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Rangers are one of the teams keen on signing Wigan Athletic wonderkid Kyle Joseph, according to reports.

What’s the word?

Joseph, 19, is highly rated south of the border and has caught the attention of several unnamed clubs across Europe, including Premier League giants Arsenal.

According to The Mirror, Rangers are keeping a watchful eye on the youngster, who made his first-team debut in the English League One last year.

And Steven Gerrard is believed to have expressed an interest in signing him this summer, with Celtic also closely monitoring the situation.

His current deal is set to expire at the end of this season, meaning he could walk away for free when the transfer market re-opens in the summer. However, the Premiership rivals face a transfer battle with Arsenal also registering an interest according to the report.

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson, therefore, has a big decision to make. Wait too long, and an excellent opportunity may pass him by.

Act too quickly, however, and he could accidentally trigger a bidding war that Rangers almost have no hope of winning against the financial might of Arsenal.

Ross Wilson must act now

While Rangers fans may have initially scoffed at the idea that such a talented and promising teenager could be linked with a move to Ibrox, the ball is very much in Wilson’s court.

If – and that’s a big if – Wilson can persuade Joseph that his best interests lie in Ibrox, it would be similar to the coup that saw Ianis Hagi join Rangers for £4m from Belgian club Genk on a permanent basis in the summer.

Rangers could land themselves a striker for years to come if they are able to bring him to Ibrox and he can hit the ground running. The stats show he should be able to do this, as the former Scotland U19 international has already fired home five goals and a further assist in 14 League One appearances this season thus far.

Whether or not he would adapt to the rigours of Scottish football remains to be seen, given his recent injury record, but it’s certainly a risk worth taking for one of Europe’s hottest prospects.

It will be interesting to see how this transfer saga unfolds, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Alfredo Morelos transfer value skyrockets as Rangers chalk up another Ross Wilson victory…

Many Everton fans have been left to slam the display of Andre Gomes despite their 1-0 away win at West Brom in the Premier League on Thursday evening.

Richarlison ended up getting the only goal of the game midway through the second half to give the Goodison Park faithful all three points and thus help them climb up the table.

However, although there were some very good performances for the Merseyside club, Gomes flattered to deceive several members of the Toffees faithful.

The central midfield player lost out on nine of his duels in the match, the most lost out of any of his teammates, as he also lost possession of the ball no fewer than on 16 separate occasions, the joint-second highest of any Blues player (Sofascore). Losing your battles and giving the ball away relentlessly is hardly a good combination for a midfield player.

Everton fan reaction to Gomes display

These EFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to say that the former FC Barcelona man is ‘dreadful’:

“Why is Andre Gomes even here, he was literally one of our worst players today. Allan should have been the fourth scout for MOTM #efc. Up the Toffees as we march on to top 4 glory #everton”

Credit: @gersonselema

“Another solid if unspectacular victory for #EFC. Both achieved with fair few injuries. Thought Gomes and Iwobi very poor today. Defensively we are sound though. Bit of quality from Sigurdsson and into Top 4! #COYB”

Credit: @D_Button

“Another ugly win but we will take it. Siggy showed why he can’t be dropped at the moment, especially when James is out. Great finish from Richarlison. Negatives were an appalling first half and the performances of Gomes and Bernard in particular who shouldn’t play again. #efc”

Credit: @sicurrie

“Gomes has stunk the place out today, but we squeak the win #EFC”

Credit: @ItsJohnThomson

“Gomes, Bernard and Iwobi are dreadful FACT #EFC”Credit: @MrGriff1878“Gomes & Iwobi are doing my head in! #efc”
Credit: @boycey1978
In other news, find out what Carlo Ancelotti comments on one star’s future has left Everton fans buzzing here!

Not a day goes by without Arsenal surely ruing letting Serge Gnabry go in the summer of 2016.

Sold for just £5m to German side Werder Bremen, Gnabry has since blown into superstardom, becoming a star at both club and international level with Bayern Munich and Germany, respectively.

The forward, now 25, is currently lighting up the Bundesliga with Bayern, and has already scored nine goals and provided a further three assists in just 22 games in the league this season.

