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Steven Gerrard’s Rangers face off against Hearts at Ibrox today in a huge clash at the top of the Premiership table.

A win for the home side would see them move four points clear at the top, whilst a defeat would see them drop down to second with the Jam Tarts overtaking them.

The Gers beat third-placed Hibernian 2-1 prior to the international break, as Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos’ second half goals secured the three points.

How many changes will Gerrard make to the team from that victory? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side from the win over Hibs, with Jon McLaughlin, James Tavernier and Kemar Roofe all returning.

Firstly, we believe that McLaughlin will line up between the sticks. We published an article explaining why veteran shot-stopper Allan McGregor must be axed by Gerrard for this clash, and the former Liverpool captain could heed that advice and go with the 34-year-old today.

At right-back, captain Tavernier could return in place of Nathan Patterson. The teenage defender provided an assist against Hibernian and recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.6, which is why this is a difficult call to make. However, the experience (more than 300 appearances for Rangers) and leadership of Tavernier in a crunch game like this could be crucial for the Gers.

In midfield, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and John Lundstram could retain their places in the middle of the park. We published a piece detailing Steven Davis’ woes for Northern Ireland on international duty, which is why he could be watching on from the bench for today’s clash.

Finally, Roofe could come in for Scott Wright to line up on the left of the front three, with Morelos through the middle and Ianis Hagi out on the right. The former Leeds striker came off the bench and scored against Hibernian and we previously discussed why he deserves to start.

Wright and Hagi both caught the eye against Hibs and it is not an easy call on who to drop out of the pair. However, the latter created five chances in comparison to Wright’s four and that gives him the edge for this match, with the Romanian keeping his place in the side.

AND in other news, Wilson must avoid Rangers nightmare over “unique” beast compared to Yaya Toure…

Morgan Rogers is reportedly one of the names that Manchester City could look to sell this summer as they try and fund a move for Harry Kane, which could prove to be a huge mistake in the future given his obvious potential.

What’s the word?

According to ESPN, City are pushing ahead in their efforts to sign the Tottenham Hotspur striker this summer and believe that they can raise more than £50m through the sales of fringe players, with Rogers named as one of those who could depart.

The 19-year-old was signed from West Brom in a deal reportedly worth £4m when he was just 16 but is yet to make a first team appearance for the Citizens.

In 25 appearances for the under-23s, the versatile forward contributed an impressive six goals and four assists, before joining Lincoln City on loan in League One for the second half of last season.

He established himself as a regular in Michael Appleton’s side, managing six goals and four assists in 28 appearances and helping the Imps to the play-off final, where they ultimately lost out against Blackpool in their bid to earn promotion to the Championship.

Will Man City regret selling him?

After his excellent performances in the third tier, it is no surprise that he has attracted interest from the Championship and Premier League this summer, with Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace among those reportedly interest in signing him.

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It seems from ESPN’s report that Man City are aiming to make a quick profit on Rogers this summer in order to raise funds, but that is poor long-term planning by the club, as the 19-year-old seems to have a huge future and hasn’t ever been given an opportunity in City’s first team.

Lincoln City reporter Ben Robinson sang the teenager’s praises during his loan spell at Sincil Bank last season, saying: “His goals against Ipswich Town and Crewe Alexandra show the threat he carries at such a young age.

“His vision on the ball is outstanding too, and him and Brennan were up there as the best wide players on their day last season.”

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It is worrying that City are willing to sacrifice some of their top young talents in order to afford a move for Kane, as it is a decision which could definitely come back to bite them in the future.

In other news… Guardiola can unleash Man City’s next Sane in “incredible” academy gem

Newcastle United finally got their first win of the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory at home to Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

Callum Wilson pounced on some spillage from goalkeeper Nick Pope to calmly slot the ball into the back of the net and give his team all three points at St. James’ Park.

There were some spirited performances from Eddie Howe’s side on the day, but some may have been disappointed with their own individual displays.

As such, The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst players (to have played at least 45 minutes) for the Magpies were:

Fabian Schar

Schar may count himself unlucky to have been ranked third given that he got the assist for Wilson’s goal, but nonetheless SofaScore decided to give him a 6.6 overall rating.

The central defender lost out on 11 of his duels in total, the third-most out of any of his teammates, as he also failed to record a single interception or tackle in the game.

Schar was also guilty of giving the ball away on no fewer than on 20 separate occasions in the match, the most out of any Toon player.

