The college football transfer portal is open until Jan. 16, with an extra five-day window (Jan. 20-24) for Indiana and Miami because they are playing in the national championship game on Jan. 19.

Thousands of players remain available. We’ll keep you posted with daily live updates of portal commitments.

∎ Transfers by conference: SEC | Big Ten | ACC | Big 12

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Today’s CFB transfer portal commitments

QB

Daniel Kaelin: Virginia to Nebraska
Sam Leavitt: Arizona State to LSU
Deshawn Purdie: Wake Forest to Liberty
Dylan Raiola: Nebraska to Oregon
Tristan Ti’a: Oregon State to Auburn
Shaker Reisig: Boston College to Texas State

RB

JT Lindsey: LSU to Ole Miss
Clay Thevenin: Louisiana Tech to Rutgers

WR

Royal Capell: Oklahoma State to UTEP
Nahzae Cox: Middle Tennessee to Kansas
Hardley Gilmore: Kentucky to Baylor
Jalen Hale: Alabama to SMU
Cedric Lott Jr.: Boston College to Incarnate Word
Cameron Miller: Kentucky to Ole Miss
Dre’Lon Miller: Colorado to Baylor
Roman Mothershed: Troy to LSU
Isaiah Stone: LSU to Georgia State
Winston Watkins Jr.: Ole Miss to LSU

TE

JJ Buchanan: Utah to Michigan
Trey Jackson: Texas Tech to SMU
Theo Melin Ohrstrom: Texas A&M to SMU

OL

Isaiah Autry-Dent: Oklahoma to Mississippi State
Michael Bennett: Yale to Oregon
Cedric Jefferson: Montana State to Utah
Josh Manecke: Army to James Madison
Darrin Strey: Kentucky to LSU
Shaun Torgeson: Portland State to Oklahoma State

DL

Tunmise Adeleye: UNLV to Syracuse
Kaleb Artis: Penn State to Temple
Kedrick Bingley-Jones: Mississippi State to Alabama
Donovan Hoilette: Richmond to North Carolina
Keon Keeley: Alabama to Notre Dame
Jonah Leaea: Utah to Michigan
C.J. Mims: North Carolina to Texas A&M
Josh Schell: Tennessee to UCF
Daemian Wimberly: UTSA to Baylor

LB

Matai Tagoa’i: USC to Arizona

DB

Shamar Arnoux: Florida State to Aubun
Emory Floyd: Appalachian State to Colorado
Corey Gordon: Louisville to Kansas
Darius Johnson: Gardner-Webb to Georgia State
Ricardo Jones: Clemson to Vanderbilt
Adrian Maddox: Georgia to Kansas State
Terry Moore: Duke to Ohio State
Dee Newsome: Samford to Purdue
Jayden Sanders: Michigan to Notre Dame
Jasin Shiggs: Towson to Nebraska

K

P

LS

Weston Simmons: Cincinnati to Memphis

College football 2026 transfer portal dates: When does transfer portal close?

The portal period now runs from Jan. 2-16, with an extra five-day window (Jan. 20-24) for teams playing in the national championship. The spring portal window in April is no longer a part of the schedule, so January is the only open window for teams to add via the portal in 2026.

The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams are set to face off in the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs after each eked out a fourth-quarter comeback in the wild-card round.

The Rams started the NFL’s playoff action with a 34-31 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Los Angeles entered the game as heavy favorites but found itself in a back-and-forth contest during which there were four, fourth-quarter lead changes.

The final one came with 38 seconds remaining, as Matthew Stafford found Colby Parkinson for a game-winning touchdown to send the Rams to the divisional round.

Meanwhile, the Bears trailed by as many as 18 points against the Green Bay Packers before exploding in the fourth quarter of their divisional rivalry game. Chicago scored 25 points in the final quarter to edge Green Bay 31-27 in a game where the Packers missed two field goals and an extra point.

Who will win the Bears vs. Rams playoff game? Here’s a breakdown of the odds and matchups to watch as each team looks to book passage to the NFC championship game.

Bears vs. Rams divisional round odds

The Rams are favored to beat the Bears on the road in the divisional round, according to the BetMGM NFL odds.

Spread: Rams (-3.5)
Moneyline: Rams (-190) | Bears (+155)
Over/under: 51.5

Our guide to NFL betting odds, picks and spreads has you covered.

