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An update has emerged on Rangers and Gio van Bronckhorst’s attempts to bring a new striker to Ibrox this month…

What’s the talk?

According to TEAMtalk, the Gers are eyeing up a deal to sign an attacker in the January transfer window.

The report claims that Rangers, Norwich, Newcastle and Crystal Palace are among the clubs interested in signing the QPR centre-forward, Lyndon Dykes, although it remains to be seen how much the west London outfit will demand for his services.

Get it done

Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson must get this deal done for Rangers this month, as Dykes could be a superb signing and improve their current options.

The Gers are not blessed with an abundance of physical players who are capable of mixing it up in individual duels against better teams. This is highlighted by Leon Balogun being the only Light Blues player who has won more than 1.8 aerial battles per game in the Europa League this season, whilst Joe Aribo (2.1) is the only midfielder or attacker averaging more than two per game in the Premiership.

Meanwhile, Dykes has won  4.3 aerial battles per game in the Championship this term for QPR, having averaged 4.8 last season. This shows that he offers a physical presence in the number nine role which Van Bronckhorst is currently lacking in his squad.

Scotland boss Steve Clarke previously lauded the attacker, saying: “Lyndon’s a confident lad and so he should be. He knows what he wants.

“He’s not a big-head, he’s nothing like that. He’s done the hard yards in football, from Queen of the South to Livingston and he’s earned himself a fantastic move to London. It’ll be nice to watch him in the Championship next season.

“He’s going to be working with a really good coach in Mark Warburton so Lyndon can only improve now for his club and hopefully his country as well.”

The £3.15m-rated bulldozer has also proven that he can score goals regularly. He has found the back of the net 18 times for QPR since the start of the 2020/21 campaign and has scored four goals in six starts for Scotland in World Cup qualifiers.

Therefore, he could add goals to go along with the physical boost with which he could provide Rangers. This is why the Light Blues must work hard to secure his services this month.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst must ruthlessly axe £900k-rated Rangers dud, he’s a “weak link”…

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Football.London, Antonio Conte revealed that he has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the visit of Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon, with only Cristian Romero and Ryan Sessegnon expected to miss the clash.

Speaking about the current state of his squad, the 52-year-old Spurs manager said: “There were no injuries after West Ham. Romero is injured and Sessegnon is injured. No new news at the moment. We don’t have new cases of [the viral pandemic]. All the players are back in training.”

The report then went on to state that summer signing Bryan Gil, who has played just 54 minutes of first-team football since Conte’s arrival in North London back in November, looks set to make a return to action this weekend, as the Spain international appears to have recovered from both a hamstring injury and illness.

Conte will be buzzing

Considering just how depleted a number of Premier League sides currently are as a result of the ongoing pandemic, with many teams attempting to postpone fixtures due to a high number of infections within their playing squad and staff, the news that Tottenham appear to have avoided a major outbreak is sure to have left the Italian coach buzzing.

Furthermore, the apparent return of Gil is yet another boost for the 52-year-old, as the £25.2m-rated man proved over his 29 LaLiga appearances last season that, when he is fully fit and firing, he has the potential to play a huge role for Spurs this term.

Indeed, the 20-year-old scored four goals, registered three assists and created four big chances in LaLiga last time out, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £83k-per-week forward earn an impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.04, something which proves the youngster is more than capable of playing a big role in any success Tottenham may have in the current campaign.

And, with it looking as if the Spaniard is in contention for a starting spot against Palace this Sunday, perhaps this could be the fixture in which Gil finally announces himself to the Tottenham Hotspur faithful with a dominant display.

In other news: Bye-bye Doherty: Paratici could land Conte’s dream Spurs deal with £45k-p/w “Duracell”

Hopes for Boli Bolingoli will have been high at Celtic upon his £3m arrival at Parkhead back in 2019, with the Hoops subsequently selling first-choice left-back Kieran Tierney in the same transfer window.

Indeed, the defender had impressed over his 25 Bundesliga appearances for Rapid Vienna in the season prior, scoring two goals, registering two assists and helping his side keep eight clean sheets in the league, as well as making an average of two interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 1.2 clearances and winning 4.4 duels per game.

However, after making a mere 14 Scottish Premiership appearances in his debut campaign, things took a further turn for the worst for Bolingoli last season, when the left-back travelled to Spain without informing Celtic, as well as breaking quarantine restrictions on his return to Scotland.

This led to the left-back receiving a three-match ban from the Scottish FA, while Neil Lennon also took the decision to bomb the former Belgian U16 international out of his squad, with the club labelling his actions as “irresponsible” and the Northern Irishman sending him on loan to Istanbul Basaksehir for the duration of 2020/21.

