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Celtic have enjoyed an impressive week in the transfer market as they have been able to add three new players to the squad ahead of the 2023/24 Scottish Premiership opener next month.

Who have Celtic signed this summer?

Hyeok-kyu Kwon, Hyun-jun Yang, and Maik Nawrocki have all joined the club over the last five days, which means that Brendan Rodgers has five fresh additions to work with so far.

Australia international Marco Tilio and Norwegian maestro Odin Thiago Holm had already been snapped up by the Glasgow giants earlier this summer to bolster the Northern Irish tactician's options in midfield.

That does not appear to be the end of the club's business before September's deadline, though, as the ex-Liverpool boss is eyeing a new player between the sticks.

It was recently reported that the Hoops remain interested in a deal to sign Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who is also being pursued by Fenerbahce.

The Turkish giants had agreed a €9m (£7.7m) deal for the experienced shot-stopper earlier this month but they are yet to get the move over the line, which has seemingly opened up the door for the Scottish side.

How good is Dominik Livakovic?

During the 2022/23 campaign, the 28-year-old titan proved his quality with a string of outstanding performances for club and country.

His arrival at Parkhead would allow Rodgers to brutally ditch one of his current first-team goalkeepers – Scott Bain – as he already has three options at his disposal in Joe Hart, Benjamin Siegrist, and the 31-year-old Scot.

Livakovic averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.93 across 35 HNL matches for Dinamo last term. He saved 74% of the attempts on his goal and did not make a single error leading to a shot or goal for the opposition in the Croatian top-flight.

The £7.7m-rated ace also showcased his quality on the biggest stage at the World Cup last year, which led to his manager Zlatko Dalic hailing him as "fantastic".

Croatia made it to the semi-finals of the tournament and the 6 foot 2 colossus played a significant role in their progress with an average Sofascore rating of 7.33 across seven appearances, which included three saves in two penalty shootouts against Japan and Brazil.

Meanwhile, current first-choice Joe Hart averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.77 across 37 Premiership matches and Bain, who could be ejected from the squad as a result of Livakovic's possible arrival, recorded a score of 6.1 for his display against Hibernian in May.

The £7.6k-per-week dud made one mistake that directly led to a goal for the opposition and conceded four goals from five shots on target, as the Hoops lost 4-2.

His contract at Parkhead is due to expire next summer and Celtic could attempt to part ways with him now, whether that is by mutual consent or by finding a club to take him off their hands, if they are able to get another goalkeeper in to take over from Hart.

Livakovic's impressive displays for Dinamo and Croatia suggest that the quality is there for him to come in and be Rodgers' new no.1 option, which would leave the former England international as the number two, and Bain could be the fourth choice in that position.

There does not seem to be much sense in keeping four first-team goalkeepers on the books when you consider that Hart played 37 of the 38 league games last season, and that is why Rodgers must brutally ditch the Scottish liability with the signing of Livakovic.

Queensland legspinner Mitchell Swepson has been named as a late addition to Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2017Queensland legspinner Mitchell Swepson has been named as a late addition to Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh.Swepson, who was part of the Test squad in India earlier this year but did not make his debut, has taken 41 wickets at 32.82 in his 14-game first-class career.When the Australia selectors named the squad in June, they chose only 13 players and allowed that they would add one further player closer to the tour, in place of the injured Mitchell Starc.However, instead of choosing another fast bowler, the selectors went for Swepson, who will add a different spinning option to a squad already boasting offspinner Nathan Lyon, left-armer Ashton Agar, and offspinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell.Only three frontline fast bowlers will make the tour – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson – along with the medium-pace allrounder Hilton Cartwright.”We are comfortable with the fast-bowling stocks we have in the squad so have opted to add an additional spinner given the conditions we are likely to face in Bangladesh,” national selector Trevor Hohns said. “Mitchell is a very exciting young legspinner who we think will benefit immensely from further experience in the sub-continent.”Australia squad Steven Smith (capt), David Warner (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson.

