He may be an unknown name to many Premier League fans, but Crystal Palace target Filip Kostic is one of the most exciting players in Germany right now.

This season, he has 12 goals and 12 assists already in all competitions, which comes after he managed 10 and 13 respectively last season as well.

Whilst Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller and Ante Rebic were all allowed to depart Eintracht Frankfurt for pastures new last summer, the Serbia international was kept at the German outfit despite being the subject of a €40m (£33.6m) offer from Internazionale, Bild (via bulinews.com).

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Of course, his form has not gone unnoticed by clubs across Europe, and according to one report Premier League side Crystal Palace are said to be interested in him, per The Sun (print edition, February 23rd, page 63).

But what have those in the know had to say about Kostic?

Adi Hutter, Eintracht Frankfurt manager

The Eagles will have felt it would be difficult to replace Niko Kovac after he was poached by Bayern Munich, but Hutter has done a good job in doing so.

He guided them to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, as well as a seventh place finish in the Bundesliga.

Following Kostic’s brace against RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal earlier this month, he said per FR:

“He plays football like no other: with incredible dynamism, with incredible assertiveness.”

Frankfurt have almost become synonymous with Kostic’s busting runs down the left flank, and Hutter’s reliance on the former Hamburg man is clear for all to see – he has missed just 207 minutes in all competitions this campaign.

Kevin Trapp, Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper

The 29-year-old is one of the best shot-stoppers in the Bundesliga – only Yann Sommer (76%) has a better save percentage ratio than Trapp’s 70.4% in the league this term amongst the number one goalkeepers – and he has Champions League experience with PSG as well. He said of Kostic, per FR:

“He doesn’t shy away. He is a mentality monster.”

He has proven time and time again that he is a man for the big occasion – he managed those two goals against Leipzig, as previously mentioned, whilst he has also scored against Die Rotenbullen and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Evan N’Dicka, Eintracht Frankfurt defender

Following the winter pause, N’Dicka has been moved to left-back to cover for Kostic, who has been given the licence to bomb forward. His role is now to cover for the attacker, but that does not seem to be a problem for the Frenchman. Speaking about his left-sided partner he said, per Hessenschau:

“He is a buffalo. You get the feeling that he can do everything alone.”

With Kostic being such a vital part of Frankfurt’s attacking play, he desperately needs someone to be able to take over the majority of his defensive duties, and it has worked wonders so far – Kostic already has six goals and two assists since January 18th. As long as the two can continue to work in tandem, everything is possible for the Eagles this season.

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Leeds United. Unbeaten in five. Five wins from five. Five clean sheets. One point title lead. Seven point cushion.

It’s fair to suggest that things are going swimmingly well over at Elland Road as we enter the final nine games of the Championship season.

Marcelo Bielsa has stuck to his guns all year and it’s finally reaping the rewards after a tough festive period had shouts of burnout 2.0.

One downside of that is the fact that his fringe players rarely see the light of day and as such neither January addition has managed to start a game for the Whites yet.

However, that hasn’t stopped Ian Poveda from trying to buck the trend as he scored a fine goal on Monday night for the U23 squad, leading to calls from fans wanting him involved in the first-team setup.

Our writers have given their verdicts on the 20-year-old potentially earning a promotion to the senior fold below, read on…

Billy Meyers

“While promotion is far from a certainty given Leeds’ tendency to mess things up – see last season, for example – now is as good a time as any for Bielsa to hand Poveda some game time at Elland Road. The Yorkshire-based outfit sit top of the Championship and are seven points clear of third-place Fulham, so the former Marseille boss can afford to be slightly experimental. 

“Of course, the Argentine is a stubborn operator, but even he must see the benefits of giving the January signing some action. He has impressed in the U23 ranks, netting a goal on Monday, and Bielsa would be taking a huge risk in more than one aspect if he doesn’t hand the former Barcelona academy man some game time in the final nine games. 

“If the Leeds boss doesn’t play Poveda, he risks going into the Premier League with a 20-year-old who hasn’t had any chance to learn his trade in the senior game, and the pressure will only mount on Bielsa to play the forward in England’s top-flight – where, we presume, he will be less interested in taking risks given what’s at stake.”

