All posts by n8rngtd.top

Glasgow Rangers’ move for Norwich City midfielder Kenny McLean could be back on after Daniel Farke revealed he could be back from his injury as early as Christmas.

McLean could be available

The £2.88m-valued Scotland international (Transfermarkt) twisted his knee and suffered a meniscus tear in a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough earlier this month. This is the kind of injury that can sometimes keep players out for four to five months, seemingly leaving a deal with Rangers dead in the water.

However, Canaries manager Farke has delivered some surprising news, saying that McLean could be back an awful lot sooner. He explained:

“For the long term, some good news.

“Kenny McLean could have been out for four or five months but that’s not the case.

“He could be back around Christmas.”

Good news for a transfer?

McLean is a Rangers fan from childhood, which may be one of the reasons why he has been linked with a move to Ibrox. He has made 57 appearances for Norwich, including 37 in the Premier League last season, and he has picked up 17 caps for his country.

Had McLean been out injured for as long as was originally suggested, there would have been no point in Steven Gerrard and co making a move for the 28-year-old. However, now that he could be fit as early as this month, McLean could still be acquired in January to give the 54-time Scottish champions that extra boost as they look to get their hands on a first piece of major silverware since 2011.

In other news, this shock Champions League result could have a big impact on Glasgow Rangers.

Tottenham Hotspur will have to strike soon if they are to land mooted January target Dominik Szoboszlai amid emerging reports…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, Spurs are one of the teams interested in the RB Salzburg sensation but his release clause is set to complicate things in the upcoming transfer window.

The clause, thought to be around €25m (£22m) must be paid in one go and within two weeks of it being activated. It also contains a 20 per cent sell-on clause on any future transfer fee.

If Szoboszlai is to leave next month, then bids must be lodged before the turn of the year with the player himself informing the club of his desire to leave, which only complicates matters further.

Forget Lo Celso?

Although intricate, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy absolutely has to sanction a move for the Hungarian wonderkid – forget about Giovani Lo Celso in an attacking midfield role as this prodigy is a pure generational talent.

The 20-year-old has similar attributes to that of Gareth Bale given his speed, power and prowess but current head coach Jesse Marsch named a different player to The Athletic, he said:

“I describe him as a modern-day David Beckham. Beckham had a real ability to hook a ball and he could also chop it when he needed to, but Szoboszlai can hit the ball a lot of different ways too, and he’s got power.

“He can really hit the ball. He can do these things with his right foot but can also play a little more intensively and he can work harder against the ball and he can be a threat in the box still. He’s very fit; so whatever the physical demands you put on him, he can meet those demands because he’s fit, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s athletic.”

Indeed, it’s easy to see why such comparisons have been made as he’s got a knack for scoring absolute thunderbolts, as seen by this free-kick for his national side.

This season, Szoboszlai has continued to impress domestically despite the intense speculation over his long-term future, delivering eight goals and nine assists, which includes a strike against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

That alone is more than what Lo Celso has managed for Spurs (six goals, three assists) ever since he originally joined the club on loan from Real Betis.

What makes him an even more intriguing and exciting prospect is the fact that he can play on the left, as a no.10, as a secondary striker and even as a no.8, and with returns like that it really is no wonder that some of Europe’s elite are chasing his signature.

Levy really has to ensure that it’s his north London side who win the heated race in 2021.

AND in other news, Levy must resist the temptation to sign “useless and slow” £45m-rated star…

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a second successive defeat as their Premier League title hopes were dealt another devastating blow this afternoon.

Indeed, Jose Mourinho’s side were well-beaten by another top four rival as Leicester City came in north London and snagged all three points with a 2-0 victory.

It comes just a few days after Spurs’ defeat to Liverpool at Anfield and as a result, they have now slipped down to fourth place, some six points adrift of the defending champions and current league leaders.

The Foxes put on a clinic, registering over double the number of shots (17) than what the home side could muster up in the whole match.

They first took the lead through a Jamie Vardy penalty on the stroke of half-time before an own goal from Toby Alderweireld just before the hour mark piled on the misery.

