest at the back anyhow.

“Saints are as good as safe anyway, sitting six points above Cardiff and with a much superior goal-difference, and I think they will make absolutely sure of staying up on Saturday.”

A Southampton fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Saints in the video below…

Indeed, with a number of key defenders sidelined, the Cherries have a mountain to climb against a Southampton side who are tearing teams apart with their tenacity up front, epitomised by Shane Long’s early, early goal against Watford last time out.

The Saints will have a job keeping the likes of Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson, who have struck up a lethal partnership, at bay but they have plenty of pace and legs in the team to run Eddie Howe’s side ragged. They surely won’t bottle their six-point lead on 18th-placed Cardiff but a win at St Mary’s Stadium this weekend will make their survival fact.

يصر أنطونيو كونتي المدير الفني لـ إنتر ميلان، على أن التعادل 2-2 مع بوروسيا مونشنجلادباخ، لا يمكن مقارنته بالبداية الضعيفة للفريق في دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم الماضي.

في العام الماضي بدأ النيراتزوري موسمه بالتعادل على أرضه أمام سلافيا براج، واحتل المركز الثالث في مجموعته.

طالع تقرير مباراة إنتر ميلان وبوروسيا مونشنجلادباخ وشاهد الأهداف

وقال المدرب لشبكة “سكاي سبورت إيطاليا”: “لا يمكننا مقارنة هذه المباراة بتعادل الموسم الماضي ضد سلافيا براغج”.

وأضاف: “كان هذا خطأً حقيقيًا، في حين أننا قدمنا أداءً جيدًا الليلة أمام فريق يتمتع بقدر كبير من الإمكانات، يتمتع بجودة فنية بالإضافة إلى اللياقة البدنية”.

وأردف كونتي: “لا أتذكر تصدي سمير هاندانوفيتش، حيث أتيحت لنا فرص الفوز بالمباراة، ليس لدي شيء لأوبخ الفتيان عليه، حتمًا يمكننا التحسن في بعض المواقف التي توجد فيها أخطاء وعلينا العمل على تقليصها”.

وعن الدفع بكريستيان إريكسن أساسيًا، تابع: “مثل الفريق بأكمله، قدم إريكسن مباراة جيدة، طلبنا منه أن يكون أكثر حسماً في التعامل مع الكرة، وأعتقد أنه قدم أداءً جيدًا، وكذلك فعل جميع اللاعبين”.

وشدد: “علينا التركيز على بذل قصارى جهدنا على أرض الملعب، هذا كل ما علينا فعله، لم يكن من السهل اليوم تلقي الأخبار في الخامسة مساءً بأن حكيمي مصابًا بكورونا، حتى هذا الصباح، كان يتدرب معنا، وكان من المفترض أن يبدأ أساسيًا، لذلك قمنا بإعداد جميع المواقف التكتيكية”.

وأكمل الإيطالي: “طلبت من الفتيان مواجهة كل موقف برؤوس مرفوعة، لم يكن الأمر سهلاً على المستوى النفسي، لكن اللاعبين أظهروا أنهم رجال جيدون وكذلك لاعبون جيدون”.

واستطرد كونتي: “أجرى أليساندرو باستوني دورتين تدريبيتين بعد تعافيه من كورونا، وكان مارسيلو بروزوفيتش يعاني من مشكلة عضلية ولم يكن ستيفانو سينسي متاحًا، رادجا ناينجولان أجرى جلسة تدريبية أمس لأول مرة “.

وأتم بشأن استبدال أليكسيس سانشيز: “سانشيز بحاجة إلى تقييم من قبل الطاقم الطبي، في بعض الأحيان تحتاج إلى الترجمة مع أليكسيس ومعرفة ما يحدث، لكننا سنرى غدًا ما هو الوضع”.

It was always going to be a tough ask for Paul Rachubka to follow in the footsteps of Kasper Schmeichel.

The Danish goalkeeper’s departure to Leicester City in 2011 left Leeds United needing to bring in an experienced replacement.

On the face of things, Rachubka seemed like the ideal signing at the time as he had played an integral role in helping Blackpool achieve promotion from the Championship in 2009. Therefore, when he moved to Elland Road on a free transfer, the expectancy was high for him amongst supporters.

However, the American-born player’s time at Leeds ended up being disastrous. After starting the season as back-up to Andy Lonergan, Rachubka has handed his opportunity to impress after his rival suffered an injury during a 3-0 win at Doncaster Rovers. In his first four full appearances for the Whites, he failed to keep a single clean-sheet with a number of shaky moments increasing the pressure on him to succeed. Whereas some players rise to the occasion under this circumstance, Rachubka unfortunately did the opposite, producing a performance against his former side Blackpool which ultimately caused his career to spiral.

