All posts by z3u9t.icu

Newcastle United may make a late move to try and sign Ibrahima Sissoko before this month’s transfer window shuts.

That is according to L’Equipe (via The Chronicle), who claim that the St. James’ Park faithful are continuing to monitor the Strasbourg ace, who has a deal until 2024 at the French club.

However, they are reportedly looking for a big transfer fee which may reduce the chances of the Tyneside club signing him before the window closes.

Newcastle should sign Sissoko

Depending on what kind of transfer fee Strasbourg are looking for, the Magpies should be looking to sign Sissoko, at least in the summer window if a deal cannot be done in January.

The defensive midfield player has a six-foot-three frame, and so should be able to cope with the physical demands of the Premier League.

He has also performed well in Ligue 1 so far in the 2020/21 term, winning no fewer than 4.7 of his duels a game and also averaging two tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per match (Sofascore).

Given that he is performing in a top European league already, the potential switch to the English top flight should not faze the 23-year-old, and so bringing him through the door in the North East should seriously be considered by Steve Bruce’s side.

In other news, find out what takeover claim has been dropped by Ben Jacobs here!

Glasgow Rangers could have Scott Arfield fit for their clash with Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Saturday.

What’s the word?

The midfielder was absent for the Scottish Premiership draw at Hamilton Academical that saw Rangers surrender the lead.

Arfield has missed the past seven weeks of action for the Light Blues having last played against Hibernian on Boxing Day due to an ankle injury.

Joe Aribo has stepped up in his absence to calm any concerns from Rangers fans, as he has provided a goal and an assist in his past four Premiership fixtures, although Bongani Zungu’s struggles at Ibrox have continued after an abject performance against Hamilton.

However, Steven Gerrard has confirmed Arfield could feature against Killie, as could Jermain Defoe with the striker not playing since the 5-0 win over Ross County on January 23.

Gerrard said: “Scott was back and it was great to watch him bring enthusiasm back and see him smiling again. He seems close to being ready to go, but has been out for seven weeks.“Kemar will miss the game and Alfredo serves his last game. Jermain has been out for two or three weeks and will come into the squad so we are in a good place in terms of health and availability but we have a couple of suspensions to serve.”Huge boost for Steven GerrardGerrard confirming that Arfield could be fit to face Kilmarnock will come as a boost for the Light Blues following a mixed run of results for the Premiership league leaders after Rangers opted against strengthening in the midfield in the winter transfer window.

The Gers were linked with a plethora of options to add depth behind the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe, with Preston’s Daniel Johnson, Bournemouth’s Jack Wilshere, Chelsea’s Billy Gilmour and Coventry City’s Gustavo Hamer among their reported targets.

However, the Ibrox hierarchy ultimately decided against splashing the cash on a temporary replacement, which could work well in their favour if Arfield is able to hit the ground running after recovering from injury.

But the fact remains that Gerrard now faces one of the biggest selection headaches that the 40-year-old has had to deal with since taking charge of Ibrox.

For now, Aribo, Glen Kamara and Steven Davis are Gerrard’s preferred midfield three, with the trio all starting against Celtic in the second Old Firm derby of the season.

The Finland international himself has started 20 out of 28 Premiership fixtures this season so is a safe bet to start against Tommy Wright’s team, whilst Davis is expected to replace the struggling Zungu at the base of the midfield.

Instead, Arfield may come in for Aribo, but dropping the Nigerian would be an incredibly harsh decision off the back of his recent performances.

The 32-year-old is clearly held in high esteem by the manager, but he’s got to consider his options carefully before making such a cut-throat decision.

We don’t envy him the decision, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Bongani Zungu is starting to run out of time to impress at Glasgow Rangers…

Glasgow Rangers have been given a major boost after Leon Balogun confirmed he is close to triggering a clause in his contract that will extend his stay at Ibrox, but the Gers must not rest on their laurels and ensure he puts pen to paper on a new deal.

What’s the word?

Balogun made his Rangers debut under Steven Gerrard and has gone on to make a further 22 appearances for the first team since he first arrived from Wigan Athletic in the summer.

The 32-year-old has taken full advantage of free agency so far, establishing himself as a key player in a Gers side that have stormed to the top of the Scottish Premiership.

31-time Nigeria international Balogun has recently suggested he is on the verge of agreeing to an extension, although he wouldn’t be drawn on when such an announcement would be made.

“Obviously, it is under some confidentiality. But it is getting closer and closer. Let’s just say I am quite confident that my time with Rangers is not over after this season.”

