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Simple reason why Eze stayed at Crystal Palace
I want to clear up any confusion regarding Eberechi Eze, guys, as the England international didn’t leave Crystal Palace this summer.
There was a release clause in his contract with the Eagles, so the situation this summer was never about whether the club would have accepted or declined offers for Eze or not.
If any club had come in and paid the release clause, there was nothing Palace could’ve done about it and the decision to move would’ve rested with Eze himself.
No club did trigger the release clause and there were no concrete contacts so in the end, that was the reason he remained at Selhurst Park.
Man City for sure had him on their list in 2023, and it’s true that Tottenham appreciate him, but there was never any formal bid presented from either club or any other this summer.
As Steve Parish said, everything was quiet.
Time for Fabio Vieira to return to playing regular football
The situation with Fabio Vieira is also a simple one to understand.
Firstly, it’s time for him to return to playing regular football every week, which is the expectation with the loan to Porto, and something he hasn’t been able to achieve to this point with Arsenal.
The loan deal will also allow Arsenal to monitor his progress over the course of the 2024/25 season and then assess things again in 2025.
At that point there will need to be a conversation between Mikel Arteta, the player and his representatives.
By then, the attacking midfielder will be 25 years of age and a definitive decision about his career one way or the other will need to be made.
I can guarantee that no plans are in place at the moment and no final decision has been made for Fabio Vieira.
This is why the move is a straight loan.
Nothing concrete to report on Angel Gomes’ situation
Many clubs are following and scouting Angel Gomes, but in this moment there’s nothing concrete or specific to report.
Any ‘interest’ mentioned now would be guesswork and as you know guys, I don’t work in this way.
It’s just normal monitoring of a very good player, who has just made the England squad after impressing at Lille.
England coach, Lee Carsley, has clearly seen something that he likes, and with fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Finland coming up in the next few days, it does offer Gomes the perfect opportunity to be able to show how much he’s improved of late.
At 24, the former Manchester United player looks to be on the verge of a special moment in his career.
No Messi or Ronaldo in the Ballon d’Or nominee list
The full list of this year’s Ballon d’Or nominees have now been released, and it’s the first time since 2003 that both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are not in the final 30 names.
It’s almost the end of a spectacular era for the game but both players will be remembered forever. As much for the joy they’ve brought to so many fans as well as the multiple awards that each have won.
I won’t comment on my favourite candidate for this year’s award, but in general I think it was a fair list.
It’s almost an impossible job to narrow down the names and I’d have probably added Rodrygo, Xavi Simons and Frimpong. Rodrygo has even gone on social media already to show his feelings about his omission.
There are some big names in the final 30:
Jude Bellingham, Ruben Dias, Phil Foden, Federico Valverde, Emiliano Martinez, Erling Haaland, Nico Williams, Granit Xhaka, Artem Dovbyk, Toni Kroos, Vinicius Jr., Dani Olmo, Florian Wirtz, Martin Ødegaard, Mats Hummels, Rodri, Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Vitinha, Cole Palmer, Dani Carvajal, Lamine Yamal, Bukayo Saka, Hakan Calhanoglu, William Saliba, Kylian Mbappe, Lautaro Martinez, Ademola Lookman, Toni Rudiger and Alejandro Grimaldo.