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Sunderland took the ultimate smash-and-grab from their match against Gillingham this afternoon, winning 1-0 and taking all three points as they now go unbeaten in their last five games, climbing back into the play-off positions in League One, one point ahead of Oxford United.

Despite having 80% possession, 25 shots, eight corners and three big chances, the Black Cats could not convert any of their opportunities against their stubborn opponents at the sunny Stadium of Light this afternoon within the regulation 90 minutes.

It was only when 69th-minute substitute Nathan Broadhead nodded the ball past the Gills goalkeeper from a cross delivered into the box by Elliot Embleton in the fifth minute of added time that Sunderland finally broke their stalemate, stealing all three points and an important win in their pursuit for promotion this year.

One player who had one of his worst performances in a Sunderland shirt this season was the current League One top scorer Ross Stewart, who dropped an absolute stinker in front of the home fans and almost cost Alex Neil’s side an important win with his complete lack of attacking output against the Gills.

According to SofaScore, Stewart was rated the worst player on the pitch (6.0) and with good reason, considering that his team had 25 shots and he didn’t have a single one on or off target throughout the day. He also lost 89% of his ground and aerial duels combined, failed with 100% of his dribbles and only had 25 touches of the ball.

The 25-year-old – who was hailed a “handful” by former Ross County boss Stuart Kettlewell – has scored 22 goals and contributed four assists in 39 appearances for his team in League One this season, so it was clearly just one of those off-days for the forward, who has scored more than anybody else in the league and recently earned his first call-up to the senior Scotland side for their international friendlies.

Sunderland are now in a great position to secure a second chance at promotion into the Championship after moving up to sixth this afternoon, just two points behind Sheffield Wednesday, and Alex Neil will be hoping that his side can continue their unbeaten run over their last six games of the season. Stewart will quickly need to put this uncharacteristic off-day behind him, though.

In other news: Sunderland will have nightmares over “surprise” 18-year-old, he’s the new Harry Kane

With Southampton losing their two previous league games and conceding six goals in the process since the last international break, it seems as though the Saints could be forced into doing some business in the January transfer market to see if they can strengthen their squad.

Taking into account how Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have games coming up against Leicester City, Arsenal, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur coming up in December, if the Saints continue to struggle to pick up points, January could be their chance to bring in a player that could turn their fortunes around.

With this in mind, it seems as though the south coast club already have their eye on someone that has the potential to make a big difference at St. Mary’s.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Sun, Southampton are interested in signing Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz.

However, the report also claims that it may not be quite so simple for the Saints to sign the Championship star with Spanish club Sevilla apparently leading the race to sign Brereton Diaz, who Blackburn would reportedly want a fee of £20m for.

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Armstrong 2.0

Brereton Diaz originally joined Blackburn on a loan deal from fellow Championship club Nottingham Forest in the 2018 summer transfer window before signing on a permanent deal in January 2019.

Overall, the 22-year-old, who is currently valued at £9m according to Transfermarkt, has made 109 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 25 goals and providing ten assists along the way.

Labelled as an “elite” player by Forest’s director of football development Gary Brazil, Brereton Diaz has shown this season why the likes of Sevilla and Southampton are after him, by scoring 16 goals in 20 Championship appearances.

With only Norwich City (7) having managed to concede fewer goals than Southampton (11) so far this term it seems that the club could do with someone with Brereton Diaz’s goalscoring prowess in their side to make sure they don’t fall into a relegation battle during the second half of the season.

January would be a great opportunity for Gao Jisheng to replicate the same sort of transfer deal Southampton managed to complete in the summer when they signed Adam Armstrong from the same side, Blackburn, to give Hasenhuttl some extra firepower in his squad.

The former Rovers striker signed for the south coast side after his own goalscoring exploits in Lancashire, bagging 29 last campaign.

In other news: Ralph can unearth Southampton’s new van Dijk in £9m-rated tank, he’s a “big talent” – opinion

Celtic have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premiership clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Football Scotland, Ange Postecoglou revealed that Anthony Ralston looks set to spend a significant amount of time on the sidelines after picking up an ankle injury in the 1-0 win over Hearts on Thursday.

Speaking about the condition of the right-back, the 56-year-old said: “We will get a round-up from the medical people. Tony felt something in his ankle which is disappointing because he’s been outstanding for us.”

In further comments cited by 67hailhail, Postecoglou continued: “Tony’s probably the one that’s most concerning certainly because for him to come off I’d assume it’s something significant.”