With Germany, Gnabry’s record is even more impressive netting 15 times in just 19 senior games, and that’s a real testament to how much he’s grown over the years.

Speaking just last summer, Arsene Wenger – the manager who of course sold him back in 2016 – delivered his verdict on the winger and the situation behind his surprising exit, saying: “We had an agreement with him you know. I had given him out on loan to West Brom and he didn’t play a game. He came back, he was injured. We worked very hard with him for six months and he went out with the German national team, under-21’s, and Bayern made a deal with Werder Bremen.

“He wanted to sign in the end, didn’t want to extend his contract (with Arsenal) and I was very sad. But we couldn’t get over the line with him because I knew he would have a great career.”

Now, CIES value him at a massive £102m, more than twenty times what Arsenal actually sold him for a few years ago – if there ever was a move that underlined the kind of bad business the Gunners have done in recent seasons, then Gnabry is arguably right there at the top of the list.

Gnabry has become an established star shining at the very highest level, even helping Bayern to Champions League glory just last league – a run that saw the German winger tear apart Tottenham in their new stadium by netting four in a thumping 7-2 triumph.

Arsenal will surely never be able to live down letting Gnabry go.

Tottenham Hotspur clearly haven’t learned their lesson.

Once again, they sat back in the second half and invited pressure to the point of the opposition scoring.

It wasn’t too long ago that Spurs sat top of the table with both Heung-min Son and Harry Kane scoring goals for fun, now they have slipped to sixth place having also dropped points to Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the very same manner.

Indeed, Fulham had more shots (eight) than the home side (five) in the second half and also dominated possession, notching a total of 55% – a total contrast to the opening period as Jose Mourinho’s side were in complete control with 58% possession, via SofaScore.

After Harry Kane opened the scoring by ending a fine move which saw Sergio Reguilon whip a delightful ball in for him to nod home, Spurs were pegged back in the 74th minute when Eric Dier was caught napping from a cross himself. The diminutive 5 foot 9 Ivan Cavaleiro beat him to a header.

Though, the Englishman’s game overall, aside from that one momentary lapse in concentration, was actually pretty decent – he managed three clearances, two tackles and enjoyed more touches than any other Spurs player (94), per SofaScore.

This shows that he had a major influence in starting Spurs’ counter-attacks as not even the playmaking Tanguy Ndombele could get near such numbers (69) having only played nine fewer minutes.

He also proved to be a strong presence at the back, thwarting Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who endured the match’s second-lowest rating of 6.2 after completing just one of five dribbles as well as losing the ball 15 times, per SofaScore.

Other culprits let Mourinho down far worse at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last night, perhaps surprisingly, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was one huge disappointment.

The great Dane, often a powerhouse in the middle of the pitch, averaging 2.8 tackles, 2.2 fouls and 1.2 interceptions per game on the season via WhoScored, was instead wasteful and lightweight against the Cottagers.

Only one other Spurs player graded worse than his 6.3 rating as he won only 35% of his 14 duels, he won 12 out of 17 in the 3-0 victory against Leeds United last time out as a comparison, and committed four fouls, which is nearly double his usual mean as above. He was even dribbled past four times, which was more than anyone else on the pitch, per SofaScore.

The £27m-rated summer arrival was completely dominated by his opposite numbers Harrison Reed, who made six tackles, and Andre Zambo Anguissa, who successfully pulled off six dribbles, thus the pair ran rings around Hojbjerg all night.

To top things off, the 25-year-old picked up his fourth booking of the season having committed four fouls, meaning he’ll be on thin ice in the coming games now.

“He’s a captain without needing to wear the armband,” Mourinho said in October (via The Athletic) – well if that’s the case, then the ‘Special One’ has every right to feel aggrieved and let down by Hojbjerg’s outing on Wednesday night.

Someone with that acclaim, on over £100k-per-week too, should be doing so, so much better.

AND in other news, Spurs can find next Jan Vertonghen in “phenomenal talent” lauded by Messi…

After grabbing all three points in a controversial Premier League encounter with Southampton, Aston Villa will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce when they host West Ham United this Wednesday.