In Turkey, the £12.5k-per-week man also failed to impress over his 12 Super Lig appearances, helping his side keep just two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.8 tackles, 0.9 clearances and winning 3.6 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the 26-year-old average a disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.74, ranking him as Basaksehir’s 17th-worst performer in the Turkish top flight.

And, while Bolingoli has featured once for Celtic under the new leadership of Ange Postecoglou, the defender has been left out of the Celtic squad for the majority of their games this season, suggesting that the future does not look overly bright for the left-back at Parkhead.

Further still, as a result of this lack of game time over the past two seasons, Bolingoli’s value has plummeted from £3.15m at the time of his move to Scotland to just £1.98m today – meaning that, should Postecoglou wish to move the Belgian on any time soon, he will almost certainly have to take a loss in the transaction.

As such, with the benefit of hindsight, it would have to be said that Celtic’s former chief executive Peter Lawwell had something of a nightmare when signing Bolingoli back in 2019.

In other news: Forget Rogic: Ange could save Celtic millions by unleashing “fantastic” teen prodigy

Leeds United would reportedly be able to sign Rangers winger Ryan Kent for £20million, due to a release clause in his contract.

The Lowdown: Kent linked with Leeds move

The Whites have been linked with numerous players during the summer transfer window, in order to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s options.

Kent is one individual who has been linked with a move to Elland Road for a long time however, having impressed under Steven Gerrard at Ibrox, scoring 27 goals in 132 appearances for the Gers.

The Scottish Premiership outfit even rejected a Leeds bid for their star winger last summer, so it’s clear Bielsa and co have been eyeing a move for some time.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Release clause revealed

A key update has now been provided on the former Liverpool man, with The Athletic claiming that he has a £20million release clause in his current deal.

Leeds have been rumoured to be willing to pay £12million for Kent’s services, so they’ll need to up that by another 66 per cent if they want to get the job done.

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The Verdict: Not worth it?

Kent is a good player who has flourished in Scotland – he has been hailed as ‘frightening’ by teammate Scott Arfield – but it would be reckless for Leeds to pay such a big amount for his services.

The winger has never played in the Premier League and ultimately didn’t cut the mustard at Liverpool, making just one solitary appearance for them.

If Leeds were able to sign Kent for around half that amount, it could be worth a punt, but it is hard to see him ousting Raphinha or Jack Harrison and justifying that price tag as a back-up.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly keen on signing a Premier League player – find out who it is here.

Newcastle United have been handed a major boost regarding the fitness of Karl Darlow ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by the Mirror (via The Shields Gazette), who claim that, following a long battle with illness, the Magpies goalkeeper looks set to return to Steve Bruce’s starting XI for the visit of Leeds United on Friday evening.

The report continues to state that the 30-year-old returned to training over the September international break, and looks set to take the place of Freddie Woodman between the Newcastle United sticks.

Bruce will be buzzing

Considering just how poor Woodman has been for Newcastle so far this season, the fact that Darlow looks set to finally make a return to Steve Bruce’s starting XI is sure to have the 60-year-old manager buzzing.

Indeed, over his four Premier League appearances this term, the 24-year-old Woodman has shipped 12 goals – an average of three a game – made one error leading to a goal and has averaged 2.5 saves per match.

These returns have seen the £9m-rated shot-stopper average a highly disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.03, ranking him as the Magpies’ second-worst performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, the return of a player who earned a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92 over his 25 Premier League appearances last season in the shape of Darlow is sure to provide Bruce’s chances of securing a positive result against Marcelo Bielsa’s side on Friday evening with a significant boost, as well as being something that is sure to delight the St. James’ Park faithful.

In other news: Sold for peanuts, now worth £16.2m: Ashley had a ‘mare on “special” £17k-p/w NUFC ace

Flocking to Twitter, many Sunderland fans voiced their criticism for Lynden Gooch following his display in their penalty shoot out loss to Bradford City on Tuesday night.

The Black Cats did just enough to reach the knockout rounds of the EFL trophy, topping Group F, after drawing 1-1 in normal time to Bradford – but the game went to penalties anyway to decide an overall victor.

Lee Johnson’s side have secured a home tie for the next round by topping their group, with Nathan Broadhead’s strike earning the solitary point needed after Bradford’s Theo Robinson opened the scoring.

Even though they got the job done, Sunderland have also extended their winless run of games to six on the trot with their last victory coming away to Crewe Alexandra in mid-October.

