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Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left fuming over an incident involving Joe Aribo in their 2-0 win in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

The Nigeria international went down inside the box early on in the second half of their match against Brondby, but no penalty was given after a check from VAR.

It would have capped off what was a very good overall performance from Aribo, who impressed many members of the Ibrox faithful particularly for his display in the first half.

Luckily for Steven Gerrard’s team, they were already 2-0 up at that stage thanks to goals in the first half from Leon Balogun and Kemar Roofe, but if goal difference becomes a factor in terms of qualifying for the knockout phase, then Light Blues supporters will surely go back to this incident.

Rangers fans on Aribo penalty claim

These Teddy Bears fumed on Twitter after the penalty was not given, with one Ger even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘shocking’ decision:

“Baffling outcome. Is it because we kept possession for ages afterwards n there was no stoppage so they just didn’t bother and assumed everybody would forget about it?”

Credit: @NYCRFC

“That’s embarrassing from VAR. Stonewall penalty”

Credit: @Alanmstar1

“Shocking decision!”

Credit: @PurpleStandard

“That’s a terrible decision”

Credit: @dylboy72

“VAR shambles”

Credit: @Rainbowquest2

“Jeez”

Credit: @Beesh24240265

In other news, find out whose performance was slammed here!

A major Rangers transfer development has emerged on young midfielder Alex Lowry…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, sources have revealed that the Gers teen’s agent has held talks with another club ahead of a potential summer move away from Glasgow.

The report claims that Newcastle United are leading the race for his signature as Rangers also attempt to tie him down to a new £5k-per-week contract. Lowry is yet to make a decision on his future as multiple teams line up to have him in their squad for next season.

Gio van Bronckhorst will be scrambling

This update will surely leave the Rangers head coach scrambling to ensure that the gem remains at Ibrox for many more years to come.

The Dutchman has reportedly arranged a meeting with Lowry to discuss his future and this development will increase the importance of those discussions going well. He will need to convince the 18-year-old that staying with the Scottish giants is the best decision he can make instead of leaving to move south of the border.

Keeping him will be key for the Gers as he has the potential to be a big player for the club. His former coach, Graeme Murty, recently heaped praise on him, saying: “Alex is unlike anyone else at Rangers I would suggest in terms of his technical ability, the range of passing that he sees and executes, his individual ability to go past people and he has a remarkable degree of self-confidence.

“He believes in himself to the upmost and he wants the ball, he’s hungry for it and wants to make things happen.

“It’s not a surprise when he comes on to make his debut, looks a home in a first-team match of that pace and of that tempo because he has the technique to play and you are not surprised that he scores.”Lowry has played four senior matches for the club this term and chipped in with one goal and one assist in that time, showing that van Bronckhorst trusts him to perform in the first team. At the age of 18, he is at the start of his career and has plenty of time to improve and develop and this means that it will be a huge blow to lose him this summer before they can benefit from his talents on a regular basis.Van Bronckhorst will now be scrambling to pin him down to a contract extension…

AND in other news, Gvb can axe one of Wilson’s Rangers “let downs” with “unbelievable” 27 G/A phenomenon – opinion

Leeds United ambassador Noel Whelan believes that the potential return from injury of Dan James and Patrick Bamford can be ‘massive’ for the Whites.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ injury nightmare

Marcelo Bielsa’s men were beaten 4-1 at home to Arsenal on Saturday evening as their Premier League struggles this season continue.

While Leeds deserve some criticism for their performances, they are currently battling a huge injury crisis, with key figures such as Kalvin Phillips sidelined.

However, there is hope that James and Bamford could be available for the trip to Liverpool on Boxing Day, which would come as a big boost for Bielsa and co.

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The Latest: Whelan positive about return of duo

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan admitted that it would be huge to have the attacking duo fit for another tough league assignment away to a title-challenging Liverpool side at Anfield. He said:

“Getting any of these more experienced players back is going to be a massive plus for the Leeds United fans and the players.

“You need your best players against the best teams in the league. Liverpool and Man City are the two best sides in the league.

“Their best assets are clinical passing and lethal finishing – so having your best players there to combat that is crucial. We saw what happened against Man City when we allowed them to play their game.

“We can’t sit back for 90 minutes. Leeds must take the game to Liverpool. That’s how to get the best out of the likes of Raphinha, Bamford and James.”

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The Verdict: Would be huge for Whites

Leeds desperately need their injury problems to ease before they get embroiled in a genuine relegation fight, and the potential return of James and Bamford for Boxing Day could make a huge difference.

