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Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino vetoed a move for AS Monaco midfielder Youri Tielemans, per Belgian media outlet Het Belang van Limburg, via Sport Witness.

According to The Telegraph’s Midlands football reporter John Percy on Twitter, the midfielder is now reportedly poised to move to Leicester City in a loan deal that will see Adrien Silva go the other way, also on loan.

However, the aforementioned report, via Sport Witness, claims that Spurs’ hierarchy were keen on a move for Tielemans, with a purchase option included in any loan deal.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Pochettino, however, is said to have nixed the potential deal, as he was unconvinced by the qualities offered by the Belgian.

Tielemans has won 19 caps for his country, per Transfermarkt, and has been a key member of Monaco’s squad this season, starting a total of 30 games in all competitions and chipping in with five goals.

And it’s fair to say that the news that Pochettino was not keen on the midfielder has not gone down too well on Twitter.

Celtic may have romped to a 7-0 defeat last weekend but it wasn’t a victory without negatives for Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops.

That’s because both David Turnbull and Giorgos Giakoumakis came away from the clash with injuries.

What’s the word?

With Celtic six points ahead of Rangers in the race for the Premiership title, ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a big blow.

However, the two sides now meet again in the Scottish Cup semi-finals on Sunday, meaning that missing either of them could prove significant.

Fortunately, there is slim hope over Giakoumakis being fit enough to play with Postecoglou teasing that the problem didn’t look too bad.

He said: “Nothing concrete yet. Again, we’re still waiting for the final scans on it.

“Hopefully, it’s not too bad. He feels like it’s not too bad, but until we get the information we won’t know.”

A boost for the Hoops?

Although the severity of the problem is uncertain, it’s a relief to Celtic supporters and indeed the manager that he hasn’t been ruled out entirely.

After all, the Greek has been superb since establishing himself as a key cog in the wheel of their side during 2022.

Giakoumakis already has two hat-tricks this calendar year, bagging 13 goals in all competitions.

It has been an injury-hit spell for the forward since moving to Glasgow last summer but he has proven his fitness of late and terrorised Premiership defences in the process.

With Kyogo Furuhashi only just returning from his own period on the sidelines, it will be vital to have a fit and firing Giakoumakis in the side.

Of course, the comeback of Kyogo would soften the blow of losing another forward but it’s hardly ideal for the manager if he can’t call upon someone who has been so impressive of late.

Celtic have already won one domestic honour this term and a win on Sunday would boost their chances of winning the treble. Therefore, it’s crucial that their powerful Greek can play a part.

AND in other news, Ange is starting to unearth Celtic’s new Stuart Armstrong in “silky” £405k-rated gem…

Rangers are among the clubs in the race to sign an England international goalkeeper this summer, according to The Daily Mail. 

The lowdown

The £32,500-per-week contract of West Brom netminder Sam Johnstone runs until the end of June, at which point he will be free to choose his next club.

The Englishman was the Baggies’ first-choice ‘keeper in the Premier League last season and wound up staying put despite their demotion to the Championship. He’s made 34 league appearances for Steve Bruce’s side, who sit 12th in the table.

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Rangers may need a new goalkeeper for next season, with 40-year-old veteran Allan McGregor also out of contract over the summer.

The latest

The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones and Sam May wrote that Rangers have ‘expressed an interest’ in signing Johnstone, having identified him as a potential replacement for McGregor. However, they face competition from at least four clubs south of the border.

Tottenham Hotspur, who apparently looked poised to sign him at one point in January, want him to provide cover and competition for Hugo Lloris, while recruitment staff at Newcastle United, West Ham United and Southampton have all discussed making a move for the 29-year-old ‘in recent months’ as well.

The verdict

Johnstone would be an excellent signing for Rangers.

He was unfortunate not to get a move last summer, having been a shining light in an otherwise dour to-flight campaign for West Brom. Johnstone was among the nine best shot-stoppers in the division (‘preventing’ 4.4 goals) and was named Player of the Season by both his team-mates and the club’s supporters.

Even after the Baggies’ relegation, the £7.2m-rated stopper earned call-ups for the first three international windows of the 2021/22 season during the autumn. He has won three caps for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions up to this point, underlining his pedigree.

He may be seen not only as a successor to – but also an upgrade on – McGregor, who was questioned for his role in Celtic’s equaliser in Sunday’s Old Firm defeat. Ibrox legend Ally McCoist said that the £13,000-per-week veteran ought to have parried Reo Hatate’s strike ‘wider’, duly allowing Tom Rogic to convert the rebound.

