Crystal Palace playmaker Jonny Williams has expressed his delight at signing a new deal with the South Londoners.

Williams, 23, penned new terms with the Eagles last week, having joined the club as a junior.

He has made 69 appearances for Palace, scoring once, and has spent time on loan at MK Dons, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town since making his first-team debut in 2011.

The Welsh international, who has won 17 caps for his country, has cut a frustrated figure at times during his career at Selhurst Park, due to injuries and a lack of first-team action.

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However, the mercurial midfielder has vowed to get himself ready for when the players return for pre-season ahead of a fifth straight campaign in the Premier League.

“I am delighted to be signing this new contract at a club that holds a special place in my heart, having  been here since I joined the academy at the age of eight,” said Williams.

“I am looking forward to starting my 17th season at the club.

“With the club’s fifth season in the Premier League coming up, I will be working hard through pre-season so I am ready for the challenge ahead at the start of another campaign.”

Star striker Romelu Lukaku and his 25 Premier League goals gained the majority of the plaudits as Everton finished seventh last term.

And the Belgian looks set to continue grabbing headlines this summer with his potential departure from Goodison Park.

But there’s another Toffee who flew under the radar, yet was just as instrumental to the club’s success – Idrissa Gueye.

As a man who came to England on the same flight as N’Golo Kante back in the summer of 2015, it is fitting that the Senegalese star is starting to resemble the reigning PFA Footballer of the Year with each passing match.

Two years ago, Gueye was on his way to Aston Villa from Lille as Kante headed to Leicester City from Caen when they serendipitously met at a Parisian airport.

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The former suffered relegation before heading for Everton 12 months on, while the latter won the most unlikely of Premier League titles, earned a £32million move to Chelsea and repeated the feat.

And Gueye admits he has used his fellow midfield warrior’s achievements as inspiration since that day 24 months ago.

“We met up at the airport and it was quite by chance because he was going to Leicester and I was going to Villa, so we both flew to Birmingham,” explained Gueye.

“We got chatting and he’s a really nice guy, a good guy who is easy to get on with.

“We were talking about our new clubs and where we were going to live. Just day-to-day stuff.

“He has done very well, first with Leicester and now with Chelsea, and he has shown us all what can be achieved in the Premier League.”

Kante is renowned for his ball-winning ability but Gueye made 135 tackles, eight more than the Frenchman and the most in the Premier League last season.

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The 27-year-old’s 81 interceptions were also eighth-most in the league, while his 1,885 passes were good for 19^th.

The fact he also made more blocks and was successful in a greater percentage of aerial duels than the much-heralded Kante proves just how impressive the Everton powerhouse is.

So while his Chelsea counterpart, not to mention his sharpshooting teammate Lukaku, might generate more coverage, the Toffees appreciate just how sticky Gueye makes life for the opposition.

Ilkay Gundogan wasn’t surprised by Leroy Sane’s emergence as a Manchester City lynchpin in the second half of the season but is also convinced there is plenty more to come from the youngster.

Midfielder Sane joined City from Schalke last August but it took until December against Arsenal for him to notch his first goal for the club.

However, from there, the 21-year-old never looked back as he terrorised defences for the remainder of the campaign to emerge as one of the most exciting young talents in world football.

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And teammate Gundogan – who moved to the Etihad from Borussia Dortmund last summer and impressed until tearing a cruciate ligament in December – claims he never lost faith in Sane’s ability, even during his fellow German’s early struggles.

“I expected it [Sane’s emergence], to be honest,” said Gundogan. “He is still so young. I knew before that the first few months are the hardest and you just need to keep going.

“It doesn’t matter if you are directly in the team or if you need some time to adapt – it doesn’t matter.

“When you are young, you just have to keep going, never lose your motivation in yourself, and that is exactly what he did.

“He had a few difficult months but that’s very normal for a young guy like him, especially when you’re moving to a new country, with a new language, at 20-years-old.

“When I was 20, I was in Germany. I was around my family, I had everything. I was in my comfort zone. He just went out of it, took the decision for himself for a whole new adventure.

“When you are so young, it’s really difficult and the way he played in the second period of the season is just incredible.

“I am still quite sure there is more potential in him and he can be better next season.”

Hull City defender Andy Robertson earned rave reviews for his performance in Scotland’s 2-2 draw with England in Glasgow.

The 23-year-old played all 90 minutes at Hampden Park on Saturday as Gareth Southgate’s England scored at the death to salvage a point in the World Cup qualifier.

After the match, Glaswegian Robertson won the praises of Sky Sports pundits Graeme Souness and Jamie Redknapp, with Souness suggesting that the defender’s attacking prowess could be a one-way ticket to leave the Championship side.

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The former Newcastle United manager said: “I think there’s a very good chance he will leave Hull. He catches the eye because he’s very good.

“He’s a winger turned into a modern-day full-back. I can understand why a lot of people like him, when teams get relegated the vultures do hover around and try and cherry-pick the best players available.