Both Alex Pritchard and Gooch saw their penalties saved by the travelling side after normal time as Bradford clinched the shoot-out win – with many supporters taking aim at the latter man in particular.

While squandering his penalty in the shoot-out, Gooch was also ranked among Sunderland’s lowest performers on the night according to SofaScore – coming in as the joint-fifth worst starter with a 6.9 rating.

His overall evening also proved a sloppy one with the 25-year-old completing just 2/7 crosses, 4/11 long balls and losing possession a seismic 32 times – as well as getting booked (SofaScore).

Taking these numbers into account, and the fact Gooch saw his spot-kick saved, it’s little wonder supporters weren’t impressed.

Find all of their verdicts from Twitter down below.

Sunderland fans slam Gooch…

“And, surprise, surprise, he got himself booked. Again. I can’t remember the last game he played when he wasn’t booked. His quality of play is awful and his decision-making is worse. Johnson’s blue-eyed boy though. Unlike Embleton.”

Credit: @Boshanko

“No qualms with him missing a pen, especially in the most pointless shootout ever, but his performance even out of position was shocking, simple things. His attitude to storm off the pitch while everyone else remained to clap, disgusting.

Credit: @davis0688

“Truly is a frustrating footballer. The way he’s regressed in recent years is mind blowing. Went from being arguably one of the best in the league to one of the most unreliable in the squad.”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

“Should never pull the shirt on ever again. Absolute waste of space”

Credit: @1879SAFC

“The WORST player on the pitch…”

Credit: @Casual7Observer

“How gooch gets a game is beyond me”

Credit: @fonz1971

“How’s he still here”

Credit: @RobsonEll

Paul Pogba is ‘heading’ for the exit door at Manchester United, The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell says. 

The lowdown

Pogba’s £290,000-per-week Old Trafford contract is due to expire at the end of June.

United bought him back from Juventus in 2016 for a fee of £94.5million, the biggest transfer in Premier League history before Romelu Lukaku (£101.7million) and Jack Grealish (£105.75million) moved to Chelsea and Manchester City respectively last summer.

Pogba has made 232 appearances for the Red Devils in total, winning the Europa League and EFL Cup in 2016/17 before earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year in 2018/19.

On Saturday, as Manchester United scraped past bottom-of-the-table Norwich City at home, United supporters booed Pogba, who responded by cupping his ear.

The Frenchman isn’t the only player poised to walk on a free transfer come the summer, with Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani and Juan Mata all out of contract too.

The latest

Speaking live on Sky Sports News on Sunday afternoon, Whitwell indicated that the ship had sailed.

He says Pogba has shown little interest in signing a lucrative contract, and feels that his reception on Saturday has confirmed the inevitability of his exit.

“It’s heading that way [Pogba leaving at the end of the season],” he said.

“United offered him a very big contract last summer – £400,000 per week – and he’s left that sitting there because they didn’t offer him a contract the year before when he felt like maybe he wanted one.

He later added: “There was some doubt before this [the booing] that he would definitely leave, but I think that puts the underlining score in that situation really.”

The verdict

Will prospective manager Erik ten Hag have played in any role this decision?

Fabrizio Romano reported earlier this month that Ten Hag had asked for ‘100%’ involvement in ‘present and future transfers strategy’, including new contracts.

The Dutchman has since verbally agreed to become the new manager, potentially indicating that those demands have been met.

It’s possible that he’s greenlit Pogba’s exit, or it may be the case that United were already resigned to that outcome.

It now remains to be seen if he intervenes in an attempt to prevent Lingard, Cavani or Mata departing.

In other news, United have held a meeting with this superstar’s agent.

Mark Douglas has revealed that Kalvin Phillips is now on the ‘list’ of Newcastle United for a potential move in the summer.

The Lowdown: In demand

It has been reported that Manchester United are now ‘working’ on a deal to try and sign Phillips, but any move could be complicated by the rivalry between them and Leeds United.

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The defensive midfield player is reportedly willing to sign a new contract at Elland Road, but only if they can guarantee safety in the Premier League, with West Ham and Aston Villa also sniffing around.

Jesse Marsch’s team are currently six points clear of the drop zone, but Burnley crucially have two games in hand, meaning that they can catch the Yorkshire club with two wins.

The Latest: Listed

Taking to Twitter, iNews journalist Douglas has revealed that Phillips is now on the St. James’ Park faithful’s ‘list’ for the summer.

However, the Whites ‘hope’ that they can keep him beyond this season.