Postecoglou will be gutted

Considering just how crucial a player Ralston has been for Celtic so far this season, the news that he could be ruled out for a substantial amount of time, including Sunday’s fixture against Dundee United, is sure to have left Postecoglou gutted.

Indeed, over his 13 Premiership appearances, the £270k-rated defender has been in exceptional form, helping his side to keep five clean sheets, scoring three goals, registering five assists and creating a whopping nine big chances, as well as averaging 1.8 key passes and 2.1 tackles and winning 7.1 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 23-year-old average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.72, not only ranking him as Celtic’s second-best performer in the league from those who remain in the Hoops’ first-team squad, but also as the third-best player in the entire Premiership.

As such, the absence of the Scotland international will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Postecoglou and his side, who will be looking to continue their impressive run of recent league form with yet another victory against Dundee United on Sunday.

In other news – 117 touches: Celtic “colossus” who made 95 passes proved Ange right vs Hearts

Aston Villa could strike gold with Liverpool star Joe Gomez amid Luke Hatfield’s recent transfer claim.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports, Steven Gerrard has got his sights set on the England international, and The Express and Star’s Hatfield has suggested that it’s a move that would certainly get the approval of the Villa Park support.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Joe Gomez would throw the cat amongst the pigeons because he would back himself and Villa fans would be really excited by that signing.”

Would be a statement signing for Villa

The 24-year-old’s extensive experience of playing in the Premier League for a side like Liverpool, and competing in the Champions League year-in and year-out makes him the kind of marquee signing who would make a big statement at Villa Park.

While his big injury has kept him out of the Liverpool team, and epitomising the definition of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, Gomez remains a valued member of the squad and someone who Jurgen Klopp highly rates.

He said: “Since he is playing as a centre-half again – his natural position – together with (Virgil van Dijk) there is exceptional. He is a sensational footballer, which is good.

“He has outstanding speed, which helps us a lot to keep our last line high; he is a really good challenger; good in one-on-one situations; football-wise, I said already, good. The package is really nice.”

The £27m-rated star would fancy his chances of staking a claim for a first-team spot at Villa Park and would add to the impressive English centre-back contingent the club already have in the likes of Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings.

As Klopp says, Gomez’s speed marks him out as a more unique centre-back, and that could fit in perfectly if Gerrard wants to have Villa pressing from the front and playing with a high line.

If Villa could lure Gomez away from Anfield, it would be a major signing.

Meanwhile, Gerrard has confirmed a major Villa blow…

Carlo Ancelotti has a number of injury concerns as Everton strive to get back to winning ways against Manchester City in the FA Cup this Saturday after succumbing to successive Premier League defeats.

The Goodison Park natives were beaten by Chelsea and Burnley in the last two weeks in a double blow to their hopes of claiming a top four finish, but they could book a date at Wembley with a win over Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues in the quarter-final tie.

Ancelotti has confirmed that the Toffees will be without regular first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and his understudy Robin Olsen after both were sidelined with abdominal muscle injuries, leaving academy prospect Joao Virginia as his sole option between the sticks.

The 21-year-old talent is unlikely to be the only change from the XI which lost to the Clarets, though. With that in mind, here’s a potential line-up which Ancelotti may field against Man City tonight…

Virginia entered the action as a late first half substitute to replace Pickford against Burnley to earn his Premier League debut, and will now come in for only his third senior Everton appearance against the runaway top-flight leaders Manchester City.

Ancelotti could look to better protect the Portugal under-21 international with a return to a five-man defence and a recall for Yerry Mina after the Colombian returned to the bench last Saturday following three weeks out due to a calf injury sustained against the Sky Blues last month.

Seamus Coleman may also be recalled after he took a seat on the bench against the Clarets, having missed the Toffees’ previous three fixtures with a minor knock.

Coleman starting would be expected to see Mason Holgate removed from the line-up after replacing the 24-year-old against Burnley, as he failed to provide his team with any real width and earned a four out of 10 match rating from the Liverpool Echo due to wayward crosses – the lowest score given.

Andre Gomes may also be removed to accommodate the return to a five-man defence and a start for £18m-rated Mina beside Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane, as the Portuguese often struggled to match the pace of the game against Burnley when he was on the ball.

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Alex Iwobi had been given the opportunity to feature in his preferred central midfield role against Burnley after he seemingly hit out on social media at being played out of position earlier this month.

However, his involvement from the centre only lasted half an hour before Ancelotti returned the Nigeria international to the wing, and will be expected to feature from the bench against Manchester City.

Gylfi Sigurdsson is likely to be favoured in the creative role against the Sky Blues after returning to training following an ankle injury, while James Rodriguez remains absent due to a calf issue.