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Bears vs. Rams matchups to watch

Matthew Stafford vs. Bears pass rush

The Bears struggled to get consistent pressure during the 2025 NFL season, logging the league’s sixth-lowest pressure rate (31.6%), per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That could pose trouble for them against Stafford and the Rams.

Stafford has been one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks when kept clean this year, per Pro Football Focus. The 37-year-old veteran has completed 71.7% of his passes for 3,855 yards, 41 touchdowns and eight interceptions across 18 games (postseason included), which is good for a 120.2 passer rating.

Add in that the Rams have allowed the league’s second-lowest pressure rate (27.4%) and it seems like Montez Sweat and Co. will be facing an uphill battle in trying to slow down Stafford.

Puka Nacua vs. Kyler Gordon

The Bears are likely going to try to throw the kitchen sink at Nacua in an effort to keep him in check. As such, several different cornerbacks – including Jaylon Johnson and Nahshon Wright – will likely get a chance to cover the All-Pro wide-out during Sunday’s game.

That said, Nacua should have a decided advantage when going up against Gordon. The 26-year-old returned to Chicago’s lineup in the wild-card round after a five-week absence due to a groin injury and the Packers made it a point to pick on him. Gordon was targeted a team-high 10 times and allowed four catches for 82 yards and a touchdown during the game, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Gordon played 35 of his 44 defensive snaps in the slot against the Packers, per Pro Football Focus, so the Rams can expect him to align there frequently. Nacua is fresh off a game during which he played 18 snaps in the slot, marking his highest total in a game at the position since Week 5. Sean McVay may look to exploit that mismatch as Gordon continues to round into form while recovering from his injury.

Theo Benedet vs. Rams defensive front

Second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo emerged as Chicago’s starting left tackle over the final six weeks of the regular season. The Boston College product suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in the team’s win over the Packers, however, which will knock him out for the rest of the postseason.

As a result, the Bears will have to turn to Benedet to man the left tackle spot. The undrafted rookie made eight starts at the position this season and allowed 26 pressures across 333 pass-blocking snaps this season, per PFF. By comparison, Trapilo allowed 15 pressures across 283 pass-blocking snaps.

Caleb Williams could face a small uptick in blindside pressure if Benedet continues to play at such a clip. Chris Shula may look to expose this lone weakness in Chicago’s offensive line by pressuring off the left side or by having the team’s top pass rusher, Jared Verse, line up across from Benedet throughout Sunday’s contest.

Early prediction for Bears vs. Rams

Los Angeles Rams 34, Chicago Bears 26

The Bears figure to put up a good fight against the Rams, as has been a staple in Ben Johnson’s first season in Chicago, but Los Angeles has a significant offensive advantage in this one.

The Bears simply don’t have the caliber of pass rush needed to generate pressure against Stafford. That will give the potential NFL MVP plenty of time to throw and allow him to pick apart a Chicago defense that will struggle to fully contain Nacua and Davante Adams.

Add in that the Bears allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game (132.6) during the regular season and that the team has surrendered an average of 385 yards and 29.3 points over its last three games and this seems like a tough spot for Dennis Allen’s stop unit.

Still, the Bears should remain competitive in this one. They have a strong home-field advantage at Soldier Field and should be able to move the ball, as the Rams have had an up-and-down defensive season (Los Angeles has allowed an average of 30 points per game over their last five outings).

That may at least position Williams and Co. for a chance to mount another fourth-quarter comeback. This time, they will fall short and set the Rams up to face a divisional foe in the NFC championship game.

Several top quarterbacks, including Sam Leavitt and Dylan Raiola, are still available in the transfer portal.
Major programs like Miami, Oregon, and LSU are actively seeking new starting quarterbacks for the upcoming season.
Some teams are considering younger, less experienced players or junior college transfers to fill their quarterback needs.

The shortened 15-day transfer window enacted this season has sped up the signing process to the point where most Power Four programs have already shopped around and found their new quarterback (or quarterbacks) for 2026.

The headliners through the transfer portal’s opening week include Brendan Sorsby (Texas Tech), Josh Hoover (Indiana), Byrum Brown (Auburn) and Rocco Becht (Penn State).

But there remain several major programs on the market and a handful of talented quarterbacks still looking for a new destination, some with Power Four starting experience.

Things will move quickly before the portal closes on Jan. 16 for every team except Miami and Indiana. While quarterbacks do not need to sign before that date, programs are looking to bring their new commitments as soon as possible to get them acclimated before the start of spring drills.