Kealan Hughes

“The old cliche says to never change a winning team, and considering Leeds have won five on the bounce without conceding suggests that Marcelo Bielsa has got everything right, so there is no need for Ian Poveda to come into the team.

“He seems to be a like-for-like replacement for Jack Clarke. Both are young wingers with a lot of pace and raw talent, and Bielsa clearly feels he can’t trust that type of player yet since Clarke made just three appearances before his loan ended.

“However, in playing for the under 23s Poveda has already proved that he can provide that spark, and he could be a secret weapon to come on in games where the Whites are searching for a winner, and I’d be surprised if he does have an impact before the season ends.”

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Charles Jones

“I think that Marcelo Bielsa would be foolish to change anything at this point in the season. Leeds have won each of their last five games keeping a clean sheet in every single one of them, and you should never change a winning formula, especially when the finish line in terms of promotion is in sight.

“Poveda is just 20 years old, and he’s signed until 2024, so there’s no real need to rush him into the team for the sake of it.

“The winger will have to be patient, and I don’t think he’ll mind if it means a shot at Premier League football next season.”

Lewis Blain

“It’s the biggest problem at Leeds, aside from Patrick Bamford’s wastefulness in front of goal – just when does Marcelo Bielsa buck the trend and change things up from the ‘norm.’

“This is something that could certainly change if Ian Poveda continues to set alight the U23 squad having bagged on Monday night which quite frankly epitomised ‘Bielsaball’.

“If Leeds find themselves in an injury crisis with only nine games to spare, then the likes of the young 20-year-old will need to be called upon, so it may be wise to stick him on the bench and give him a few cameo opportunities. It’ll only benefit the greater cause and in addition, hand them a glimpse into his qualities ahead of the new season.

“While it would be a big risk, it’ll be one that’s worth taking.”

Call yourself a Leeds expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

And in other news, Victor Orta may soon be the most important man at Leeds…

Divock Origi has successfully made a name for himself in the camps of Liverpool’s opposition. Particularly Everton and Barcelona who will probably always remember the fury and heartache they suffered at the hands of the Belgian.

However, at his own club, he’s become somewhat of a yo-yo player. A section of Liverpool fans have slammed the 24-year-old for his recent poor performance against Chelsea where he lost possession 11 times and made just 12 passes (via Sofascore).

The frustration is completely justified following the £18m-rated man’s (Transfermarkt) lacklustre displays at New Meadow and Stamford Bridge, but those calling for his dismissal need to remember the season-defining performances he put in last campaign. Liverpool would not have been able to lift the Champions League trophy without Origi and his Anfield heroics against Barcelona.

He also had a direct hand in the thrilling 5-5 draw against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup after his acrobatic strike forced the game to penalties.

So where has it all gone wrong for Origi? Despite his fruitful 2018/19 season, there was no replacing Roberto Firmino as the focal point of the Liverpool attack. Because of this, the Belgian has seen very little action that hasn’t been from off the bench this season.

In the Premier League, he has started five games and has contributed to five goals. Only one of those matches saw Origi start in his natural position up front, the rest were on the left-wing.

Across the other 23 gameweeks, Origi has played a total of 62 minutes coming off the bench (via Transfermarkt). His dip in form and arguably woeful performance against Chelsea could be down to his irregular game time and constant switching of positions.

With the increasing media surrounding the potential Timo Werner move to Anfield, it seems fans are head-over-heels with the idea of the young German play-maker joining the ranks. The desire to get rid of Origi based off Werner’s wish (via HITC) to join Liverpool is very premature and fans shouldn’t hold out hope for a dream transfer until the papers are signed.

Although, that is the way of football. Clubs must offload whoever slows them down to ensure the team will succeed. If Liverpool clinch Werner in the summer, the likelihood is that Origi will be sold – such is the ruthless nature of the game.

However, Divock Origi survived the offloading of strikers including Dominic Solanke and Danny Ings, as well as Rhian Brewster who is out on loan. Klopp sees something in the Belgian that he feels this Liverpool side needs.

There’s no telling what news is hearsay and what has some legs to it nowadays. But if the forward is to be shipped off in the next transfer window, he certainly deserves better support from more sections of the fanbase until that day comes.

What do you think, Reds? Is Divock Origi a cult hero? Or has his time come to an end at Liverpool?

