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Former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell has suggested Glasgow Rangers could crush Jermain Defoe’s dream of a new contract at Ibrox.

Campbell discusses Defoe future

Defoe has already suggested he would like to stay at Rangers beyond the end of his current contract (via Glasgow Live), which is set to run out at the end of the campaign (Transfermarkt).

However, speaking to Football Insider, Campbell has suggested the 55-time Scottish champions could decide against giving him a new deal. He said:

“I’m sure he’ll want to sign a new deal, it just depends on whether the club wants to.

“That’s the most important thing, if the club wants it to happen and the player wants it to happen then it will happen. 

“If the club don’t want it or the club don’t see it as a good decision then obviously he’ll struggle.”

One more year

Although Defoe has struggled with injuries throughout this season, he has still managed five goals in 15 games, taking his tally to 30 strikes in 67 matches since moving north of the border. He mentioned recently that he would like to play another season so that he can perform in front of supporters, and he has earned the right to do so.

The former England international is one of the few players in Steven Gerrard’s squad to possess previous Champions League experience, which should come in handy as the Gers aim to qualify for the group stages next term. A new deal should therefore be a no-brainer for Ross Wilson and co.

In other news, Rangers fans slammed this broadcaster’s comments.

Roy Keane is thought to be back in the running to take over at Celtic, with the stalling move for Eddie Howe causing a U-turn in the Bhoys boardroom.

That’s according to a ‘behind the scenes’ report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a Hoops source that the Irishman has growing support from within the boardroom and is becoming more prominent in the thoughts of the hierarchy.

Keane feared he had been overlooked by Celtic despite talks with the club, but it seems as if he is now back in the frame.

The report suggests that the Hoops hierarchy feel they need a new manager with a strong personality to rebuild a broken team and compete with Rangers, while the faltering move for Howe has also led to a rethink.

Transfer Tavern take

To us, appointing Keane as Celtic’s new manager would be a huge risk. The 49-year-old has been out of the managerial game for over ten years – with his experience in the dugout since then coming as assistant to both Martin O’Neill and Paul Lambert with Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest respectively.

Howe is another man in the Celtic picture along with Keane, and to us, the Englishman would be a better option, as he proved with Bournemouth that he can rebuild a side, taking them from League Two to the Premier League in the space of six seasons.

Howe also has over 350 games more as a manager than Keane and has been out of work for less than a year, so not only is he the fresher and more current manager, he is also actually more experienced as well.

In other news: Premier League club mandate agents to work on signing Celtic star, find out more here. 

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting negatively to rumours linking the Reds with a move for Ezequiel Garay.

The Premier League champions have suffered rotten luck in the centre-back department this season, with injuries depleting Jurgen Klopp’s men in that department. Liverpool currently have Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all out until the end of the campaign, with the first two not playing since the autumn.

It has meant that Klopp has had to use Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in defence, while youngster Nat Phillips has also been drafted in alongside winter signing Ozan Kabak.

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The Reds could eye up a new centre-back signing this summer, but one slightly surprising rumour has appeared, with Garay linked with a move to Anfield and El Gol Digital going as far as to say that a deal is close to happening.

The 34-year-old has won 32 caps for Argentina, playing against Germany in the 2014 World Cup final and impressing in the tournament. Standing at 1.88m in height, the defensive powerhouse frequently averaged two to three successful aerial duels per game, an indicator of his prowess in that department.

Considering Garay’s age and his own injury-plagued past, however, it is a transfer story which doesn’t seem to make a huge amount of sense, with some Liverpool supporters certainly of that opinion.

Liverpool fans react to Garay rumours

Here are a selection of the best reactions on Twitter.

“Nope, 34 y/o and suffered an ACL injury, hopefully it’s just his agent trying to attract interest because this move makes no sense”

Credit: @pod_kev

“No….full stop”

Credit: @kclee_19

“We’re just doing this to make Nat Phillips look faster”

Credit: @CM_LFC

“No point signing him, better off with who we’ve got now”

Credit: @Smedders1995

“Would rather pay 18 million for Kabak”

Credit: @DishuMaan

“No”

Credit: @lfcnahal

In other news, Liverpool have been dealt a big blow ahead of their Champions League clash with Real Madrid. Read about it here.

Many Crystal Palace are fuming with Roy Hodgson following the South London side’s 0-0 draw with Fulham at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

With the Eagles winning against Brighton last Monday, there was not as much pressure on the match at Selhurst Park, with them being on 32 points before kick-off.