The Whites have looked lacking in attacking quality in recent weeks, scoring just 18 goals in as many league games this season, but the potentially returning duo could inject some much-needed quality in the final third.

Granted, James has only scored one goal and set up one for Leeds this season, but his pace is a constant threat, while Bamford’s record of 17 league goals last season speaks for itself. Whelan is right; their presence could be crucial at Anfield if they are fit enough to feature.

In other news, Leeds have been given a potential January transfer boost. Read more here.

The ‘brighter future’ Everton anticipated when they sacked Roberto Martinez has only gotten worse since his departure, leading to rumours of a return to the Toffees dugout for the Spaniard. 

The lowdown

Martinez took charge in June 2013 and led Everton to fifth place in his first season at the helm. Their tally of 72 points remains the highest they have achieved since they last won the league title in 1986/97.

But things went downhill after, with consecutive bottom half finishes resulting in Martinez’s dismissal at the end of the 2015/16 season.

Now, following the sacking of Rafael Benitez’s sacking last weekend, a return to Goodison Park has been mooted.

Everton have approached the Belgian FA over the 48-year-old, and while The Red Devils have effectively said no, he does have the option to resign (via The Athletic).

The latest

Dean Jones, a transfer insider with Eurosport, feels that Everton’s problems have only intensified in the post-Martinez era.

“Maybe at the time of parting with Martinez as it seemed like a way to a brighter future,” he told The Transfer Tavern this week.

“But in hindsight things have got even worse and more chaotic since he’s been gone.”

The verdict

Is Jones’ assessment fair? Well, Everton are currently in the process of lining up their sixth permanent appointment since his sacking, which was only six years ago, so it’s hard to dispute the use of the word ‘chaotic’.

What about their league placings?

Between 2016/17 and 2018/19, The Toffees enjoyed three straight top-eight finishes, so things did get better in the short-term.

But they dropped to 12th and 10th under Carlo Ancelotti, and now they’re only six points above the relegation zone in 16th.

This may be as bad as it’s even been in the post-David Moyes years,

In other news, this announcement left fans in disbelief.

An update has emerged on Rangers and their efforts to make further additions to their squad at Ibrox in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to TEAMtalk, the Gers are among a number of clubs who are keen on a deal to sign Manchester City midfielder James McAtee before the end of the month, with Southampton, Leicester, Brighton and Aston Villa among the other teams eyeing him up.

The report claims that Giovanni van Bronckhorst is hoping that his friendship with Pep Guardiola will give the Scottish giants a leg-up in negotiations.

Kent 2.0

The Gers could land the new Ryan Kent in a deal to sign McAtee on loan from the English champions this month, as he is an exciting, talented young forward who could have a big impact at Ibrox.

He has 19 goals and five assists in all competitions for Man City this season, playing for the under-23’s and the first team. The youngster has featured for Guardiola’s side in the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup and the Premier League, although he is yet to make his Champions League bow.

McAtee’s 24 goal involvements in 23 games means that he has directly contributed to a goal every 0.95 matches on average.

City academy coach Brian Barry-Murphy once dubbed the forward a “very intelligent player” and his emergence at first-team level suggests that Guardiola has also seen that in him. His sensational record in terms of goals and assists also proves that he knows how to make an impact in the final third, much like Kent does for the Gers.

The ex-Liverpool winger has 29 goals and 35 assists in 149 games for the Scottish giants. This shows how impressive he has been over the years under Steven Gerrard and now Van Bronckhorst, with McAtee potentially able to follow in his footsteps at Ibrox.

If Rangers are able to get a deal over the line for the Cityzens maestro, he could be a fantastic addition to the squad. His goals and assists for City at youth level suggest that he has the potential to be a key player for Van Bronckhorst in Scotland if he is able to translate some of that form over to the Premiership, which is why he could be the new Kent for Rangers.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst must now sign “exciting” £1.8m-rated gem who was “almost certain” to join Rangers…

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According to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay on Twitter, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa confirmed in his Bolton Wanderers pre-match press conference on Thursday that Stuart Dallas will return to the squad on Saturday, and Whites fans have been quick to react on Twitter.

The versatile 27-year-old has been out since the start of December with a fractured foot, but the Argentine boss has revealed that he is now available for selection again and will feature in the 18 when his side host the Trotters at the weekend.

