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A worrying Rangers transfer claim has been made regarding Glen Kamara amid speculation over his Ibrox future…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has dropped an ominous update ahead of the January transfer window by stating that Steven Gerrard is a ‘big, big fan’ of the Gers gem.

When asked about the potential of Villa swooping for a Rangers player, he told GIVEMESPORT:

“He’s a big fan of Kamara, a big, big fan of Kamara.”

Concern

Aston Villa have been linked with a deal for the Finland international in recent weeks and this claim from Bridge could leave fans feeling concerned about what could be to come next month.

His comment appears to imply that Gerrard, out of the players currently at Ibrox, would like to sign Kamara for his new team, although it remains to be seen whether or not they will come in with a firm offer for his services.

At this point, though, supporters may begin to worry about whether or not the ex-Gers chief will want to swoop for one of his former players and offer them the chance to play Premier League football.

They are facing the prospect of losing one of their best players midway through the season, which could be a brutal blow to Gio van Bronckhorst’s side. Kamara has been in fine form this term and his departure could weaken the side on paper.

He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 in the Premiership, with Joe Aribo (7.18) the only central midfielder with a higher average rating than the ex-Arsenal man. Kamara has chipped in with one goal and three assists in the league, whilst completing an impressive 90% of his attempted passes and winning 52% of his duels.

This shows that he has been able to perform to a high standard consistently throughout the campaign, starting 15 of the 17 games. Therefore, his departure would leave a sizeable hole to be filled in the middle of the park, with Kamara a proven talent who can run games from midfield with his accurate passing and ability to dictate the tempo of matches.

Rangers fans would surely not want to see a player of his calibre depart midway through the season and that is why this claim from Bridge will leave them feeling worried. Hopefully, Ross Wilson will be able to keep any interested parties at bay and hold onto Kamara for the rest of the season, at least.

AND in other news, “Will be speaking” – Big Rangers claim made on Sky Sports that’ll leave fans delighted…

Sunderland missed their chance to go top of League One on Tuesday when they lost 3-1 to Lincoln City at the Stadium of Light, and will be hoping to seize their second opportunity to knock Rotherham off the top spot as they travel to take on 11th place Accrington Stanley this afternoon.

The Black Cats manager, Lee Johnson, took to his pre-match press conference to confirm the return of a number of players in training after injuries and virus outbreaks.

Johnson told the media;

“We’ll have more options [tomorrow], it’s fair to say,”

“Obviously it’s always touch wood in terms of the virus stuff, but at the moment it’s nice to be able to welcome two or three back into the group.”

The manager also added an update on star player, Corry Evans, saying;

“Corry is in good spirits,”

“We have got to be careful because at his previous club, he had a couple of similar scenarios in terms of going through the concussion protocols.

With that being said, this is how Football Fancast expects Sunderland to line up against Accrington Stanley this afternoon…

With three changes to the team, Ron-Thorben Hoffmann, Bailey Wright and Leon Dajaku return to the side for the clash in the North West on Saturday afternoon.

Fans will be happy to see first choice goalkeeper, Hoffmann, back in the side after conceding three goals at home on Tuesday night, the 6ft 4 machine, is returning from testing positive during a virus outbreak in the Sunderland camp.

We expect that Dajaku will also re-join the starting line-up after also testing positive during the virus outbreak at the club, Jack Diamond, who was hailed “powerful” by the Sunderland manager, is predicted to be axed from the team to accommodate the 20 year old’s return, with Dajaku bagging four goals and four assists for the side this season so far.

Wright is predicted to make his return from his minor injury after missing the last two games for the Black Cats, and we expect that the manager will be forced to start the defender whether he wanted to or not, due to Carl Winchester picking up a red card against Lincoln City at the beginning of this week.

Johnson will be hoping that his side can secure their first win of 2022 and their sixth win of the season away from home, putting them top of League One.

In other news: Sunderland eyeing swoop for Cardiff’s Aden Flint

When the transfer window opens this summer there should be a number of priorities on the agenda for Wolves.