Aston Villa are keen on signing Wolves defender Dion Sanderson on loan in the summer, per Football Insider.

What’s the word?

Sanderson is currently on loan at Cardiff City, having made just one senior appearance for the Molineux club. Ironically, that came in the EFL Cup defeat to Villa earlier this season.

At the age of 20, he has played three times for the Championship club, against Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and Barnsley.

Villa are said to be keen to bring him in this summer, while the Welsh club are also reportedly hoping to snap him up on a permanent deal.

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

Pointless

As moves go, this is a remarkably odd one from Villa.

Sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch would be bringing in a player to develop for their local rivals, essentially doing Wolves a favour in the long-term.

Add into that the fact that Villa signed four centre-backs last summer, in Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Kortney Hause, and Bjorn Engels, who are all unlikely to be muscled out of the side by a player with one senior appearance for a Premier League club.

It feels like an unnecessary piece of business, and a deal that Wolves would welcome with open arms.

For that reason alone, Villa should swerve this.

Meanwhile, Villa are set to make a decision on this man this summer!

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has been doing his bit for the local community of Enfield, and supporters in north London have been absolutely lapping it up.

The Spurs chief was spotted preparing food parcels and other items for delivery to self-isolating elders and those that are vulnerable in the local area.

With football under lockdown until the end of April at the very earliest, those involved in the sport have been doing all they can to keep things ticking over, and as Mourinho isn’t expected to be running about anytime soon, clearly he felt the need to do something to help those in need instead.

Here’s how fans have been reacting…

Plenty of fans were full of praise for their manager, labelling his gesture as “absolute class” as well bringing back the “Special One” nickname.

Mourinho is certainly a divisive figure at the club, but whoever was going to replace the overachieving Mauricio Pochettino was always going to find it a hard task to win over supporters, though something as kind as this is certainly one way to go about it.

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Sometimes he rubs them up the wrong way, as seen with his comments on their striker situation whilst on other occasions he earns their support as seen here. Very marmite.

Further members of the Spurs faithful took it to the next level with a few light-hearted jokes, such as comparing his pose in one photograph to that of Cristiano Ronaldo before he takes one of his famous free-kicks whilst another fan claimed that if it were Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, then Sky Sports would be making a documentary about it.

Premier League experts will get full marks: The ultimate quiz on top flight transfer flops…

AND in other news, Gary Neville issues damning verdict on Spurs…

Speaking in a Q&A on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Charlie Eccleshare has revealed that Spurs youngster Jack Clarke’s confidence has taken a “bit of a knock”.

What did he say?

Well, the Q&A on The Athletic was about the north London outfit’s young players, with one supporter asking if there was any news on Clarke, who was signed for a fee in the region of £10m last July.

The 19-year-old is currently on loan with Championship side Queens Park Rangers following an unsuccessful loan spell with former club Leeds United, where he barely featured under Marcelo Bielsa.

Eccleshare said: “Good question. I haven’t seen any of him at QPR since he moved there in January but understand his confidence took a bit of a knock after the Leeds move became such a fiasco. Hopefully it’ll prove to be just a blip.”

No surprise

Having re-joined the Yorkshire club on loan following his move to Spurs, the teenager would have been hoping to feature regularly for Leeds.

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However, it just didn’t happen for the attacker and he played a sole total of 19 Championship minutes before returning to the capital in the New Year.

Another temporary switch to Queens Park Rangers followed, and the youngster has fared slightly better at Loftus Road.

Call yourself a Leeds expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

He has been in the squad – something that wasn’t always the case at Elland Road – for all of their league games, making four appearances from the substitutes’ bench.

The current break hasn’t exactly helped Clarke in his bid to work his way into Mark Warburton’s starting XI, and it remains to be seen what will happen to him when his loan spell comes to an end.

He certainly hasn’t done enough this season to suggest he will get a chance in Tottenham’s first team, and perhaps rebuilding his confidence should be the first priority.