Serge Aurier, who made the mistake for the opener, was hooked off soon after in what was a shocking display – Roy Keane slammed his defending as “utter madness” to the Sky Sports panel [20th December, 15:10 pm] but there were far worse players on the pitch.

Arguably, Moussa Sissoko’s performance was equally – if not more – pathetic in the middle of the pitch. He was a name we tipped to face the axe, and perhaps Mourinho should’ve listened.

The 31-year-old, who cost a whopping £30m in 2016, was merely a lightweight passenger throughout the 90 minutes on the pitch.

He won just 23% of his 13 duels both aerially and on the ground, failed to provide a single accurate cross or long ball, and lost possession 12 times, via SofaScore.

Alasdair Gold at football.london was also scathing of the Frenchman, grading him a 4/10 in his post-match ratings, he said:

“Always looked nervy in possession, needing an extra touch and his defending for Leicester’s second goal was woeful, not seeming to even realise Vardy was behind him.”

In addition, the £90k-per-week calamity successfully pulled off just two of five dribble attempts and also committed one foul.

After his stinker against the Reds, Mourinho will surely be absolutely seething with what he saw from Sissoko, on their own patch, too.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Spurs backed to secure “unbelievable” deal for La Liga superstar…

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard must wield the axe on Ryan Kent for the game against St. Mirren on Wednesday afternoon after his rapid decline in form.

Kent started the Boxing Day clash with Hibernian at Ibrox but offered very little going forwards as he cut a frustrated figure on the left flank.

Whilst the 24-year-old’s form has started to spiral out of control, Ianis Hagi has outshone his teammate since the start of the month, providing three goals and an assist in his past six games across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

The Ibrox boss shouldn’t think twice about dropping Kent for Hagi as it’s surely a no-brainer at this stage, with the Romania international showing what he can do from that flank by cutting in from the left wing to score against Lech Poznan in the Europa League earlier this month.

Rangers have enjoyed an imperious campaign since the start of the season, with 18 wins, two draws and no defeats in the Scottish Premiership so far. However, there is still room for improvement, having conceded four goals in their past five games.

The Govan-based Glaswegian giants couldn’t keep a clean sheet against the Saints in the Scottish League Cup, with John Goodwin’s side enjoying success up and down the left flank, which saw Gerrard haul Calvin Bassey off shortly after half-time.

Against Hibs, Kent was equally found wanting once more, after the 24-year-old lost possession 15 times, won just three out of 13 duels overall, committed two fouls and was dribbled past once, via SofaScore.

Valued at £3m via Transfermarkt, the Oldham-born Englishman was invisible for most of the game with two attempts blocked proving to be his only shots of the match, as per SofaScore.

It looks like he’s run out of steam which is hardly a surprise as in this season, he has made 20 appearances in the Premiership, scoring five goals and supplying six assists, via Transfermarkt.

Whether his head has been turned by links to Leeds United in the summer, who knows, but he simply isn’t performing at a consistent level to warrant his place in the starting line-up, for the time being at least, as he has failed to find the back of the net in his previous five fixtures.

Once hailed as a “game-changer” by Gerrard after the Europa League victory over Willem II at the start of the season, Kent currently earns around £18,000-per-week at Ibrox, but it’s fair to say that the board aren’t getting their money’s worth at the moment. A short spell on the sidelines should do just the trick.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must hand Rangers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin rare start vs St. Mirren…

Farhad Moshiri must boot Jonas Lossl out of Goodison Park immediately amid reports that Inter Miami are in talks to sign the forgotten Everton goalkeeper.

What’s the word?

According to the Miami Herald, confirming reports by Tipsbladet, David Beckham’s Major League Soccer franchise are in the market for a host of new players ahead of the 2021 season as the England icon looks to take a more active role in the club’s football operations.

Miami opted against taking up their option to extend starting shot-stopper Luis Robles’ contract at the end of last season after their captain lost his role following a broken arm, while John McCarthy kept only one clean sheet in nine games after taking over the role.