With Leeds already a goal down at Elland Road, the former Huddersfield Town loanee failed to hold onto a routine strike which culminated in defender Tom Lees being sent-off for handling the ball on the line in an attempt to prevent Ludovic Sylvestre adding to the Seasiders’ lead. The resulting penalty was scored by Jonjo Shelvey before Rachubka’s night got even worse.

After spilling another tame shot, he presented Shelvey with a golden opportunity to add to his tally which he duly took. The club’s supporters had understandably seen enough and then-manager Simon Grayson decided to substitute Rachubka at half-time for Alex Cairns.

This disastrous 45 minutes proved to be the final time that the keeper would represent Leeds as he would spend the two years on loan at the likes of Tranmere Rovers, Accrington Stanley and Leyton Orient before eventually joining Oldham Athletic on a permanent deal. Although he demonstrtaed a brief resurgence in form for the Latics, it proved to be a false dawn as he failed to hold down a regular spot at Boundary Park.

Two underwhelming spells at Crewe Alexandra and Bolton Wanderers would follow for Rachubka before he made the switch to the Indian Super League in 2017 to join Kerala Blasters.

After 12 appearances for the side, the 37-year-old was released last year and has since announced his retirement, bringing an end to a roller-coaster of a career which ultimately stalled when he made the ill-fated decision to join Leeds.

Rangers kept the pressure on league leaders Celtic with a massive 5-0 win over Hamilton Academical at the weekend.

The Gers netted four goals in the first half with Ryan Jack, Jermain Defoe, Scott Arfield and James Tavernier all getting on the scoresheet. Their dominance continued in the second half with Hamilton unable to trouble the Rangers defence. After leaving the bench, Kyle Lafferty netted with just two minutes remaining to keep the pressure on their rivals at the top of the table.

It would take a miracle to close the gap on the Hoops following their remarkable run of form in 2019. With Celtic dropping out of the Europa League, further emphasis will be on maintaining their league position. Regardless of whether they catch the Hoops, Steven Gerrard can start planning for another assault next season.

One man who could help them on their way is Rotherham dynamo – Will Vaulks. Valued at just £675k by Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old is no stranger to life in Scotland having joined his current employers from Falkirk in 2016. Vaulks has developed into a key player in the Championship and is enjoying his finest season to date.

The midfielder has made 33 appearances in the Championship, chipping in with an impressive five goals and four assists for his team-mates. Not only has Vaulks excelled going forward, he has added a valuable layer of protection to the Rotherham back four. Averaging an impressive 2.4 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game, the Englishman would install some real steel into the Rangers midfield in the summer. Remarkably, Vaulks has won 4.4 aerial duels on average meaning the physicality of the SPFL should be no issue (WhoScored).

With his contract expiring in the summer, Rangers should grab themselves a bargain.

Rangers fans, thoughts?

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EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey is to step down from his position at the end of the current league season, as reported by the BBC. The 48-year-old has been in the role since 2013, and has been in football for a quarter of a century. 

In November 2018, he oversaw the agreement of a new five-year TV deal with Sky for a figure of £595 million. The agreement was heavily criticised by a number of EFL clubs and his reputation has suffered ever since.

Harvey was also the man who made the controversial call for a selection of top flight under-21 teams to enter the Checkatrade Trophy.

Prior to taking over as chief executive of the EFL, he served for nine years as CEO of Leeds United. 

The Whites’ current relationship with the EFL is fractured, following the fallout from Marcelo Bielsa’s admission to spying on other teams’ training sessions. 

Harvey is not a popular figure at Elland Road these days. Following the announcement of his impending exit, loads of Leeds fans took to Twitter to give their verdicts…

Aston Villa would feel they let a massive opportunity slip by to climb up the Championship table after being held to a goalless draw by Reading on Saturday.

Despite having far more shots on goal at the Madejski Stadium, Villa lacked accuracy in their attempts and squandered a few golden chances to break the deadlock.

Ultimately, it was a good chance for Dean Smith’s men to back up last week’s 2-1 win over Ipswich Town with another victory.

A win over Reading would’ve seen the Villans move up to eighth in the league and a mere two points off a playoff spot.

Villa started the New Year poorly and the manager will be even more desperate now for some more consistent performances by the Birmingham team.