Joe Willock

Willock was also given a 6.6 rating by SofaScore, but ranks in second here courtesy of Schar’s assist.

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The former Arsenal man lost five duels, and also never managed a shot on target, interception or tackle, while he lost possession a total of 11 times.

Allan Saint-Maximin

So often the bright spark in the North East, Saint-Maximin was lively as usual, but nothing really came off for him. As such, SofaScore decided to give him just a 6.1 rating.

The winger lost out on nine duels, and failed with three of his shots on goal, while he also failed to put in an accurate cross or long ball.

Saint-Maximin also gave the ball away on 18 different occasions, the joint-third most out of any of his teammates.

In other news, find out which Gazza-like technician NUFC now have ‘the opportunity’ to sign here!

Celtic face off against Aberdeen at Parkhead today as they return to Premiership action following their loss to Bayer Leverkusen three days ago.

Ange Postecoglou’s side were left frustrated as they lost 3-2 to the German outfit in the Europa League on Thursday night, with Moussa Diaby scoring a late winner for the hosts. Goals from Josip Juranovic and Jota had put Celtic 2-1 heading into the last half an hour, but Robert Andrich and Diaby struck late for Leverkusen.

How many changes will Ange make to the Hoops team for today? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes from Thursday, with Liel Abada, Mikey Johnston and James McCarthy coming in.

Celtic are facing a busy period of games heading into December and they could benefit from utilising their squad depth in the coming weeks. This means that Postecoglou may need to rotate his side and make changes irrespective of individuals’ form to hand some players opportunities to impress and others a chance to have a rest and avoid burnout.

The Australian may be forced into one change, though, as Nir Bitton could miss out through injury. He said after the loss to Leverkusen: “I was a bit disappointed to see Nir come off. In terms of how he is going to be, I’m not really sure. We will assess him, but he has been pretty influential for us and did well to help set up our second goal in Germany.”

We published an article explaining why McCarthy should start, with the Irishman potentially lining up at the base of the midfield.

We also predict that Abada will line up on the right of midfield ahead of James Forrest. The 20-year-old should be handed a start, due to his ability to be a game-changer for the Hoops, with seven goals and five assists this season. He could come in and provide a spark out wide after a disappointing display from the £19k-per-week Forrest on Thursday night – as he recorded a SofaScore rating of 6.2.

Finally, Johnston could start ahead of David Turnbull in midfield. The latter might be offered a rest ahead of the busy December schedule, whilst the former could have an opportunity to show his manager that he deserves more minutes in the team. Johnston has only started once in the Premiership this season, but came off the bench against Leverkusen and created one chance in 18 minutes, showing a glimpse of what he is capable of producing when afforded the opportunity.

AND in other news, Forget Bitton: Ange must unleash “top-class” £14k-p/w Celtic maestro vs Aberdeen…

Celtic are interested in Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Foster’s love for Parkhead

Foster, who has been with Watford since 2018, has less than 12 months left on his Vicarage Road deal.

The 38-year-old, on £33,000-a-week in London, recently shared his love for Parkhead.

He described Celtic Park as ‘the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in my life’, with Foster featuring for Manchester United in a 1-1 draw back in 2008.

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The Latest: Sky Sports claim

Sky Sports, cited by Football Daily, shared an update live on TV on Thursday regarding potential Tottenham outgoings.

They mentioned Celtic’s interest in Joe Hart before saying the Hoops ‘also have an interest’ in Foster.

It appears as if it’ll be one of the other out of Hart and Foster, with Ange Postecoglou already having Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain, Conor Hazard and Ross Doohan on the books.

The Verdict: Foster or Hart?

Foster and Hart hardly featured for their respective clubs in 2021 but both have over 300 games of Premier League experience under their belt.

Hart is four years Foster’s junior, so perhaps favouring a deal for the Spurs man would be a shrewd option.

It seems as if Celtic don’t want to pay a fee for Hart, though, so Foster could be an alternative target if those negotiations fall through.

Either way, it is clear Postecoglou is desperate for an old head in between the sticks – it has certainly served arch-rivals Rangers well with Allan McGregor.

In other news: ‘Celtic are finally closing in’ – Devlin’s transfer post on ace with ‘excellent final ball’. 

Barnsley’s Valerien Ismael is an “effective” manager, former Premier League boss Paul Jewell has told Football FanCast.

Ismael is one name Crystal Palace are thought to be considering as they look to replace Roy Hodgson, with Football Insider reporting last month that director of football Dougie Freedman is keen on bringing him to the club.