They will need to sign a new striker after struggling with Raul Jimenez’s injury while they will need to beef up their midfield too.

In a normal season, you’d be able to rely on the midfield pairing of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho to set the tone.

Neves has thrived this term by scoring five goals in the Premier League but one man who has defined inconsistency is his partner in crime; Moutinho.

The Portuguese veteran has looked off the pace and had to wait until February to finally register a goal involvement. His form has been sluggish and due to that, Wolves reporter Tim Spiers thinks this could be his final season as a regular in the starting XI.

With that in mind, another midfielder would go down nicely this summer.

Wolves have long had Ainsley Maitland-Niles on their radar and he seems a perfect fit, not only for the starting XI but the manager too.

The England international has been touted at a massive £30m but if they can lure him back to the Midlands after his loan spell with West Brom expires, it would be great business.

First and foremost, Maitland-Niles is versatile. He’d suit Wolves’ system down to the ground given his ability to play at wing-back while he has become a threat from midfield now as well.

What Ruben Neves has been lacking in recent years is a dynamic option next to him. Moutinho is rather one dimensional at the age of 34 while Leander Dendoncker’s approach to the game is more about defence.

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It’s evident they have a number of midfielders who are quite similar. Maitland-Niles, however, would give them a very different threat.

He has the ability to defend, winning 2.2 tackles per game this season, while he is also a presence in the final third, epitomising the box-to-box role in the middle of the park.

Neves has long been the quarterback of Nuno’s team but he has lacked a more mobile presence with energy and tenacity next to him in order to transition defence into attack more quickly.

The Portugal international can spray passes and take shots from distance but his ball-carrying leaves plenty to be desired.

For instance, Neves has managed just 0.3 dribbles per match this season. Maitland-Niles, on the other hand, has registered 1.4 per game.

That’s a tally that only four players at Wolves have bettered this campaign; Adama Traore, Pedro Neto, Nelson Semedo and Daniel Podence.

On that basis, it’s clear to see why he’s been labelled a “weapon” by BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton.

This acquisition would benefit Wolves plenty and it could just squeeze even more out of the radiant Neves.

AND in other news, Forget MGW: Wolves must unleash rarely-seen 18 y/o who creates “things out of nothing”…

Manchester United are expected to have several outgoings this summer due to contract expiration, but Erik ten Hag could be set to offload even more players as new transfer interest emerges.

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic, Crystal Palace are interested in bringing back Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Selhurst Park this summer.

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The report suggests that there has been no official move made for the right-back, and no decision will be made on his future at Old Trafford until new manager Ten Hag has come in to assess the squad he has inherited.

This comes following the news that fellow defender Harry Maguire may also exit in the summer

Forget Maguire

This new development from Crystal Palace could be a huge benefit to the Dutch coach, who can finally axe the defender from the team as he attempts to rebuild the squad and revive the club when he joins this summer.

The 24-year-old defender who was dubbed “reckless” by Jamie Carragher, has been disappointing in his 26 appearances for the club this season with uninspiring and poor defensive performances throughout.

Wan-Bissaka has had two errors leading to shots, gave away a penalty to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this season, loses possession 14 times per game on average, has only won 37% of his aerial duels and only wins possession 0.3 times per game.

That proves the right-back is showing no dominance or threat in his position and making costly mistakes that have contributed to Manchester United’s poor season.

The Red Devils are said to be already looking at replacements to fill the boots in the right-back role, with the Daily Mail reporting back in January that they are eyeing up a move for Tariq Lamptey this summer, so this speculation about a move back to London for Wan-Bissaka could be a win-win situation for both the player and the club.

With Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani all set to leave on a free this summer, Ten Hag will likely have a busy transfer window ahead of him and we could see a number of new faces at Man United this summer whilst many old faces are shown the door to kick off the new manager’s revolution.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Man Utd dealt major injury setback ahead of Chelsea, Ralf will be gutted

Aston Villa could be facing a huge nightmare over Emiliano Martinez, with Manchester United said to be interested in making a move in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Argentine has been an absolute revelation for Dean Smith since joining from fellow Premier League side Arsenal last summer, keeping the second most clean sheets in the division with 14.

According to Football Insider, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have set their sights on Martinez after having been impressed with his performances in his first season at Villa.

The report claims that the 28-year-old is at the top of their target list as they look to strengthen the goalkeeping department, with the futures of David de Gea and Sergio Romero uncertain at this moment.

Dean Smith will be fuming

Described as a “phenomenon” and someone who “guarantees ten points per season” by Argentinian World Cup winner Daniel Bertoni, Martinez has been nothing short of outstanding for Villa since arriving from the Emirates in the summer.

It’s no surprise then that rival clubs have sat up and taken notice of his performances, and United’s interest is a massive compliment to just how well he has done.

While Villa have enjoyed a remarkable season thus far – they currently lie in the top half of the table – qualification into the Europa League or Champions League still isn’t a guarantee.

United meanwhile find themselves in second, and are into the quarter-finals of the Europa League, and look set to clinch Champions League football one way or the other, and that will no doubt be very appealing to Martinez.

The Argentine would fancy his chances of keeping out Dean Henderson as United’s number one goalkeeper, and the lure of competing for trophies and in European competition year in and year out may be too good to turn down.

It’s exactly why Smith will be very worried if United launch an official bid for the £22.5m-rated Martinez come the summer.

Meanwhile, Villa heading for unforgivable mistake over this £18m-rated flop…

La Liga expert Euan McTear believes that Yangel Herrera is certain to leave Manchester City this summer amid links with West Ham United.

Herrera is still on the books at City but has spent the past two seasons on loan at Granada in La Liga.

In total, he has made 82 appearances for the club, scoring 10 goals and registering five assists.

The 23-year-old enjoyed an impressive season with the Spanish club this term, as they qualified for the Europa League and enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals, where they were ultimately beaten by Manchester United. He has subsequently been linked with West Ham United.

McTear has been impressed with the form of the Venezuela international and believes he is an old-school midfielder who consistently looks to get on the ball and move it forward, while also trying to hit the back of the net himself.

Herrera is a versatile presence and he can play as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder or even as a centre-back.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, McTear said: “Yeah, so he’s been at Granada for more than a couple seasons now in a row, he’s been key to their qualification for Europa League and then the run to the quarter-finals.

“He’s like a classic box-to-box midfielder, a bit of a throwback in that way, his first instinct is to try and dribble, to pass it forward, charging forward he took so many shots this season, he would get in the box, he scored quite a few goals early on when they were lacking strikers and attacking midfielders and that’s the thing too, he’s been really versatile.

“Granada this season had more injuries than anybody else in La Liga because they have a small squad and they were playing in Europa League from the first qualifying round all the way to the quarterfinals. So their squad was knackered. They had COVID outbreaks and everything. So Herrera was one of the few players who was hardly injured.

“So he was kind of asked to fill in, defensive midfield, attacking midfield, even as a sort of second striker at points. So never out wide always down the middle, but one of those positions right down the spine, and he was really good. He’ll leave them for sure and who knows where he goes?”

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie as the summer transfer window starts to take shape.

What’s the story?

According to the Scottish Daily Mail, the Foxes have joined Ligue 1 duo Nice and Monaco in the race to secure the 26-year-old’s signature.

Christie has just 6 months remaining on his current contract at Celtic Park and, therefore, could be available for a bargain price over the coming months.

Leicester must swoop

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has previously worked with the Scotland international during his two-and-a-half-year spell north of the border, so he will know all about the qualities that Christie possesses.

In 142 appearances for the Hoops, the creative talent has bagged 40 goals and provided a further 41 assists, collecting six major trophies along the way.

His impressive performances for the Glasgow giants have earned praise from several plaudits, including Chris Sutton, who praised his “ferocious workrate” in a column last year.