Ancelotti will also be without Abdoulaye Doucoure (foot) and Fabian Delph (tendon) on Saturday, but is hopeful of having more options available to him following the international break.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £17m ace dubbed the next Erling Haaland…

Alfredo Morelos fittingly scored his 55th Rangers league goal in the 1-1 Old Firm derby draw at the weekend and in order to keep him at Ibrox this summer, Steven Gerrard and Ross Wilson should offer him a new deal.

The Colombian international has impressed for the Ibrox outfit since joining from HJK Helsinki in 2017, having made 176 appearances for the Gers, in which he has contributed a superb 93 goals and 46 assists.

The 24-year-old has played a huge part in Rangers’ title success this season, with 11 goals and three assists to his name in the Premiership so far this season.

Across his 25 appearances in the Scottish top-flight, he has averaged an excellent 7.20 rating, which is enough to see him rated as the sixth-best player across the league campaign thus far.

He was also one of Rangers’ star performers in their impressive Europa League run, as he managed three goals and five assists in just 10 appearances, averaging a 7.17 rating.

These goals were enough to see him overtake Ally McCoist as Rangers’ top scorer in European competitions with his goal against Benfica his 22nd in Europe for the Gers, although he has now extended that tally to 23 with his goal against Royal Antwerp in the 5-2 win earlier in the season.

If Rangers want him to continue scoring goals in Europe in the Champions League next season, then they should be looking to tie him down to a new deal in order to fend off some of the interest that will undoubtedly be shown in him during the summer after another successful season at Ibrox.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Morelos’ current deal is set to expire in 2023 and with him valued at £10.8 million by Transfermarkt, interested clubs may well see the potential fee they’d have to pay as a bargain when considering his excellent goalscoring record both domestically and in Europe.

Gerrard was full of praise for Morelos back in 2019, saying:

“He deserves to be praised. I’ll never get bored of talking about him. He’s a fantastic player.”

Although the Colombian is already reportedly the highest earner at Rangers, the club should be boosted by Champions League revenue next season and will want to keep hold of their best players as they look to retain the title and challenge in Europe again next season.

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Therefore, although it could be an expensive deal for Rangers to complete, Gerrard will undoubtedly want to keep him around his squad ahead of next season, so Wilson should consider offering him a new deal.

And, in other news… Forget Boupendza: Wilson can save millions with Rangers swoop for 28 y/o international

Liverpool have been dealt a huge blow ahead of the Merseyside derby with Everton after Roberto Firmino missed training and is a huge doubt for the clash.

He was the only absentee at training yesterday according to This is Anfield, with the Reds fielding a strong squad at their Kirkby complex. The Brazilian also missed his side’s comfortable victory over rivals Manchester United in the week, following a foot injury he sustained in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend.

Manager Jurgen Klopp said the situation was still uncertain heading into the game and that “he’s getting better” but “it’s uncomfortable and painful” for him.

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The 30-year old has had a smaller but still as crucial role in Liverpool’s success this campaign appearing 31 times and being directly involved in 15 goals. His availability against Everton would have provided Klopp with the perfect chance to rotate and rest players ahead of the important Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

Liverpool and Everton are further apart in terms of their form this season than they have been in a very long time. The Reds are battling for the Premier League title whilst their neighbours are fighting to avoid relegation.

Frank Lampard’s side desperately need the points so might prove tougher than what their league placing suggests, the local rivalry here is also huge so that surely adds extra motivation.

Firmino hasn’t scored in any of the 11 games he has played against the Toffees but does have two assists to his name. He was, however, involved in the league game last year where Everton defeated Liverpool for the first time in over a decade.

If he misses out today then we potentially could see him play in the game against Villarreal. If Liverpool are to be successful on all fronts this season then they’ll have to use the squad.

As for his future, it remains to be seen whether or not he is content with being more of a squad player. His contract expires next summer so Liverpool could cash in this year to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

Former England international Kevin Phillips said in an interview last month that he believes Firmino “is likely to move on” and that “he will want a new challenge”.

Even if that ends up happening, there’s no doubting his overall ability with him producing many great performances in a Liverpool shirt.

IN other news: Sources: Liverpool agree terms to sign “special” £36m-rated ace, Klopp surely buzzing – opinion…

Said Benrahma let David Moyes down terribly after turning in an indifferent display as West Ham United beat Burnley 1-0 through a Michail Antonio goal.

