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An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their plans to bolster the playing squad ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign…

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

According to Italian outlet Sport Mediaset, Spurs are one of three English top-flight teams to have made an offer to sign Juventus centre-forward Dusan Vlahovic.

The report claims that Manchester United and Chelsea are also 'at the window' with an 'important offer' for the Serbian international striker, with all three clubs keen on a deal for his signature.

It states that they have offered no less than €65m (£56m) and that the Old Lady are willing to be reasonable in negotiations as they now eye their own targets to potentially replace the former Fiorentina marksman.

Although, it remains to be seen whether or not £56m would be enough to tempt the Italian giants into parting ways with him, 18 months on from their initial £58m outlay on his services.

How many goals has Dusan Vlahovic scored for Juventus?

The 23-year-old dynamo has plundered 23 goals in 63 appearances for the Serie A side to date and his form in recent years suggests that he would come in as a big upgrade on Richarlison for Ange Postecoglou.

Vlahovic scored ten goals in 22 league starts for Juventus last season whilst the Brazil international struggled badly during his debut campaign at the club – with one goal in 27 Premier League appearances, including 12 starts.

Spurs signed the striker from Everton for a fee in the region of £60m last summer after he produced 17 strikes in 61 league outings for the Toffees over the previous two campaigns combined.

The 26-year-old dud's horrendous form in front of goal last term meant that Tottenham did not have another scorer to back up Heung-min Son and Harry Kane, as they were the only players at the club to end the season with more than five league goals.

Vlahovic, however, is a player who has the quality to provide a third reliable scoring option for Postecoglou, based on his Serie A form over the last three years.

Prior to his ten-goal haul during the 2022/23 campaign, the impressive left-footed marksman scored 45 goals in 67 league starts for Fiorentina and Juventus combined throughout 2021/22 and 2020/21.

He proved himself to be a prolific scorer in Italy as the 6 foot 3 monster found the back of the net over 20 times in both seasons, whilst Richarlison has never scored more than 13 league goals in a single term over the course of his career in Brazil or England to date.

These statistics suggest that the Serbian hotshot, who was once hailed as "incredibly prolific" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has the quality to offer far more than the Brazilian flop at the top end of the pitch.

Vlahovic is yet to prove himself in England but his form in the Serie A indicates that the quality is there for him to be an exceptional goalscorer for Postecoglou, which is why Spurs must push to win the race for his signature in order to land a big upgrade on Richarlison ahead of next season.

Usman Khawaja will captain Australia A’s four-day team and Travis Head will lead the one-day side for a series of matches in South Africa in July and August

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2017Usman Khawaja will captain Australia A’s four-day team and Travis Head will lead the one-day side for a series of matches in South Africa in July and August. Glenn Maxwell, who scored his maiden Test century on the recent tour of India, will be vice-captain to Khawaja in the first-class games and will have the chance to push his case for retention in the Test side when Australia next play.Moises Henriques was initially named in the one-day squad but the selectors later stated that the allrounder will continue his county stint with Surrey, instead of playing the tri-series.* CA said the selection panel had “considered both Henriques’ experience along with future Australian tours in making this decision”, and that a replacement player will be named in due course.South Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey has been chosen in both squads after a remarkable summer in which he broke the record for most dismissals in a Shield season, while also scoring nearly 600 Shield runs. Queensland allrounder Jack Wildermuth has als been named in both squads, his first call-up for Australia A, while New South Wales batsman Daniel Hughes has the chance to debut for Australia A in the one-day format.The selectors decided against choosing the experienced batsmen Ed Cowan and George Bailey, who were two of the top three Shield run scorers last summer, as well as Cameron White, who topped the Ryobi Cup run tally. However, national selector Trevor Hohns said that while some senior players had missed out, it would “certainly not detract from their chances of representing Australia in the future”.Also absent from the squads were the opener Marcus Harris, who had a prolific Shield season for Victoria and finished fourth on the run tally with 808 runs, and the spinner Jon Holland, whose 50 Shield wickets placed him second only to swing bowler Chadd Sayers on the competition list. Ashton Agar and Mitch Swepson, both of whom toured India with the Test squad this year, were preferred as spin options in both formats.”We have opted for a well-balanced squad featuring some experience blended with younger players, with an emphasis on building our depth for the future,” Hohns said. “This is a great chance for these players to experience foreign conditions against a quality international sides and really test their skills.”With an upcoming Test Series in South Africa early next year it is also an opportunity to impress with their performances and put their names forward for consideration. Khawaja is a proven leader and has captained Australia A before, he will gel nicely with Glenn who recently had some captaincy experience in the IPL and we believe will respond well to this extra responsibility.”Australia A will play two four-day games against South Africa A from July 12 to 22, and then a one-day tri-series involving South Africa A and India A from July 26 to August 8.Four-day squad Usman Khawaja (capt), Glenn Maxwell (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Jackson Bird, Alex Carey (wk), Hilton Cartwright, Travis Head, Kurtis Patterson, Chadd Sayers, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth.One-day squad Travis Head (capt), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Hilton Cartwright, Sam Heazlett, Daniel Hughes, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth.*Friday, May 19 0759 GMT. This copy was updated to reflect a change to Australia A’s one-day squad

