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Ross Wilson has been busy in the last few weeks for Glasgow Rangers as he has made a host of signings to improve Gio van Bronckhorst’s squad at Ibrox.

The Gers chief has brought in Antonio Colak, Rabbi Matondo, Tom Lawrence, and is on the verge of signing centre-back Ben Davies, after agreeing a pre-contract deal for John Souttar in January.

Rangers have also raked in a considerable amount of money for two of their key players from the 2021/22 campaign, with Calvin Bassey set to join Ajax for £23m and Joe Aribo having already joined Southampton for £10m earlier this month.

Wilson moved swiftly to sign Matondo and Lawrence to strengthen the attacking options at the club in the wake of Aribo’s exit and he will now have to replace what Bassey offered to the team.

The Nigeria international was capable of playing at both left-back and centre-back, whilst maintaining a high level in his performances.

In the Premiership last season, he averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 6.97 as he made 29 appearances in the division – playing in both positions.

Calvin Bassey 2.0

Van Bronckhorst could now find the next Bassey at Rangers in a deal to sign Northampton left-back Ali Koiki. The Gers are reportedly keen on a swoop to sign the gem and are battling it out with Derby to land his signature ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

At the age of 22, the Nigerian/English full-back has plenty of years ahead of him in the game and would come in as a player with potential.

He played 44 times in League Two for the Cobblers last term and caught the eye with his play at both ends of the pitch. The gem created five ‘big chances’ for his teammates whilst also winning 59% of his individual duels and making 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game.

His manager, Jon Brady, has claimed that he has “potential” and that he has an “excellent attitude”, which suggests that he has the right mindset to continue developing as he is willing to apply himself in training – impressing his Northampton boss.

Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not he has the ability to make the step up to the Premiership, his form in League Two, his age, and Brady’s comments suggest that he would be a worthwhile gamble for the club to take.

If it all works out and he can produce assists in the final third whilst also winning the ball back on a regular basis at the other end then he could be seen as his fellow countryman’s replacement at left-back.

AND in other news, “I’ve heard”: Journo drops Rangers transfer claim that’ll have Van Bronckhorst worried…

A big claim has emerged on Leeds United and their thoughts on potential outgoings in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that he is expecting Jack Harrison to remain at the club beyond the end of August.

Newcastle United are reportedly ready to bid for the attacker but Romano has revealed that the Whites plan on retaining their current squad.

When asked about a potential transfer for the Englishman, he told GIVEMESPORT: “I think it’s not easy. I think Leeds are happy with the team they have right now and they have already sold Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha.

“I don’t see them selling one more player this summer, but never say never. It depends on the proposal but, as of now, Leeds want to keep the same team.”

Supporters will be delighted

Supporters of the Whites will be delighted by Romano’s update as keeping hold of Harrison would come as a major boost to Jesse Marsch heading into the 2022/23 campaign.

The club have, as Romano stated, lost Raphinha to Barcelona and he was the club’s top goalscorer in the Premier League last term. He racked up 11 goals from the wing as the team struggled to find the back of the net consistently enough – hitting the back of the net just 42 times over 38 league fixtures.

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His exit means that Harrison is the current Leeds player with the most league goals (eight) for the club last term and one of only two players – alongside Rodrigo – with more than four league goals in 2021/22. This suggests that Marsch will be keen to keep him as he is one of the few goal threats in the team.

The former Manchester City man is a proven performer in the top-flight who has the quality to be a difference-maker in the final third, as he has shown that he can score and assist goals at that level.

Since Leeds won promotion to the Premier League, Harrison has racked up 16 goals and nine assists from a wide position. These statistics suggest that he will, once again, be a big player for the club next season as he is a known quantity, whereas the new signings are untested and it remains to be seen whether they will be able to adapt to Premier League football.

Therefore, the fans will be buzzing to learn that Victor Orta does not want to cash in on any more first-team players after selling Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips.

