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Rangers have been linked with a move for Hibernian striker Kevin Nisbet in recent weeks and he could be a superb addition to Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox this summer.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Record, Gerrard is an admirer of the 24-year-old striker, with Celtic, Spartak Moscow and Krasnodar also said to be interested in signing him.

However, the report claims that if Rangers were to sign him then Gerrard would have to sell one of his current striking options, as they already boast a plethora of attacking talent including Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe, Cedric Itten, Fashion Sakala and Jermain Defoe.

Should Rangers sign Nisbet?

However, Nisbet matched Rangers’ top scorer Roofe last season for league goals, scoring 14 in total in the Premiership, which certainly suggests that he could be a worthwhile addition to Gerrard’s squad, as he was able to outscore star striker Morelos.

The Scotland international adapted to Premiership football superbly after hitting 18 goals in 25 appearances for Dunfermline in the 2019/20 Championship season, so it is no surprise that he is attracting further interest this summer.

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Hibernian teammate Marvin Barley was full of praise for Nisbet last season, saying:

“He’s been fantastic. He came up from the Championship and he’s taken to the Premiership like a duck to water.

“You seen him today, he had a couple of chances but what a fantastic finish by him.

“He works really hard off the ball and he does a lot for the team but when he gets in front of the goal he is so cool and calm.”

The £2.7m-rated forward is contracted with Hibernian until 2024, suggesting that he wouldn’t be a cheap option for Ross Wilson this summer, but his performances in recent seasons certainly mark him out as one of the most exciting talents in Scotland.

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Therefore, Wilson should definitely make a move for the 24-year-old this summer, especially if we see any of the current attacking options depart.

And, in other news… Gerrard handed huge Ibrox boost with beast with “undoubted quality”, Gers fans will be delighted 

Tottenham Hotspur could bring Philippe Coutinho back to the Premier League this January…

What’s the word?

According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), the north London outfit have been offered the chance to sign the Barcelona flop next month and he is open to joining them, especially over top-flight rivals Newcastle United.

The former Liverpool sensation is not in Xavi’s plans at the Nou Camp and is expected to leave the Catalan giants in the upcoming transfer window.

For exactly how much remains to be seen, if even permanent, though Transfermarkt value the 63-time Brazil international at just £18m.

Playmaker needed

If there’s one area of the pitch that Spurs have struggled in, then it’s in the final third.

Harry Kane has floundered in front of goal in the Premier League this term, finding the net just twice in 14 appearances, whilst there are only two teams that have attempted fewer shots on goal per game than Spurs (10.8), rock-bottom Norwich City (10.5) being one.

You could argue that the Lilywhites aren’t creating enough clear-cut chances. Indeed, just two of Antonio Conte’s first-team stars are averaging more than one key pass per match – Heung-min Son (1.8) and Lucas Moura (1.2).

It’s clear that Spurs have missed a player like Christian Eriksen in attacking midfield all season.

Coutinho was an absolute star for Liverpool in the Premier League, so if Conte can get that back out of him, then he could well be a valuable asset for the rest of the season.

During a loan spell away from Spain, the Brazilian maestro excelled for Bayern Munich, where he averaged 2.2 key passes per 90 across the Bundesliga and Champions League. He also delivered 11 goals and nine assists in just 20 starts across both competitions, too.

That was only two seasons ago, so he may well be worth a risk as he would be given an actual chance to impress at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Once dubbed a “magician” with “magical powers” by ex-teammate Roberto Firmino, Coutinho could be the Eriksen heir that Spurs have been looking to find for quite some time.

His experience in England and track record makes this gamble 100% worth it. Fabio Paratici must look to take on Barca’s offer.

AND in other news, Conte can finally axe Spurs’ “liability” by signing £36m-rated “absolute beast”…

According to Irons insider Claret & Hugh, there has been a promising West Ham United transfer update involving long-time David Moyes target Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: Moyes attempts move…

Over the past two windows, a reoccurring theme of West Ham’s transfer activity has been their determination to sign Man United playmaker Lingard on a permanent deal.

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West Ham attempted to seal an agreement both last summer and in the most recent winter window but those attempts at a breakthrough eventually failed to come to fruition.