Jason Behrendorff finished with 9 for 37, the fifth-best Sheffield Shield figures, to help Western Australia gain control against Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Jason Behrendorff returned the second-best figures by a Western Australia bowler in first-class cricket•Getty ImagesIn his first domestic match on return from injury, Jason Behrendorff produced the fifth-best figures in Sheffield Shield history, a sensational 9 for 37, to help Western Australia bowl out Victoria for 117. In reply, Western Australia closed the first day in control at 178 for 4.Behrendorff began Victoria’s slide from the third ball of the match, having Marcus Harris pinned in front for a first-ball duck. In his next over, he had Marcus Stoinis caught behind before Victoria put on a temporary fightback. In the 12th over, Aaron Finch was caught off David Moody for 34, the only batsman not dismissed by Behrendorff. Daniel Christian top-scored with a quick 39.Opener Jon Wells carried Western Australia through with an unbeaten 70 off 164 balls. Along with a 59-ball 43 from Michael Klinger, Western Australia went to stumps with a lead of 61.

United States coach Gregg Berhalter has spoken with Giovanni Reyna for the first time since the dispute that resulted in the former's temporary exit.

Article continues below

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• Reyna out of USMNT since World Cup
• Involved in dispute with Berhalter
• Player and coach have finally spoken

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Reyna has not been called up to the national team since the World Cup as it was revealed that his family provided damaging information about Berhalter to U.S. Soccer in alleged retaliation after the Borussia Dortmund star struggled for playing time during the tournament in Qatar.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Berhalter left the national team after his contract expired, but has since been put back in charge after an investigation into his conduct cleared him to return. The coach said last month that he had not yet spoken to Reyna when he announced his first squad since his return, but U.S. Soccer's sporting director Mark Crocker clarified that they have since had talks.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Reyna, who has not played for Borussia Dortmund this season as he recently returned from injury, will likely return to the USMNT squad soon, according to Crocker.

  "I think both Gregg and Gio are in a good place to move forward," he is quoted as saying by reporter Steven Goff.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Berhalter's USMNT are in action again in October when they take on Germany and Ghana in international friendlies.

Trevor Bayliss has described speculation over Alastair Cook’s future as captain as “a pain in the backside” and insisted that the dressing room is united in its support for him