AND in other news: Orta could land Marsch his very own Scamacca in Leeds swoop for 56 G/A “wonderkid”

After a dramatic end to the 2021/22 Premier League campaign where Manchester City were forced to fightback from a two goal deficit in their final day clash with Aston Villa to secure the Premier League title, everyone in the wider world of football is expecting another tough and close race between Pep Guardiola’s side and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

It has been an interesting summer transfer window so far with plenty of big domestic, and European names, signing on for English top flight football in the coming campaign and both Manchester City and Liverpool have been pretty active in the market so far with both managers looking to strengthen their options on the pitch. Both sides have also made marquee signings with Erling Haaland’s reported £51.2 million arrival at The Etihad Stadium, and Darwin Nunez’s reported £64 million arrival at Anfield.

With the build up well underway to this Friday evening’s big 2022/23 kick off when Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace side welcome Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to Selhurst Park, former Premier League stalwarts Glen Johnson and Richard Dunne recently sat down with Betway Insider to discuss the upcoming campaign and to rate both Manchester City and Liverpool’s credentials for the title race this year.

Guardiola and Klopp naturally come into the campaign as strong favourites for the domestic title once again, but the destination of the trophy will not just hinge on who settles quicker out of Haaland and Nunez, the overall business done by each over the summer will have a massive effect given the quality that each side already boasts.

As former Republic of Ireland and City centre half Dunne, and former Liverpool and England right back Johnson sat down to discuss topics like the title race, which side boasts the best manager and which side now has the best front three, they did not agree on everything but one thing that they did agree on, was that Guardiola had had the best transfer window so far.

Dunne commented:

“Haaland for 50 million is an unbelievable deal. Kalvin Phillips for 40 plus million is a great price. Julian Alvarez, centre forward they got from South America is, sort of Craig Bellamy – dead fast, works really hard – yeah so they’ve probably, with those players, replaced the likes of Jesus, Zinchenko and Sterling.”

With Johnson adding:

“City’s squad is fantastic anyway and you go and put arguably one of the best strikers in the world in that equation, whatever the deal took, I think it’s a fantastic signing.”

However, they did disagree on which team, and which front line, would hit the ground running first.

Dunne stuck with his former club, City:

“Foden is an unbelievable footballer, Jack Grealish is going to improve massively this year, then you add in Erling Haaland – I don’t think Nunez is going to have the same impact as Haaland, so yeah I’m going to go for City.”

Whereas, Johnson sided with his old side:

“So I’m doing it with Haaland out of the equation as he hasn’t done anything yet, but obviously Nunez is my gamble. I think Diaz is top class, Mo Salah is probably the best striker in the league. If Nunez can get it right with the other two, I think that three will be more dynamic than the others until Haaland performs.”

Fans do not have long to wait and we will find out which one of them is proved correct.

Photo by Unsplash

Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Conor Coady is now ‘closing in’ on a move to Premier League rivals Everton, according to reliable journalist Paul Joyce.

The Lowdown: Coady’s career

After joining the west Midlands club in 2015 for £2m, the England international has gone on to become a fantastic servant for the Old Gold.

During his seven-year tenure at the club, the 29-year-old has amassed an incredible 317 appearances for Wolves, with 152 of those coming in the English top flight.

The Liverpudlian led Wolves out for every single Premier League game last season, illustrating his reliability and consistency to perform at the highest level.

The Latest: Joyce’s news

Despite Coady having three years remaining on his current contract at Molineux, Joyce has revealed that the Wolves captain is now set to make the move to Goodison Park.

Taking to Twitter, the reliable journalist claimed: “Everton closing in on deal for Wolves’ captain Conor Coady. Could be loan initially with view to permanent.”

The Verdict: Massive loss

Coady’s statistics alone demonstrate his importance to Wolves’ defence – during the 2021/22 season, the centre-back averaged 3.7 clearances and 1.1 blocks per game (via WhoScored), placing him second and first respectively for those metrics among Bruno Lage’s squad.

In addition, when compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the 29-year-old ranked in the 88th percentile for non-penalty goals and the 85th percentile for pass completion (via FBRef).

Off the pitch, Lage could soon be missing a huge presence in the dressing room, a quality for which he has hailed his captain as ‘one of the best’.