Since then, Palace have had a good look at Nuno Espirito Santo, even coming close to appointing the ex-Wolves manager.

However, with talks breaking down, the south London outfit will now be forced to turn elsewhere, potentially bringing Ismael back into the equation.

On Ismael, who had a brief spell at Palace during his playing days, Jewell said:

“I wouldn’t want to play against him every week – it’s difficult. I mean, the different style of playing, that’s the beauty of football.

“Everyone says he plays the game the right way, never quite understood what that means, the right way. I think what you have to do is try and play the game that suits the players that you have.

“He’s different. Not silky, classy football, but he’s effective and I’ve got no problem with that.”

Failing to bring Nuno to Selhurst Park would have come as a disappointment to chairman Steve Parish. The 47-year-old has really proven himself in the Premier League with Wolves over the last few years.

But that ship has obviously sailed now, so it is worth giving serious consideration to a manager like Ismael as this search for Hodgson’s successor drags on.

Paul Robinson has claimed that Glasgow Rangers will now be able to keep Ryan Kent away from the clutches of Leeds United.

The Lowdown: Leeds interest

Leeds United have previously been linked with a move for Kent, although the summer window is now shut.

However, after they announced the signing of Dan James from Manchester United on Transfer Deadline Day, it is not clear whether they would still revisit their interest in the Englishman in January.

The Latest: Robinson on Kent

Speaking to Football Insider, former Whites and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper now pundit Robinson has claimed that any potential move for Kent to his old team is now dead and buried after the arrival of James to Elland Road:

“I always knew it would be a difficult one for Leeds to pull off.

“Rangers under Gerrard are a different prospect to what they were, they have the potential to compete and fight on all fronts.

“Leeds would probably have been priced out of a move. Now Dan James has come I think that one is dead in the water.

“He hasn’t started the season particularly well. Now with the window shut hopefully that gives him some stability and he can turn that form around.”

The Verdict: Keep

The Ibrox faithful must look to keep hold of their best players for as long as possible, and Kent is certainly one of them.

Described as ‘fantastic’ by former Light Blues right-back Alan Hutton, the winger scored an impressive 13 goals and supplied a further 15 assists in 52 games in total across all competitions across the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, he still has potential to develop even more at just 24 years of age, and will only get better under the management of Steven Gerrard.

Thus, the Gers need to stand firm with a huge valuation, in case Leeds do end up revisiting their interest despite James’ signing.

In other news, find out what reason has been given why Cedric Itten left here!

According to The Telegraph, Everton and Tottenham were interested in signing Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters during the transfer window.

The Lowdown: Busy transfer window

For Southampton, it was a busy transfer window – they ended up bringing in no less than six fresh faces before the deadline (Transfermarkt).

They were some outgoings, as well, but they avoided one more in the final few days.

The Latest: Saints rejected proposal

As per journalist Mike McGrath, the Toffees made an enquiry for £16.2m-valued Walker-Peters (Transfermarkt) towards the end of the window.

Tottenham were also said to be interested in re-signing the 24-year-old before they completed a move for Emerson Royal.

The Verdict: Needed

Southampton actually did strengthen in the right-back position during the transfer window. They signed Valentino Livramento from Chelsea and, with them holding onto Yan Valery, they now have three players to choose from on that side of the back four.

Livramento has started all three matches at right-back (Transfermarkt), but Walker-Peters has been used at left-back instead. He is also a more than reliable back-up option for Livramento, who is still just 18 years of age – the teenager will need the experience of Walker-Peters to help him continue to develop.

In other news, Southampton fans were far from happy with this man’s exit.

Paulo Fonseca has been offered to Tottenham Hotspur, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

As per Sportitalia TV’s Gianluigi Longari, the Portuguese coach was proposed to Spurs by his representatives last week and the North London outfit are considering him as a potential candidate for their vacant managerial role.

It’s thought that the 48-year-old, who has been replaced at AS Roma by Jose Mourinho, is seen as a cheaper alternative to Antonio Conte due to his sustainable business in the transfer market.

This would back up recent claims from Football Insider, who have reported that a “low maintenance” manager who would be available for “cheap or zero compensation” is what Daniel Levy is looking for.

Playing with fire

It’s crucial for the Lilywhites chairman to get this next appointment absolutely spot on, otherwise, he risks an absolute disaster at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Several members of the club’s fanbase have protested against Levy, as well as the ownership group ENIC, since news of a European Super League first broke in mid-April.