In other Tottenham news, Spurs fans have been reacting to a transfer link with a 26-year-old who would cost at least £46m…

The Bombay High Court has dismissed MSM Satellite (Singapore) Pte Limited’s petition asking it to prevent World Sport Group (Mauritius) from seeking to resolve their dispute over the IPL media rights ‘facilitation fee’ through international arbitration.The original agreement between WSG and MSM states that any disputes between the two parties must be settled by an international arbitration under English law conducted by the International Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. However MSM, the official broadcasters of the IPL, opposed the arbitration process and wanted the High Court to rule on the dispute.Justice Roshan Dalvi’s dismissal of the case means the arbitration process can go ahead unimpeded. “The court has taken a very clear stand,” Suhas Tuljapurkar, a lawyer for WSG, told Cricinfo. “If you have agreed to arbitration, you have to go through arbitration.” Cricinfo has learnt that these proceedings are already underway and typically take about a year to complete.The facilitation fee arose out of the restructuring of the television rights deal following the first IPL. WSG India had originally bought the worldwide telecast rights of the IPL for ten years (2008 to 2017) at a cost of over $1 billion. Meanwhile MSM had secured the rights to broadcast in India for five years (2008 to 2012) and had the option of securing the rights for the remaining five years (2013-2017) by paying WSG an option fee of $25 million.However, the board cancelled the original rights deal in 2009 and renegotiated its deal with WSG Mauritius. On its part, MSM did not want to renegotiate with WSG, wanting a direct contract with the board instead. The result was that MSM eventually negotiated a deal with the BCCI for the same price and duration as WSG Mauritius, in lieu of the latter relinquishing its rights.In a statement released by MSM on April 23, 2010, the company stated the payment of the fee to WSG Mauritius was “for the original option fee of $25 million (Rs 115 crores approximately) to extend the rights to years six till 10 and an additional fee over the nine years of the contract of Rs 310 crores ($55 million approximately).”These fees were to compensate WSG Mauritius for returning its rights for IPL season 2 – 10 to BCCI in favour of MSM, and were necessary if MSM was to secure the rights to IPL season 2-10. “The BCCI subsequently argued that the fee was an “improper payment” and restructured the media rights agreement with MSM in June to recover the facilitation fee from WSG. A representative for MSM declined to comment for this story.

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on Twitter after Ricky Sacks relayed a report from The Telegraph saying Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will be forced to reduce his naming rights for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The report says that he had hoped to secure a deal worth £375m over 15 years for the north London outfit, but the financial implications of the recent situation in the United Kingdom and their slump in form following a really poor 2019/20 campaign means the 58-year-old needs to have a rethink.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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A potential £375m deal would have been a world-record for Tottenham and their owners, but it appears to be a pipe dream now because of the affect the current issues will have on the economy.

It’s fair to say that Levy isn’t the most popular among Spurs fans at the best of times, but the recent announcement that all 550 non-playing staff have been placed on the government’s furlough scheme – in conjunction with the fact he picked up a £3m bonus on top of his £4m salary last year – means he is hugely unpopular right now.

That bad feeling is clearly shown below despite what is a setback for Tottenham as a whole, with one fan suggesting it is “what he deserves”.

Here is the full reaction…

In other Tottenham news, Jose Mourinho’s summer transfer plans at Spurs have been turned upside-down…

Southampton have a big decision to make in the summer in regard to the future of Che Adams, after he was a target of interest to clubs like Leeds in January.

The Saints hit back several bids from the Whites which indicated that the striker was part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s plans, but after playing just 34 minutes in the league since the end of January it would seem that the situation could change.

Adams’ failure to register a single goal for the south coast outfit underlines his underperformance this season, and considering he was brought in for £15m he can be regarded as a bit of a flop.

In that sense, the Saints may be keen to recruit some of the expenditure they spent on him, and having been successful in the Championship before there would likely be multiple clubs vying for his signature.

Hasenhuttl must decide whether or not he wants to keep him. A loan to rebuild his confidence could work wonders for all the parties involved but failing that, the Austrian boss has to given him more starting chances if he is to ever prove himself at St.Mary’s.

Here are the views of our writers on the 23-year-old’s future and what the best course of action is for the club to take.

Lewis Blain

“Sorting out Che Adams this summer is perhaps Ralph Hasenhuttl’s biggest puzzle, but the Saints boss shouldn’t discard of him just yet. It’s clear to see that he just hasn’t adapted to the demands of Premier League football, but a natural goalscorer like himself doesn’t just lose it overnight and it’ll be on the south coast side to bring those 22 league goals back out of him.