Would Johnstone pick Rangers over Spurs? The Daily Mail’s report noted the 29-year-old’s ambition to make the England squad for the World Cup at the end of the year, and you could argue that he would be better served playing weekly at Ibrox than his likely destiny as Hugo Lloris’ little-used understudy if he goes to north London, where the Frenchman is virtually undroppable.

In other news, Rangers could suffer a £5m blow

Newcastle United are eyeing a move for Leeds United star midfielder Kalvin Phillips this summer according to a report in The Mail.

What’s the story?

The report says that the Magpies are willing to offer Phillips a substantial wage of £125k-p/w which is a colossal £87k more than he is currently on at Elland Road.

It emerges as journalist Mark Douglas reported that the English midfielder is on the shortlist for Newcastle this summer as they look to strengthen their squad greatly in order to compete at the top.

He has become a key player for Leeds and has also shone for his country with Ian Wright labelling him “phenomenal”. Previous reports state that he could cost a jaw-dropping £60m.

He can link up with Bruno

If a move for the 26-year-old proved successful, he could link up with January recruit and fellow midfielder Bruno Guimaraes in the North East.

The Brazilian midfielder arrived from Lyon earlier this year for £37.9m, with the Toon fending off interest from Arsenal to complete the first huge signing under their new ownership.

Phillips has hardly featured for Leeds this season having sustained a hamstring injury at the beginning of December which has seen him miss 19 games for the Whites.

He’s been a big miss which is further proven by their struggles this season, they are currently in a relegation battle and sit nine points clear of the drop zone.

Whether they maintain their Premier League status or not may be a determining factor as to whether Phillips decides to stay.

It’d be harsh to say that he’d be motivated to move to the Toon because of the huge wage increase on offer, but many would argue that his form has proved he deserves the pay rise.

Despite being out through injury he still ranks highly in Europe’s top five leagues when it comes to defensive statistics, ranking in the top 1% for successful pressures.

If he were to partner up with Bruno they would complement each other very well. Whilst Phillips has great defensive skills, Bruno can be a threat going forward.

He ranks in the top 4% across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes and passes into the penalty area compared to those in his position.

Ultimately Phillips would be a great fit for Newcastle, and with the ambitions they have to compete for silverware, it would be hard to turn the opportunity down.

IN other news: NUFC plot bid to sign £31.5m-rated star who’s on “fire”, he could be their own “Salah” – opinion

Leeds United employee Noel Whelan has hailed Jesse Marsch’s man-management skills following his impressive start to life at Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Marsch talks

Marsch has helped the Whites pull eight points clear of safety over recent weeks after picking up three wins and a draw from the last four games.

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The American gave an in-depth interview to talkSPORT from Thorp Arch last week, revealing that his first message to the players was to remain ‘calm’ and that he looked to implement his playing philosophy and mentality on a day-to-day basis.

That has impressed Whelan, who has been full of praise for the 48-year-old when talking to Football Insider.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Former Leeds striker Whelan, who is now an employee of the club, labelled the work Marsch has done as ‘quite incredible’ and described his approachability as ‘massive’.

“He has got up to speed pretty quickly from where he was and where the players were.

“He’s gone in and changed that around. The players have bought into it. He has probably asked the players, one-on-one, what it is they need as well.

“I think it’s really important that you find out from the players first hand so you’ve got something to go off. He’s one of these men that is open to suggestions and he’s open to the players talking to him.

“I think that’s really important because that is a massive part of the game now, man-managing. Not just a squad, but every individual player as well.

“Their needs, what they need from a training session and the rest they need as well. Rest and recuperation is just as important as the intensity that you’re putting out there on the training ground.

“He’s come in and done a really, really educated job with the players. To do it in such a short space of time is quite incredible. There’s no doubt he has got all the credentials you need to be very successful at Leeds.”

The Verdict: Good signs

Taking over from club legend Marcelo Bielsa with Leeds seriously flirting with relegation was always going to be a huge task for Marsch, however, he has rose to the challenge despite a tough first week.

His message about staying calm appears to have done the trick around the training ground, even if fans have remained anything but calm with dramatic stoppage-time winners against Norwich City and Wolves.

Those four points, gained thanks to strikes from Joe Gelhardt and Luke Ayling, could prove to be the difference come the end of the season, where hopefully, Marsch will be preparing for a first full year in charge as a Premier League manager.

In other news: ‘In the coming days’ – Fabrizio Romano drops blow for Leeds and Orta as ‘agreement’ reached. 

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers side will be looking to return to winning ways as they head into Scottish Cup action on Friday night.