George Dobell13-Dec-20162:32

Cook form outweighed by spin problems

Trevor Bayliss has described speculation over Alastair Cook’s future as captain as “a pain in the backside” and insisted that the dressing room is united in its support for him.Cook’s future has been called into question since he gave an interview to the magazine on the eve of the Bangladesh and India tours in which he said: “Deep down I don’t know how much longer I am going to carry on. It could be two months, it could be a year.”Suspicions he was preparing to step down only escalated after Cook described Joe Root as “ready to captain” following defeat in the Mumbai Test. That result meant England had lost three Tests in succession, four of their last five and five of their last seven. From a position where England were a result or two from reaching the top of the Test rankings in August, they are now facing the prospect of dropping to fifth if they lose the final Test of the series against India in Chennai.But Bayliss, the England coach, is clearly in no doubt that he wants Cook to continue. Describing Cook’s record as “fantastic”, Bayliss acknowledged that talk of him standing down had become a distraction.”I think everyone, to a man, in the dressing room would be disappointed if he wasn’t captain,” Bayliss said. “But when it’s constantly in the media all the time, it’s a bit of a pain in the backside. Especially when no one around the team believes that or thinks that. It’s a little bit aggravating.”I suppose anyone who’s done the job for that long, there’s always going to be questions towards the twilight of his career. But the job he’s done with the group, I think, has been fantastic.”Bayliss was especially frustrated as talk over Cook’s future had, he felt, detracted from “all the good things” England have achieved on the tour. And it is true that, while the scoreline is grim, England can take some comfort in the emergence of a couple of promising top-order batsmen, in Keaton Jennings and Haseeb Hameed, and the improvement in Adil Rashid’s legspin bowling.”It takes the focus away from all the good things we’ve done on this tour,” Bayliss said. “I think we’ve played some good cricket here. We’ve got to give credit where credit’s due: we’ve played good cricket and they’ve played even better cricket.”Bayliss now plans to speak to Cook and Andrew Strauss, the managing director of the England team, to resolve the uncertainty over the captaincy.”We’ve had some discussions in the past,” he said. “But those two guys – Cook and Strauss – have obviously had a big history. I’m sure we’ll have a chat between the two or three of us.”Bayliss has previously stated that he expected Cook to be captain for the Ashes series in 12 months’ time. “He’s talking about the next Ashes series and being out in Australia,” Bayliss told the BBC last week. “Sometimes there are little comments made along the way and they get blown out of all proportion.”He’s certainly up for the fight. I haven’t had any discussion with him any other way and that’s what we’ve been working towards. I was as surprised as anyone when I saw that in the papers.”

Manchester City are plotting to try and snap up Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea this summer, according to Football Insider.

What is the latest on Mateo Kovacic to Man City?

Pep Guardiola's side have surged to the top of the Premier League table once more and are also challenging in the Champions League still – they also have an FA Cup final against Manchester United to contend with in June.

It's the strength of City's squad that has allowed them to compete on all fronts but the side could be set to take a hit this summer, with some potential exits on the horizon. One such departure could be experienced midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who the club feel might leave when his contract comes to a close. Kalvin Phillips is another midfielder who could leave, with West Ham one of the latest to register an interest in the player – although reports have suggested he may opt to stay at the Etihad Stadium.

City have already looked towards Jude Bellingham as a potential reinforcement in the centre of the field for them but with no offer made and the Borussia Dortmund man also wanted by Real Madrid, it means the side may have to look elsewhere.

It appears that instead, Pep Guardiola could launch a move to bring in Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. Football Insider reports that Pep Guardiola is a "big fan" of the former Real Madrid player and is prepared to try and lure him away from Stamford Bridge during the upcoming transfer window. The Blues haven't got him to put pen-to-paper on a new deal yet and it means he could now depart the club in the summer.

Should Man City sign Mateo Kovacic?

The 29-year-old has struggled more than usual this season, managing only 16 showings in the Premier League and producing a rating of just 6.52 via WhoScored this campaign. However, this has come as part of a Chelsea side that has toiled at times in the top flight this year and away from the Blues, he has thrived.

For Croatia, he was a first-team regular and stood out for his country too, with a rating of 7.00. When given the chance to shine on a European stage too in the Champions League, his rating increases to 6.73.

The talent is still there from Kovacic then and that is also apparent when you consider how he has been praised by other footballers in the game. Declan Rice called him "incredible" speaking to BT Sport (via 101 Great Goals), and added that his dribbling ability is "unbelievable."

