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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…

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.

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has told Football FanCast Liverpool need to do everything they can to keep Mohamed Salah at the club, amid an update from The Athletic’s Red Agenda podcast saying the Egypt international wants to stay, but that talks between the two parties have hit an impasse.

The Reds have struggled this season and find themselves in a fight to qualify for the Champions League.

They are currently four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and there may well be a transfer saga developing relating to the Egypt international.

Salah hinted at the end of March that he would be willing to one day play for either Barcelona or Real Madrid, should a bid be forthcoming.

It remains to be seen if either La Liga club can afford to buy the 28-year-old or if they will make an offer this summer, but Fry insists that the club must ensure he remains at Anfield.

This season, Salah has scored 29 goals in all competitions in 46 games despite the struggles the club have gone through.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I wouldn’t want him to leave, that’s for sure, and I’d do everything in my power to keep him.

“I wouldn’t want him to leave the football club at all.”

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”

Manchester City have emerged as the favourites to sign Aston Villa star Jack Grealish this summer.

And, as to be expected, the latest rumour has had plenty of Villa supporters talking on social media.

Grealish valued at £100m

According to the Daily Mail, Pep Guardiola’s side are at the front of the queue to land the 25-year-old, who is thought to be excited about the possibility of an Etihad switch.

The report claims that Villa valued Grealish, who has starred this season under Dean Smith, at £100m last summer.

He’s scored seven goals and has registered 12 assists in 23 appearances during the current campaign.

Should a £100m deal go through this summer, Grealish would become the most-expensive signing by a Premier League side, overtaking Paul Pogba’s £94.5m move to Manchester United.

Villa fans react

@AVFC_News cited the Daily Mail’s report in a story and posted it on Twitter on Thursday lunchtime.

This is what these Villa fans had to say to the update…

“For me they’re the only other club in our league I could see him joining.”

Credit: @sparkym5

“Got a spare £200m?”

Credit: @BrumRadioPete

“Please no!”

Credit: @TDS133

“£100 plus Gundagan, Torres and Mahrez?”

Credit: @Villa_Graham

“Hope for their sake £100m is only their opening bid, otherwise they’ll be disappointed”

Credit: @J4M35_AVFC

“Get in line”

Credit: @Jxckkss

In other news: Another Villa star is being tracked by a Premier League giant, find out more here. 

Former Leeds United man David Norris believes that Paulo Gazzaniga would be a fine signing for the club if they were searching for a back-up to Illan Meslier.

Gazzaniga is set to leave Tottenham Hotspur upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the month.

He spent the second half of the season on loan at La Liga club Elche, playing eight times in the Spanish top-flight and keeping two clean sheets.

The Argentine has been with Spurs since 2017 but is set to end a four-year association with the club at the end of the month.

In total, the former Southampton ‘keeper made 37 appearances for Spurs, regularly deputising for Hugo Lloris whenever the Frenchman was injured.

He was undoubtedly the number two in the squad behind the Spurs captain, and Norris believes he could well be a fine signing for Leeds if they are in the market for a goalkeeper.

Indeed, Kiko Casilla is likely to leave the club this summer after falling out of favour under manager Marcelo Bielsa, and bringing Gazzaniga in would add depth in Meslier’s position.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “It’s always interesting with keepers because you’re either a number one or you accept that you’re a number two.

“You don’t really go, ‘I’ve done my number two, I want to be a number one now’, and they only want to be a number one. Number two keepers seem to understand that. They are the number two keeper and not many teams will have two number ones, because they’ll have two keepers that want to play all the time, it’s not going to work.

“So it depends on if he’s happy to come from being a number two at Spurs to being a number two at Leeds or whether he’s looking now to move and play somewhere and be a number one.

“Spurs, Leeds, two massive clubs, if you’re number two at Spurs and then number two at Leeds, it’s a sideways move, it’s not a drop down.”

Former Leeds midfielder David Norris reckons that Adama Traore would be an excellent signing for Marcelo Bielsa’s team.