They were held to a 1-1 draw by Aberdeen in the Premiership earlier this week and now come up against League Two outfit Stirling Albion.

This match could be an opportunity for a number of fringe players to get welcome minutes and for others to find their confidence following the frustrating draw with the Dons.

How many changes will Van Bronckhorst make from Tuesday night? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make seven alterations to the side from the draw at Pittodrie, with Jon McLaughlin, Leon Balogun, Jack Simpson, Cedric Itten, Fashion Sakala, Alex Lowry and John Lundstram all coming in.

Starting off between the sticks, McLaughlin could get the nod to enjoy some minutes after a lengthy spell out of the team. He has not played a competitive game for Rangers since 9 December against Lyon, and this is the perfect chance to bring him back in for a match.

Van Bronckhorst could also swap out his two first-choice centre-backs, Connor Goldson and Calvin Bassey, to start Balogun and Simpson for the same reason. The aforementioned duo have started every game under the Dutchman and could be rested for this cup clash.

The Scotsman have reported that Lowry will be given his first-team bow in this game and we are predicting that it will come from the start. The 18-year-old could be handed the opportunity to show what he can do over the course of 90 minutes at senior level, which could be an audition for his chance to play in the Premiership between now and the end of the season.

Lundstram could then come in alongside him in place of Glen Kamara, with James Sands keeping his spot in the XI. The American, who joined from New York City FC this month, could need additional minutes to build relationships with his new team-mates, which is why he could start tonight.

In the frontline, Sakala and Itten could both be played from the start in order to help them find some form in front of goal. They both came off the bench in the draw at Aberdeen, and Van Bronckhorst could axe Alfredo Morelos and Scott Wright from the team.

The Colombian endured a difficult night against the Dons and could be axed from the XI as a result. The £33k-per-week gem was not at his best, so handing him a rest here could be a shrewd call by the head coach.

AND in other news, “He is the one”: Journalist delivers big Rangers transfer claim which will get fans excited…

Taking to Twitter, 90min journalist Sean Walsh has made a claim involving Tottenham Hotspur and a possible move for Brentford attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen. 

The lowdown: A joint reunion…

Having made a superb return following a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, Eriksen could already be eyeing the next step as the summer transfer window approaches.

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Out of contract at the end of the season (Transfermarkt), the 30-year-old has already been linked with a sensational move back to N17 to rejoin Spurs and in turn, reunite with Antonio Conte who he starred under at Inter Milan.

Sharing news on social media, Walsh has suggested that the move could now be edging closer than ever…

The latest: Walsh drops update

As per his information, the Brentford and Tottenham reporter claims that the north London club are now ‘confident’ of signing Eriksen this summer.

Walsh explained in a Tweet that the move could be dependent on whether Conte remains at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and whether the Lilywhites reach the UEFA Champions League.

The verdict: Get it done

This is a no-brainer for Spurs as transfer chief Fabio Paratici attempts to strengthen the squad in the summer transfer window.

The 111-cap Denmark international has been nothing short of a revelation since joining Brentford and has directly contributed to three goals in seven Premier League outings for a side that was floundering in February.

Overall, the man hailed as a ‘very special player’ by Spurs insider John Wenham, has earned an outstanding 7.49 average rating since returning to the English top-flight, creating three big chances, making 2.1 key passes per game and taking 1.9 shots a match (Sofascore).

These statistics bear out the star’s continued class and given the perceived stylistic similarities with Manchester City ace Kevin De Bruyne (Fbref), Tottenham should be desperate to land Eriksen.

In other news: Source: Tottenham edge closer to ‘top signing’, he now really wants to join Conte! Find out more here.

Duncan Ferguson slumped to a 1-0 defeat in his first game in charge at Everton at the hands of Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

An Emi Buendia header from former Toffees left-back Lucas Digne’s corner was enough to give Steven Gerrard’s team all three points at Goodison Park, in what was another disappointing result for the hosts.

Using statistical experts SofaScore, The Transfer Tavern have analysed who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for Everton on the day:

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (6.4)

Admittedly tied with Jonjoe Kenny in terms of rating (6.4), Calvert-Lewin ranks in third here as he also picked up a yellow card.

The striker registered no shots on target and only had 36 touches of the ball in total, fewer than Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. He also lost out on no fewer than 17 of his duels, by far the most out of any player on the pitch, and lost the ball 15 times.

Andre Gomes (6.3)

Gomes has the same rating as the worst player (6.3), but ranks second in our classification as he did not play the full game.

The Portuguese midfielder lost eight duels and failed to have a strike on goal, while he also made no clearances or interceptions. He also recorded no key passes and gave the ball away on six occasions before being substituted early in the second half.