Dean Smith’s side are still hoping to nab a European place come the end of this campaign, but the Hammers have aspirations of their own after a surprise season. David Moyes’ side were beaten by Liverpool last time out, but they had racked up an incredible six wins in all competitions prior to that result.

Smith is not expected to make major changes for the clash with the Irons, but we expect a couple of tweaks, and below is a look at how Villa might line up.

In goal, Emiliano Martinez will be hoping for yet another clean sheet after sealing his tenth of the season with a superb performance against Southampton, as the Argentina international continues to cement himself as one of the top flight’s finest shot-stoppers.

Matt Targett has been superb recently and should not lose his place, so we don’t forsee any changes in the back four. The Villa boss confirmed an injury issue for Kourtney Hause in the build-up to this match, so keeping Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa fit over these coming weeks will now be essential.

In midfield, Morgan Sanson is pushing for his full debut after joining from Ligue 1 giants Marseille, and although he hasn’t exactly set the world alight so far, Smith seemed to hint that the Frenchman is in his plans to get his first start against Moyes’ men tonight.

The 26-year-old’s availability gives Smith somewhat of a selection headache, but if he does start, Douglas Luiz looks to be the likely partner given the defensive balance he can bring, meaning popular Scotland star John McGinn would be the one to miss out.

Further forward, £40,000-a-week winger Anwar El Ghazi is surely due a chance to break back into the side after losing his place to Bertrand Traore – the Burkina Faso forward hasn’t exactly made the spot his own despite some flashes of good form.

All in all, after the win against Southampton Smith is unlikely to completely overhaul his XI, but we think these couple of tweaks could make all the difference to give Moyes a headache of his own.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, Sanson; El Ghazi, Barkley, Grealish; Watkins.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Dean Windass has reacted to West Brom closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window.

According to the Telegraph’s John Percy, the Baggies are poised to land veteran winger Robert Snodgrass for a minimal fee as he’s in the final six months of his current contract at West Ham.

It’s claimed that the 33-year-old, who was on loan to Albion’s rivals Aston Villa during the 2017/18 season, will have a medical in the next 48 hours before sealing a permanent move to The Hawthorns.

Sam Allardyce is also targeting a move for Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury, whilst outcast duo Charlie Austin and Kamil Grosicki have been told they can leave the club this window.

Bournemouth forward Joshua King is another name linked with a switch to West Brom this month.

Speaking to FFC, Windass lauded Big Sam’s move for the Scotsman…

He said:

“Snodgrass, people like that on the bench at West Ham, you can see those sorts of players under Big Sam. That sort of type.

“[He will bring] just a little bit of quality. I think he’s coming towards the end of his career, but I know Snoddy really well. In a sense, he’s got that quality, but I know him as a lad as well.

“He will want to play. He won’t want to sit on the bench for West Ham.”

Snodgrass has played just two minutes in the Premier League this season as he has fallen heavily out-of-favour under David Moyes.

He would arrive in the Midlands with something that Allardyce’s squad lacks in abundance – top-flight experience.

For the likes of Norwich, Hull City and of course, the Hammers, Snodgrass has racked up 163 appearances in the Premier League, where he has contributed 26 goals and 25 assists, per Transfermarkt.

It remains to be seen what the exact figure the Baggies will have to pay, but it is thought that the midfielder is on around £40k-per-week in east London so a similar wage would put him among Albion’s highest earners.

AND in other news, West Brom could find their next Odemwingie in £9.9m-rated “complete package”…

Alfredo Morelos scored his first goal in the Scottish Premiership since September to ensure Glasgow Rangers retained their 16-point lead at the top of the table with a 2-0 win away at St. Mirren going into Saturday’s Old Firm game.

Steven Gerrard’s side got off to a sluggish start before Kemar Roofe received a stroke of luck as his deflected effort sailed past helpless Mirren goalkeeper Jak Alnwick.

And Morelos capitalised on a mistake from Joe Shaughnessy to score his third league goal of the season in the first half to cap off what was a comfortable win in the end.