However, the versatile defender’s current deal is still set to run out at the end of this season, with the option for a further year, and the 54-time Scottish champions should do all they can to ensure he doesn’t walk away for free when the transfer window re-opens this summer.

Should Rangers retain Balogun?

Gerrard has chopped and changed his formation between games over the past few months, with Balogun and Filip Helander battling to bag a spot in-between Borna Barisic and Connor Goldson.

But it’s becoming clearer by the day that Balogun, who has played at both centre-back and right-back in his career, is essential to their chances of domestic and European success this season.

The Nigerian is expected to deputise for the injured James Tavernier and provide width on the right when Rangers go forward before dropping back and making up the rest of the back four when they lose possession to the opposition.

Despite his age, the former Brighton defender has shown he can mix it with the very best – a WhoScored match rating of 7.03 ranks him the tenth-best out of the entire Rangers squad, above the likes of Steven Davis and Ianis Hagi.

Compare that to Helander’s low 6.0 rating via SofaScore when he was at fault for at least one of the three goals they conceded against Royal Antwerp in the Europa League, it’s clear how much they lost out by starting the Swede instead.

Balogun has continued to impress for Gerrard’s side this season, averaging 1.1 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per 90 in the Scottish Premiership, via WhoScored.

Given his obvious quality, it is difficult to comprehend the Gers letting the veteran leave anytime soon, as he has become virtually undroppable at Ibrox Stadium following his arrival from the Latics last July.

His 22 appearances in all competitions are the second-highest out of all centre-halves behind Goldson and more than both Helander and George Edmundson.

He has already established himself as a firm favourite under Gerrard in such a short space of time, and for that reason alone, Ross Wilson shouldn’t even begin to think twice before offering him a new contract as it’s surely a no-brainer at this stage.

AND in other news, Why Rangers shouldn’t entertain an offer for Calvin Bassey…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday loanee Dean Windass has described the appointment of Darren Moore as a “positive” one for the Owls.

Wednesday had been without a manager since Tony Pulis was sacked following a run of just one victory in 10 Championship matches towards the end of December.

First team coach Neil Thompson was placed in interim charge and enjoyed an excellent start in the Hillsborough dugout, leading the Owls to five wins in his opening seven games which saw them climb out of the relegation zone.

However, four defeats on the bounce has left Wednesday in serious danger of losing their Championship status, and just three days after they squandered a two-goal lead to lose at Luton, Moore left his duties at League One promotion-chasing Doncaster Rovers to make the short trip across Yorkshire.

And despite losing his first game to Rotherham on Wednesday night, Windass told FFC that he was upbeat about Moore’s appointment. He said:

“I think it’s a positive one. I was speaking to Josh on Tuesday when he came into the training ground and met all of the players. He’s my ex-teammate, so I know Darren really well when I signed for Bradford, he was our big man at the back. Josh said to me ‘he wants to play from the back, he doesn’t want to launch it long’.

“He did a magnificent job at West Brom, unfortunate to lose his job in my opinion, and then obviously got back into the game with Doncaster.”

Doncaster currently sit 6th in the League One standings, so is Windass surprised that Moore opted to leave?

He added: “It’s a strange one in a sense of they’re flying high in League One. But maybe sometimes in football nowadays, it’s not so much about the money, it’s about the challenge and Sheffield Wednesday is a massive football club. It’s a big challenge for him, but fair play to him for leaving League One and Doncaster maybe getting promoted.”

There’s so much to admire about Moore, but following their defeat to Rotherham, Wednesday are now in serious danger of being relegated, so he needs to get results or he’ll be a League One manager quicker than he might have thought.

In recent comments, Morgan Sanson revealed that he rejected the chance to join Leeds United, before eventually making a move to the Whites’ Premier League rivals, Aston Villa, in January.

So far in his Aston Villa career, Sanson has made just four appearances for Dean Smith’s side, all of which have come from the bench, although, Dean Smith recently suggested that he has been pleased with the development of the midfielder since his £14.22 million move from Olympique Marseille.

However, speaking recently to Canal+, as cited by Leeds Live, the £18 million-rated 26-year-old revealed that, prior to his move to Villa Park, Marcelo Bielsa’s side had shown considerable interest in his signing.

He said: “Since I was little I have always had a special affection for this championship [the Premier League]. Aston Villa are a big club in England, but it could have been another club the summer before, there was Leeds who were very interested, but I felt that was not the time.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering the fact that Bielsa has often been left short of options in the middle of the park this season, with Adam Forshaw, Jamie Shackleton, Pablo Hernandez and Kalvin Phillips all spending spells on the sidelines due to injury, the signing of  Sanson last summer certainly would have helped to alleviate the strain on the 65-year-old’s midfield this year.