Mason Holgate (6.3)

Also with a 6.3 rating, Holgate ranked as the worst player for the Blues, as he was left on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.

The defender was beaten in seven individual duels and made no clearances, while he too was guilty of losing possession far too cheaply, giving the ball away 18 times in total.

In other news, one of the above trio was hammered by many Everton fans over his performance

Arsenal have submitted an offer for Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, according to reports in Italy…

What’s the word?

La Repubblica claim that the Gunners have bid around €70m (£58.5m) for the 21-year-old and La Viola president Rocco Commisso is now prepared to let him leave Florence this month.

The Fiorentina supremo has grown impatient with Vlahovic’s attitude and the behaviour from his representatives after it was confirmed back in October that he would not be signing a new contract.

In recent weeks, the Daily Mail revealed how his transfer could cost a total of £150m when factoring in wages and other fees, so the north London giants will have to pay a premium to see him arrive at the Emirates Stadium before January 31st.

Get it done!

Arsenal are in desperate need of reinforcements this month, that much is obvious following Sunday’s north London derby postponement.

With virus cases on the increase, players at the Africa Cup of Nations, Granit Xhaka suspended and other injuries mounting up, Mikel Arteta has been left with a threadbare squad this week.

There is a longer-term issue emerging, though.

Alexandre Lacazette’s contract is up at the end of the season and there has been no incline that he’s prepared to extend his current deal, so right now, the French veteran is set to leave, whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubamyang’s future is by no means certainly after he was stripped of the captaincy.

It means a new frontman is needed and Vlahovic would surely be a dream signing for the young Spanish head coach.

The Serbia international has been in electric form in front of goal this season – as per Transfermarkt, he’s delivered 19 goals in 23 appearances, meaning he’s found the net once every 102.5 minutes.

That builds on his impressive form for Fiorentina last season, where he bagged 21 goals in the Serie A.

He has since been lauded as a “complete number nine” by Italian football expert Conor Clancy, whilst his former coach Ivan Tomic dubbed him a goalscoring “monster” with shades of Zlatan Ibrahimovic about him.

Valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, the Gunners would do very well to secure him for just £58.5m. He’s a player that Arteta desperately needs, so it’s on Edu Gaspar and co to seal a move for him at all costs before the end of the month.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Partey: Arsenal can find new Santi Cazorla in £49.5m-rated “outrageous talent”…

An update has emerged on an Ibrox transfer target, with a club from a top European league joining Rangers in the race for his services in the January window…

What’s the talk?

According to TuttoAtalanta, Serie A side Atalanta are now showing an interest in Gers target Danilho Doekhi and want to sign him when his contract with Vitesse expires in the summer.

The report claims that they have been in contact with the player over a potential pre-contract agreement this month to take him to Italy ahead of next season.

Livid

Gio van Bronckhorst could be headed for a disaster with this news as Rangers fans will be livid with the club if they end up missing out on a deal for Doekhi because they have not moved quickly enough.

The Gers are reportedly keen on tying him down to a pre-contract, which would alleviate any need to pay a transfer fee or negotiate with Vitesse for his services, but it remains to be seen how far advanced they are in their efforts to do so and this update could put them behind in the race.

Rangers must now react to Atalanta’s interest by intensifying their efforts to sign the Dutch beast as he could be an excellent signing.

Doekhi has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.01 in the Eredivisie this season and Thomas Letsch, manager of his current club, once lavished praise on the 22-year-old, saying: “Danilho is extremely important. He is one of the best centre-backs of the Eredivisie.

“Of course there is more talk about Oussama Tannane, Riechedly Bazoer and the attacking players. But it is very important for the team that you are stable and prevent goals. Everyone is responsible for that, but Doekhi, Jacob Rasmussen and also Tomas Hajek do a super job.

“He already played fantastic last year and this season he has performed at the highest level in every game. Danilho makes almost no mistakes and is an absolute team player, a very calm player. flat developed. He coaches other players very well. He is calmer than other players and perhaps that makes him less noticeable, but he is the reserve captain for a reason.”

This highlights his impressive form in the Netherlands and illustrates why fans will be gutted if the club are unable to secure a deal for his services. A defender who ‘makes almost no mistakes’ sounds like a player the supporters would love to see at Ibrox as it suggests that he is a reliable player who van Bronckhorst could trust to do a job week-in-week-out, which is why Atalanta landing him could be a disaster.

AND in other news, “Decision” imminent: Journo drops big Rangers transfer claim that’ll excite Ibrox fans…