As Lingard runs down his contract, which is set to expire in June this year, the 29-year-old could now join the Hammers on a Bosman – with Red Devils boss Ralf Rangnick green-lighting the player’s exit.

It is believed that the attacker has had it ‘made clear’ that an Old Trafford extension is unlikely due to a ‘plan set in place’ by Rangnick.

The Latest: Lingard has preference…

According to C&H, as Lingard weighs his next move, it is believed the Englishman is ‘set to turn his back on Newcastle for West Ham’ due to his belief that Moyes is more likely to play him regularly than Magpies boss Eddie Howe.

The forward is apparently still a serious option for West Ham and their manager ahead of this summer window with their interest very much maintained.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Valued at around £18 million by Transfermarkt, West Ham could bypass this fee completely and seal an established Premier League creative force for nothing.

Taking this into account, a move for Lingard on the eve of his contract expiry should at the very least be considered, especially going by the player’s personal stance.

The Three Lions ace will be looking to work his way back into Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of the World Cup in Qatar later this year and a move to West Ham could well be his best option.

One of Lingard’s best seasons in the English top flight came on loan at the London Stadium last year and it isn’t inconceivable to believe he could re-discover that form for 2022/2023.

In other news: West Ham surprise on the cards with GSB in mix to sign ‘big name’ once valued at £100m, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur could land themselves a new Jan Vertonghen-like colossus this January after Antonio Conte’s transfer demands emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the 52-year-old boss has requested defensive reinforcements, with two key targets in mind in Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt and his former Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni.

Conte managed the latter during his Serie A title-winning campaign last season but it remains to be seen how much it would command to bring him to north London.

Transfermarkt currently value him at £54m.

Shades of Vertonghen

Bastoni played 33 times for the Italian in the league last season, featuring alongside Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij in his famed three-at-the-back system.

The trio contributed towards Inter recording the best defensive record in the division, so it’s no surprise that Conte would be keen to have him in his squad once again.

Unlike much of his current options at Spurs, Bastoni is a natural left-footer, so he would be of huge use in 2022, especially as the manager has had to turn to left-back Ben Davies to fill that left-sided role due to the lack of options.

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Interestingly, the 22-year-old defender started life out as a full-back but as his career has gone on, he has developed into a solid central option, with his ball-playing ability and control two major strengths to his game.

This could, therefore, draw some similarities to Vertonghen, who was a crucial and influential defender in N17 for many, many years. He too was a ball-playing left-footer that could be deployed in the middle or out wide.

“He controls the opponent, space and with a refinement that has rarely been seen, reminds me of a young [Leonardo] Bonucci,” once claimed Italian journalist Mario Sconcerti.

The praise for Bastoni doesn’t just stop there, though.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig once lauded him as a “complete, dominant and elegant” centre-back, as well as being “Conte’s talisman” at the San Siro, whilst tactical analysts Top Bins Talk dubbed him a “Rolls-Royce defender”.

In Bastoni, Paratici could well discover Spurs’ new Vertonghen and he’s the sort of player that Conte could really do with right now on the left side of defence.

AND in other news, Spurs reportedly make “the biggest offer” to sign £31.5m-rated “animal”…

Speaking to Max Statman, Italian journalist and Juventus correspondent Romeo Agresti of Goal.com has shared a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update involving striker Paulo Dybala.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Nunez move?

In recent weeks, there has been plenty of noise surrounding Tottenham and their hunt for a new forward, with links to some pretty big names having come out of the woodwork.

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Perhaps most notably, in-demand Benfica striker Darwin Nunez has been repeatedly and heavily tipped with Spurs interest.

90min claimed recently that Tottenham made contact with the 22-year-old’s representatives to find out the conditions of a potential transfer.

The Daily Express, meanwhile, revealed earlier this week that Lilywhites officials were sent on a scouting mission over Nunez – with club staff running the rule during Benfica’s loss to Liverpool in the Champions League.

Now, amid these claims, it appears Spurs have also made contact for another forward.

The Latest: Agresti shares Dybala update…

Speaking to Max Statman, Juve correspondent Agresti claims Tottenham are one of the clubs who have had ‘some contacts’ over signing soon-to-be free agent Dybala – though he claims nothing is advanced.