“The 23-year-old may be best equipped for a loan move elsewhere, maybe even to a newly promoted side – potentially Leeds – or a top-end Championship team such as a Fulham or Nottingham Forest. He’s one of the younger senior options and with Shane Long entering the twilight years of his fading career, it would be wise to get Adams up to speed in time for that transition.

“Hasenhutl can turn this blunder into a resounding success if he just gives Adams the chance to refind his feet temporarily, and then in the end, it should work out best for all involved at St Mary’s.”

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Danny Lewis

“It would be a foolish move for Southampton to sell Adams. This is a 23-year-old who scored 22 Championship goals last term, so there is no way he should be written off just yet.

“Hasenhuttl should keep him at St. Mary’s for the time being as it still feels as though he could form a deadly partnership with Danny Ings, similarly to what he did with Lukas Jutkiewicz at Birmingham. With Michael Obafemi also fighting to earn game time, the two strikers could push each other on to ensure they are the one to take over from Long.

“Now he has had his bedding in period, next season is time for Adams to show Southampton fans what he is capable of.”

Calling Premier League experts ONLY: Which year were these top flight clubs formed?

Billy Meyers

“Southampton committed to a significant investment in Che Adams, so they have to stick with him. 

“If they weren’t keen on doing just that, then Hasenhuttl had a golden chance to wash his hands of the striker in January when Leeds made as many as three offers for the ex-Birmingham man – as a result, he must now stay loyal to Adams after robbing him of a chance to play regular football. 

“£15m for zero goals isn’t a good look, but we mustn’t forget that the Englishman is only 23 years of age, so he still has plenty of time on his side. 

“Adams is also worth keeping around as Danny Ings is known to be injury-prone, suffering serious issues in both knees while at Liverpool. 

“Add the fact that Shane Long is now 33 years old into the mix, and there is definitely a reason to keep the big-money signing around despite his struggles.” 

Kealan Hughes

“Adams has made small contributions to Southampton this season, influencing games he started such as the away wins against Chelsea, Sheffield United and Brighton, but that is not enough to warrant a place in the matchday squad moving forward.

“His previous record shows there is a player in there somehwere though, and Hasenhuttl must mix things up if he is to play to the forward’s strengths.

“If he is unwilling to do so, which appears to be the case, then he should loan him out – preferably to a team which can guarantee him game time.

“Getting back amongst the goals is all any striker needs to rebuild confidence and if he manages it he could return as a completely different player.

“Another, more expensive measure, is to sign a strike partner who he can play off, with Hasenhuttl’s targeting of 6 foot 5 Gianluca Scamacca perhaps a bid to further that aim.”

Elsewhere, these images of one key Saints player depict a season-defining moment…

ScorecardMark Cosgrove has enjoyed his move to Tasmania•Warren Keir – SMP Images

Mark Cosgrove demolished Western Australia for the second time in the match to drive Tasmania to a comfortable ten-wicket win on the third morning at Bellerive Oval. Set 106 for victory, the Tigers got there with ease, as Cosgrove blasted an unbeaten 86 from 53 deliveries, with his opening partner Ed Cowan on 18 when the winning runs arrived.It continued Cosgrove’s strong form after he made 100 in the first innings and since being axed by South Australia and given a lifeline by Tasmania, he has made 510 Sheffield Shield runs at 56.66. However, Cosgrove was lucky to be there at the end, having been dropped on 74 when he drove Michael Beer to Shaun Marsh at long-on.The day began with the Warriors 76 runs in front with six wickets in hand, but a horrible collapse meant a tiny chase for the Tigers. Luke Butterworth ran out Adam Voges for 38 and then helped to run through the Western Australia lower order with 4 for 59, as the Warriors could only get 20 runs from their last six batsmen.Adding to their problems, the in-form fast bowler Ryan Duffield is expected to miss six weeks with a stress fracture in his back. The Big Bash runs through January and the Warriors don’t have another Sheffield Shield outing until February 10, and the coach Mickey Arthur said with his side sitting on the bottom of the table, major changes were expected to the squad.”I think we’re going to have to sit down now and make some serious decisions about where we want to go with the squad,” Arthur told AAP. “There’s no beating around that bush. We’re clearly not able to challenge for Shield positions with the squad we’ve got.”