The midfielder then could find his best form again at a new team like Man City. He could be given the chance to not only feature more regularly but to bring his game up to the highest level because of the ability of the rest of his teammates – and when at his best, he has already proven he can be outstanding for a club.

Mark Wood, the Durham fast bowler, has been recalled by England for the one-day series against Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2016Durham fast bowler Mark Wood has been recalled by England for the one-day series against Pakistan. His county team-mate Ben Stokes has also been included in the 15-man squad after a calf injury curtailed his Test series against Pakistan, following a knee problem earlier in the season against Sri Lanka which had required surgery. James Vince, however, has been dropped.This is the first squad Wood has been included in since injury ended his tour of the UAE last year, after which he underwent ankle surgery which kept him out of action until last month. He takes the place of Steven Finn, who picked up a hamstring injury on the fourth day at The Oval and has been ruled out for four weeks.Both captain Eoin Morgan (chipped bone in finger) and Jos Buttler (fractured thumb) are expected to be able to start the series following their recent injuries. However, while Stokes has been included, he is likely to start the series playing as a batsman only, before gradually being re-introduced as a bowler.England ODI squad v Pakistan

Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

“Ben’s made really significant progress over the last three weeks and our medical team are pleased,” James Whitaker, the national selector said. “He’s progressing nicely towards bowling over the next week or so, and while we hope that initially he might just play as a batter he will lead into the series as an allrounder eventually.”He’s worked really hard on his rehab and it’s given everyone a lot of confidence. To have him around again will be a huge bonus for Eoin Morgan and his team.”Mark Wood has had a couple of operations, and with his hard work and advice from our medical team he’s now able to take part in this series. Just over the last month he’s progressed very well and we’re very happy for him. We got him back into the Lions initially, he’d just played a couple of games for Durham before, and he played really well for the Lions and he’s continued that form since.”Vince’s omission means he can return to four-day cricket with Hampshire in a bid to regain form and push for a touring spot to Bangladesh and India. He finished the Test series against Pakistan with 1 and 0 at The Oval and in seven Tests this season did not manage to pass fifty, while the familiarity of his dismissals – edging behind to the keeper or slips – became a concern.There is better news for another Hampshire player, however, with Liam Dawson handed an ODI call-up. Dawson, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder, took 3 for 27 on his T20I debut earlier in the season against Sri Lanka and he provides a third spin option alongside Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.”He came into the squad for that one-off game and really impressed,” Whitaker said. “He’d previously impressed the coaches on the Performance Programme in the winter, and over the last two years he’s been very consistent for Hampshire. So it’s good for him and I’m really pleased he might get a go.”The selectors have resisted resting any players after the Test series meaning that Chris Woakes, who was Man of the Series, and Joe Root are both included. That also means there are no places for the batsmen who impressed recently for England Lions in the triangular series against Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A.Ben Duckett, the Northamptonshire left-hander, had been tipped for a maiden call-up after making unbeaten scores of 220 and 163 in the tri-series while Sam Billings, the Kent wicketkeeper-batsman who has already featured for the full side, plunder 175 against Pakistan ADawid Malan, who captained the Lions, was another to impress with an unbeaten 185 against Sri Lanka A. He was part of England’s T20 squad against Sri Lanka earlier in the season and along with Duckett and Billings has a good chance of being involved for the T20 against Pakistan next month. The squad for that will be named towards the end of August.”Players like Ben Duckett, Sam Billings and Dawid Malan have all been performing very well in the Lions – and James Vince, although he’s not in this squad, remains in our plans. So there’s three or four players there pushing for batting spots – I think that’s incredibly healthy for English cricket,” Whitaker said. “We’ve had a lot of confidence come out of our one-day team over the last 18 months, and this selection just emphasises how well they’ve done.”

Arsenal are reportedly keen to sign Mason Mount this off-season…

Arsenal transfer news – could they sign Mason Mount?