With the Midlands outfit qualifying for next season’s Europa League, Rodgers is looking to add some strength in depth to his first-team squad, and Christie could provide just that.

After recording 2.1 key passes per league game in 2020/21, the £6.3 million rated gem outperformed Leicester’s key attacking midfielder James Maddison in that metric after he managed just 1.6.

Christie also outperformed the Englishman in terms of dribbles and shots per league game, tallying 1.2 and 2.8 to Maddison’s 0.9 and 2.4, respectively.

While many may understandably point to the disparity in opposition that the two players faced in the recently concluded campaign, these figures are evidence that Christie is ready to make the step up and could compete at a higher level.

However, if Rodgers wants to be reunited with his former star, then he may have to move quickly. Nice had an £8m offer rejected in January and are expected to revive their interest.

Christie will be the second player that the Northern Irish tactician has tried to sign from his former side this summer after becoming frustrated in his pursuit of Odsonne Edouard.

He’ll be hoping that it’s a case of second time lucky when he returns for Christie, and the Scotsman could provide the extra quality Rodgers to take Leicester into the Champions League.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Vardy: Rudkin must sanction Leicester swoop for £43m beast 

Lots of West Ham United fans have been fuming at Craig Dawson and they are demanding him to be dropped by David Moyes.

Dawson featured for the Hammers in their 3-2 win over Wolves in the Premier League last night. He was partnered by Issa Diop and the former West Brom man picked up a WhoScored rating of 6.62 for his performance.

The centre-back was the second-lowest rated player for the Irons out of all those who had started and only Aaron Cresswell picked up a worse rating than him. Only two of the starters registered fewer than his 23 passes – one of whom was Michail Antonio, whose match lasted just 35 minutes.

This performance came after Dawson had scored two own goals in as many games, putting the ball into his own net against Arsenal and Manchester United.

Before the own goals, though, the defender had impressed at the back in appearances against the likes of Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace. He had also done well against Southampton earlier in the season (as per WhoScored).

Back in March, it was stated that Dawson would seal a permanent West Ham move if he played three more games. It now seems as though that condition has been met.

However, some Hammers fans aren’t happy with his recent performances and have called for the “liability” to be dropped in forthcoming fixtures.

What did West Ham fans make of Dawson’s performance?

“Dawson has been such a liability last 3 games, I think Balbuena and Diop is a shout.”

Credit: @ReeceEnever_

“Dawson don’t look like the same player the last 3 or 4 games . I think he maybe the one that needs taking out.”

Credit: @IANL80s

“Dawson was more of a liability yesterday than Diop.”Credit: @MJ_Jeffries”Dawson literally scored 2 own goals in 3 games and has been more of a liability then Diop. I honestly don’t get the agenda. Haller and Diop you both have agendas against, i wonder why….”Credit: @ThatGuyChichar”Hard to know, Balbuena is slower than Diop, so having Dawson and Balbuena v Vardy isn’t a good idea, he’d tear them apart with his pace, Diop is faster but switches off at times!!”Credit: @LiamHammer7″I think without Ogbonna we look suspect. Dawson being found out for not being a good footballer and Diop switches off too much. I’d rather neither didn’t play.”Credit: @FlawsdrawIn other news, one journalist has dropped a worrying claim about Jesse Lingard – read more here.

Newcastle United are reportedly plotting a move to sign Rob Dickie in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Newcastle must improve defensively

Having conceded no fewer than 62 goals in the Premier League going into the final day of the season, which is the fifth-worst record out of any team in the division (BBC Sport), the St. James’ Park outfit certainly need to improve defensively.

They cannot always rely on the likes of Callum Wilson to bail them out with the goals that he offers, especially if he finds himself injured for as long as he did in this campaign.

Thus, a new central defender would be an ideal signing to make in order to make Steve Bruce’s team more solid.

The Latest: Newcastle plot Dickie transfer

As per Football Insider, the Tyneside club are plotting a move to bring Dickie to the North East.