Since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over at the club, Wrexham have enjoyed the Hollywood treatment, with fireworks on and off the pitch, culminating in promotion back to the Football League.

Now in League Two, manager Phil Parkinson and co will be hoping to earn back-to-back promotions next season in what would be an incredible campaign. With the summer transfer window well underway, too, they could yet welcome reinforcements to stick to the script of potential glory.

So far this summer, the Welsh club have welcomed Will Boyle from Championship outfit Huddersfield Town, representing quite the coup for the League Two side.

What's more, in an exciting new development, a change in the rules regarding players receiving visas could see Wrexham target players in America, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

What did Ben Jacobs say about Wrexham?

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Jacobs said: "A rule change in terms of getting visas also allows Wrexham to now explore the US market as well.

"So I would keep an eye on that, to see whether Wrexham bring on board any American players. That might be one to watch over the coming weeks."

Of course, the club have been spending part of their pre-season in America, squaring up against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, so they would have had plenty of time to potentially take a look at the talent on show around them.

The new rule will allow them to bring in a certain number of players who do not meet the requirements for work permits. Premier League and Championship sides can sign up to four such players, whilst League One and League Two sides can sign up to two.

As of right now, it remains to be seen just who walks through the door at Wrexham this summer, but the rule change at least gives them the chance to really explore the talent in America.

How much are Wrexham worth?

Paying a reported £2m for the club back in 2021, Reynolds and McElhenney have since seen their investment go up in value. The club is now reportedly worth 300% more than the initial price that the Hollywood stars paid in 2021.

It's no wonder that the club has increased to such a level, in truth, following their National League win, with sponsorship deals such as the one with Tiktok also helping financially.

The fact is, Reynolds and McElhenney's continued presence, alongside Wrexham's success on the pitch, has quickly started to awaken a sleeping giant in English football.

Those at the club will hope to take things up another level next season, as they seek consecutive promotions. If they can get to League One, they'd be just two promotions away from the Premier League.

To go from the National League to the third tier of English football in the space of only a handful of seasons would feel like one of the quickest rises in English football history.

They've got the star power in the stands to do it. Now, it remains to be seen whether Parkinson can welcome the right personnel to get the job done on the pitch for the Welsh side on the up.

This Women’s World Cup has been watched by over 50 million people and will provide a benchmark for future tournaments

