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Glasgow Rangers can only look on as football north of the border continues to be plunged into chaos.

All of the madness started following the suspension of the Scottish season due to the current pandemic. What should have been a simple vote for the resolution proposal put forward by the SPFL soon became a farce as Dundee’s decision was first not registered and then changed. That led to the Gers accusing the governing body of corruption, before they then demanded an investigation into the governing body, albeit in vain.

Now, Hearts and Partick Thistle have taken over the mantle of taking the fight to the authority, and they have now been hit with a charge from SFA after they took their relegation complaint to court rather than an arbitration panel first.

Scottish football is a farce at the moment, and journalist Ewan Murray has tweeted that the country’s authorities should be laughed at for their incompetence. This has attracted plenty of attention from the Ibrox outfit’s supporters, as you can imagine, and they have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Newcastle United have reportedly requested to sign Patrik Schick as Il Sussi Dario (via The Shields Gazette) claim that the Tyneside club are ready to revisit their interest in signing him in the upcoming summer transfer window, having failed with a previous move in January.

As per the outlet, the striker is said to be made available for a transfer by AS Roma having spent time on loan at RB Leipzig in the 19/20 season.

The Transfermarkt.

On the other hand, Joelinton has had quite the opposite campaign since arriving for a club-record £39.6 million from TSG Hoffenheim, but he has arguably far from lived up to his big price tag.

The 23-year old has only managed to score four goals and made four assists in 42 matches in all competitions since his arrival in the North East (via Transfermarkt).

Schick has also topped the Brazilian in other key stats for a centre-forward in their respective domestic leagues in this term, averaging more shots and key passes per match (per Whoscored).

Indeed, the Tyneside club may wish to cut their losses on Joelinton, who may still have a relatively high re-sale value being only 23 years of age and the fact that he does play up top.

This may be an added incentive if Schick could potentially come in to replace him, giving Steve Bruce a possible headache for when the window opens.

Nevertheless, everything is only speculation at this point, but the potential arrival of the Czech Republic international could well mean the end for Joelinton after his rather poor season.

Geordies, would you swap Schick for Joelinton if the chance arises? Comment below!

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, most of Leeds United’s signings this summer are likely to come from the English leagues.

What’s the word?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are heading back to the Premier League next season after an absence of more than 15 years, and the Argentine boss will surely be keen to bring in some reinforcements.

And Hay has suggested that despite scouting numerous players in Bielsa’s Argentina – including the likes of Lucas Martinez Quarta and Thiago Almada, the Whites are planning on signing players from domestic competition.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…



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He said: “Leeds have scouted numerous options in Argentina — including River Plate defender Lucas Martinez Quarta and Velez Sarsfield’s 19-year-old midfielder Thiago Almada — but the bulk of their signings this summer are expected to come from the English leagues. That strategy has worked for Bielsa and Leeds are not keen to deviate from it.

“For Bielsa, Premier League football is not about names or reputations. If, as expected, he agrees to a new contract, the same principles will apply.”

 Greater chance of success

When it comes to signing players from abroad, there’s always that element of risk of whether they can actually settle into the pace and intensity of English football.

But if Leeds are keen on bringing players from either the Premier League or even divisions below that – Hay even said they like the look of Brentford duo Said Benrahma and Ollie Watkins – then it lessens the risk of those new signings not working out.

The likes of Jack Harrison and Ben White have both proven that there is genuine quality to be had from players in the English leagues, and so this is a transfer strategy that makes a lot of sense.

According to latest reports from Daily Record, Albian Ajeti is flying to Glasgow to finalise his deal with Celtic and swap the English Premier League for the Scottish one in the next day or so. The negotiations haven’t exactly been smooth along the way, and at one point it seemed like the player would stay at West Ham, but Neil Lennon has managed to work his magic and seal the deal.

The same outlet says the striker is expected to pen a one-year loan deal first but Celtic would then be able to buy him permanently for £5.5m next summer. Unfortunately, that seems to be all the information on the deal and we don’t exactly know if this is going to be a compulsory clause or just an optional one.

