Ex-West Ham star could land Crystal Palace job as Tottenham face brutal £84m transfer asking price
Premier League transfer news and manager rumours including stories on Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Man United and more
The 2026/27 Premier League’s Gameweek 7 is done and dusted, after a riotous three days of action in England’s top tier saw twists and turns aplenty in the title race, relegation battle and scrap for European places. Manchester City and Arsenal both picked up wins to continue their early season push for the title, while Brighton won their fourth league game in a row.
Meanwhile, the dire form of both Nottingham Forest and Sunderland continued, with both clubs down in the relegation zone after their latest demoralising defeats. Elsewhere, Chelsea and Liverpool picked up important wins as they eye Champions League football for next season, while Leeds United held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road.
We’ll stay with Man United for our first story of the day, where pressure continues to grow on their manager Michael Carrick following the Red Devils’ poor start to the season. According to Football Insider, Brighton aren’t fazed by reports linking their boss Fabian Hurzeler with their Premier League rivals.
It’s suggested that even if Carrick gets the chop, the fact Hurzeler has a contract that runs up until 2029 gives Brighton confidence of keeping their head coach. It’s claimed that the club have had no enquiries for their manager, and that they’re “not surprised” to see the 33-year-old garnering admirers in the Premier League and beyond.
The 3AM Verdict: Do we all remember the cautionary tale of Thomas Frank? He was having a lovely time of it Brentford, but traded it all for a doomed spell at a bigger club in Tottenham. Exactly the same thing could happen to Hurzeler if he gives up an ideal management gig at Brighton - Old Trafford may be bigger than the Amex, but it’s a circus tent right now.
Parker could land Palace job
Sticking with managers, Crystal Palace boss Pierre Sage remains under intense pressure as the Eagles continue to struggle in the post-Oliver Glasner era. Team Talk believe that four names have emerged as potential successors for the ex-Lyon and Lens boss, as the south London side sit with just seven points picked up from as many league games so far this season.
Ex-West Ham star Scott Parker is thought to be among Palace’s favoured candidates, alongside ex-Wolves boss Rob Edwards, former Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna, and Swansea City’s Vitor Matos. Sage has been in charge of Palace for ten games so far, winning five matches, drawing one, and losing four.
The 3AM Verdict: It’s not been a great start to the season for Palace, but it does feel a little early to be changing the manager. Sage wasn’t exactly backed to the hilt over the summer in terms of transfer incomings, and he deserves more time to get his feet under the table and get a tune out of the 2026 Europa Conference League winners.
Tottenham facing massive striker asking price
Meanwhile, Tottenham look set to pursue a new striker in January, as concerns remain over their ability to find the back of the net despite some intriguingly positive stats around their build-up play. According to the Portuguese written press, via Sport Witness, Spurs are set on signing Benfica’s prolific striker Vangelis Pavlidis in January.
The Greece international has scored fifteen goals in as many appearances so far this season, tearing the Portuguese top tier to shreds. Tottenham have been described as “desperate” to get a deal done, but are likely to be told to meet the player’s £82m release clause if they wish to sign him in January. Benfica are also believed to be readying a new contract with improved terms for the 27-year-old forward.
The 3AM Verdict: Spurs need to be sensible here. Yes, Pavlidis is scoring goals for fun and has been for years now, but he’s only really done the business in Portugal and the Dutch top flight. If he really were a player worth £82m, he would have got a big move by this stage in his career. Unless Tottenham can get the asking price down considerably, they shouldn’t take the gamble.