However, it wasn’t all rosy for Rangers, as Jim Goodwin’s side came close to scoring on several occasions, with Jonathan Obika having the better of the chances.

But the Gers’ defence prevailed, due in part to a defensive shift from Connor Goldson, who looked every inch the seasoned veteran as he kept Obika in his back pocket for most of the game.

While Morelos may have ended his goal drought stretching back to the 3-3 draw with Benfica in the Europa League, it was the performance of Goldson at the back that shouldn’t go unnoticed.

The 28-year-old has been in imperious form since the start of the season, as he scored a double against Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season, and had an absolutely monstrous game defensively against the Saints. The same can’t be said for Filip Helander but more on him later.

As per SofaScore, he was given a high grade of 7.6 out of ten for his efforts – he won six out of his seven duels overall (85%), made two tackles, blocked two shots, made a staggering seven clearances – more than any other player on the pitch including Morelos – and wasn’t dribbled past at all.

Comfortable at the back and confident in possession, Goldson looked great with the ball at his feet, provided 19 out of 24 passes (79%), only lost possession five times and produced three accurate long balls from nine attempts.

GlasgowLive awarded him with a similar rating of 8/10 and claimed he ‘kept Jon Obika under wraps on a comfortable afternoon’ while Rangers News seemed to agree, insisting ‘St. Mirren looked to pressure the Rangers star and stop him spraying passes forward but Goldson never let it affect his game as he enjoyed a successful night.’

With a clash with Celtic on the horizon, the timing couldn’t be better for Gerrard, who will be well aware his side will have to be at their very best if they are to beat the Bhoys for the second time this season.

Morelos got himself on the scoresheet with the weekend’s Old Firm fixture no doubt playing on his mind but the centre-back deserves immense credit for his defensive shift to ensure the Gers kept a fourth consecutive clean sheet in a row.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must drop Glasgow Rangers winger Ryan Kent after rapid decline in form…

Manchester City are back in action in the Premier League on Monday night, as they face a tricky trip to Goodison Park to face Everton.

The Citizens picked up a comfortable 2-0 win against Newcastle United last time out but they could and should have scored more, whilst Everton picked up another three points against strugglers Sheffield United.

Considering City’s last game was just two days ago, it seems likely that Pep Guardiola will make use of the squad depth available to him, although, considering the gravity of this game against the Toffees, who currently sit second in the Premier League, you also expect that the Spanish manager will go full strength.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line his side up against Everton, with two changes from the starting team that beat Newcastle…

Unsurprisingly, Ederson keeps his place in goal, whilst City’s defence also remains the same after picking up another clean sheet in the win against the Toon on Boxing Day.

Rodri was substituted shortly before the hour-mark against Newcastle, perhaps to give him some rest ahead of the game against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, so he should keep his place alongside Ilkay Gundogan in midfield.

There’s one change on the wing, as Riyad Mahrez replaces Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese winger, who reportedly earns £150,000-a-week, is still yet to find the back of the net so far this season, and City will need to be more clinical than they have been in recent matches if they want to pick up three points at Goodison Park.

Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne keep their place, whilst Sergio Aguero replaces Ferran Torres up front, as despite the Spaniard’s goal against Newcastle, City may be better served by going with the legendary Argentinian for this important fixture, where three points could put City within touching distance of leaders Liverpool.

And, in other news… £80k-p/w gem with “incredible quality” has become Pep’s most important player at MCFC

David Moyes is facing a difficult decision over how he deals with Manuel Lanzini in the coming months, with West Ham United reportedly open to selling the midfielder this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Claret & Hugh, Lanzini may be sacrificed at the end of the season to help raise funds for Moyes to reshape his unit at the London Stadium.

It is expected that the Hammers will make the 28-year-old available for a permanent move if they receive offers worth £15m, having only started three of his 12 Premier League appearances this term.

Lanzini represents the latest player touted to be on the move in the next summer market, as Moyes seemingly looks to clear West Ham from the deadwood including selling attacking flops Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson at significant losses.