Firdose Moonda22-Jul-2017To call this Women’s World Cup a revolution for the game would not be an overstatement. It has been watched by over 50 million people with the TV audience up 80% on 2013. On Sunday, at Lord’s, there will be more than 26,000 people in the ground.”It has exceeded all expectations,” Steve Elworthy, the Women’s World Cup tournament director told ESPNcricinfo. It certainly has.When Elworthy and his team, the same people who worked on the Champions Trophy, began the planning for the Women’s World Cup they had one major aim: to sell out Lord’s for the final. “We thought that would be a massive statement,” he said.Not only have they achieved that but four weeks before the showpiece finish, Derby was sold out for the opener when the two finalists met. Then it was sold out again for the match between India and Pakistan. Long before they got to Lord’s, the tournament was gaining plenty of interest.Elworthy put the increased awareness down to three major things: the intent by the organisers to stage this tournament in the same way as they have done men’s major events, the facilities used and, ultimately, the cricket.”We wanted to make sure the women’s game was delivered on-par with the men’s game. So the transport, the logistics, business-class flights, the same per-diems as the men. It’s all on parity in terms of operational delivery,” he said. “And then using first-class county grounds put it at a different level because they deliver first-class facilities all throughout the year. But the quality of the cricket is what’s changed people’s minds. We’ve just made sure that the wraparound is good.”An upset on the first day, where India beat England followed by a nerve-jangling win for South Africa against Pakistan ensured the opening weekend generated interest so that even when more one-sided contests played out, fans were following a narrative. That meant even though this World Cup was being played at the same time as a Test series, a T20 competition and Wimbledon, it has continued to engage.”It’s punching above its weight,” Elworthy said. “There’s the British Open this weekend, there was Wimbledon, there’s a T20 Blast. We are still getting interest. If you think of it as a standalone product, it’s doing incredibly well.”Interestingly, it is doing as well among male supporters as it is among female with a 50-50 split in the tickets sales. “When you think of a Women’s World Cup, you might think you will just target women and young girls but the number of dads we have seen with their daughters and families coming through has been great,” Elworthy said.Perhaps more noteworthy is that almost a third of the fans attending matches are under-16s and that is the demographic the tournament organisers most wanted to catch. In order to grow the game across genders, they believe they need to reach out to as many young people as possible and so have distributed 10,000 bats and balls, of which 4,500 will be given away at Lord’s during the final, to give people a feel of playing cricket.”One of the key elements of getting young kids to play is the correlation of them picking up a bat and ball and then converting them into using it. It tells me maybe we’ve got 10,000 new people who are going to play cricket. The conversation rate is incredibly high – it’s well over 80% if the people actually experience playing that they will continue.”So whatever happens between England and India on the field, this Women’s World Cup can be declared a massive success off it. It may also be a pioneer because it could set the standard which future events have to match up to. If it were up to Elworthy the next event, which is due to be held in New Zealand in 2021, would only require minor tweaks to ensure it fits into its proposed window.”This was going to be initially 24-game tournament with two groups of four and then a knockout stage but then it was changed to one group of eight. So the next step is to make sure that if it’s the same format, there is enough time to play a full round-robin set of games and not have four matches on one day,” he said.Given the massive upsurge in television viewership, he would also like all matches televised globally by the major broadcaster and not streamed, as was the case this time. Initially, the ICC were only going to have cameras at 10 matches but then decided to shoot at all of them and offer a streaming service for the other 21, with reduced numbers of cameras. Elworthy hopes that was only the beginning. “Ideally you want all 31 games broadcast. If this is the pinnacle of the women’s game, that has to be the next level of thinking.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers are advancing in talks to bring full-back Matt Doherty back to Molineux, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Are Wolves signing Matt Doherty?

The Old Gold are yet to make any new signings to Julen Lopetgeui’s side ahead of his first full season in charge in the Midlands. However, Matheus Cunha and Boubacar Traore have made their loan moves permanent from Atletico Madrid and FC Metz respectively in deals worth €50m and €11m.

However, there have been plenty of departures, with Ruben Neves joining Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. Nathan Collins has also left for Premier League rivals Brentford and Conor Coady has joined Championship side Leicester City.

Meanwhile, Joao Moutinho, Diego Costa and Adama Traore have all become free agents after their Molineux deals expired. Another player who is a free agent is former defender Doherty, and it looks as if a return to Wolves is firmly on the cards.

According to transfer expert Romano, who took to Twitter on Thursday, talks are advancing to the final stages, with an agreement between player and club now close.

“Understand talks to bring Matt Doherty back to Wolves are now advancing to the final stages, the agreement is now close. Doherty, expected to return on a free transfer.”

Matt Doherty’s career…

Doherty, who actually shares the same agency as nine Molineux players, joined Wolves back in 2010 from Irish side Bohemians and spent 10 years in the Midlands.

The right-back was loaned out to Hibernian and Bury in the early stages of his career but went on to make 302 senior appearances for Wolves, scoring a respectable 28 goals and providing 41 assists. He was a regular of the side under Nuno Espirito Santo that won the Championship title back in 2017/18 and qualified for the Europa League in their first season back in the top flight.

Doherty then left Wolves for Tottenham back in 2020 in a deal worth just under £15m and went on to make 71 appearances in all competitions in north London. Hailed as “outstanding” by Sky Sports’ Declan Olley for Spurs last year, Doherty made the move to Atletico Madrid back in January. Since then, the Irishman featured on just two occasions for the La Liga side and now finds himself a free agent.

