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St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson has recently admitted that he wants to take Rangers youngster Glenn Middleton back on loan next season but, after a lack of playing time with The Saints this season, Ross Wilson and Steven Gerrard should reject any approach which would see him return to McDiarmid Park next term.

The highly-rated winger joined Davidson’s side on loan in January but has been limited to only six appearances in the Premiership since then, totalling just 151 minutes of action.

Before the season split, all of Middleton’s appearances for St Johnstone had been brief cameos from the bench, but he earned himself a start in the first game after the international break against Aberdeen, having scored the winning goal against Ross County to earn his team a place in the top six.

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As a result, Davidson is clearly keen to bring him back to the club on loan next season, as he recently admitted: “Glenn has had to be patient but he’s come off the bench against Ross County and scored the goal that got us into the top six. That’s some achievement.

“He’s worked really hard from the day he arrived and the more I get him involved, the better he’ll be. He’s great about the place, he wants to learn and has a really positive attitude. So we’ll be looking to have a conversation with Rangers about next season. I think Glenn is at the stage in his career where he now needs sustained game time.”

However, there is clearly no guarantee of first team football for Middleton at McDiarmid Park; and given that he has contributed five goals and five assists in 29 appearances for Rangers so far in his career, he has shown that he could be considered by Steven Gerrard for a place in the champions’ first team squad next season.

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If the Ibrox outfit decide to send him out on loan again next term, they should find somewhere that is willing to give Middleton regular first team football, as unfortunately his lack of starting appearances in Davidson’s side means that it has been something of a disastrous loan spell in Perth, and he deserves more scope to show what he can do in 2021/22.

In other news… Gerrard could sign his dream Helander heir at Rangers in 26 y/o beast

Celtic may be without a manager but transfer preparations at Parkhead are well and truly underway.

What’s the word?

The Hoops have already wrapped up a deal to bring Liam Shaw to Glasgow but two other players who could join are more youngsters from the EFL; Kyle Joseph and Kwadwo Baah.

However, they’re now looking to sign an explosive winger in the shape of Aaron-Salem Boupendza.

That’s according to 90min, who suggest that Celtic are one of a number of teams vying for the winger’s signature.

Boupendza currently plays in Turkey for Hatayspor where he’s been seriously impressive. Arsenal are one of the sides chasing his signature with the Bhoys facing plenty of competition from south of the border.

Southampton, Tottenham, Leicester, West Ham, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Wolves are all monitoring his development while Rangers are also an interested party.

Christie upgrade

This will be music to the ears of Hoops supporters; Boupendza should be an upgrade on the much-maligned Ryan Christie.

The Scot has been in shocking form lately, scoring just twice in his last 25 outings for Celtic. For someone who found the net on 20 occasions last term, he has been abject at best.

Christie’s end product has often been left wanting and that has never been more evident than in the 1-0 defeat to Ross County.

He played as a striker next to Odsonne Edouard but spurned four chances, including an opportunity from just a matter of yards out that not only cleared the crossbar, but also the stand behind the goal.

With that in mind, signing someone like Boupendza would undoubtedly help Celtic. He is capable of playing on either flank, as well as through the middle as a central striker.

He has been electrifying for Hatayspor this season, scoring 18 times in just 28 outings. He’s failed to register an assist but with players like David Turnbull and James Forrest in the side, that should be of no concern.

Vital to the 24-year-old’s style of play is his dribbling. When one-on-one with the defender, Boupendza often gets the better of them. He has attempted 109 dribbles this season, completing 69 at a rate of 2.7 per match.

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For context, no player at Celtic has recorded more than the 1.6 dribbles amassed by Tom Rogic and Edouard.

Clearly, he could offer something different to the new manager at Paradise. On top of that, he could even be a more potent goal threat than someone like Christie.

As Celtic try to reclaim their dominance of the SPFL, finding more goals will be of utmost importance. Boupendza would offer than in abundance.