Lossl is believed to be looking for a move away from Everton in 2021 after failing to establish himself at Goodison Park, with the 31-year-old still yet to make his debut one-and-a-half-years after joining the club as a free agent.

The one-cap Denmark international hopes a transfer away from Merseyside will aid his efforts to secure a role in his nation’s European Championship squad for this summer’s postponed tournament, having been an unused substitute in nine fixtures this term.

Olympique de Marseille are also believed to be in discussions with Lossl and his representatives, as the Ligue 1 side see the £28,000-per-week ‘keeper in a positive light following his successful years with Guingamp before joining Huddersfield Town.

Should Everton sell Lossl?

Lossl faced an uphill struggle to emerge as Everton’s first-choice goalkeeper following his return to Goodison Park in the summer, having seen Carlo Ancelotti hire AS Roma’s Robin Olsen on loan to understudy for Jordan Pickford and he now seeking a permanent deal for the Sweden international.

Olsen is clearly ahead of Lossl in Ancelotti’s thinking, with the Italian having called on the 30-year-old to feature on three occasions thus far, while Marco Silva’s goalkeeper signing continues to watch the action only from the bench or from outside of the match day squads.

Moshiri must see Lossl’s position, and the emerging interest, as a chance to recoup some of the cash Everton spent to bring the 6 ft 4 shot-stopper to Goodison Park in 2019, having so far seen the £1.5m spent on wages be totally wasted as he hasn’t even seen a second of action.

Ancelotti is unlikely to change that anytime soon, either, despite having an FA Cup tie at home to Championship strugglers Rotherham United to come this weekend as he is loath to hand out minutes without due cause.

“My desire was to give opportunities also to Lossl and [Joao] Virginia because they are good goalkeepers and training professionally but, unfortunately, I cannot do what I want sometimes,” the former Chelsea boss said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo, last month.

Lossl is under contract at Goodison Park for a further year-and-a-half so will only continue to bleed Moshiri dry if a deal is not secured while interest is high and while the goalkeeper is eager to leave to secure his role in Denmark’s Euro 2020 squad.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands can atone for his £18m summer mistake with an Everton raid for a relentless gem.

Many Everton fans have flocked to a tweet from Patrick Boyland that recently emerged on social media.

Boyland recently relayed a tweet on social media, sharing an article that he wrote for The Athletic. The tweet said that Everton are currently short of depth in the squad and that they are short of some money as well, in a season where big opportunities are begging to be taken advantage of.

The tweet posed the question of whether the club’s owners should stick or twist with the current squad and whether they should make further additions to the team.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently sixth in the Premier League and they are as high as that, despite a list of prominent absentees in the campaign so far. The article posed the question about if the chance comes to improve the team, whether they should take it? It also discussed the deficiencies that the squad has in the attacking positions and when it comes to having more creative players in the side.

It stated that this season could present Everton’s best chance of finishing inside the top four and a lot of it could come down to luck.

Boyland’s tweet caught the attention of many Everton fans, who gave their opinion about whether the club should sign more players or not.

What did Everton fans make of Boyland’s tweet?

“Like you said on the pod, I think a couple of intelligent additions would make the world of difference and really inject fresh impetus heading into the business end of the season.”

Credit: @azulfeehely

“We are right in the mix and an addition or two could make all the difference but it’s a difficult market alright. See Milik could be going on loan to Marseille, that could have been a decent deal.”

Credit: @marchy27

“Twist mate we need like a Landon Donavon type loan player just to keep the dressing room hungry.”

Credit: @gflan02

“Bang on this Paddy. We just lack that depth of quality a couple of additions could fix. If only this was Carlo’s second full season and we’d have a real chance.”

Credit: @LeePazzini

“In my opinion we have to twist, we can probably get by just without a new RB but up top we need reinforcements.”

Credit: @BrunsypPB

“Loan deals would be fine for now. Heavy investment in the summer.”