It looks as if a return to Wolves is set to go through, though, and a move could be a shrewd one on a free transfer. Those at Molineux will know all about Doherty and the quality he could bring to Lopetegui’s side, with the full-back hailed in the media during his first stint with the club back in 2019 against Burnley.

“For all the Portuguese superstars, or promising Portuguese players that they have brought in over the last 18 months or so, it’s their Irish wing-back who stood out today. Matt Doherty was sensational today.”

As per FBref over the past 12 months, Doherty ranks in the top 1% of full-backs for aerial duels won and top 2% for shots and touches in the attacking penalty area, showing how he could once again bring an attacking option for Wolves at right-back.

The Australia vice-captain told Channel Nine that players were committed to ensuring that all players shared in the game’s upside, not just an elite few

Daniel Brettig18-Jun-20173:46

The pay dispute at a glance

Australia’s vice-captain David Warner has underlined the willingness of the nation’s top players to go without employment in order to achieve the retention of the fixed revenue percentage model at the heart of the pay dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association.Less than two weeks remain before the expiry of the current MoU, with CA and the ACA making very little progress in talks over how to reach a compromise on the next deal. CA is adamant in its desire to break up the revenue sharing model and fix the wages of all but the top male and female players.Warner, who has been the most outspoken critic of the board in recent weeks after the chief executive James Sutherland threatened they would be left unemployed if the ACA did not agree to CA’s terms, told Channel Nine that the players were committed to ensuring all cricketers shared in the game’s upside, not just an elite few.”We’re prepared as players to give a little bit more in that revenue share [percentage],” he said of the ACA’s proposal to reduce the players share from around 26% to 22.5% with more money to go to grassroots levels. “But that’s what we want. We’re not going to budge from the revenue sharing model, we want equality, and a fair share for domestic and female players. That in a nutshell is what it’s all about.”We’ve been offered contracts and we’ve knocked them back. That’s because we want to make sure the female players and domestic players are in this revenue share model. In the decades that have gone past, the past players that have been in our situation have stood up for us. I was a domestic player, I was a young kid coming through, we’re doing the same as what they did as well.””From where I stand and the position I take on this, I try to take as much heat off [Steven Smith] as possible.” – David Warner•Associated PressCA last week named a squad for the scheduled Test tour of Bangladesh in August, but Warner stated bluntly that there would be no players boarding the plane for the series if no agreement had been reached. He also reiterated his view that the Ashes, too, would be threatened by a lengthy dispute.”From our point of view I want to play for Australia and so do the other boys,” Warner said. “But if there’s nothing that’s put in place for what we’re trying to achieve here, from both point of views, we’re not going to tour Bangladesh, there might not be an Ashes if we don’t have an MoU.”We want to keep playing cricket for Australia, that’s our goal. If there’s no cricket in summer, what are we going to do? We’re going to be locked out. Where do we train? They can lock us out from all the different training facilities. It’s going to be disappointing if it comes to that, we want to keep playing for Australia. But if we don’t have the MoU done, it’s going to be hard for us to walk on that plane come Bangladesh.”From July 1, we’re unemployed. We’ve been threatened with that. We’re hopeful there’s going to be an agreement done — it’s a sticky situation.”There has been a contrast in Warner’s outspokenness next to the more measured words of the national team captain, Steven Smith. Warner said he was happy to stick his head above the parapet on the issue, though admitted Smith could perhaps also be more vocal as the days tick down to the MoU expiry.”From where I stand and the position I take on this, I try to take as much heat off [Smith] as possible. He does lead us on the field, and rightfully so off the field as well, he does a great job,” Warner said. “In this circumstance I’m willing to go out there into bat for everyone. Yeah sometimes he could probably push a little bit more, but I think he’s doing a great job, as well as the other players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood as well.”Talks between CA and the ACA are expected to continue this week.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly closing in on their first defensive summer signing, as speculation regarding Nico Elvedi ramps up.

The Borussia Monchengladbach centre-back could be the one to bolster Julen Lopetegui’s backline after making sufficient sales this window.