As the transfer window moves into week two, let’s evaluate which major programs need a quarterback and which option makes the most sense:

Miami: Sam Leavitt

The Hurricanes have gone one-and-done with recent transfers Cam Ward and Carson Beck and could be more open to a multiple-year addition. Two names immediately come to mind in Sam Leavitt (Arizona State) and Dylan Raiola (Nebraska). Both rising juniors are also on the short list for Oregon, should the Ducks lose Dante Moore to the NFL draft. While Raiola’s arm strength fits Miami’s scheme, Leavitt is a better athlete, a more proven winner and far more experienced in the high-pressure games that will define the Hurricanes in 2026. Leavitt does have some injury concerns, though. He’s also in the mix at Tennessee and LSU.

Oregon: Dylan Raiola

This presumes Moore leaves, which isn’t certain. But given the dearth of high-end quarterback prospects in this year’s draft class, he could quickly become an option to go among the first few picks. If he heads for the NFL, look for Oregon to take a long look at Raiola and his untapped potential after two years as the starter at Nebraska. A lack of mobility could lead to some changes on offense if Raiola is the pick, and the Ducks will need to reload up front to provide the pass protection he needs. But even if Moore comes back, Oregon would be a great spot for Raiola to take a year off as the backup, learn the system and then take over in 2027 as a redshirt junior. Moore followed the same blueprint after leaving UCLA after his freshman season.

Ole Miss: Deuce Knight

The national semifinalists need a new starter after Trinidad Chambliss was denied his petition for a sixth year by the NCAA. Knight has the skill set to match the Rebels’ scheme but is a gamble for a team with national title hopes because of his inexperience. A freshman who redshirted this season, he appeared in two games for Auburn, drawing the start in a November rout of Mercer and completing 15 of 20 attempts for 239 yards and two scores.

LSU: Husan Longstreet

LSU went after Sorsby, hosted Leavitt, definitely would’ve taken Chambliss and might’ve been the preferred destination for Washington’s Demond Williams had he been able to get out of his contract with the Huskies. But the options are thinning for Lane Kiffin, especially if Knight ends up at Ole Miss. While the Tigers will bring in developmental backup Landen Clark from Elon, Kiffin needs a better option to lead the offense. Like others, LSU is in full pursuit of Leavitt but could need to shift toward a young but talented freshman in Southern California transfer Husan Longstreet, who completed 13 of 15 attempts in 2025 while redshirting.

Georgia Tech: Beau Pribula

The Yellow Jackets lost Haynes Knight to graduation and saw former backup Aaron Philo to Florida, where he’ll reunite with former offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. Former Missouri starter Beau Pribula will multiple contenders in the mix for his signature and might be the best option among the second tier of experienced starters behind Leavitt and Raiola. Pribula has the ability running and throwing to play well in Tech’s desired scheme and brings SEC starting experience to the table, making him a potential game-changing addition.

Arkansas: Tre Guerra

New Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield will bring rising redshirt freshman A.J. Hill with him from Memphis, adding him to a room that lost Taylen Green to graduation but returns sophomore-to-be K.J. Jackson. Neither comes off a viable starting option in 2026 if the Razorbacks want to immediately climb out of the SEC cellar. Arkansas is one of several teams sniffing around Tre Guerra, who earned All-America honors in junior college after throwing for 2,811 yards and 24 touchdowns for Tyler Community College. Guerra would keep the seat warm while the new staff develops Jackson and Hill.

ST. LOUIS — Heading into the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships, there existed the very real prospect that the United States would be selecting the greatest American skating team to ever compete at the Olympic Games. 

Coming out of the national championships, that potential was affirmed. Almost all of the top skaters did their jobs. The team is strong and deep, with medal favorites in four of the five events. The skaters aren’t just leaving the nationals, they are storming out of the place.

Now comes the hard part. In less than four weeks, the Milano Cortina Olympics begin. And there are some significant questions: Can Ilia Malinin continue to dominate the men’s competition and win a second consecutive American Olympic gold medal after Nathan Chen’s victory in 2022? 

Watch our exclusive conversation with Ilia Malinin in the debut episode of ourMilan Magic Olympics podcast. Subscribe and listen:Apple Podcasts |Spotify |Amazon

The answer is almost certainly yes. Then again, skating is a slippery sport and the pressure on the 21-year-old “Quad God” will be immense. Still, it’s Malinin’s event to lose.

Can the Americans do what they are expected to do and glide to a win in the team event, which kicks off the figure skating competition in Milan? It would be stunning if they did not.