According to GOAL, the Gunners are monitoring the Chelsea midfielder's situation at Stamford Bridge as they look to mould their transfer plans ahead of the summer window.

It's thought that Mount is expected to leave the Blues in the summer, having rejected a new contract, and Arsenal could rival Liverpool for his signature with the club eyeing top-quality additions to bolster their position in both the Premier League and Champions League.

The Athletic's David Ornstein has also spoken on the situation.

“ I don’t think it was a key priority position [defence] and maybe it still isn’t because of the need in the midfield. The holding position at six and maybe even an eight. There have been some links with Mason Mount and he is a player that Arsenal, along with some others, Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, like," he told the Handbrake Off podcast.

Is Mount a perfect fit in north London?

Given that Mikel Arteta has the likes of Martin Odegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira available to play in attacking midfield, a move for Mount would be surprising but that said, it's not one they should ignore.

The 24-year-old has been one of the most exciting young talents to grace the Premier League in recent years, with his career-best returns coming during the 2021/22 campaign where he scored 11 goals and laid on ten assists, via WhoScored.

What makes those figures even more remarkable is the fact that only two current Arsenal stars have matched it this season, despite the side running Manchester City close for the title – Bukayo Saka (13 goals and 11 assists) and Gabriel Martinelli (15 goals and five assists).

Mount would be right at home alongside the aforementioned England international and other Three Lions colleagues such as Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Eddie Nketiah and perhaps even his best mate, Declan Rice, who remains the Gunners' top target for the no.6 role.

Even though the £65m-rated dynamo has struggled for form and for minutes this term, he still ranks among the top 8% for progressive passes per 90 and the top 11% for tackles per 90 when compared to his positional peers in Europe's 'big five' leagues, via FBref, who also liken his ability to Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes and Martin Odegaard in terms of statistical profile.

It's perhaps why the versatile midfielder has been lauded as "a special talent" by Alan Shearer, as well as "generational" by Daily Mirror journalist Benjamin Lynch earlier in the campaign.

Mount could fulfil a number of roles under Arteta, whether that be as a marauding no.8, cover for Odegaard in the 10 or even on the flanks and given his vast experience for club and country already at such a young age, and his homegrown status, he would surely be a perfect fit for the Spaniard heading into next seaso

Kolkata Knight Riders’ openers laid the foundation for a total of 164 and their bowlers overcame the threat of a Glenn Maxwell fifty to go to the top of the table

The Report by Alagappan Muthu04-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGautam Gambhir struck his 30th IPL fifty to help Kolkata Knight Riders post 164•BCCI