“What he’s got, he’s got that tremendous ability to get forward and deliver.”

Even prior to City’s relegation from the Premier League, Robertson had been linked with a move away from East Yorkshire, with Burnley having seen their £10m bid for the defender rejected on the final day of the January transfer window.

And Robertson hinted only last week that him departing the KCOM could be a possibility.

The defender said: “I’ll sit down with the people I need to talk to, and decide if it’s right for me to stay at Hull, or if I should look to move on. That’s not something I’m going to worry about until well into the summer.”

Wales midfielder Joe Ledley is one of three players who will leave Crystal Palace this summer, after being released by the south London club.

The 30-year-old joined the Eagles in January 2014 on a three-and-a-half year deal, scoring six times in 97 appearances following a spell at Scottish Champions Celtic.

The Welshman is among several Palace players who will leave Selhurst Park this summer, after an official list was published by the Premier League.

Fraizer Campbell and Mathieu Flamini are two other high profile names also set to be released, after the pair made limited first team appearances during the 2016-17 season.

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After joining from Cardiff in 2014, Campbell scored eight goals in 50 appearances for the club, while Flamini, who joined as a free agent from Arsenal in September, featured only 13 times for the Eagles. The Frenchman faced a tough battle to establish himself as a first-team regular after the arrival of fellow midfielder Luka Milivojevic in January.

Jonathan Benteke, Ezekiel Fryers and Kwesi Appiah are also among the names included on the release list.

Ledley, meanwhile, will continue preparations with his national side ahead of Wales’ World Cup qualifier against Serbia in Belgrade, while Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock has already played down rumours the Welsh playmaker could make a return to his former club.

Jurgen Klopp is known for his excellent man-management skills and Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has hailed the German for the way he has handled the Reds’ latest exciting youngster – Ben Woodburn.

The 17-year-old forward broke through last year, netting against Leeds United in the EFL Cup to become the club’s youngest ever goalscorer.

He was called into the Wales squad shortly afterwards and Fowler predicts the teenager will go on to be a star – as long as Klopp keeps managing him the way he is.

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“Jurgen Klopp has been fantastic with him. He has had him on the periphery of the first team a good few times,” he said.

“I was there when he made his debut and getting that goal was brilliant for the lad. He probably deserves to be in and around the team because of his performances for the youth teams.

“But it doesn’t stop there. He knows that he’s got a lot of hard work to do and under the tuition of Jurgen and a few of the older boys in the team, he’ll be getting advice every day off Jordan Henderson, who is the captain, and all of Jurgen’s staff as well.

“They’re the ones with him as many hours of the day as possible. The lad is a good player. He is definitely going the right way. He definitely is one to watch out for in the next season or two.”

From Premier League champions to mid-table obscurity, it’s been an eventful couple of seasons for Leicester City.

But for captain Wes Morgan, one thing the Foxes are not is mundane, something he is confident the City faithful will experience again next term.

Leicester shocked even the pluckiest of gamblers during the 2015-16 campaign, toppling the Premier League’s giants one-by-one on their way to the title.

Their dominance didn’t continue into another season, however, flirting with the relegation zone before manager Claudio Ranieri was replaced by Craig Shakespeare.

They ended the year in 12th place, and having reached the quarter-finals in their maiden Champions League campaign, skipper Morgan is confident the Foxes will soon be back to their best.

“I’d say it’s been an eventful three years,” said Morgan.

“Promotion to the Premier League, which for me, after spending my career in the Championship, League One even; I never thought would happen.

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

“Then ‘the great escape’ to survive in our first season, and then it goes without saying that the moment I lifted the Premier League trophy – that split second when I got my hands on it, lifted it above my head – will be etched in my mind forever.

“When you’re winning, everyone’s happy. You feel like you can beat anyone. And when you’re losing, you can get into a rut.

“You try and remain confident, but there’s more pressure to get a result every time you step on the pitch. The atmosphere changes.

“But at the same time, we knew what we were capable of and were desperate to find that form again.”

For boss Shakespeare, the rollercoaster ride at the King Power Stadium has been considerably longer, having been at the club for the best part of ten years over two spells.

But he, like Morgan, is confident this memorable chapter in City’s history is one that isn’t about to end any time soon.

“You wouldn’t like it mundane and the same thing week in, week out,” he said.

“We’re Leicester. That’s the way it is. We were in League One not too long ago.

“We’ve had a remarkable journey but let’s hope it’s not finished yet. Nothing should surprise you in football.

“Sometimes things disappoint you but nothing should surprise you.”

With Manchester United appointing one of the biggest personalities in management, Jose Mourinho, and breaking the world transfer record to recapture Paul Pogba, things were never going to be boring at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils may have ultimately failed to mount a Premier League title challenge but their Europa League triumph has secured a return to the promised land of the Champions League next term.