Can ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates, seven-time national champions, finally win a medal in the event they have graced with their presence for years? The answer to that is yes, they almost certainly will, either gold or silver. 

And the women? The United States has selected its best women’s team in nearly a quarter century, since 2002. But gold, silver and even bronze are not guaranteed in a strong field of competitors from Japan and Russia. 

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If things go spectacularly well, the United States has a fighting chance to win four of the five gold medals that will be given out in Italy. The previous best performances for the Americans at the Olympics? Two golds each, all the way back at the 1956 and again at the 1960 Olympics (where there were only three Olympic figure skating events).

To be in this position, U.S. skaters had to come in on top of their game at the national championships, and by and large, they did.

“This past week has been American skating at its best,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said after everything ended Sunday afternoon. 

Nothing was more impressive than the way the top U.S. women skated. In the short program and again in the long, one after another performed flawlessly. They were talented and they were resilient. And they sent a message that the three-member U.S. women’s skating team truly is a team, not just a collection of individuals, which could play quite well in the pressure cooker of the Olympics.

With 26-year-old, three-time national champion Amber Glenn acting as the voice of reason for the group, and reigning world champion and two-time national champion Alysa Liu, 20, and 2023 national champion Isabeau Levito, 18, providing the laughs, they are setting themselves up for a very fun, even somewhat silly, six weeks. 

“I think we’re going to enjoy it together off the ice, on the ice, in practices, getting to the village together, trying on all the gear, it’s going to be a blast,” Liu said. 

Glenn quoted Liu on their camaraderie, a quality that can be rare even among national teammates in the competitive world of skating. “Something Alysa has been saying is, ‘Why is it so shocking that we’re being friendly, that we’re friends?’” 

Two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan, speaking on the USA TODAY podcast Milan Magic, said the U.S. women’s prospects are better because of how close the trio is.

“Like, wow, look out everybody because they are fierce competitors,” Kerrigan said. “And I think some of it is just their camaraderie is incredible. They lift each other up.”

But nothing was more uplifting than the performance of 24-year-old Maxim Naumov, who lost his parents in the mid-air collision over Washington, D.C., nearly a year ago. After three consecutive fourth-place finishes at the nationals, he skated well enough under intense pressure to move up to third this year and make the U.S. Olympic team, instantly becoming the most emotional story of the Games. 

As excruciating as it is to think that he achieved the Olympic dream he and his parents shared without them, he said he knew exactly what they would be thinking:

“They’re saying, we’re proud of you, but the job’s not finished. We’re just getting started.”

Vic Schaefer is not a fan of Texas’ SEC schedule and the Longhorns coach made that abundantly clear after LSU handed his team their first loss of the season on Sunday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

‘They obviously have a vendetta against Texas because not only have we started in the league, and I get to play South Carolina twice last year, this year, I get LSU twice,’ Schaefer said.’I have to play South Carolina on the road this year, as well as LSU. I get them back-to-back in the same week. Now, make that make sense.

‘The league is hard enough as it is, but then to bless me, me and my group, with that, it really has a stench to it. … I’m really disappointed in the league for putting our kids in that position, but we play whoever’s in front of us.’

The Longhorns opened the SEC season with back-to-back home wins against No. 17 Ole Miss and unranked Auburn before traveling to Baton Rouge to play No. 12 LSU. Texas fell, 70-65, to head coach Kim Mulkey and the Tigers. Junior guard Mikaylah Williams had 20 points and was one of five players in double figures.

Longhorns forward Madison Booker had 24 points, while center Kyla Oldacre finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds. Senior guard Rori Harmon, who is usually nearly unstoppable when on the floor with Booker, tallied just two points in the contest and was benched during the fourth quarter.

‘They were tougher than us today. This was our worst performance of the year,’ Schaefer said.

Schaefer said playing in the SEC can be hard and asserted it’s ‘one monster after another.’ He says it’s what he signed up for, and he understands how tough it is after spending eight seasons as Mississippi State’s head coach. Still, he’s upset about the SEC schedule and revealed he’s waiting for someone from Texas to speak up about it.

‘Unless somebody from my university stands up and says, ‘Hey, what in the hell is going on here?’ nobody does anything, and that’s my frustration,’ Schaefer said.

‘It’s us against the world a lot of times, and we have to embrace that.’

Longtime Norwich City defender Rob Newman said Josh Sargent has gone from ‘hero to zero’ after his refusal to play in an FA Cup match against Walsall on Sunday, Jan. 11.