What’s the latest on Nico Elvedi to Wolves?

As reported by Football Insider this week, the Old Gold are in advanced talks to sign the defender for a fee in the region of £7.7m.

Since then, Swiss news outlet Blick (as relayed by Sport Witness) has reported that the 26-year-old is ‘convinced of a change’, with Lopetegui being a ‘decisive’ factor behind the switch.

The report added that Elvedi’s partner had been in Wolverhampton, as the move seems to move closer to being complete.

How good is Nico Elvedi?

With 230 Bundesliga appearances under his belt, the versatile defender could be a vital asset for Lopetegui to add to his squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

A player with experience and the versatility to play anywhere along the back line, the 47-time cap Swiss international could quickly become a favourite at Molineux.

While the former Real Madrid boss has a host of defensive talent to his disposal, there are flaws to the amount of depth in central defence, particularly following the sale of Nathan Collins.

Another area that poses a potential weak spot for Wolves is the longevity of those already equipped as Molineux’s centre-backs, with Max Kilman’s future still unconfirmed and Craig Dawson being 33 years of age.

The former West Ham titan made the switch from east London to the Midlands back in January, and quickly became part of the furniture under Lopetegui, making 17 appearances in the Premier League.

While the Rochdale-born veteran has unteachable experience in playing in England, it may be a suitable time for the Old Gold to evaluate potential successors to take his throne.

Once lauded as having “incredible composure” by former Borussia sporting director Max Eberl, Elvedi could be the perfect mix between experience and youth to phase out Dawson’s run in partnering Kilman, should he remain at Molineux.

An assured figure on the ball, the Swiss ranked in the top 5% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for his pass completion, averaging a mammoth 91.5% completion rate per 90, as per FBref.

Despite being a reliable presence in defence, Dawson fell far short of possessing a pass completion rate as dazzling as his potential successor, averaging 82.9% per 90 in the Premier League last term.

The Swiss colossus could prove to be a more polished and updated edition of the former West Brom ace, with FBref comparisons showing that Elvedi could prove to be an upgrade.

At 26, the Gladbach defender averaged 1.47 tackles and 1.11 interceptions per 90 in the Bundesliga last term, compared to the Englishman’s 0.80 tackles and 0.76 interceptions per 90 in the Premier League.

A similar narrative is evident in comparisons between their decisive presence in defence, with Elvedi averaging 4.75 clearances and 2.26 aerial wins to Dawson’s 4.22 clearances and 2.02 aerial wins per 90 last season.

In signing Elvedi, Lopetegui could equip his side sufficiently enough to phase the era of Dawson out, and to rejuvenate his back line to pair the Switzerland star and Kilman in a highlight of his side’s progression.

Luke Wright has announced he will step down as Sussex captain with immediate effect, with Chris Nash taking charge

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2017Luke Wright has announced he will step down as Sussex captain with immediate effect, with Chris Nash taking charge for this week’s Specsavers County Championship clash with Worcestershire.Wright, 32, joined Sussex from Leicestershire in 2004, and was originally appointed NatWest T20 Blast captain in 2015. He took over in all three forms of the game when Ed Joyce stepped down as club captain in 2016, but he has struggled for form this season, and believes a return to the ranks is best for all concerned.”Firstly, I would like thank Sussex for the privilege and honour of being made captain of this fantastic club,” Wright said.”I have always been someone that loves and enjoys the game, but over a period of time now whilst being captain, this has not been the case and it has affected me both on and off the pitch.”After taking some time I decided that stepping down was in mine and the club’s best interests going forward. I look forward to giving my full commitment as a player to future Sussex successes.”Wright has a top score of 38 in seven first-class innings so far this season, while Sussex have already been eliminated from the Royal London Cup, having missed out on a quarter-final berth.”Luke has made this decision with the best interests of himself, his young family and the team,” said Keith Greenfield, Sussex’s director of cricket. “We thank him for all of his efforts while captaining the club. It is an all-encompassing position, particularly whilst rebuilding the team.”Luke plays his best when enjoying his cricket and playing in an attacking manner. We all want to see Luke play with a smile on his face and enjoying his cricket.”This way, we will all see the best of Luke and we know he’ll continue to drive success for Sussex Cricket going forward.”Head Coach Mark Davis said, “I would like to thank Luke for everything he has done for the team in his role as captain. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Luke and establishing a new-look Sussex team that will bring success back to our great club.”His passion and enthusiasm for the club is second to none and without the stress and strains of captaincy, I am convinced he will be back to winning games for the club.”