Fulham, on the other hand, are  deep in a relegation battle, but with results going their way this weekend (SofaScore), the match against Roy Hodgson’s side was the perfect opportunity to be the closest to safety that they have been all season.

Obviously points are to be appreciated whenever they come and it looks likely that the club will not get relegated this season, but it is the way that Palace are playing under the manager which is frustrating many of the fan base.

Scott Parker’s side looked to be on top for the whole game, and they had 16 shots, with four on target, whilst Palace only had three, with two being blocked and one off target (SofaScore). This caused ‘#royout’ to trend on Twitter after the game.

With Hodgson’s contract expiring in the summer, performances like the one against Fulham will have many hoping that the manager departs then

Here is how Palace fans reacted to the performance:

“Watching palace is a chore these days #royout”

Credit: @Elliotcpfc20

“Jeez! this is awful ‘football’, #RoyOut”

Credit: @Bexhill_Dave

“Awful performance. Mateta dropped. Respect the point. #Royout”

Credit: @maxblair50

“No passion, no ambition and no shot on target #RoyOut”

Credit: @Gathers25

“@CEO4TAGThis is unacceptable #ROYOUT”Credit: @NTUCKEY41″Not one decent attempt at goal and no shots on target against a side in the bottom 3, It’s becoming unwatchable #Royout”

Credit: @Lyncpfc

In other news, these CPFC fans react following a contract update!

After clinching an impressive victory in the Premier League last time out against Leicester, Arsenal return to top-flight action when they take on Burnley at Turf Moor.

Mikel Arteta’s side came from behind to beat the Foxes, with goals from David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe seeing them overturn an early deficit to take home all three points from the clash at the King Power Stadium.

Sean Dyche’s Burnley await them on early Saturday afternoon, and with a European place for next season well within the Gunners’ sights, there’s no questioning Arteta will once again go with a strong side even with the looming Europa League game against Olympiakos in mid-week.

With that in mind, below is a look at how Arsenal might line up.

In goal, Bernd Leno will once again keep his place in between the sticks as the side’s number one, while the back four could see one key change with Hector Bellerin coming in at right-back in place of the £75,000-a-week earning Cedric.

In midfield, Thomas Partey is surely pushing for his first start after coming back from injury, and he could replace Mohamed Elneny to partner Granit Xhaka in the engine room.

Further forward, Arteta has some big decisions to make after both Willian and Pepe delivered some impressive performances after being given the nod to start – the former set up two goals in his last two games, while the latter of course found the back of the net himself.

With Olympiakos on Thursday, and the duo in form, Arteta may feel like he can once again rest Bukayo Saka, while Martin Odegaard should come in for Emile Smith Rowe after he picked up a problem and was forced off against Leicester – the Gunners boss did give some good news, however, when he confirmed that it wasn’t serious.

Alexandre Lacazette should keep his place up front, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in line to come in on Thursday.

Predicted XI: Leno; Bellerin, Luiz, Mari, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka; Pepe, Odegaard, Willian; Lacazette.

Meanwhile, Arsenal could sign their own Van Dijk in this 6 ft 4 powerhouse…

Sunderland fans have been reacting after Chris Maguire scored for the club’s U23 side against Burnley on Monday.

The Black Cats hosted the Clarets in the Premier League 2. The score ended up being 3-0 to the home side, and Maguire was on the scoresheet. The victory now means the Wearside outfit are up to ninth in the Group 2 table with 24 points from 18 matches (flashscore.com).

To see Maguire playing at this level may seem unusual. After all, he is 32 years of age and has appeared 29 times in League One already this term, scoring four times and providing five assists (Transfermarkt). However, he has not started a match in the third tier since December 12th of last year, against Wigan, and he is therefore clearly in need of some match practice as we approach the end of the campaign.

The news of his goal was shared on Sunderland’s official Twitter account, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Maguire below

“Imagine my shock”

Credit: @RyanC2408

“The king has spoken”

Credit: @SAFCAcademy

“shock”

Credit: @kylesafc_73

“THE KING IS BACK”

Credit: @KINGMAGUIRE1

“Fantastic Chris but please save one for an important league game!”

Credit: @Squealer66

“Baffles me why he’s even playing in this game. He should be in the first team.”

Credit: @CameraChris79

In other news, Sunderland fans love this club video.

Christian Benteke is the latest striker to be linked with a move to West Brom before next week’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, the 30-year-old Belgian is free to leave Crystal Palace this window after securing a new forward, Jean-Philippe Mateta.