After Norwich won the game 5-1, head coach Philippe Clement said the American forward requested to sit out due to his desire to leave the club.

‘Josh sent me a message (Saturday) evening saying he would not be available because of transfer things in his head,’ Clement said.

The Athletic reported that Toronto FC has bid $18 million to land Sargent, who is pushing for the move to MLS.

But according to Clement, the Canaries have no intention of letting their star forward leave in January.

‘This is obviously not something we want and will have consequences,’ Clement said. ‘It is something we need to speak about inside the club, but the club has made it really clear to Josh and his agent that he will not be leaving during this transfer window.’

Sargent has scored double-digit league goals in the past three seasons, netting 56 times overall for the club since joining in 2021.

This season, the 25-year-old has scored seven times in the Championship.

Though Sargent has endeared himself to fans with his prolific form and his loyalty, rejecting a move to German side Wolfsburg over the summer, Newman said the forward is in danger of throwing away all of his goodwill.

‘You don’t do that, no matter how good a player you are, what an icon, a legend you are, you just don’t do that.

‘I’ve never met Josh Sargent, but anyone who has spoken to him says he’s the nicest guy in the world, so someone somewhere is advising him – and that is the worst piece of advice he will have received in his professional career.’

Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy was recently named to represent Team USA in Milan at the Winter Olympics.

The Minnesota forward showed the world why on Saturday with an incredible assist to teammate Bella Fanale to set up the Gophers’ second goal in 4-3 victory over Minnesota State.

Late in the first period, Murphy skated down the ice late and floated the puck in the air, through a Maverick defender’s legs and back to herself before dishing it to Fanale for a goal.

The play was described by the internet as sick, disgusting and just plain unfair.

Murphy has 50 total points in 22 games this season with 28 goals and 22 assists. The Gophers are 18-4 and on a six-game win streak.

Mississippi football and quarterback Trinidad Chambliss are still aiming for another year of eligibility, despite the NCAA denying their claim Jan. 9.

Chambliss’ lawyers plan to file suit against the NCAA in Mississippi state court for a preliminary injunction, per multiple reports. Chambliss’ attorney, Tom Mars, released a statement Jan. 11, noting Chambliss’ team anticipates filing the suit before the end of the week.

”We expect the lawsuit to be far more detailed and documented than other eligibility lawsuits that have been filed in the past year,’ Mars said in a statement. ‘Therefore, considerable work needs to be done before we’ll be prepared to seek an injunction that would allow Trinidad to play next season.’

Chambliss, a first-year Division I starter after transferring from Division II Ferris State, was hoping to receive a retroactive redshirt for the 2022 season, in which he didn’t appear in a game due to medical issues. He also redshirted in 2021, meaning he only appeared in games for three seasons from 2023-25.

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said on social media the school would appeal the NCAA’s decision after Chambliss was denied the extra season.

The breakout star of the College Football Playoff, Chambliss passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns in Ole Miss’ upset win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. He threw for 277 yards and a touchdown in the Rebels’ narrow 31-27 defeat to Miami at the Fiesta Bowl.

Chambliss finished the 2025-26 season with 3,937 passing yards and 22 touchdowns to three interceptions, along with 527 rushing yards and eight scores. He was eighth in Heisman Trophy voting. Ole Miss has since added former Auburn 5-star quarterback Deuce Knight, who has four seasons of eligibility left, via the transfer portal.

Why was Trinidad Chambliss’ waiver denied by NCAA?

‘In November, Ole Miss filed a waiver request for football student-athlete Trinidad Chambliss, seeking to extend his five-year Division I eligibility clock, citing an incapacitating illness or injury,’ the NCAA wrote. ‘Approval requires schools to submit medical documentation provided by a treating physician at the time of a student’s incapacitating injury or illness, which was not provided. The documents provided by Ole Miss and the student’s prior school include a physician’s note from a December 2022 visit, which stated the student-athlete was “doing very well” since he was seen in August 2022. Additionally, the student-athlete’s prior school indicated it had no documentation on medical treatment, injury reports or medical conditions involving the student-athlete during that time frame and cited “developmental needs and our team’s competitive circumstances” as its reason the student-athlete did not play in the 2022-23 season. The waiver request was denied.