Either way, Ajeti is set to move to the Scottish Premiership imminently and should be announced sooner rather than later. Interestingly enough, the 23-year-old Swiss star had initially cooled on Celtic after the initial contact but it was Lennon who then swooped in to save the day and convince the young forward a move to Scotland is the right one for him.

Ajeti also had concerns about his game time, seeing how he’d have to compete with the incredible Odsonne Edouard but the coach sees him as a way to lighten the load on the Frenchman as well as giving Celtic a new dimension in attack, perhaps even deploying both players at the same time.

Whatever it was that Lennon had said to Ajeti, it seemed to have worked and now, the 23-year-old is on his way to Scotland.

Verdict

Even though he wasn’t exactly their first choice on the market, this is a big win for Celtic if they really manage to seal the deal for Ajeti. Lennon will have another young and deadly prospect to work with and continue his dominance on the domestic stage.

West Ham don’t seem to count on the 23-year-old anymore so it’s a win-win situation seeing how the Hammers need to raise funds quickly.

After enduring a disappointing debut campaign with Tottenham, this summer feels like a potentially huge one for Ryan Sessegnon.

The 20-year-old featured just 12 times for Spurs last season, and there were even suggestions that clubs were keen to lure him away. But following a report from The Athletic that Jose Mourinho had rejected a loan offer from Barcelona, and that he is ready to unleash him this year, Sessegnon took to the field against Ipswich on Saturday and showcased just what he can do.

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The Lilywhites ran out comfortable 3-0 winners against the League One side, and it was Sessegnon who got Spurs off and running, collecting a fine ball from Dele Alli, before cutting on to his weaker right foot and firing past the Ipswich goalkeeper.

And after the game, Spurs fans took to Twitter to share their reactions about Sessegnon’s performance.

A couple of supporters simply insisted that there is a lot more to come from the former Fulham youngster, and that the “sky is the limit”.

One Spurs fan even suggested that if Mourinho has a brain, Sessegnon will actually be starting for the side come the start of the new campaign next month.

At just 20, it’s difficult to expect Sessegnon to just hit the ground running and start showing world-class potential.

Having been one of the breakout prospects in recent years at Fulham, the starlet arrived at Tottenham as a much smaller fish, in a much bigger pond.

But with a season now under his belt, this could be the year for him to really kick on and show why Spurs spent big-money to bring him in last summer.

Everton’s summer revolution could further continue as it appears their shrewd spending isn’t done just yet…

What’s the word?

According to Il Mattino (via Sport Witness), the Toffees have once again been in contact with Carlo Ancelotti’s former club Napoli over a potential move for winger Hirving Lozano.

It’s claimed that Everton have been keen on the Mexican international for quite some time and now the Merseysiders have come back in for him this window.

However, Gli Azzurri boss Gennaro Gattuso has recently performed a U-turn on Lozano, meaning he could rebuff any advances. It’s only been a year since he joined the Serie A outfit in a whopping €40m (£36.5m) move.

Ancelotti’s revolution

Interest in the 25-year-old is hardly much of a surprise given it was Ancelotti who brought him to Napoli last year and it was Marcel Brands who originally brought the wizard to Europe whilst in a similar guise at PSV Eindhoven.

The Dutch director of football has previously likened Lozano’s playing style to that of Lionel Messi, claiming the winger is “very explosive and agile,” which is high praise indeed.

Whilst ‘Chucky’ as he’s affectionately known, was named as one of the top 50 Eredivisie players to watch back in 2017 with his speed, strength and “dream” versatility the key attributes noted.

This sort of energy is something that Ancelotti has lacked out on the wing all season with the likes of Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott and Bernard failing to impress having combined for just six goals.

Perhaps the inverted winger could fit right in following the triple swoop of James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure in a 4-3-3 system with Richarlison on the other wing and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

In back-to-back seasons at PSV, Lozano bagged 17 goals and eight assists apiece whilst averaging at least 3 shots and 2.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Brands could continue this impressive Ancelotti revolution by offering the Serie A club something they simply can’t refuse.