Moyes opted to hand Benrahma only his fourth Premier League start following the forward’s summer arrival on loan from Brentford, partnering the Algerian with Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals in behind Antonio at the London Stadium.

Benrahma began promisingly when his pass split the Burnley defence to find Bowen on the edge of the box, who kept play alive well with a ball out to Fornals for the Spaniard to deliver a teasing delivery that found Antonio to score an easy tap in after nine minutes.

Benrahma continued to look lively in the opening stages with his confidence clearly up, yet saw his input reduce the more the game wore on and departed the field in the 68th-minute having failed to score his first goal in claret and blue.

The 25-year-old saw his afternoon end after offering just a single shot which, while on target, failed to cause Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope any issues with the four-time England international able to able to deal with the danger posed without leaving his spot.

Despite carving the Clarets defence open in the lead up to Antonio’s match-winning effort, Benrahma also left the field without a key pass beside his name on a day Declan Rice would bag four from the holding midfield role, Bowen would provide two and defenders Craig Dawson and Vladimir Coufal each offered one, per WhoScored.

Moyes will have been further frustrated to see Benrahma only manage to register a mere two touches inside the Burnley box, plus five on the periphery, as the attacker (16) ended his match having been outpassed by Irons shot-stopper Lukasz Fabianski (17) on his return from a thigh injury.

Benrahma will need to improve his end product and time spent in the visitor’s box for his move to east London to be a success, with the £20m-rated attacker further misplacing five of his six attempted crosses, per SofaScore.

Tame efforts from the wide positions have been a custom of Benrahma’s time at the London Stadium so far, with today’s successful cross his first in claret and blue after eight prior misdirected attempts in nine Premier League appearances.

His major redeeming quality from the Burnley affair came on the ground with success in four dribbles for a joint game-high record with Bowen, and having attempted fewer (5) than the former Hull City star (7).

It was by far and away Benrahma’s best day in terms of dribbling, having averaged just 1.5 successful runs from 2.2 attempts a game in the top-flight this term, but ultimately proved to be another day without any direct output and true time spent in the area that will have left Moyes feeling let down again.

AND in other news, West Ham may be targeting a new Modibo Maiga in their search of Sebastien Haller’s replacement.

Former Wolves striker Steve Bull has exclusively told Football FanCast that Pedro Neto’s best position is out wide.

The 21-year-old star, who’ll end up missing Wolves’ final seven Premier League games, is also expected to be ruled out of the rearrange European Championships following a knee problem sustained at Fulham last month.

But when fit, the flying winger has played in several different positions since making the switch from Lazio in the summer of 2019.

Neto has started on either the left or right flank on more than half of his Wolves outings in the previous two years, but has been forced into a more central role this term following Raul Jimenez’s serious blow to the head at Arsenal.

Five of Neto’s eight Premier League goals have been scored when playing on the sides, and Bull believes that coming in from either flank is where the Portuguese does most of his damage despite Jamie Carragher comparing him to former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler back in December.

He told Football FanCast:

“He’s definitely a winger, he’s like a flying pig, tricky winger.

“He gets down the wing, and he can do it with both feet. These players coming to the club now are knocking balls with both feet – and Neto is one of those players, he glides.

“There’s him, Podence and Traore, they glide. I hope Neto stays, and once we get Jimenez back, Podence or Traore on the other side, we will give it a good go next year.”

Illan Meslier only signed for Leeds United permanently last summer but David Norris, who made 36 appearances for Leeds, has exclusively spoken to Football FanCast about how the 21-year old has surprised everyone with his performances.

Meslier was dropped for Leeds 2-0 win against Southampton as Marcelo Bielsa axed the young shot-stopper for just the first time in the Premier League, with Kiko Casilla keeping his first league clean sheet of the season.

The French goalkeeper made his debut for his former club Lorient in 2018 when he was still just 18-years-old, and his performances for the French side convinced Bielsa to sign him on loan last season.

During Leeds’ title-winning season Meslier kept four clean sheets in 10 appearances and his performances have continued to impress people, something that has surprised Norris, who spoke exclusively to FFC:

“He’s surprised me and made that number one spot his own. You never know what you’re going to get from foreign keepers, especially young ones, but he looks like he’s just come in and settled really well.

“It gives so much confidence to the players in front of him who will know they’ve got a keeper who can produce what he has this season, and it looks like he’s got that spot nailed down.”

The 21-year old has impressed this season managing to keep 11 clean sheets in a Bielsa side that always wants to think about attacking over trying to defend.

Before he signed for Leeds on loan in 2019, Meslier had been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge as Chelsea were impressed by his performances at such a young age.