“One interesting decision and everyone forgets you hit a fifty in the last game.” It seemed Glenn Maxwell was still smarting from an incorrect caught-behind decision in Kings XI Punjab’s previous game against Gujarat Lions. He couldn’t score any runs then, but on Wednesday, it was almost like he couldn’t be stopped.Almost, because Piyush Chawla found a way, and did so at the perfect time. Maxwell fell for 68 off 42 balls with his side still 45 runs away from a target of 165 with only 26 balls in hand. A well-populated Eden Gardens reveled in the tension. So did a bowling attack that featured six internationals. Kolkata Knight Riders closed out a victory by seven runs and climbed to the top of the table.Andre Russell had 11 runs to defend in the final over and he did so by picking up one wicket, apart from two run-outs, to finish with 4 for 20 in four overs. He was Knight Riders’ battering ram, but he needed Chawla to make that decisive dent. By contrast, Kings XI were reliant on one man and he had far too much to do.Maxwell took on the challenge though. He came in with the score on 13 for 3 and his determination to contribute was apparent in the shots he played – flicks and cuts against the Knight Riders quicks, who bowled too short at him, and powerful lofts down the ground against the spinners. Essentially, Maxwell wanted to limit the risks he took. His fifty came off only 29 balls, by which time he had played only one reverse sweep.Towards the end of his innings, the cross-batted shots kept coming out and one of them did him in. Maxwell misread a googly from Chawla, played a reverse sweep against the turn and was adjudged lbw by umpire Anil Chaudhary. The batsman walked off unhappy because he felt he was hit outside the line of off stump, and while replays indicated more than half the ball had been outside the line, some of his anger may have been directed at himself. He was the only Kings XI batsman who showed any kind of control and with him out of the way, Knight Riders breezed past the finish line.The result seemed never in doubt when Russell had knocked over Marcus Stoinis and Vohra in his first two overs. Morne Morkel had M Vijay caught at mid-off in the fourth over as the Kings XI top order paid the price for not taking time to understand a slow pitch.Knight Riders fared better in that department as well. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa struck fluent half-centuries and added 101 runs for the opening partnership. Though the run-rate they maintained was only 7.48, they laid an excellent foundation for the big-hitters down the order by punishing a bowling line-up that couldn’t get their length right.On a sluggish pitch, short-pitched bowling allowed the batsman time to pick his spots, as Stoinis found out in the third over when Gambhir pulled a couple of fours away. It also allowed time to recover after making a mistake, as Mohit Sharma found out in the fourth over when Uthappa came forward to a back of a length delivery and was still able to drive it past point.On top of that, Kings XI dropped Uthappa three balls after Gambhir was run-out. The culprit, Mohit, recovered well though. He and Sandeep Sharma switched to a mix of yorkers and slower deliveries for the last five overs. That meant Yusuf Pathan and Russell could not bring their power-hitting into play and Knight Riders had to settle for only 43 runs in that period.Kings XI have dropped to the bottom of the table with six losses in eight games. They went in with only three overseas players on Wednesday – Maxwell, Stoinis and David Miller – after Shaun Marsh’s back injury ruled him out of the IPL two days ago. Hashim Amla, who was brought in as a replacement, sat out because he had arrived in India on the day of the match and had had very little time to prepare.

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi is being targeted by Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the summer window, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Rise to prominence

The Eagles centre-back isn’t out of contract at Selhurst Park until 2026, but being a regular feature this season having started 27 of the 28 top-flight games, has been rewarded for his performances.

England manager Gareth Southgate recently called the 22-year-old up to his Three Lions squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers which has raised his profile among clubs eyeing possible targets.

Roy Hodgson will know that the 6 foot star will be looking for a move elsewhere in the upcoming window should the club get relegated, and if that is the case, he isn’t short of a potential suitor.

The Latest: Spurs eyeing Guehi

According to Football Transfers, Tottenham ‘want to bolster’ their defensive ranks with the addition of Guehi ahead of the 2023/24 term.

Manchester United are also credited with an interest in the star but it’s reported that Antonio Conte’s side are the ‘closest’ to wrapping up a deal later in the summer.

Reporter Steve Kay delivered a further update on Spurs’ current stance. He said:

“Spurs are interested in signing Marc Guehi in the summer. Palace want £65m. Spurs apparently won’t pay that – they’re looking at paying around £45m.

“Tottenham have been looking for a young, versatile defender for quite a while now, and they have recently inquired about Aymeric Laporte and Pau Torres.

“They want someone who can play as a left- or right-sided centre-back in place of Eric Dier, who is a midfielder playing in a centre-back role, and Davinson Sanchez, who has been at the club since 2016 but simply hasn’t hit the heights expected of him.”

The Verdict: Keep hold of him

Guehi has been lauded a ‘leader’ at Crystal Palace by talent scout Jacek Kulig so Hodgson and the hierarchy need to do everything they can to keep hold of him beyond the summer window.

The Cote d’Ivoire native is currently averaging 3.7 clearances and 1.6 tackles per league game, alongside recording an 86.3% pass success rate, displaying the rock he is at the heart of the backline and how comfortable he is playing out from the back (WhoScored).

The England international is also strong in the offensive aspect of his game having scored four goals and provided one assist during his time at the club, highlighting the threat he brings to set pieces (Transfermarkt).

Finally, Guehi adds versatility to the squad with his ability to also operate at left-back and right-back and even the thought of losing him will be a huge blow to Palace.