The Northern Ireland international has played in a number of different roles for the Yorkshire outfit this term including left-back, right-back and right midfield, and he could well be in serious contention to be in the XI given Jack Clarke still isn’t available after illness and Ezgjan Alioski has been filling in at left-back in the absence of Barry Douglas.

Leeds supporters took to social media to have their say on Dallas’ long-awaited return following a spate of injuries to key stars, and while one described it as a “welcome return”, another said “but he’s not very good”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Who do you want to see promoted this year? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked their 3 favoured teams in the video below…

West Ham sealed their place in the Europa League knockout stage after a 2-2 draw with Genk on Thursday evening, and the Irons’ electric midfield dynamo Said Benrahma absolutely ran the show in Belgium.

In what was David Moyes’ 1,000th game in management, the Algerian winger bagged himself a brace and was far more deserving of just the solitary point in return.

The 26-year-old pulled a goal back after the Hammers went behind inside four minutes, meeting Vladimir Coufal’s pull-back just before the hour mark, and he then gave the east Londoners the lead with a sublime solo effort eight minutes from time.

That appeared to be enough for victory until, five minutes later, Tomas Soucek unfortunately turned the ball in past his own goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola.

Despite losing their 100% win and clean sheet record, there was one major positive for West Ham and that was Benrahma, who arguably had his best-ever performance in claret and blue.

As per SofaScore, he led the way with a 9.5 rating, which was beyond clear of the next best, Aaron Cresswell with 7.6.

On top of scoring two goals, the £22.5m-rated wizard was always on the ball looking to create things as he registered three key passes and a whopping seven successful dribbles, via SofaScore, whilst he also fired off a total of five shots, so he could’ve had more goals to his name on another night.

Elsewhere, Benrahma was productive in his work rate and defensive duties, registering two tackles and winning a total of 12 duels, as well as achieving a 93% passing accuracy, further emphasising how much of an influence he had on the game for Moyes.

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Only Cresswell (82 touches) and Declan Rice (81) saw the ball more than the Algerian wide man (68) on the night.

“Tonight at times he was unplayable,” claimed former West Ham midfielder Joe Cole after full-time on BT Sport (Thursday November 4th, 19:48, via Hammers News). “Fantastic, that’s how good he is, as soon as he saw the defender and squared him up, he knew he was in control of the situation. The finish was exquisite.”

What a goal his second was and what a performance. Moyes will certainly need a repeat of that at the weekend when West Ham face Liverpool in the Premier League.

It’s no wonder the 26-year-old was once dubbed a “true magician.” Benrahma stole the show at the Luminus Arena on Thursday.

AND in other news, Forget Soucek: West Ham lightweight who lost possession 21x badly let Moyes down…

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is attracting interest from Premier League side Manchester City.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Rory Smith, with the ever-reliable New York Times journalist revealing on BBC Radio 5 Live (via the Daily Mail) that the 56-year-old manager has a number of admirers at the Etihad Stadium.

Smith went on to state that, although it would be an unlikely scenario that the Greek-Australian coach goes on to take over from Pep Guardiola at the Premier League leaders, Postecoglou is extremely well regarded by City chiefs.

Regarding the Celtic manager’s future, the journalist said: “I’m not even sure it would be teams lower down in the Premier League [who would be interested in appointing Postecoglou].

“Ange Postecoglou is not going to get the Man City job, but there are a lot of people at City who really rate him. That actually says all you need to know about how well regarded he is within coaching circles. He worked for Yokohama Marinos which is the City Football Group team in the J-League.

“They think he’s really, really good. I’d be staggered if Pep left in the summer or next summer if they gave it to Postecoglou, but there are people there who will tell you he’s a really gifted manager. I’m not saying it’s impossible [that Postecoglou would replace Guardiola], but it would be surprising.”

Staggering blow inbound?

While, as Smith states, it would be incredibly surprising if Manchester City were to appoint Postecoglou as Guardiola’s successor at the Etihad, the fact that the 56-year-old is already attracting admiration from the Premier League is certainly bad news for Celtic.

Granted, while it is undeniably good for the Hoops that the Greek-Australian coach has managed to turn the club’s fortunes around this season – with the Bhoys currently on course to secure a domestic treble – it was clear that the appointment of the former Australia national team coach was part of a long-term overhaul of the club by the Celtic hierarchy.

As such, while the 56-year-old very much appears to be fully committed to his current role in Glasgow, should the opportunity of a big Premier League job arise this summer – be that at Manchester City or elsewhere – whether or not Postecoglou remains a fixture in the Celtic dugout for the long-term is certainly questionable.