AND in other news, Toffees set to clinch PL colossus tipped to become a “£100m player”…

Despite producing a resilient display last weekend – particularly in the first-half – West Brom opened up their return to the Premier League with a 3-0 defeat at home to Leicester.

The Baggies held firm for 56 minutes before Timothy Castagne fired Brendan Rodgers’ side in front, and a couple of penalties from Jamie Vardy late on sealed the deal.

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A mid-week Carabao Cup win over Harrogate Town would surely have boosted the confidence inside the camp, and Slaven Bilic may already be contemplating making some important changes from the line-up that started against Leicester.

Below is a look how West Brom could play against Everton on early Saturday afternoon.

Sam Johnstone is sure to resume his duties as first-choice goalkeeper at Goodison Park, with David Button dropping to the bench following his involvement in the Carabao Cup in mid-week.

Tactically, Bilic may look to ditch the five-man defence that he employed against Leicester, and instead go with a regular back-four – a switch that saw them clinch a 3-0 win over Harrogate.

If that’s the case, Semi Ajayi could be the man to make way and lose his starting spot from last weekend, with the Baggies boss favouring Darnell Furlong, Kyle Bartley, Dara O’Shea and Kieran Gibbs.

In midfield, Romaine Sawyers was arguably the worst of the bunch in the defeat to Leicester, with West Brom fans making their frustrations clear on Twitter after the game.

Bilic could make a real statement by dropping him to the bench, replacing him in the starting line-up with starlet Rekeem Harper, who scored on Wednesday.

And whilst Callum Robinson may have not netted on the opening day, Bilic is likely to retain his confidence in the former Sheffield United man, and could help him out immeasurably by choosing to play Hal Robson-Kanu alongside him – another who scored in that victory over Harrogate.

Momentum will undoubtedly be key, and choosing to go more attacking and adventurous in his team selection could see West Brom pick up their first league points of the season on Saturday.

Predicted XI: Johnstone; Furlong, Bartley, O’Shea, Gibbs; Pereira, Livermore, Harper, Diangana; Robinson, Robson-Kanu.

Carlo Ancelotti is set to land a duplicate of Michael Keane in Everton’s capture of Norwich City ace Ben Godfrey after seeing a £25million offer accepted.

What’s the word?

According to The Times, the Toffees have successfully negotiated the transfer of Godfrey with his Championship side after a breakthrough in negotiations on Thursday night.

Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands first approached the Carrow Road natives on Monday, following discussions with Ancelotti on how best to deal with the Italian’s centre-back crisis given injuries to Mason Holgate and Jarrad Branthwaite.

The Blues will pay an initial £25m to bring Godfrey to Goodison Park ahead of Monday’s Deadline Day, in a deal featuring add-ons worth an estimated £5m per Sky Sports.

Norwich had strived to secure their upfront asking price of £30m but eased their stance, allowing the 6 ft 1 talent to join Jamal Lewis in sealing moves away from Norfolk following the Canaries’ relegation last season.

Newcastle United, who signed Lewis in a potential £20m deal last month, and Fulham had also registered their interest in Godfrey but missed out on his signature as a move to Merseyside appealed more to the 22-year-old.

Michael Keane 2.0

Godfrey’s anticipated arrival on Merseyside will award Ancelotti a great sense of relief as he acquires depth in the backline whilst awaiting Holgate and Branthwaite’s returns from injury. However, it will remain to be seen whether or not the Canaries talent has the ability to displace the established ranks at Goodison Park once all are fit to feature.

Across the 2019/20 season as Norwich bowed out of the Premier League immediately upon their return to the top-flight, Godfrey started all 30 of the fixtures in which he featured whilst helping Daniel Farke’s side to two clean sheets – once of which came against Everton.

But from those encounters, SofaScore data shows that while Godfrey tallied a commanding 148 clearances, he was only capable of recording 22 tackles, 25 interceptions and 39 ground duels won whilst being dribbled past on eight occasions.