West Ham are thought to have fielded interest for Lanzini from clubs in Turkey and the Middle East, while Andre Villas-Boas had reportedly pushed Olympique de Marseille to sign the Argentine in January before leaving the Ligue 1 outfit over a difference of opinion.

Villas-Boas was allegedly keen to sign the five-cap international in the winter transfer market and had discussed including Lanzini in a swap deal for Morgan Sanson, though OM preferred to strike a loan deal with Celtic for Olivier Ntcham that includes a £5.5m option to buy.

The Irons will now look to move Lanzini on at the end of the season, with sales and the £20m made from Sebastien Haller’s winter exit expected to contribute to a £59m budget.

A difficult few months for Moyes

With West Ham now looking toward the summer market to offload Lanzini after failing to find a buyer last month, the Argentine’s continued presence at the London Stadium will leave Moyes in a difficult position knowing it is time for the club get rid of the midfielder.

The Hammers boss has proven throughout the 2020/21 campaign that he does not rate Lanzini above the likes of Pablo Fornals or Said Benrahma, January loan signing Jesse Lingard or even Mark Noble, with the Argentine rarely getting a sniff of the action despite Moyes suggesting Lanzini had been “unlucky” to be overlooked.

Though in a recent ‘U Irons’ podcast appearance on The Athletic, co-host Sam Delaney dubbed the attacker an “ineffective player” who fails to shift the ball round, to do anything decisive, doesn’t score and does not play that final killer ball.

Lingard has opened all three available Premier League matches to him since moving to east London on a temporary deal, while Benrahma has started nine of his 16 outings, Fornals 19 of 21 and Noble earning each of his three starts in Lanzini’s preferred position.

Moyes had brought Lanzini back into his plans over the festive period with a first league start of the season at Southampton on December 29, but the move seemingly came too late to attract a suitor for the 28-year-old during the winter transfer market.

The ex-Manchester United head coach will surely now have to give Lanzini a greater run in the side than he has of late if West Ham are to drum up enough interest to make £15m from the £70k-per-week maestro, who has featured just once in the Irons last five top-flight games.

But whether playing Lanzini will be for the good of the side right now remains to be seen, or if looking ahead to the summer market will actually hold back West Ham’s push for European qualification.

AND in other news, David Moyes has been sent an instant reminder by a £9m West Ham target…

Tottenham Hotspur secured their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League by drawing a six-goal thriller in Austria.

Jose Mourinho’s men twice took the lead and substitute Dele Alli’s 86th-minute penalty looked to be enough to seal it until Mamoudou Karamoko fired home in injury time to make it 3-3.

Both Gareth Bale and Heung-min Son got themselves on the scoresheet before being withdrawn with this weekend’s north London derby on the Special One’s mind.

Despite scoring three times, not all of Spurs’ attacking players were at the races against LASK Linz, particularly Lucas Moura, who was abysmal during his 65 minutes.

He was likely taken off because of his display rather than that being a sign of his potential selection on Sunday afternoon.

The £22.5m-rated Brazilian was lightweight in his battles, winning just two on the ground and two aerial, meaning he won only 36% of all duels attempted against the Bundesliga outfit, as per SofaScore.

He also was all over the place in terms of passing, making just nine of 14 touches (64%). An embarrassing number considering goalkeeper Joe Hart managed three more.

This was backed up by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who claimed the wide man “frequently gave the ball away in the first half.”

Moura, who earns around £80k-per-week in N17, failed to record a single shot or cross from the left flank and even lost possession eight times.

The 28-year-old has not started in any of Spurs’ last four Premier League fixtures, being restricted to a total of 30 minutes from substitute appearances, and now he’s going to find it even tougher to break into the XI having let his manager down immensely with his display tonight.

Even in leaking three goals, £42m liability Davinson Sanchez was better, earning a rating of 6.9 compared to Moura’s 6.4. The Colombian colossus also enjoyed a better pass success rate (75%), won 87.5% of his duels and recorded eight clearances, via SofaScore.

In fact, only two players scored a worse rating than the struggling Ajax hero. It would be a surprise to see him involved from the off in a few days time.

AND in other news, 16 y/o record-breaker could become Levy’s biggest success since Harry Kane…