Reports earlier this summer believe that new Wolves manager Bruno Lago is looking to cash-in on the flying Spaniard to raise funds, with Leeds continuing to show a strong interest in the 25-year-old.

It’s been more than three years since Traore last signed a contract extension at Molineux, which has led to serious speculation surround his future, with only two years remaining on his current deal.

Traore remains one of the most devastating players in the Premier League, even though he managed just five goal contributions in 37 league outings last season, which is under half of what he chipped in with 12 months earlier (13).

But Traore, who produced more dribbles by Lionel Messi last season, remains a wanted man, and Norris exclusively told Football FanCast that the winger could improve an attack that outscored both Chelsea and Arsenal last season:

“He likes them attacking, exciting players that can create.

“They still must work hard, but the way he’s been in the last couple of seasons, and how much of a danger he is and how much he an create, I think that would be a great signing. Leeds are looking for top players and I think he’s a top player.”

Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas could be handed a quick route out of Parkhead this summer with the Greek stopper already being linked with a move away.

According to The Scottish Sun, Greek Super League outfit PAOK are eyeing the former AEK Athens man ahead of a potential loan offer in the summer.

Incoming Bhoys CEO Dominic McKay must cut his losses and let the 26-year-old go as soon as possible.

Since arriving at Celtic for a reported £4.5m just last summer, the 13-cap international has endured a horrendous time at the club.

Barkas has made just 20 appearances in all competitions and has not played a single minute in the league for the club since a 2-2 draw with Livingston in mid-January, with Scott Bain having been preferred in recent times.

Even when he has been on the pitch, the Greek international has not inspired much confidence at all. According to SofaScore, he has made just 1.1 saves per game in the league, whilst Bain is averaging much more at 2.1.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Despite having only been with Celtic for just eight months, his transfer valuation has also already taken a hit from £4.5m to £3.6m.

With Barkas not looking likely to be afforded a chance with his current employers any time soon, that only looks set to drop even more as the summer transfer window approaches.

Currently raking in £13.5k per week at the club, which is even more than the likes of Kristoffer Ajer, Ryan Christie and Jeremie Frimpong, he surely has to be shifted sooner rather than later if he is not going to play.

With apparent interest in Barkas, Celtic really should just cut their losses on the goalkeeper and let him go in the summer.

AND in more news, take a look at which former Premier League defender Celtic have to secure for incoming manager Eddie Howe this summer…

Cristiano Giaretta has been dealt a blow in his bid to bring Rodrigo De Paul to Watford this summer.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with The Athletic, the Udinese Calcio midfielder revealed that he would not find it easy to leave the Serie A side this summer, amid links with both Leeds United and the Hornets.

When asked about his future at the club, De Paul said: “It’s not easy to leave here. At Udinese, it’s a family, the club provides you with everything, even the simplest things, so you can concentrate on your football.”

Giaretta will be gutted

If the 26-year-old’s comments do indicate that he is uncertain about leaving Udinese this summer, it will undoubtedly come as gutting news to the Watford sporting director, who has been tasked with putting together a team at Vicarage Road who are capable of surviving in the Premier League next term.

And, after looking at his returns for the Le Zebrette this season, it would be very difficult to make an argument against the signing of De Paul having a tremendous impact on the chances of the Hornets retaining their status as a Premier League side come next summer.

Over his 35 Serie A appearances for Luca Gotti’s side so far this season, he has scored nine goals, registered nine assists and has created a whopping 20 big chances, in addition to making an average of 2.3 key passes and completing 3.4 dribbles per game, culminating in an extremely impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.55 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the Italian top flight.

As such, missing out on a player of the obvious talent of the £31k-per-week star this summer – whom Udinese’s technical director Pierpaolo Marino dubbed “world-class” – would be a devastating blow for the Hornets, as the £34.2m-rated Argentina international would undoubtedly be one of Xisco Munoz’s stars at Vicarage Road in their Premier League campaign next season.

In other news: Giaretta must sanction Watford swoop for 21 y/o likened to Son with “ancient flavour” – opinion

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.