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford said that Lasith Malinga’s contribution in “certain scenarios” could still be useful in the Champions Trophy even if he could not bowl ten full overs

Andrew Fidel Fernando02-May-2017Early signs suggest Lasith Malinga will be fit enough to bowl ten overs per match by the time the Champions Trophy rolls around, according to Sri Lanka’s head coach Graham Ford, though he also hinted there was a possibility Malinga could play even if not quite fully fit.Effectively, the feeling in the Sri Lanka camp seems to be this: they need Malinga. They need him bad.Malinga’s returns in the 2017 IPL so far – a tournament he has historically dominated – have been mixed. He has claimed wickets in most matches, but has also been expensive at times, most notably against Kings XI Punjab, against whom he conceded 58 runs. But he does seem to be getting through his four overs comfortably, and both SLC and Sri Lanka’s coaching staff are adamant that his workload is gradually being increased at training.Fortuitously, Malinga’s coach at Mumbai Indians happens to be Mahela Jayawardene, who, having captained Malinga, will understand at what rate the bowler’s fitness will have to progress if he is to be ready for the Champions Trophy.Malinga has not played an ODI since November 2015, thanks to various leg injuries, but he had made a return to international T20s against Australia in February, following a year-long layoff.”I’m really hoping that he’s going to be 100% fit,” Ford said of Malinga. “Before he left for the IPL, some of the work that he was putting in gave me great confidence. I’m not at all looking at the possibility that he might be half-fit. All the reports I’ve had is that he’s going really well. I’ve spoken to Mahela a couple of times, and when Mumbai left him out for one game I quickly got hold of Mahela wondering if there was something wrong. He said there’s nothing wrong with him, but that the programme is so hectic that they have plans to win the competition and they need him to go the whole way through. Rest time is important. “”All the indications are that he’s going to be able to give us something special. What I saw of his attitude is that he’s missed international cricket and missed doing wonderful things for Sri Lankan cricket. As time runs out on his career, he’s very determined to make an impact on this Champions Trophy.”Sri Lanka have sorely missed Malinga’s bowling in their limited-overs cricket, having bombed at last year’s World T20 without him, and having been mostly miserable in ODIs in the past year. They had won a tri-series in Zimbabwe against two sides who did not qualify for the Champions Trophy, but were winless in ODIs on tours of England and South Africa. It is hoped Malinga’s return can help give the attack a little more menace.Malinga returned to international cricket during the T20I series against Australia in February•Associated Press”I think he’s very determined to really make an impact,” Ford said. “Even if he’s not giving us the full ten overs, he is a class act in setting that tone up front and finishing the innings off. If we can have the privilege of using him in those scenarios, that’s going to stand us in good stead.”One of Sri Lanka’s recent shortcomings in the ODI format has been their death bowling, and Ford reflected that Sri Lanka have largely been weak in this area because they had not managed to groom a death bowler to take over from the waning seniors.”For a long, long time we relied on the genius of Malinga at the death, and we also had Nuwan Kulasekara, who was a really good partner,” Ford said. “Those two looked after the death on many an occasion. I’ve had the privilege of sitting in the dressing room knowing that even though the opposition might be ahead of the rate, we’ve got these two really good death bowlers to finish off. That was always a comforting feeling.”Unfortunately, no young guys really got the experience of doing that job. Suddenly we’ve got some young guys doing that job, and it’s not an easy job. Experience is important in being able to handle the pressure, and of course do a lot of hard work on your skills so that you can handle the pressure easier. I think maybe, in a way, because those guys knew they were never going to be asked to do it because we had the two experts doing it, they didn’t have to work very hard on those skills. It’s been a new experience for some of them. They’re getting a heck of a lot better. In modern-day cricket you probably need three or four that can execute those skills at the end.”Most of the Champions Trophy squad begin their training in Colombo over the next few days, before captain Angelo Mathew joins them on May 10 – when they head to a training camp in Pallekele. Malinga will be allowed to stay on at the IPL and work on his fitness remotely – SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala stating that him being involved in competitive matches was better for Malinga than joining the rest of the team at the camp.Sri Lanka have also hired fast Allan Donald as a fast bowling consultant for the Champions Trophy. Donald has arrived on the island and will begin his work with the team over the next few days.