Therefore, the news that the 29-year-old’s departure now looks quite likely will surely come as a big blow to the Molineux faithful.

Leeds United are back in Premier League action today with their first game of the 2022/23 season seeing the Whites take on Wolves at Elland Road.

After ending their pre-season run of fixtures with an exhilarating 6-2 win over Cagliari, the Yorkshire club will undoubtedly be looking to get their new league campaign underway in a similar vein.

Taking into account the number of new signings that Leeds have made during this summer’s transfer window, Jesse Marsch’s starting XI this afternoon could have a rather fresh look to it.

One summer recruit that we feel should be in the team from the beginning to take on Bruno Lage’s side is Brenden Aaronson.

Aaronson must start v Wolves

After scoring 13 goals and providing 15 assists in 66 appearances for Red Bull Salzburg, the American joined Leeds on a five-year deal worth a reported fee of £22.2m.

During the 6-2 win over Cagliari, the 21-year-old provided a trio of assists, one of which saw him play a perfect pinpoint pass from his own half to set up Patrick Bamford as the Englishman fired in Leeds’ third goal of the game.

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To further highlight his attacking talent, with 26 league appearances to his name for Salzburg last season, the 21-year-old – who is currently valued at €33m (£27.8m) according to Football Transfers – had 52 shots at goal in total, leaving only three other players at the Austrian club with more.

Hailed as a “ruthless” player by Jim Curtin, as well as having a “monster mentality” according to another of his former coaches in Matthias Jaissle, Aaronson certainly seems to have what it takes to frighten Wolves and pose problems for the visitors’ defence this afternoon.

Bearing in mind how the Old Gold conceded 36 fewer goals than Leeds last season in the league, having a player like the American could be exactly what the Whites need in order to unlock Wolves’ defence and give them the best possible chance of starting their new campaign with a win in front of their home fans.

With Leeds having the likes of Stuart Dallas and Adam Forshaw out injured, this could allow Marsch to unleash Aaronson and give him his first taste of Premier League action today.

Manchester United view Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier as the successor for David de Gea, report The Athletic. 

The lowdown: ‘Keeper conundrum

United faced somewhat of a goalkeeping merry-go-round this summer as Lee Grant moved onto pastures new, Dean Henderson left for Nottingham Forest on loan and Tom Heaton arrived as a third-choice experienced stopper.

As a result, Erik ten Hag was understood to be on the lookout for an additional option between the sticks and the Red Devils were heavily linked with Watford ace Daniel Bachmann.

That move failed to materialise and Ten Hag was forced to name Heaton as the backup for the opening day and take young starlets Matej Kovar and Nathan Bishop on the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.

The latest: Meslier on the radar

As per Dan Sheldon and Laurie Whitwell for The Athletic, Meslier is ‘potentially seen as a long-term replacement’ for De Gea at Old Trafford.

However, it’s claimed that Leeds have ‘no intention to sell’ the 22-year-old nine-cap France Under 21 ace this summer.

The report also states that in lieu of making a move for the ‘keeper once described as ‘fearsome’ by talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino, United could consider a short-term solution in the shape of Southampton’s Alex McCarthy or Newcastle United’s Karl Darlow and Martin Dubravka.

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The verdict: One for the future

There can be no doubting De Gea’s supreme commitment since arriving in Manchester. Despite rare lapses in form, the 31-year-old Spaniard has been a brilliant servant to the club across 487 appearances and was once again named as the Players’ Player of the Year last term.

Additionally, given the longevity goalkeepers can enjoy, the ex-Atletico Madrid man still has time on his side when it comes to occupying the number one position, albeit the club will need to extend a contract that has entered the final 12 months (Transfermarkt).

If indeed De Gea does decide to move on after the expiry of his current deal, signing Meslier from bitter rivals Leeds would be a sensational coup for the United hierarchy.

Last season, the French gloveman made on average 3.8 saves per game and showed off his prowess with the ball at his feet, completing 85 per cent of all passes inside his own half (Sofascore) – something De Gea is often criticised for.