There was plenty of drama along the way and we’ve picked out some of our favourite quotes from the key moments throughout the campaign.

Almost six months after leaving Chelsea, two-time Champions League-winner Mourinho is appointed Manchester United manager in May.

“Man United is one of these clubs where you need really to be prepared for it because it is what I used to call a giant club, and giant clubs must be for the best managers,” said the former Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss.

“I think I am ready for it, so I could say I am happy, I am proud, I am honoured – I am everything.”

Undoubtedly one of the highest-profile transfers in history, Pogba returns to the club where he spent three years as an academy player from Juventus for a whopping £89.3 million fee.

“This is the right club for me to achieve everything I hope to,” said the French midfielder.

(Photo by John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images)

“It was like I’d just come back home. I just went for a holiday.”

Injury woes plagued the Red Devils’ stuttering Premier League campaign and despite a 3-1 win at Swansea City in November, Mourinho was aimed a dig at his own players after he was forced to field a makeshift back-four of Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Matteo Darmian.

The Old Trafford chief said: “If I were to speak with the many great football people of this team, they will say many times they played without being 100 per cent.

“For the team, you have to do anything. That is my way of seeing. We have players with problems. To compete you have to go to the limit.”

At the end of February, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice at Wembley to help United beat Southampton and lift the EFL Cup, aiming a dig at rival clubs with slightly dustier trophy cabinets.

“We are winning. After seven months, I have two trophies with this club,” said the striker.

(Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“There are other clubs that didn’t win for 10 years. I’ve won what they won in 10 years, so I’m happy with that.”

After United were knocked out of the FA Cup at Chelsea in March, Mourinho, the Blues’ most successful manager in terms of honours, hit back at fans that had jeered him at Stamford Bridge.

He said: “Until the moment they have a manager that wins four Premier Leagues for them, I’m the number one.

“Until then, Judas is number one.”

United’s season would end on a high however as they beat Ajax 2-0 in Stockholm to win the Europa League – Mourinho duly took a smug swipe at his critics and rivals.

“The poets are the ones that win every match,” he said.

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“I think I’m going to try to have one of these jobs in a few years because you win every match and I never manage in my career to win every match. I always lose matches.

“For me, it was a victory for a fantastic group, based on pragmatism and based on humble principles. Not poets – just humble people.”

West Ham midfielder Pedro Obiang insists he is well on track to be fit in time for the start of pre-season training next month.

The Spaniard suffered a leg injury in the Hammers’ 3-2 defeat to Leicester City in March, undergoing surgery that saw him ruled out of the remainder of the season.

Rehab has gone to plan, though, and confidence is high the 25-year-old can rejoin his teammates back on the pitch when they begin their preparations for the new campaign in July.

“I’m coming back to Rush Green to continue my fitness work in a few days because I have to work for to be ready for July 5,” said Obiang.

“I’ve been on holiday with my family and some friends to Mykonos and Athens in Greece, Belgrade in Serbia, and Montenegro, which was both interesting and relaxing, but now is the time to think about my work because I want to be ready to train and play.

“I have two things to improve. I need to shoot more at the goal and give more assists to my teammates.”

(Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

Obiang enjoyed a breakthrough season with the Hammers last term, making 30 appearances in claret and blue and scoring his first Premier League goal against Southampton.

That strike, he admits, is one of his favourite moments in the West Ham shirt to date, and insists he feels right at home at the London Stadium.

“I have many good memories of my time with West Ham,” he said. “The last game in Upton Park, the atmosphere and everything was amazing, and of course the game in the FA Cup against Liverpool when Angelo Ogbonna scored the winner in the last minute.

“This last season, the best moments were when I scored my first goal and when I saw the videos of the supporters singing my song!”

Rob Holding may be looking forward to jetting off on his summer holidays with Arsenal teammate Calum Chambers but the pair of young Gunners defenders have pressing business to attend to first.

Holding, 21, and Chambers, 22, are both part of the England U21s side that start their bid for European Championship glory in Poland on Friday night, with the Three Lions taking on defending champions Sweden in their opening game.

Things were pretty different this time 12 months ago as Holding – then a relatively-unknown Bolton Wanderers player – was holidaying in Thailand with his pals.

Now, the Arsenal man has an FA Cup winners’ medal to his name and is full of confidence ahead of the Young Lions’ Euro tilt – the beach life can wait for now.

“I won’t be backpacking this summer,” said Holding.

“I’ll probably go away with Calum Chambers – we’re pretty inseparable. Let’s hope it’s after the Euros final.

(Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

“On a personal level, I’ve been on quite a high. Hopefully I can carry that on with this team into the Euros and keep the winning streak going.

“It’s been surreal playing in the Champions League and winning the FA Cup. I played a hell of a lot more than I thought I would.

“When you get a chance, you must be ready to step in and not let the manager down.

“But I don’t feel extra pressure. I’m pretty laid back.”