AND in other news, Forget Christie: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen 23 y/o next term, he’s “outstanding”…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Birmingham City manager Barry Fry has backed Lee Bowyer to steer his old side to Championship safety.

Bowyer was installed into the St. Andrew’s dugout earlier this month following the departure of Aitor Karanka and has managed to make a decent start to life in his new role.

While 21st-placed Birmingham lost last time out, a 3-0 defeat to Watford, they were able to win their first game under Bowyer after overcoming the challenge of Reading.

It is a promising sign, and Fry is expecting more of the same going forward as he tipped the former Charlton Athletic manager to complete the task he has been handed.

Discussing Bowyer’s appointment in an exclusive interview with FFC, Peterborough’s director of football said:

“Lee is the ideal man to go into Birmingham City because he’s very positive, he’s very committed, he’s very passionate, he’s very knowledgable, he’s honest and he gets the best out of the players. And when you look at the Birmingham squad, it’s a good squad, but each and every one of them are underachieving.”

On the same topic, Fry later added:

“I back Lee, the Bluenoses will back Lee and I think he’ll do enough. Although he’s got a difficult task, he’ll do enough to keep the Blues in the Championship.”

Bowyer and his side will next be in action when they welcome Swansea City to St. Andrew’s after the international break. The Swans, currently sitting in third in the Championship table, have been flying high this season, so it could be another tricky fixture for Birmingham.

Queens Park Rangers will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat in six matches when they welcome Barnsley to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this evening.

Hoops boss Mark Warburton rung the changes for their trip to Birmingham City and ultimately, it cost them as they were beaten 2-1 on their travels.

Though, the west London side have the chance to make it four straight home wins for the first time since September 2017 with three points tonight.

The Tykes are flying high in eighth place and could do with a result to bolster their surprise playoff chances, so what sort of QPR side could we see?

Here’s our predicted XI…

There could be as many as four changes from the weekend.

After being rested for the trip to the Midlands, West London Sport are expecting Ilias Chair and Lee Wallace to come straight back into the lineup – the former had to settle for a place on the bench, while the latter did not even travel.

It means Chris Willock and 23-year-old Niko Hamalainen are axed.

Aside from the alteration at left wing-back, the rest of the defence remains the same with the trio of Yohann Barbet, Geoff Cameron and Rob Dickie continuing in front of Seny Dieng, with Todd Kane remaining on the other flank.

In midfield, we’re expecting Dom Ball to keep his place, though he could be joined by West Brom loanee Sam Field for what would be his first start since joining in January, this move would see Fulham man Stefan Johansen earn a rest.

The fourth and final change is likely to be upfront with Lyndon Dykes coming back in for Macauley Bonne, both have struggled for goals lately, but it is the Scotsman who has often been given the nod under Warburton.

Dykes has scored five goals in 26 starts, via Transfermarkt, but has not found the net since a defeat to Brentford at the end of November, while the 25-year-old former Charlton talisman has bagged three times, though has only started eight matches.

Charlie Austin should continue his role upfront.

AND in other news, This player badly let QPR down against Preston…

It appears the Glasgow Rangers hierarchy are now actively looking to offload wantaway winger Jordan Jones in the summer transfer window after they named their asking price for the Northern Irishman.

The 26-year-old’s future at Ibrox was thrown into doubt this week after Football Insider revealed he has set his sights on staying at an EFL club this summer after falling out of favour under Steven Gerrard.

Jones has been on the receiving end of Gerrard’s wrath over the years, dating back to the red card he received for his late challenge on former Celtic right-back Moritz Bauer in 2019, and his latest infraction – which came hours after the Gers beat Kilmarnock 1-0 to go nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership – appears to have been the final straw.

According to Football Insider, it seems Rangers chiefs are ready to cut ties with Jones for good and will accept a reduced asking price for a player who was once valued at £1m by Kilmarnock.

The Gers are willing to accept a six-figure fee for the Northern Irish international, which is believed to be in the region of £600,000, to rid themselves of the problematic ace once and for all.