As Ten Hag attempts to implement his own style on the team, adding a goalkeeper of Meslier’s ball-playing abilities – Patrick Bamford said he’s ‘unbelievable’ – would be the next natural step in the process should a deal be possible further down the line.

Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in signing Bristol City striker Antoine Semenyo this summer and it could be a repeat of the masterclass that saw Eberechi Eze join the Eagles.

It was reported earlier this week that Palace, Everton and Bournemouth are both keen on signing the Ghanaian after his impressive performances for Bristol City last season.

The Cherries have already had a £10m bid rejected, with the Guardian suggesting that it will cost any interested side £15m if they want to secure his services this summer.

Last season was the best of Semenyo’s career, as he established himself as a regular in the Championship, contributing eight goals and 12 assists for Nigel Pearson’s side, averaging a solid 6.97 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The experienced manager was full of praise for Semenyo last season, saying:

“He has learned a lot in the last 12 months, I think he’s come quite a long way. He must be very difficult to play against. He’s got pace and power and he uses it well.”

Palace are arguably in need of another attacking option after Christian Benteke joined D.C United earlier this month and Semenyo could be the ideal man, as his versatility would allow him to play anywhere across the front three for Palace.

The 22-year-old has featured on the left wing in the past, where his pace, power and dribbling ability are reminiscent of Eze, who has been a huge hit for the Eagles since joining from QPR in 2020.

Indeed, Eze managed 1.9 successful dribbles per game during his last full campaign without injury in 2020/21 and has completed a whopping four per match this term. Semenyo, on the other hand, managed 1.2 last season.

After an injury-hit 2021/22 campaign, the 24-year-old Palace forward looks set for a big season in Vieira’s side, starting the opening two games of the season against Arsenal and Liverpool.

At Anfield, Eze showed his class to drift past Fabinho before playing in Wilfried Zaha for the opening goal with an inch-perfect through ball.

Like the Bristol City talent, Eze had just enjoyed a breakthrough season in the Championship before moving to Selhurst Park, hitting 14 goals and eight assists in the 2019/20 campaign, and he quickly adapted to the demands of the Premier League.

Therefore, Palace signing a young attacker from the second-tier after an impressive campaign could prove to be another transfer masterclass by the club.

Everton have reportedly made contact with the representatives of Trevoh Chalobah over a potential summer move.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

After the arrivals of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli and Marc Cucurella from Brighton and Hove Albion respectively, it seems as if Chalobah has fallen out of favour at Chelsea.

The central defender has been an unused substitute in all three of their games in the Premier League so far this season, and so his future at Stamford Bridge now seems uncertain.

The Latest: Everton contact

Co-writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has revealed that the Goodison Park outfit, as well as fellow Premier League rivals Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Southampton, have all contacted Chalobah’s representatives ahead of a possible move.

He is also attracting interest from both Inter Milan and AS Roma in Serie A, who want to take him on loan, as he is unlikely to leave Chelsea on a permanent deal.

The Verdict: Not a priority

After already bringing in James Tarkowski and Conor Coady from Burnley and Wolves respectively, signing another centre-back should not be a priority for the Merseyside club.

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Hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by legendary Premier League defender Rio Ferdinand after an impressive performance in the UEFA Super Cup last season, there is no doubt that Chalobah has quality, having made 30 senior appearances in total for the Blues.

However, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin out injured, the Toffees should really be looking for a striker instead to fill the void that he has left before conducting any other business.

Newcastle United have less than a week left in the summer transfer window to complete any remaining deals that they want to do.

The deadline is on Thursday and the Magpies are reportedly looking to add a couple more players to their squad before the window slams shut.

Dan Ashworth has brought in Alexander Isak, Matt Targett, Sven Botman, and Nick Pope to the squad so far and this means that the only area of the squad they are yet to improve is the midfield.

Earlier this summer, the club sanctioned the exit of holding midfielder Isaac Hayden on loan to Norwich, with the Championship side having an obligation to sign him permanently if certain clauses are met.

He played 14 times for the Toon in the Premier League last term, starting 12 of those games, before suffering a knee injury that ended his campaign. The enforcer made 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game whilst completing 79% of his passes in that time as he provided a screen in front of the back four.