Credit: @exiledtoffee

In other news, many Everton fans have discussed Fabrizio Romano’s update about a transfer target – read more here.

Leeds United have seemingly been pipped to the post to sign French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta amid advanced talks with Crystal Palace. BBC Sport reports that the Eagles are close to agreeing terms for an 18-month loan deal, seeing the 23-year-old make the move from Mainz.

The Whites have been scouring the transfer market for a forward who can contribute to Patrick Bamford’s heavy burden of carrying his team’s attack. According to French outlet Le Phoceen, Victor Orta was keeping tabs on Mateta, who has been valued at about £13.5million.

But with a move to a Premier League rival looming, Leeds must be kicking themselves that they couldn’t get a deal over the line.

Mateta misery

The Yorkshire outfit spent a hefty sum of money over the summer on six new permanent contracts. The arrivals included the likes of Raphinha, Robin Koch and new No.1 Illan Meslier. However, not all of the new recruits have made the desired impact and Leeds are now forced to return to the market.

Bamford leads the way as the club’s top scorer this season by some margin. The 27-year-old currently has ten goals to his name, with the next highest being Mateusz Klich on three, as per BBC Sport.

Adding another proven goalscorer to their ranks would have hugely benefitted Bamford and potentially changed Leeds’ entire attacking dynamic. Mateta has netted ten goals in 17 appearances for Mainz this season, very similar to the Whites’ goal-poacher.

Bielsa more often than not sticks to his comfort zone of a 4-1-4-1 formation, which many Premier League sides appear to have figured out. Lately, the Leeds attack has been easy to nullify, with just one goal on the board in their last five matches across all competitions, via Sofascore.

Changing up their tactics and pairing Bamford up with a 6 ft 4 goal-getter would have been an ideal move for Leeds, but now they will likely be preparing to defend against Mateta’s threat instead.

In other news, Leeds move for Riqui Puig would benefit both player and club…

After seeing him forced off with injury after just 21 minutes of Leeds’ 3-1 win against Leicester in the Premier League, Marcelo Bielsa would have been hoping that Rodrigo hadn’t suffered any serious damage.

Whilst the Spain international hasn’t exactly set the world alight at Elland Road, he has slowly established himself as a key part of Bielsa’s side in his debut campaign in English football, starting the last nine Premier League games.

But, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash against Everton, Bielsa confirmed: “Rodrigo is having a scan at the moment to evaluate his condition. He had an action where both his feet were very wide apart and potentially, that excessive stretch could have caused a muscle injury.”

The Leeds boss would add that the injuries to both Raphinha and Patrick Bamford are “less worrying”, and that they are “more simple” to overcome than Rodrigo’s.

Even in the best-case scenario, Bielsa would surely be unwilling to risk Rodrigo against the Toffees, especially given he has just seen first-hand what can happen to players when they’re perhaps brought back too quickly, such as Diego Llorente.

With Pablo Hernandez not as young as he once was and not in favour – he hasn’t started in the Premier League for Bielsa since November 2 – Rodrigo really is somewhat of a unique player in this current Leeds squad in terms of what he brings to the table.

Naturally a striker who can play out wide, he’s been playing in a more withdrawn role at Elland Road, but with the licence to push forward and support Bamford.

And, after an impressive cameo against Arsenal earlier this season, former Leeds man Noel Whelan explained just how important Rodrigo is to this side: “He’s always looking for it, he’s never ever standing still, he’s always on the move and that’s what I like about him. He can’t be marked, he’s always looking for a space – very much the next Hernandez.

“He is a player that looks like he can make things happen. He’s very intelligent, he brings other people into play and makes space for them.”

Leeds don’t have a like-for-like replacement for Rodrigo, which gives Bielsa a major headache in terms of how he goes about shuffling his team or his tactics around before the clash against Everton.

Rodrigo’s absence is likely to be a game-changer for the hosts on Wednesday night.

Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish claims it is only a matter of time before Allan McGregor signs a new contract at Ibrox this season.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks suggested Steven Gerrard’s side are planning on offering the 38-year-old a new deal, with the Ibrox boss himself claiming that the club will hold talks with the veteran goalkeeper about his long-term future.