After impressing at Premiership rivals Kilmarnock, big things were expected from the winger when he first arrived at Ibrox, but unfortunately it hasn’t worked out for him in a Rangers’ shirt as he has barely featured at all since the start of this season – and for very good reason.

In the last season alone, the versatile forward has only found the back of the net once in his past seven appearances across all competitions. By comparison, even Brandon Barker has contributed to more goals and assists this season, per Transfermarkt.

Now 26 and entering the final two years of his £9,100-per-week contract, Rangers should do all they can to get him off their books.

Despite his shortcomings, it’s unlikely he will be short of suitors with many EFL clubs still on tight budgets due to the financial restraints of the coronavirus pandemic.

AND in other news, Rangers outcast Brandon Barker sends Steven Gerrard timely reminder…

Liverpool’s form in recent weeks has seen their title hopes take a serious hit, with Sunday’s 4-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City leading Jurgen Klopp to suggest that the aim for the Reds is now to finish in the top four.

The German manager has, of course, had a number of injuries to contend with throughout the season which have seen the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip ruled out for much of the campaign.

This has led to Fabinho moving to centre-back to cover for the lack of available players in that position, and whilst he impressed at first, he has struggled in recent performances at the back.

The Reds are also arguably lacking his presence in midfield, especially with Jordan Henderson having also featured at the back in recent fixtures, meaning that they are arguably without a defensive-minded player in the midfield three.

However, the Merseyside outfit brought in Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak as centre-back options during the winter transfer window, which hopefully could see Fabinho return to midfield in the near future.

The Brazilian international has averaged a solid 6.84 rating for his performances in the Premier League this season, averaging 2.1 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game.

Last season saw the former Monaco man earn a slightly more impressive 6.89 rating, with 2.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game.

Whilst his defensive stats are similar, his passing stats have suffered as a result of him moving to centre-back, as this season he has averaged just 0.2 key passes per game, compared to the 0.7 he averaged last season.

Thiago was full of praise for Fabinho earlier this season and suggested that he is better in the defensive-midfield role, saying:

“Fabi [Fabinho] is an amazing player as a centre-back and he’s even better as a number six. I think with him at the back he gives us the security as a number six, eight or 10 to make the team play a bit more.”

Whilst the Spanish midfielder has filled the void somewhat with his tackles and interceptions in midfield, he doesn’t offer the physicality of Fabinho, so Klopp should definitely try and restore the 27-year-old to his natural position in the near future, as it could restore him to his former self, after some disappointing recent displays.

And, in other news… LFC missed ideal opportunity to axe £80k-p/w dud following James Pearce claim

MatériaMais Notícias

O meia Ederson ainda não foi relacionado nenhuma vez nesta temporada, mas está cada vez mais próximo de voltar aos gramados. Na próxima semana, ele vai disputar jogos-treino com os jovens formados nas categorias de base do Flamengo para ganhar ritmo.

– Ele começou há pouco tempo o trabalho de campo e bola. Ficou afastado porque tinha uma diferença muscular, mas ela já diminuiu muito. Na semana que vem, ele passa a entrar no processo de jogo, vai participar de jogo-treino com a base. Temos que esperar um pouco mais (para que ele possa jogar) – comentou o técnico rubro-negro, Muricy Ramalho.

No ano passado, Ederson sofreu duas lesões, que o afastaram dos jogos do Flamengo. A comissão técnica rubro-negra tem feito um trabalho individual com o atleta para que ele volte 100%, sem qualquer tipo de restrição física.

Ederson foi contratado pelo Flamengo em julho do ano passado. Ele ainda veste a camisa 10 e será mais um dos jogadores à disposição de Muricy para ocupar o meio campo.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has provided an update on defender Gary Cahill and the pre-match news will not be what the Eagles fan base will want to hear.

The latest on Cahill

Roy Hodgson was speaking in his press conference in the build up to the big clash against Aston Villa on Boxing Day. He said: “Gary Cahill is injured unfortunately. He is the only absentee on top of the long term ones.”