Compare those figures with what Keane, Holgate and Yerry Mina recorded, and it shows Godfrey’s talents are more in line with former Burnley ace Keane who similarly penned 150 clearances, 31 tackles and won 39 ground duels to Holgate and Mina’s 94 and 98 clearances, 44 and 39 tackles and 76 and 56 ground duels won respectively.

The only areas where Godfrey eclipsed Holgate and Mina was in clearances, although Holgate was dribbled past on more occasions (10) and won fewer aerial duels (44 to 66).

If Ancelotti were to favour a backline containing both of Keane and Godfrey when Holgate, for example, is fit, the Italian would likely be accepting a more backs-to-the-wall approach should the opposing side develop the upper hand.

AND in other news, a long-time Everton star has emerged as a transfer option for a Premier League competitor…

Fulham were one of the most active teams in the country on international deadline day, and with just days to go in the domestic window it once again looks as though there will be a flurry of activity at Craven Cottage – and you can understand why.

The London outfit sit bottom of the Premier League after four games, and there is certainly room for improvement in a number of key areas. Luckily it seems as though the higher-ups at the club are well aware of these issues as the transfer links are coming thick and fast.

Here’s how we think Fulham may line-up after the domestic deadline.

Interestingly, we’ve tipped Fulham to stick with a back four for now, but with Scott Parker experimenting with a back five in recent weeks, don’t be too surprised to see that switch at some point.

The defence looks slightly different from what we have seen so far this season, but one thing that remains the same is Alphonse Areola retaining his spot between the sticks.

We have tipped Antonee Robinson to usurp Joe Bryan at left-back, while Terence Kongolo could take Tim Ream’s spot at centre-back after it was reported that he was having a medical.

Joachim Andersen links up with former Lyon teammate Kenny Tete to make up the rest of the back four.

The midfield pivot we’ve selected features Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Harrison Reed playing in the deeper roles, but don’t discount Mario Lemina, Tom Cairney or Jean-Michael Seri getting chances in the near future.

Going forward there’s a completely new look. We’ve tipped the Whites to land Said Benrahma after they were linked with a move by David Ornstein just hours before West Ham’s swoop was rumoured to be on the rocks, while Ademola Lookman and Ruben Loftus-Cheek also earn starting roles.

There are no prizes for guessing who starts up front as Aleksandar Mitrovic spearheads the attack.

Unfortunately, incomings aren’t the only thing expected at Craven Cottage in the coming days.

Indeed, there is no space in our team for either Michael Hector or Anthony Knockaert with QPR and Nottingham Forest both attempting to broker loan deals before the deadline, and we’re building our XI with those deals in mind.

According to German publication BILD, Aston Villa’s rumoured transfer target Milot Rashica is heading to Bayer Leverkusen in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

Reports over the summer had suggested the Kosovo international was closing in on a switch to Villa Park, and that Dean Smith’s side had agreed to meet the release clause of £20.5m in his contract.

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However, talks broke down after Villa revealed they wouldn’t be signing Rashica after all due to his wage demands. Now, BILD claim that the winger has agreed a five-year deal to join Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, and that the deal will become official in January.

Shades of Alexis Sanchez

With 11 goals in 31 games for Werder Bremen last season, Rashica was a real live-wire from out wide for the Bundesliga outfit, and was a key reason behind why they survived relegation via the play-offs.

His manager at Bremen, Florian Kohfeldt, hailed: “Milot’s taken a massive leap in the last year or so. He’s got more confidence in himself and makes scoring look so easy.”

With his ability to play anywhere across the front-line, and a real touch for finishing, it’s no surprise to see that the Bundesliga’s official website has drawn comparisons between him and former Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez.

It said: “A one-man attacking force with pace to burn, the Bremen talisman has that self-same stocky build and low centre of gravity that made Sanchez such an overwhelming prospect for opposition defenders back in his Barcelona and Arsenal days. He loves a set-piece goal, too.”

But with Rashica set to move to Leverkusen, Villa look set to miss out on yet another winger following Said Benrahma’s move to West Ham.

And in other news, Aston Villa dodged a bullet by not signing this Premier League ace.