‘This decision aligns with consistent application of NCAA rules. So far this academic year, the NCAA has received 784 clock extension requests (438 in football). Of those, 25 cases cited an incapacitating injury (nine in football). The NCAA approved 15 of those (six in football), and all 15 provided medical documentation from the time of the injury. Conversely, all 10 that were denied (three in football) did not provide the required medical documentation.

‘To receive a clock extension, a student-athlete must have been denied two seasons of competition for reasons beyond the student’s or school’s control, and a “redshirt” year can be used only once. One of the rules being cited publicly (Bylaw 12.6.4.2.2) is not the correct rule for the type of waiver requested by the school. Ole Miss applied for the waiver in November, and the NCAA first provided a verbal denial Dec. 8.’

Injuries are always a fact of life for Americans Abroad, but players’ health becomes increasingly important as a World Cup approaches.

This week saw differing fortunes for a handful of players, with one major injury taking place and two other players coming back after spells on the sideline.

This week’s Five leads off with one particularly encouraging return after almost two years of injury hell.

Paredes back after injury nightmare

It has been an extremely rough 18 months for Kevin Paredes, but the Wolfsburg winger is finally back on the pitch.

Paredes made his first appearance of the season on Sunday, Jan. 11, coming on in the 77th minute as Wolfsburg was demolished 8-1 at the hands of Bayern Munich.

The Virginia native looked like a big part of the USMNT’s future during the 2023-24 campaign, as he made 28 Bundesliga appearances and scored three goals while still just 20 years old.

But Sunday’s game was just the third for Paredes since that season, as a foot injury limited him to only two appearances last season. After a setback in preseason, Paredes underwent surgery on the same troublesome foot in August.

Still only 22, time is on the winger’s side as he attempts to get his career back on track.

Pepi goes down — again

January has not been kind to Ricardo Pepi lately.

Last year, Pepi’s sensational season was ended by a severe knee injury in January. Twelve months later, the PSV striker once again suffered a serious injury that will keep him sidelined for a while.

This one was particularly gruesome, if not as damaging as last year’s. Pepi broke his forearm after scoring against Excelsior, a diagnosis that anyone with functioning eyes could have confirmed after seeing the state of his arm.

Pepi is set to miss two months, which is a major blow for PSV. The Texan has scored in five consecutive games and is the team’s only out-and-out striker.

When it comes to the U.S. men’s national team, Pepi seems to have dodged a bullet. With the U.S. not in action until late March, Pepi may not even miss a game if his recovery goes according to plan.

Richards returns for historic loss

The most important thing for Chris Richards is that he’s back on the field. But he wouldn’t have wanted to return like this.

Crystal Palace was on the wrong end of the biggest shock in FA Cup history – by league position anyhow – on Saturday, Jan. 10. Sixth-tier Macclesfield stunned Palace 2-1, knocking out the defending champion in the third round.

Richards played fairly well, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Eagles from losing to a team 117 places above them in the English pyramid.

Still, when Richards went off on a stretcher against Arsenal on Dec. 23, missing just four games seemed almost impossible to fathom. But that ended up being the absence for a player who will be crucial as Palace looks to right the ship in the weeks ahead.

Scally stars, Reyna peripheral

Joe Scally scored his first goal of the season on Sunday as Borussia Mönchengladbach hammered Augsburg 4-0 to kick off the second half of the season.

The defender turned in an excellent all-around display, earning a place on Kicker‘s team of the week.

Scally continues to be a fixture for Gladbach, which is up to 10th in the table after recovering from an awful 0W-3D-5L start.

Meanwhile, Gio Reyna only managed a five-minute cameo off the bench after he started three consecutive games prior to the Bundesliga’s winter break. According to ESPN Bundesliga commentator Derek Rae, Reyna looks to have a real fight on his hands for minutes.

Sargent sits, Norwich fumes

Josh Sargent may not be an American Abroad for much longer.

Amid reports of a bid from Toronto FC, the Norwich forward appears to be going on strike.

Sargent wasn’t in the squad for Norwich 5-1 FA Cup victory over Walsall on Sunday. According to Canaries coach Philippe Clement, that was at the striker’s request.

‘Josh sent me a message (Saturday) evening saying he would not be available because of transfer things in his head,’ Clement said.

But the coach made it clear that his side wouldn’t be pushed around so easily.

‘This is obviously not something we want and will have consequences. It is something we need to speak about inside the club, but the club has made it really clear to Josh and his agent that he will not be leaving during this transfer window.’

For a player already slipping out of the World Cup picture, a prolonged stand-off is the last thing he needs right now.