The £8.1m-rated titan is yet to agree on new terms at Selhurst Park, meaning he’s out of contract at the end of the current campaign with the Baggies thought to be keen to strike.

Although it’s claimed Benteke could still see out his contract despite falling down the pecking order under former Albion boss Roy Hodgson.

Shades of Lukaku

Whilst three goals in 13 appearances this season is far from inspiring, the veteran striker is a player who Sam Allardyce knows well having managed him at the Eagles in 2016/17.

And Benteke had some of his best success under the 66-year-old as he bagged nine goals in only 22 appearances. Indeed, it let to Big Sam dubbing him a “big catalyst” towards their season.

His goals that year contributed hugely to Palace staying in the top-flight, Allardyce added: “He’s a big reason why we’ve still got a chance of staying out of the bottom three.”

That scenario is almost a mirror image to what is happening at the Hawthorns right now, so perhaps the vastly-experienced Premier League man could be valuable to the Baggies in the second half of the season.

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Currently, Albion only have one senior striker at the club in Karlan Grant and he’s on the treatment table, and even then his 25 top-flight appearances isn’t a scratch on Benteke’s 75 goals in 238 PL games.

He also adds a new dimension to their attack as at 6 foot 3, he’s a target man – sort of in the mould to Romelu Lukaku, who also had a successful loan stint in the Midlands, steering Steve Clarke’s side to their best-ever finish of eighth.

Benteke’s arrival could replicate that, only it’ll be a phenomenal great escape rather than a surprise run at Europe.

The 38-time Belgian international may be perceived as a £32m flop having only found the net 26 times at Palace, but he would be well worth a punt for the next six months.

Also dubbed an “absolute monster” in the past, Benteke could bring Lukaku vibes back to the Hawthorns and given Big Sam needs all the experience he can get right now, a player tried and tested under his wing makes far more sense than looking abroad for the solution.

Baggies chief Luke Dowling must sanction a move for the £120k-per-week colossus before that February 1st deadline.

AND in other news, Allardyce could FINALLY axe West Brom stalwart by signing “extremely talented” £7.2m-rated gem…

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to make a return for one of their mooted summer targets during the upcoming January transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to Sport Bild (via Sport Witness), Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg have said that prolific striker Wout Weghorst will be allowed to leave the club if they receive a suitable offer in the region of €35m-40m (£31.5m-£36m).

The 28-year-old admitted that Spurs were “serious” about signing him just a few months ago, he told Kicker:

“I can be honest; of course, I knew that there was interest left and right. It was serious with Tottenham; I was a candidate. Of course, you are interested in something like that too. It is also a confirmation that I’m on the right track.”

It’s claimed that Weghorst would love a dream move to the Premier League, so now a genuine price has been mentioned, might we see the north Londoners revisit the Dutch colossus?

Shades of Ibra

Spurs eventually signed Carlos Vinicius on loan from Benfica as their back-up to Harry Kane, and whilst there’s a £41m option-to-buy included the deal, there has been little to suggest why or if Jose Mourinho will make that a permanent switch.

Forget about the Brazilian for now, Weghorst would offer a totally different option in attack – a true ‘plan B’ – rather than having a like-for-like sitting on the bench.

At 6 foot 6, the Wolfsburg striker is an absolute battering-ram, who also has an impressive eye for goal having bagged 11 goals in 15 appearances across the German top-flight and the Europa League, as per Transfermarkt.

It’s no wonder he has drawn comparisons to former PL marksman Edin Dzeko and indeed, he fits the profile of one of Mourinho’s former favourites, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Weghorst has even been likened to Jamie Vardy by  The Athletic’s Bundesliga expert Raphael Honigstein, in terms of his relentless work rate in leading the line on his own.

That much is merely emphasised by his former head coach, Bruno Labbadia, who said: “[Wout] runs a lot, he’s tireless.”

The Dutch late-bloomer appears to be right up Mourinho’s street, perhaps more so than Vinicius – a rangy, direct and different threat to the norm.

He could certainly be unleashed as a secret second-half weapon in the title run-in.

AND in other news, Mourinho surely left embarrassed by ace who ONLY made 32% of passes vs LFC…

Many Manchester United fans have been talking about the latest update involving Brandon Williams, which emerged on social media on Tuesday.

Liam Kennedy from the Shields Gazette has reported that Newcastle United are understood to have agreed the framework for a deal to sign the Man Utd defender on loan in the January transfer window. The report claims that Williams has been told that he can leave Old Trafford on a loan deal this month and Steve Bruce’s men are now leading the race to sign the Englishman.