This is a big blow for Palace

Hodgson knows the importance of Cahill, as in the past he said, “He’s also brought us leadership qualities, he’s been very good leadership-wise. He’s the best type of leader; he’s the quiet leader people don’t see from Row Z in the stand.”

For now they don’t know the severity of the injury, and it will be very frustrating for Hodgson as the squad depth is crucial during the busy Christmas period.

The defender has made 4.4 clearances per game this season (WhoScored), showing his safety first attitude around the box. The former Chelsea star is 35, but has an abundance of experience, and  is still a vital asset for the club.

Therefore, Hodgson will be gutted to lose him for the Villa fixture, especially when the South London side have conceded the third most goals in the division (SofaScore) and Villa, led by Jack Grealish, are absolutely flying.

Have a read of Crystal Palace fans praising one player in the 1-1 draw to Brighton here!

MatériaMais Notícias

Nem mesmo a decisão da CBF em vetar a realização de competições oficiais após o dia 30 de janeiro foi suficiente para intimidar a Primeira Liga. Horas após a nota oficial emitida pela Confederação, os integrantes da entidade organizada por clubes mostraram segurança quanto à realização da competição:

– A nota da CBF não altera em nada a organização dos jogos. Estamos seguros de que seguimos todos os preceitos estabelecidos para a realização da competição – afirmou o diretor jurídico da Primeira Liga, Eduardo Carlezzo, ao LANCE!.

À Rádio Itatiaia, o presidente da Primeira Liga, Gilvan de Pinho Tavares, foi ainda mais incisivo:

– A Primeira Liga vai sair de qualquer jeito. Os clubes não abrem mão de disputar.

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Em rápido contato com o LANCE!, o presidente do Grêmio, Romildo Bolzan Júnior, mostrou segurança quanto à sequência da competição:

– Na quinta-feira, tem jogo em Santa Catarina (contra o Avaí, às 19h30).

Liverpool put in a solid performance on Saturday to ensure they came away with nothing less than three points from their latest home fixture. The Reds played host to a struggling Sheffield United, who put the reigning champions to the sword. However, despite their best efforts to nullify Jurgen Klopp’s side, Liverpool were able to resurrect their winning Premier League form.

Thanks to goals from Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota, the title holders are on their way to re-establishing their dominance after their 7-2 loss to Aston Villa threw a spanner in the works. But it wasn’t just Klopp’s attack that had an influence on the match. His makeshift defence did him proud and will have eased a lot of his worries after key man Virgil van Dijk could be out for the remainder of the season.

Joe Gomez impressed against Sheffield United

Despite worry from the fans, Joe Gomez is doing a fine job of stepping into his Dutch partner’s shoes. In the absence of van Dijk’s calm composure and natural leadership, things looked bleak at the back for Liverpool. However, Klopp’s pairing of the England international and Fabinho has proved to be a winning formula so far.

The two were strong at the back against Ajax and continued their impressive displays at Anfield on Saturday. Gomez particularly impressed and will have undoubtedly eased a lot of pressure off Klopp’s shoulders.

According to Sofascore, the 23-year-old maintained a 94% passing accuracy and was successful in 100% of his 12 attempted long balls. Additionally, Gomez made a mighty nine clearances and two interceptions, showing his confidence exactly where it was needed to be put on display.

Fans are thrilled with the £36million-rated centre-back and have waxed lyrical about the VVD-esque shift he put in against the Blades. One supporter has said that he is “proving everyone wrong” amid the doubt over whether he will be able to lead Liverpool’s defence this campaign (via Rousing The Kop).

His teammates, fans and manager will definitely be pleased with both him and Fabinho. Their next challenge will come against Midtjylland in the Champions League, which could be another chance to showcase his presence across the backline.

In other news, Shock Jurgen Klopp revelation could spell a Liverpool return for Rhian Brewster…