And, although the 26-year-old is yet to have a major impact within Dean Smith’s side, considering that Villa managed to sign the Frenchman for substantially less than his market valuation at the time of his move, perhaps it could be argued that Leeds missed a bit of a trick in not pursuing Sanson once again in the January window.

In other news, Phil Hay shed light on this Leeds star’s contract details – find out more here!

Noel Whelan has claimed that Allan will be in the starting XI for Everton when they play Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday evening.

After playing the entirety of last weeks win over Southampton, the central midfielder had a 32-minute cameo in their last game away at West Brom as Carlo Ancelotti manages his minutes after he picked up a muscle injury back in December, prior to which he was a consistent starter (Transfermarkt).

However, former Leeds United and Coventry City striker Whelan has claimed that Allan will return to the starting line-up for when the Toffees face Thomas Tuchel’s side, telling Football Insider:

“There’s no doubt Allan has to start. He’s been great since he got there, he is Ancelotti’s man.

“I think that 30 minutes is a tell-tale sign he’s back, he’s ready, he’ll be in the starting XI. Could you change the formation possibly? I think that’s what you might have to do to fit Doucoure, Gomes and Allan in there. 

“You saw the midfield of Chelsea against Liverpool with Mason Mount and the energy. To get anything out the game, you need a really strong, defensive-minded midfield.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he played all three of them in a 4-3-3. Sometimes you need a change of formation against certain teams to be a little bit more stable.

“We can see what Chelsea are about now. Even when they’re under pressure, they hit you with a counter-attack.

“You might want to stick all three in there against this Chelsea outfit. Be really aggressive and solid.”

Everton boosted by Allan return

There is no doubt that the Merseyside club will be boosted by the return of Allan as they look to come back from Stamford Bridge unscathed against a tough opponent.

The former Napoli ace is vital to the team in terms of winning the ball back, as his average of 3.1 tackles per game is the most out of any Toffees player to have played in 10 or matches for them in the top flight so far this term (WhoScored).

He has also won no fewer than 5.9 of his duels per match in the Premier League and averaged 1.4 successful dribbles (Sofascore), showing how the Brazil international can also carry the ball forward for his side after gaining possession.

Having the 30-year-old back should be a big plus for the Toffees and, as Whelan has suggested, it would be no surprise to see him restored to Ancelotti’s starting XI against Chelsea.

In other news, find out which Champions League duo Ancelotti wants to sign!

Lots of Rangers fans have been talking about the latest news involving their club and the BBC.

The Scottish Sun have recently reported about the BBC’s relationship with Rangers, saying that the media corporation are looking to find a resolution with the Gers after they aired a rare interview with Steven Davis, despite a long-running dispute with the Ibrox club.

BBC journalists have been banned by the Gers in the past and the media giant has stood in solidarity with its journalists. But as part of the Gers’ Premiership title win celebrations, they ran the interview involving Davis on BBC Northern Ireland.

BBC even released a statement regarding the interview involving Davis, saying that the interview came as part of Rangers’ title success and that they are committed to providing a full coverage to the fans and they are ‘keen’ to find a solution in the situation with the Gers.

A tweet about this was relayed on Twitter by the Scottish Sun Sport. Many Gers fans made their views as clear as day, and you can find some of the best verdicts below.

What did Rangers fans make of the news about BBC?

“Absolutely no chance, always said as soon as we became champions they’d want back. If we didn’t win this year, they’d still be slaughtering us. you better not let us down, I’ve honestly stopped watching it years ago.”Credit: @BFPO107″Not a chance we dont need them.”Credit: @KelmanPeter”Desperate to get involved with Scotlands top club. Not welcome.”Credit: @thechosenfew10″Get rid of Michael Stewart and McLaughlin and we will have a think lol.”Credit: @Raberto54085252″Simple, stop telling lies !”Credit: @jimthomsatpol”Keep them on the outside.”Credit: @Richard00550″Keep them out.”Credit: @Bluebea84088495In other news, many Rangers fans have been talking about a video involving a defender – read more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Kevin Phillips, who scored 191 goals during his career, believes Danny Ings would only leave Southampton if he was guaranteed first-team football at another club, like Everton.

Ings saw first-team opportunities limited at Liverpool due to injuries and the Reds signing other players, however, at Southampton he has been the main man and Phillips can’t see why, at Ings’ age, he would want to go and sit on the bench for another team.