The report also states that Newcastle are just one of the clubs after Williams, as Ralph Hasenhuttl also has a liking for the defender. Williams is thought to be one of the potential loan deals that Bruce could be looking at. Apart from the Man Utd man, the Magpies are also looking to bring Jetro Willems back to the club.

Williams, currently 20, has fallen down the pecking order at left-back behind Luke Shaw and Alex Telles and as a result, he has struggled for minutes. The Englishman has made just one appearance in the Premier League, playing twice in the UEFA Champions League and twice in the League Cup (as per Transfermarkt).

In the 2019/20 season, Williams had played more often for the Red Devils, playing 17 league games and contributing to a couple of goals. He also played eight times in the UEFA Europa League for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men (as per Transfermarkt).

Solskjaer praised Williams last season and said: “He played a square pass into Mount [which led to their second goal] and he probably felt a bit responsible, but for the rest of the half he was absolutely outstanding. The kid has been out for a while and not played, and had the eye injury, but his character and personality out there was great, he kept going and kept going.”

This update about Williams caught the attention of many Man Utd fans, who made their opinion clear about the news.

What did Man Utd fans make of this update about Brandon Williams?

“He needs minutes for his development. I rate this loan move if it’s true. Steve Bruce could take care of him.”

Credit: @agustiraindras

“Shouldn’t be sending him there, toxic football club and he won’t get enough game time.”

Credit: @Jonny45964835

“United should better sign a Rb this month, won’t make sense if they don’t, there is nobody backing up Bissaka.”

Credit: @YoungKingFavou2

“Nooooooo, not that defensive team, go to Southampton or Leverkusen or whoever else was linked.”

Credit: @BradNel225

“This will be a great move for Williams if he can get some playing time!”

Credit: @mufc_shah

“Means we are getting arons”Credit: @mohamma20452765″We should just sell”Credit: @NaslaUtd”Should loan him for 18 months!”Credit: @Zlabhishek31″Max Aarons incoming to #mufc then hopefully”Credit: @UtdDonni”Him going on loan and tofu possibly exiting too could mean there is a possibility for max aarons………….”Credit: @KN_8iiIn other news, Man Utd fans have hailed an update about the club’s links with Max Aarons – read more about it here.

When Marcelo Bielsa muttered last week that he was happy with his Leeds squad in January, it was disappointing to hear.

Of course, the Daniel James and Jean-Kevin Augustin sagas tell you that United don’t tend to do business too well in January but they need recruits.

The Whites missed out on Michael Cuisance in the summer who failed a medical at Elland Road and despite lacking options in the middle of the park, are unwilling to think of alternatives.

Though, with Rodrigo going off with an injury against Leicester on Sunday, it only proved why Victor Orta needs to head back into the market for a central player.

Mateusz Klich has been hopelessly out of form lately and has scored just once since the opening weekend of the campaign. Noel Whelan thinks he’s been drifting through games and the very fact he’s now started two games in a row on the bench says a lot.

The Pole is usually the first name on the team sheet and has failed to start in the league under the current manager on just three occasions. Combine Bielsa’s dwindling trust in Klich with the fact Rodrigo is struggling in English football and is now injured, Leeds simply have to be active on deadline day.

One midfield player they’ve been linked with recently is Barcelona’s Riqui Puig. The Spaniard has seemingly patched things up with Ronald Koeman after a falling out but with minimal game time being the subject of Puig’s season, a move to Leeds would be perfect for all involved.

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The 21-year-old is a magician on the ball and if anyone typifies a Bielsa player, it would be him. The youngster is composed in possession, completing 89.6% of his passes this term. For context, that’s higher than every single outfield player at Leeds.

For Puig, football is an art form and he possesses an abundance of creativity. His 1.7 key passes per game in the Champions League this season is bettered only by Klich and Jack Harrison in the Whites’ squad.

At just 21, the £25k-per-week Spaniard has the world at his feet and you only need to consult words from former Italy international Gennaro Gattuso to understand that.

He said: “Riqui Puig is a spectacle, to see boys who still have a child’s face and how they treat the ball is something that amazes me, they feel football inside and it’s something like poetry. I’ve heard them talking about him for some time, it’s something you can’t cut and paste into another club.”

Those are special words and with Leeds licking their wounds in the middle of the park, they desperately need another playmaker. With Rodrigo now injured, Puig is their man.

AND in other news, Bielsa must start to unshackle rarely-seen Leeds gem, Phillips says he’s “really good”…