The main problem, though, on Saturday was Villa trying to pass the ball into the back of the net and taking way too many touches inside the box, where they maybe could’ve had a shot at goal.

Tammy Abraham blew two big chances in both halves to take the lead from headers but his attempts weren’t good enough to trouble Reading ‘keeper Emiliano Martinez.

Abraham’s form this season has been absolutely brilliant for Villa and seeing him miss such good opportunities in front of goal would’ve been disappointing to the club’s fans.

Smith, though, will need his team to be more clinical and ruthless in front of goal if they were to really make a surge up the league table.

The likes of Anwar El Ghazi and Conor Hourihane shouldn’t be afraid to take long-range efforts in the hope of catching ‘keepers off guard.

Villa looked far more likely to score on Saturday and were unlucky not to find the back of the net in the first-half after Tommy Elphick’s header came off the crossbar.

But, if you’re playing against a team that is fighting to avoid relegation then you’re expected to put them to bed with such good chances. Despite all the money spent and promise Smith brought to Villa Park, they’re currently architects of their own downfall.

It’s fair to say it’s not been the most promising of campaigns for Dele Alli.

Whilst he has a record that is nothing to be sniffed at – he has scored nine times in 35 games this season – it simply hasn’t been the Alli of old.

He has been used in six different positions this campaign, including up front in recent weeks following the injuries to the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son. This is a player who Mauricio Pochettino seemed to really get the best out of, and enjoyed a fine relationship with.

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In his time under the former Tottenham boss, he racked up an impressive 55 goals and 52 assists in 194 games, and it was no surprise to see Pochettino often wax lyrical about him – he described him as a “massive talent” even after a difficult run of form back in December 2017, and lauded his “talent” and “character” after he helped inspire a 3-1 win over Chelsea in April 2018.

The real question now is, how can Spurs get the best out of Alli once more? And the answer to that could well lie in the north London side’s reported pursuit of Todd Cantwell.

According to Football Insider, the Lilywhites are “ready to make early moves to beat Liverpool to his signature”, and that a source has revealed the club are “heavily scouting Cantwell and are ready to ramp up efforts to recruit him this summer”.

The Norwich midfielder’s arrival could have the unintended effect of lighting a fire under Alli. Here would be a younger, English prospect, who is keen to make his mark in the Premier League – just like him when he made the move to Spurs a few years ago.

Cantwell is already showing signs of being a potential star in the top-flight, scoring six goals in 29 games for a team that is rooted bottom of the table right now.

Alli hasn’t had too much genuine competition for his place at Spurs, and that in itself can lead to complacency in terms of knowing your position is safe. Whilst Cantwell has played off the left the majority of times for Norwich this season, he has had previous experience of playing in that all-important number ten role.

Bringing him in could force Alli to step up his game, knowing that there is something itching at the bit to take his opportunity from him. The star praised by Pochettino may finally be unleashed.

Meanwhile, this former Spurs ace has just proven Mauricio Pochettino wrong.

Wilfried Zaha has shown numerous times this season that he can be a dangerous player on the ball, as is perhaps best highlighted by the fact that he averages 4.6 dribbles per game.

Alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Adama Traore, that is the highest number of any player in the Premier League.

That indicates that he can give any full-back a problem, but the Crystal Palace talisman may have been given an added bit of help by West Ham United’s circumstances for their Boxing Day clash.

Ryan Fredericks will be unavailable to play for the Hammers, as he has been suspended after accumulating five yellow cards throughout the league season so far.

This means Palace’s Ivory Coast international will likely be coming directly up against 34-year-old Pablo Zabaleta.

Looking at his last league game offers an indication of the upper-hand Zaha will likely hold if the Argentinian plays, as he faced the third person on the aforementioned dribbles list: Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin.

Zabaleta simply couldn’t get near the Frenchman, failing to make a single tackle in the 72 minutes before he was taken off, despite Saint-Maximin completing five dribbles.

Did he really play for us?! No Palace fan has managed to name all of these obscure Eagles signings….

It was a sign of just how desperate things got at points when Felipe Anderson was the outfield player furthest back, so he could help out the veteran defender.

Zaha showed against Brighton & Hove Albion how effective he can be at creating space for himself when he cut across Martin Montoya to get onto his left foot on the outside before smashing the ball into the top corner.

It has to be said, that with Zabaleta being far from the quickest player around, Zaha could end up getting plenty of joy against him.

In other news, it has been confirmed that Palace will be missing a player over the Christmas period.