And, with the highly-rated coach having signed a 12-month rolling contract with the Hoops last summer, should he wish to move onto pastures new this summer, there would be very little – aside from offering him a bumper new deal – that the Celtic board could do to retain his services – something that will undoubtedly be a huge cause for concern for everyone involved with the club.

Indeed, considering his exploits in Glasgow so far, leading the Hoops to a League Cup trophy and to the top of the SPFL table with a six-point cushion, it would be nothing short of a staggering blow to lose his services so early into the tenure.

AND in other news: Sold at £1.8m, now worth £25m: Celtic had a nightmare on “imposing” £48k-p/w machine

Aston Villa have seemingly joined Leeds United in the race to sign Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Kamara profiled

Kamara is 22 years of age and is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also line out at centre-back. A France under-21 international, he has already made 145 appearances for his current employers and has even captained the club this season.

His contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign, though, and it seems as if Steven Gerrard could make a move, with Villa looking for midfield reinforcements following Marvelous Nakamba’s injury.

The Latest: Romano’s update

Romano took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon, confirming Villa’s links to Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.

However, he shared comments from Bianconeri manager Massimiliano Allegri, who claimed that the Italian giants won’t sanction any move for the Uruguayan this month.

Romano then added that Kamara is also on Johan Lange’s list when it comes to a new midfielder, tweeting: “Aston Villa are interested in Rodrigo Bentancur, confirmed as Tom Collomosse reported today. Juventus have not received any official bid yet – while Allegri today said they ‘won’t do any move in January’. Been told there’s also Boubacar Kamara in Aston Villa list.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Kamara is valued at £22.5m, but due to his contract situation, you’d expect that Villa could land the versatile midfielder for a lot less than that in the final days of the January transfer window.

Should a move for Bentancur fail to materialise, Kamara could be an excellent alternative as he already has plenty of experience under his belt and is still in the early stages of his career. Also, he could improve Villa’s ball distribution, with his 90.7% passing success rate this season better than anyone to have started under Gerrard in the Premier League.

It seems as if the Uruguayan is Villa’s top midfield target, though, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next eight days.

In other news: ‘Crazy to sell’ – Lots of Villa fans flock to update as Newcastle swoop for Gerrard regular

Giovanni van Bronckhorst will have some tough decisions to make at Rangers ahead of the January transfer window.

The Dutchman has a number of his first team squad on contracts which are set to expire at the end of the season and could need to make some big calls on their futures in the coming weeks, as a few could leave on pre-contract deals in the winter window.

First-choice centre-backs Leon Balogun and Connor Goldson are both on the list, although the former has an option to extend it by a further year.

Recalling Katic could save millions

As Balogun could stay for another season, Goldson may be the centre-back that Rangers are most likely to lose on a free transfer next summer. This could leave Ross Wilson needing to source a replacement for him in the transfer market… unless Van Bronckhorst steps in and makes a big decision which could save the club millions by recalling Nikola Katic.

The Croatian is currently on loan to Hajduk Split in his homeland after being sidelined for a year with a cruciate ligament injury, taking out the entire 2020/21 campaign. After being out for so long, the Gers sent him out on loan to regain his fitness and he has been thriving on loan.

Katic has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 for Hajduk in the league this season. As per SofaScore, he has won an impressive 66% of his duels on the pitch and made four clearances per game, showing off his defensive quality for the Croatian club.

He has previously shown that he can excel in the Scottish Premiership, too. Back in 2019, then-Gers boss Steven Gerrard heaped praise on the defender as he said: “The kid is a winner and a warrior. We know what he gives. Anyone his age, after giving the penalty away, might have gone into their shell. It might have affected their performance.

“But if you knock Niko Katic down, he’s gonna get back up and come again. That’s the man, that’s the player.”

The 25-year-old played 59 times and scored six goals for Rangers in two seasons prior to his cruciate ligament injury, showing that he was relied upon to play consistently. His form for Hajduk suggests that he could be ready to come back to Ibrox and be a serious first-team option again after recovering from such a huge body blow.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst could bring him back into the fold and spare any need for Wilson to splash money on a replacement for Goldson. Katic could simply walk back into the team and pick up where he left off, starting alongside Balogun in the side, but the Gers boss must recall him first to offer him the opportunity to impress the new broom at Ibrox.

AND in other news,  “I’m told”: Journo drops inside claim on Gio that’ll leave Rangers fans fuming…