Supporters have remained angry by these collapsed plans but in reality, it has been the culmination of many years of underachievement and a lack of ambition bubbling beneath the surface that triggered such a reaction.

Spurs have not won a trophy since 2008, losing many a final since and you could argue that they have not been good enough in the transfer market either.

One example is their failed move for Paulo Dybala in 2019, perhaps the final piece of the puzzle for Mauricio Pochettino, whilst the Argentine also went 18 months without a signing, too.

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It does beg the question – just why would he want to return? Both The Athletic and football.london claim he’s keen to swap the French capital for North London, just 18 months after being sacked by Levy.

However, it’s thought that PSG have extended his £6.5m-per-year deal until 2023, meaning the Premier League side would have to fork out an extortionate amount to release him from that contract.

Something that The Sun claim the club were unwilling to do for Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City.

It only adds further weight to the argument that a manager like Fonseca would be the easy and cheap alternative, and that will not go down well with the Hotspur faithful based on their recent protests.

The Portuguese coach once wowed Man City boss Pep Guardiola during his time at Shakhtar Donetsk, with the Premier League winner telling reporters:

“Before every game against Shakhtar, I have the same feeling. The first time we face them in the group stage, my [scouting] team went to see them and they came back saying, ‘Wow.’ They were really impressed. In Barcelona all the time it was, ‘Shakhtar, Ukraine, who cares which players play, nobody knows them.’”

Similarly, Fonseca has been lauded as an “exceptional” and “talented” manager by Portuguese journalist Alex Goncalves.

However, Serie A is not the Ukrainian top-flight, as he soon found out at the Stadio Olimpico, where he failed to achieve above a fifth-place finish and in Europe, they faltered immensely.

The Premier League is arguably a tougher and much better league than the Serie A, too, so there’s nothing to suggest he would be able to turn around his fortunes overnight, especially if he’s been unable to do it in Italy.

He just seems like the cheap option here and if Levy is to win back his baying fanbase, then he must look elsewhere.

The Spurs chairman could well be on the verge of making his biggest mistake since sacking Pochettino in the first place by appointing a man who’s going to save them money, rather than the one that seems right to take them forward.

AND in other news, Spurs could now turn to 54 y/o gem who destroyed Pochettino this season…

As Aston Villa approach their first summer transfer window under the leadership of Steven Gerrard, there is certainly excitement around Villa Park regarding the top talents that could make their way to the West Midlands this summer.

The Villans have already been linked with big-money moves for midfielders Yves Bissouma and Kalvin Philips and could well have an emphatic window.

However, it’s worth remembering that some of Villa’s recent purchases for lower sums have actually turned out to be bargains, with the £12m deal to bring centre-back Ezri Konsa from Brentford in 2019 to Villa Park now seeming a very much worthwhile deal three years on.

When the Villans bought Konsa, the defender had just finished 11th in the Championship with the Bees whilst Villa were victorious in the playoffs.

Having already worked under then-manager Dean Smith, the deal certainly made sense, although £12m seemed to be a hefty fee for a player with no Premier League experience.

Moreover, as recently as 2018, the Englishman had been playing in League One with Charlton Athletic.

According to Transfermarkt, Konsa was valued at £3.15m when swapping Griffin Park for Villa Park, making the £12m transfer fee seem colossal and heavily inflated.

However, since bringing the defender to the Second City club, Villa has seen their asset’s value appreciate drastically.

By September 2019, the 24-year-old’s value had more than doubled to £7.2m but then fell slightly to £5.85m in April 2020 due to the outbreak of the viral pandemic.

However, once Premier League survival was confirmed for Smith’s side, Konsa’s valuation rose to its then-peak point of £8.1m and has only increased since.

Labelled as “unflappable” by Mat Kendrick, the £72k-per-week Englishman is now reportedly worth £22.5m after almost three years of experience in the English top-flight under his belt, nearly double what was paid for him in 2019.

In that time, the 24-year-old has helped his side keep 23 clean sheets over 86 Premier League appearances and, this season, has averaged 44.5 touches, completed 87% of his passes and made 0.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 2.6 clearances per league fixture.

Granted, Konsa nor fellow centre-back Tyrone Mings’ places in the side will be safe going into the summer with Gerrard planning a revolution at Villa Park.

However, it must be remembered that the deal to bring the Englishman to Villa Park three years ago was nothing but a bargain and shrewd business.

AND in other news: Get rid: Aston Villa must part ways with £59k-p/w lightweight who’s “hard to watch”