They have held a long-term interest in the QPR ace and considered signing him last summer before he joined Rangers from Oxford United.

A source from the Magpies has told the news outlet that Bruce wants to strengthen his defensive options, and Dickie has emerged as a top target.

The former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss is a big admirer and has been keeping tabs on him since he impressed against the Toon in two matches in the FA Cup in the 2019/20 term with Oxford.

NUFC see the Englishman as someone with huge potential who can develop and potentially offer them huge resale value in the future.

The Verdict: Newcastle should sign Dickie

Given the potential that Dickie has, and the fact that he is still only 25 years of age, it would be a smart buy for Newcastle, especially if the club are right about him potentially boasting a big resale value.

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Described as a ‘very talented’ player by Mark Warburton upon signing him as QPR manager back in September, the six-foot-one ace has taken the EFL Championship by storm, winning a mammoth 8.1 of his duels per game, while also averaging four clearances, 1.8 interceptions and 1.3 tackles a match, helping his side keep no fewer than 14 clean sheets in the process (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, Dickie is ready to make the step up to the Premier League, and the Magpies can give him that opportunity.

In other news, find out what insight Lee Ryder has shared from takeover sources on a potential arbitration timescale here!

Tottenham Hotspur could look to seal Franck Kessie in January by using Tanguy Ndombele as a makeweight, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Italian outlet Calciomercato.it claim Spurs are keen on signing the 24-year-old midfielder from AC Milan, with his contract set to expire at the San Siro in the summer.

It means he is free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign club in January, though the north London outfit appear to want him then, rather than at the end of the season and could offer the wantaway Frenchman in return in a desperate attempt to shift him out.

The 44-cap Ivory Coast international, who is valued at €40m (£34m) by CIES Football Observatory, has rejected Milan’s proposals of a contract extension – their latest offer being reported at around €6.5m-per-year (£5.6m-per-year).

Bye-bye Ndombele

Ndombele’s future was very much the talk leading up to deadline day.

In August, it’s thought that the former Lyon maestro informed the Spurs hierarchy that he was open to leaving the club, having failed to feature in pre-season under Nuno Santo, as per The Athletic.

But by the time the transfer window drew to a close, Sky Sports News (via the Daily Mail) claimed that Spurs failed to find a ‘suitable deal’ to allow his departure.

If the 24-year-old club-record signing isn’t committed to the club, then it could be wise to utilise him in a potential swap deal for Kessie, especially given his mooted £200k-per-week wages.

It’s not as if he has lived up to expectations either, managing only eight goals and eight assists in 75 appearances as a box-to-box option in the engine room.

By comparison, Kessie found the net 13 times last season alone (and he also provided four assists), a feat that was only bettered by Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the San Siro, via WhoScored.

His form in recent times has earned lofty comparisons to his fellow countryman and former Premier League star Yaya Toure.

“I want Kessie in my team, he scores, he assists, he has personality, he has quality, he doesn’t lose the ball, he is intelligent. I’m watching him carefully, with Roma it was devastating,” claimed former AC striker Antonio Cassano to Bobo TV (via MilanLive.it).

“He reminds me of the Yaya Toure at the best times. He is a different player but in terms of impact, he is holding Milan’s midfield alone.”

In addition to his exploits in the final third, Kessie also averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.2 dribbles per league outing, via WhoScored, proving to be an industrious presence at either end of the pitch.

It’s no surprise to see that he’s also been described as “a complete player” by his current boss, Stefano Pioli. Those numbers certainly reflect that.

All in all, Spurs’ sporting director Fabio Paratici should look to save face on their club-record man by trying to offload him for a direct replacement. On the above evidence, they’d be getting a better player for a fraction of the price.

The Premier League front-runners must secure the titan-like presence of Kessie in January, rather than waiting until the summer.

AND in other news, Spurs handed “frustrating” injury blow ahead of Premier League return this weekend…