Since they regained their Premier League status in 2013, Crystal Palace has established itself as a solid and sturdy mid-table outfit.

However, the south Londoners cannot be overtaken by complacency. Last season, all three promoted sides avoided the drop zone. Southampton, Leeds United and Leicester City fell victim to relegation.

The latter had forged a superior reputation to Palace, going even further by providing a sustained threat to the top four and even winning the FA Cup in 2021. But last summer they made a fatal error. The hierarchy failed to adequately invest in the squad – with only Wout Faes and reserve goalkeeper Alex Smithies joining the Foxes – as many players were allowed to underperform with little sign of upheaval.

Now the 2016 Premier League champions find themselves in the second tier. With Palace in a comparable financial situation and possessing a similar quality squad, they must improve.

This need has been heightened by Wilfried Zaha's seemingly inevitable exit from Selhurst Park. The winger is a club legend and has been their talisman for many years, but his burning desire to play Champions League could end his childhood love affair with the Eagles.

Palace cannot afford to sulk or reminisce and must pinpoint the correct targets, with Aster Vranckx tipped to play for the Eagles come August.

What’s the latest on Aster Vranckx to Crystal Palace?

According to Faro de Vigo (via Sport Witness), Palace, Burnley, and Fulham are all vying for the signature of Wolfsburg’s Vranckx.

The outlet reveals that the midfielder is keen to play English football, but Celta Vigo is also 'well-placed' to secure his services.

The Belgian’s current contract doesn't expire until 2025, so the German outfit will command a fee of around €9m (£8m) to sanction his departure.

Who is Aster Vranckx?

The two-cap international joined Wolfsburg in 2021 and has made 29 appearances in all competitions for the Germans.

Last summer, he then sealed a surprise loan move to AC Milan, but his career stuttered during this period as he only managed two starts for the Rossoneri.

However, the 20-year-old is still considered an exciting prospect, and Dean Jones thinks he would be an astute signing, saying: "I think he’s a good level of player to be looking at. He's very confident on the ball. He’s very confident in his decision-making. He's got a bit of cheekiness about him too."

Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig echoed this praise and feels his “pace, passing, vision, athleticism, movement and tackling” are his most attractive attributes.

From a Palace perspective, a player of this profile could inject some real quality into their midfield and the club will be hoping he can mirror the impact that Conor Gallagher displayed in the 2021/22 season.

The Chelsea man spent a year on loan at Selhurst Patrick and was outstanding. In 34 Premier League outings, the 23-year-old recorded 11 goal contributions and the highest average match rating (7.09) in the squad, as per WhoScored.

The Englishman was also notably an effective defensive force after averaging two tackles per game in that solitary season with the Eagles, with Vranckx having also showcased his ball-winning prowess for Wolfsburg in that same season, after averaging 1.4 tackles per game.

If Vranckx can mirror Gallagher’s endless energy and impressive end product then this would be a commendable coup as they look for more signings to join Jefferson Lerma.

With the departure of trusty servants Luka Milivojević and James McArthur, there is space for another midfield to excite the Selhurst faithful and Vranckx could be that man.