The England international has had 51 goal involvements in 92 appearances for Saints, which has seen his reputation return to what it was before he made the switch from Turf Moor to Anfield.

Speaking on why he can’t see Ings leaving to be a back-up and how he’ll be secure in life now, Phillips spoke exclusively to FFC:

“He knows he’s going to play week in and week out at Southampton. So, why would you want to go? I don’t think it’ll be a money thing for him. I think he’ll be very secure in those terms.

“At this stage of his career, he just seems like he wants to play football. Now, for me, I’d be looking at a club and thinking ‘can I go and play week in and week out?’ If I can’t, then why would I want to leave Southampton?

“When you think of top teams that are looking for a striker, maybe a team like Everton where he could challenge Dominic Calvert-Lewin.”

Ings was injury-free for the majority of last season which allowed him to remind people that he is a top striker, with him managing to score 22 goals in 38 Premier League games.

The 28-year old is entering the peak years of his career and has been linked with moves to top clubs including Tottenham Hotspur as they continue to try and find the perfect back-up striker to Harry Kane.

The SPFL have confirmed the 2021/22 Premiership season will start on July 31st, just a few days before Glasgow Rangers’ appearance in the Champions League third qualifying round.

Rangers find out season start

The SPFL confirmed on Thursday that the new season will start on Saturday July 31st. There will also be a winter break from January 3rd 2022 until January 21st (spfl.co.uk).

The start of the league campaign will come a matter of days before the Gers’ Champions League campaign is set to start. The third qualifying round for that competition will be played on August 3rd/4th.

Potentially damaging

The upcoming Champions League campaign for Rangers is an important one. They have not appeared in the competition’s group stage since the 2010/11 season. To make it next term, they will need to go through two rounds beforehand, and they will need to prepare perfectly to be in the best possible shape.

To start the campaign a few days before the first qualifying round is unlikely to help the Gers in their quest. Hopefully, they will play on the Saturday so they have the most time possible to recover – a strong performance for Rangers in European competition will also see Scotland reap the rewards in terms of UEFA coefficient points.

In other news, Rangers fans react to this injury news.

To suggest Celtic’s recruitment in the last few years has been shoddy would be putting things lightly.

The Hoops have got a lot of their transfers wrong and on that basis, it’s easy to see why they’ve relinquished their grasp on the SPFL title.

Last term they signed the likes of Boli Bolingoli, Hatem Elhamed, Moritz Bauer and Patryk Klimala.

Of those players signed in 2019/20, only one of them is currently in and around the Celtic squad; Klimala.

Bolingoli is out on loan while Elhamed has gone back to Israel. As for Bauer, he never stood a chance of having his loan spell extended in Glasgow.

Nick Hammond seemingly didn’t learn a year on. Once again, their movements in the transfer market left plenty to be desired.

They signed Vasilis Barkas for a fee of £4.5m, a player who has made a number of individual mistakes since putting pen to paper. To make matters worse, he isn’t even their number one goalkeeper at the moment.

Unfortunately, they also decided to spend £5m on Albian Ajeti; a transfer that now looks nothing short of disastrous.

Ajeti has had a poor few seasons but at the age of 24, still has plenty of potential. After all, you don’t score 21 goals in one season for European regulars Basel without having a bit of quality.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-boupendza-mcgeady-marsch-mccarthy” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

A move to West Ham followed that but he failed to score in 12 appearances. It’s not got much better for the Swiss forward since joining Celtic.

The striker has played 19 matches in the SPFL but has only scored six times. That means that Ajeti has cost Dermot Desmond nearly a whopping £1m per goal since signing. To be precise, he has cost £833k per goal.

Add his £13.5k-per-week wages into the equation and that’s a further £432k for the 32 weeks he’s been at Parkhead.

The money spent is made all the more frustrating by the small glimpses of quality we’ve seen from him. Ajeti scored five goals in his opening ten matches and netted a sensational strike against Kilmarnock in February.

Scott Brown played a long ball forward which was elegantly taken down by the Switzerland international. He was able to turn before firing the ball beyond the goalkeeper.

It was a strike worthy of a £5m player, but his form for large parts of the season hasn’t dictated that.

Ajeti’s goal against Killie was his first since September, a run stretching across 14 matches. Coincidentally, the former West Ham man hasn’t scored since that match.

Speaking in October, Alan Hutton suggested the attacker had been “anonymous” and that he was becoming a big problem for the management team. You can’t say the former defender doesn’t have a point.

Ajeti will desperately need to improve if he’s still at Paradise next term.