The Verdict: Sign

Currently rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, Phillips would likely be a club-record transfer should the North East club be able to sign him.

Nonetheless, he could form a mouth-watering partnership with Bruno Guimaraes in midfield that would take them to the next level.

Hailed for a ‘phenomenal’ performance on England duty in Euro 2020 by Ian Wright, Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate has also sung his praises at international level.

For the Peacocks, Phillips has unfortunately been ninth place in the top flight.

He would not be easy to lure away, but the 26-year-old would certainly be a coup for the Tynesiders.

In other news, find out what ‘huge’ club-record deal NUFC are now eyeing here!

According to The Times, there has been a rather big development in the rule affecting five substitutions in world football and it will of course impact Manchester City.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic delaying the football calendar and causing heavily congested fixtures, the law allowing teams to use up to five substitutes was introduced in May 2020.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) then extended this amendment earlier this year until the end of 2022 as they aim to combat player fatigue and assist clubs across all top level competitions.

Europe’s top footballing leagues, bar the Premier League who reverted back to three at the beginning of 2020/2021, have continued to benefit from this rule.

Now, thanks to strong support from ‘several’ footballing bodies, the law allowing sides to make five subs is set to become totally permanent, according to The Times and reliable reporter Martyn Ziegler.

The law reform would apparently still allow competitions, like the Premier League, to still opt for only three subs – as they have done since the beginning of last season.

There will, however, be external pressure for them to fall in line with the rest of football next campaign and allow up to five subs once again – much like they did during the final run of 2019/2020.

Teams would still be restricted to ‘three opportunities’ to make these five changes but it’s safe to say footballing giants like City would benefit from the change, especially considering the range of cup competitions they’re taking part in like the Champions League and FA Cup as well as the English top flight.

Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola has previously pleaded for five subs in the Premier League, blasting the fact they can currently only make three changes as ‘ridiculous’ (via Mike Minay).

Flocking to this big development, and taking into account Guardiola’s message over making changes, many City supporters have erupted over this news.

Find all of their social media verdicts down below and some hold special praise for their manager.

Man City fans flock to substitutes news…

“Big win for big clubs”

Credit: @Jorge_see

“He has done it again”

Credit: @Mikeey_254

“Absolutely fantastic”

Credit: @KaineOduah

“Pep changed football forever. My Goat”

Credit: @papomcfc

“More chances for the youngsters”

Credit: @shinsunik

“The man gets what he wants”

Credit: @abdulrahmanjg10

“Pep won”

Credit: @Guardiolan_MCFC

“VAMOS”

Credit: @Arthurtorcedor

After losing 1-0 to Wolves in their previous Premier League game, Southampton are yet to secure their first top-flight win of the season.

Their latest fixture sees them take the trip to west London to face off against Chelsea, who are coming off the back of two consecutive 1-0 defeats against Manchester City and Juventus.

The Saints currently sit 16th in the Premier League table with just four points on the board so far, having scored four goals and conceded seven in the process, resulting in a rather underwhelming start to their campaign.

Redmond hasn’t done enough lately

One player who has been a regular figure for the Saints so far this season is Nathan Redmond, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £60k-per-week according to Spotrac. The winger has made an appearance in each of Southampton’s Premier League games so far this season, except for their 1-1 draw against Manchester United where he was an unused substitute. However, he has failed to contribute to a goal in the top flight in 2021/22.

On the two occasions that the 27-year-old has played a full 90 minutes for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side in the league this season, both ended in a 0-0 draw, the first coming against West Ham United and also the draw at Manchester City.

In their recent match against Wolves, Redmond was replaced in the second half by Moussa Djenepo after failing to have a shot on target, which ultimately led to him being given an overall match rating of 6.7/10, making him one of the lowest-rated Southampton players on the day according to SofaScore. He won just one duel all afternoon and was dribbled past twice before being hooked in the 64th minute.

With the Saints now facing off against Chelsea, who have only conceded two league goals so far this season, Hasenhuttl will undoubtedly need his players to be on their best attacking form if they are to have any chance of getting a positive result against Thomas Tuchel’s side.

In our view, this means that Redmond should not be included in Southampton’s starting XI this afternoon based on his dry spell of goals and assists.

Instead, Hasenhuttl should consider tinkering with his starting line-up and potentially give Nathan Tella the chance to show what he can do from the start in the Premier League, where he has only made a 10-minute cameo at the start of the season in their 3-1 loss against Everton.

In other news: Southampton dealt injury blow ahead of Chelsea clash, Ralph will be gutted – opinion