When asked if he feels McGregor will sign a new deal, McLeish told Ibrox News: “Yes, I believe so.

“If he’s not got any underlying issues in terms of his knees, his hips, his back or anything because old age does catch up with you sometimes.

“McGregor looks as if he’s going to be able to go on above 90-years-old, he’s playing at a great level, and he’s playing at Champions level.”

However, given there has been no confirmation of at least a short-term extension yet, there remains uncertainty surrounding his future as the deadline edges closer.

Wilson must act now

When fit, McGregor has shown that he is one of Rangers’ most important players alongside the likes of Glen Kamara and James Tavernier, as he has earned a regular role in the first-team this season, with Gers icon Peter Lovenkrands even saying he’s in the conversation for the club’s player of the year award.

Lovenkrands added: “When he’s called upon he comes up with the big moments and the big saves.”

It’s precisely why Ross Wilson must act now and tie him down to a new deal before it’s too late.

The 38-year-old, who earns wages worth £13,000-per-week, re-joined Rangers in 2018 – six years after leaving Ibrox for Besiktas. Since then, he has made 128 appearances under Gerrard across all competitions, that being bettered only by his teammates Tavernier and Connor Goldson respectively.

The former Scotland international, who remains a hugely popular character among Rangers players and staff, has previously impressed Gerrard with his attitude during first-team training – the Gers boss even mentioned him as a “pillar” of the dressing room and someone who sets the standard for the rest of his teammates.

Time and again, McGregor has proved to be the difference-maker. His performance in the Old Firm derby at the start of this calendar year have said as much.

Given the lack of options, this is surely a no-brainer, as Jon McLaughlin has found himself on the fringes of the squad, having made just nine top-flight appearances so far this season.

A contract extension for McGregor seems like a no-brainer, and it’s something Ross Wilson surely has to get done and dusted as soon as possible.

AND in other news, Rangers should unleash Cedric Itten against Hamilton Academical…

Leeds United have the chance to restore their form and brush off their recent 4-2 loss at the hands of Arsenal. Despite their impressive displays against Leicester City and Crystal Palace, Mikel Arteta’s side outclassed them last time out.

Tonight is their chance to resurrect their mistakes. The Whites will travel to Molineux to face off against Wolves in a bid to keep climbing the Premier League table.

Injury has plagued Leeds’ returning top flight season as they have been without the likes of Robin Koch and more recently, key players Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo. However, Marcelo Bielsa has given a positive update in his latest press conference, confirming that summer signing Diego Llorente is match fit.

“[Mateusz] Klich and Llorente are available. Phillips and Rodrigo are not,” the Argentine declared.

This is a huge boost for Leeds, who will be able to field a strong defensive line against Wolves this evening. In both Llorente and Koch’s absence, Bielsa has been forced to deploy Luke Ayling and the lesser favoured Pascal Struijk at centre-back. However, tonight, Llorente could return to the action to partner Liam Cooper as they prepare to take on Nuno Espirito Santo’s in-form attack.

The Spaniard signed for his new club back in September on a deal worth £22,000 per week. But since his arrival, he has been limited to just two Premier League appearances in his debut campaign. According to Transfermarkt, Llorente has been sidelined for a total of 127 days, missing 21 matches all in all.

The new recruit has a lot to prove after being out for so long, not like Koch who took to his new club like a duck to water. But for Llorente, he is yet to establish himself as a solid part of Bielsa’s squad. This could all change this evening with an influential performance against Wolves.

Given how the Whites were dismantled by Arsenal in the first-half last week in the Premier League, bringing a natural centre-back in Llorente back into the fold and perhaps moving Luke Ayling back to right-back could hold the key to giving Bielsa’s side a bit more defensive stability.

The Leeds boss must throw his summer signing straight back into the team on Friday night.

In other news, Ezgjan Alioski’s performance vs Arsenal may have sealed his fate…