In the 2020/21 season, Hayden played 24 games and averaged 4.0 tackles and interceptions per outing – topping the squad in both defensive statistics. This shows that, at his best, he was a destroyer in the middle of the park for the Magpies.

Newcastle could now find a dream replacement for him by snapping up a deal to sign 21-year-old Kouadio Kone from Borussia Monchengladbach.

The club are reportedly interested in signing the midfielder this summer but will have to work hard to convince the German side to part ways with him as they are currently keen to keep hold of their midfield star.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig recently described him as a “one-man army” and previously dubbed him a “monstrous box-to-box midfielder in the making.”

This high praise is backed up by his eye-catching statistics in Germany. He won the seventh-most duels in the entire Bundesliga in the 2021/22 campaign and made 3.6 tackles and interceptions per game as a holding midfielder for Gladbach.

Kone has had a strong start to the current campaign with 3.6 tackles and interceptions per match and an average SofaScore rating of 6.95, whilst completing 89% of his passes. Only four Newcastle players averaged a higher score than that in the Premier League in 2021/22, and all four of them were January additions.

Meanwhile, no Toon midfielder managed more tackles and interceptions per outing than the Frenchman, with Joelinton’s 3.1 being the next best.

This suggests that he could be an upgrade on Eddie Howe’s current midfield options when it comes to winning the ball back and disrupting opposition attacks at a similar rate as Hayden used to do.

At the age of 21, Kone is also a prospect who could come in with a view to him progressing over time and increasing his importance, and value.

Therefore, he could be a dream replacement for Hayden as he has several years left ahead of him to develop and could be the long-term defensive midfielder for the Toon.

His passing accuracy sitting at 10% better than the Englishman’s also suggests that he would be a big upgrade in possession as he is more reliable on the ball and can help to build up attacks through the thirds.

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s pursuit of Lucas Paqueta in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, West Ham are closing in on the signing of the Brazilian midfielder after talks with Lyon this week.

The report claims that the Hammers are set to pay a fee in the region of €60m (£51m) for the playmaker, who could now join the Premier League club in the coming days.

This comes after The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards claimed that the Tyneside club had held conversations over a deal for the 24-year-old but did not make a bid.

Imagine him & Alexander Isak

The Magpies must now hijack West Ham’s deal for the Brazil international, as he could be a fantastic signing for Eddie Howe.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig previously described him as a “pure joy to watch” and said that he has a “left foot that could tie a tie”, which suggests that the 24-year-old could be an exciting player for the Toon Army to look forward to seeing in action.

Paqueta is an attack-minded midfielder and he could form an exciting pairing with Alexander Isak, who is on the verge of a club-record deal to join Newcastle from La Liga outfit Real Sociedad.

The Swedish striker is set to arrive at St James’ Park to bolster Eddie Howe’s options at the top of the pitch and Newcastle could get the best out of him by signing a creative midfielder to provide the predator with service.

In the Premier League last season, Allan Saint-Maximin created a team-high seven ‘big chances’ for the Magpies, whilst Bruno Guimaraes was the only central midfielder in the squad (three) with more than one ‘big chance’ created.

Jonjo Shelvey (one ‘big chance’ created), Joe Willock (zero), Joelinton (zero) and Sean Longstaff (zero) all failed to offer significant quality in terms of creating opportunities for their team-mates to score.

Meanwhile, Paqueta created a whopping nine ‘big chances’ in Ligue 1 for Lyon and 10 in the campaign prior, which shows that he is capable of making a huge impact in the final third with his passing. He can create high-quality chances and that is why Isak could thrive alongside him.

Since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, the Real Sociedad dynamo has scored 24 goals in La Liga and, at 22, has time on his hands to develop even further and improve his scoring rate. He will need service to replicate those numbers in England, and signing the Brazilian could provide him with that.

The Lyon playmaker has also scored 18 goals in the last two seasons in the French top-flight, which suggests that he would offer a goal threat to go along with his creativity, another reason why Newcastle must hijack West Ham’s move for him.