As well as the Lilywhites, it is believed both Inter and Atletico Madrid have also been in touch with the Serie A giants.

He explained: “Regarding Paulo Dybalaʼs next destination, to be fair I don’t know. But I think he hasn’t find a club yet. There were some contacts with Inter, something with Atletico Madrid and Tottenham, but I think he’s taking his time to decide his next club. There are nothing advanced yet.”

The Verdict: Take it further?

Valued at an estimated £36 million by Transfermarkt, Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici could bypass that fee entirely and sign him on a free deal given his dwindling contract situation.

Set to leave on a Bosman transfer as things stand, Tottenham could back manager Antonio Conte with a proven attacking threat at zero cost.

Scoring 13 goals and assisting six others in all competitions this season, Dybala has also been lavished by members of the English press, with ex-Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell calling the Argentine ‘clinical’ and ‘quick-thinking’ between the lines (Football Insider).

Dybala may well be one to watch more and more as we approach the summer.

In other news: In recent weeks: Tottenham step up chase to sign ‘incredible’ player as club brace for their bid! Find out more here.

Newcastle fan favourite Allan Saint-Maximin has revealed that everyone at St. James’ Park felt ‘disappointed’ when the owners visited to share the news that Steve Bruce had been sacked.

The Lowdown: Bye bye Bruce

Bruce’s departure was confirmed on Wednesday, after taking charge of his 1,000th game in management last weekend, falling to another defeat against Tottenham.

The 60 year-old certainly can’t argue this wasn’t coming, winning just 28 of 97 games with the Magpies, a measly 29 per cent winning rate.

Of course, that worrying record doesn’t mean the manager didn’t have some positive influence on Tyneside, and perhaps the biggest silver lining of his tenure was the emergence of Saint-Maximin.

The Latest: Saint-Maximin reveals all

The 24 year-old shared a heartfelt thank you message to his gaffer on Twitter this week, before speaking to Sky Sports (via Football Daily) about the mood in the dressing room.

“It was a bad day, so they didn’t come in like ‘we enjoy, Steve Bruce is sacked’, that’s not what happened.

“Everyone feels disappointed and even the owner, to be honest, about what’s happened.

“So they just talked about the situation at the moment, they said if we need anything to make everything better, we just have to talk, because at the moment we need to feel comfortable.”

The Verdict: Fonseca time?

There is no question Saint-Maximin has thrived under the tutelage of Bruce, regardless of the manager’s poor record on Tyneside. The dazzling winger had never been able to add consistency to his game in France, but has bagged two goals and three assists in eight top flight appearances this season.

That said, the only way the club can feel ‘comfortable’ again is if they start putting points on the board, something they will look to kick-start at Crystal Palace this weekend when Graeme Jones leads them to Selhurst Park.

The rumour mill is heating up with new manager links too, with Paulo Fonseca seemingly the front runner at the moment.

And, given that the Portuguese tactician was hailed as ‘one of the greatest coaches I’ve had in football’ by Euro 2020 winner Alessandro Florenzi, perhaps he will have the perfect man-management style to continue to bring the best out of Saint-Maximin.

In other news, the KSA consortium are already eyeing up a ‘fantastic striker’ who Shearer loves! Find out more here…

West Ham remain interested in Sam Johnstone, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Irons were originally linked with a move for the West Brom goalkeeper during the summer transfer window, when Football Insider claimed that the 28-year-old was a firm target for David Moyes and he was “very keen” to join the east Londoners.

With his contract set to expire in the summer, the Scotsman could well plot to sign him once again.

“WBA and England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is targeted by Tottenham. Southampton and West Ham are the other interested teams with the young keeper,” claimed verified Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur.

He added: “Johnstone will be free to negotiate with those clubs in January. His West Bromwich contract will expire at the end of this season.”

Bye-bye Fabianski?

The Hammers brought in Alphonse Areola on loan from Paris Saint-Germain instead of signing the England international, so this renewed interest could mean one of two things.

Either Moyes is not convinced by the 6 foot 5 loanee or he wants to replace the likes of Lukasz Fabianski, Darren Randolph and Dave Martin, all of whom are the wrong side of 30.

The latter scenario seems more likely and a goalkeeping department of Areola and Johnstone would be very competitive and something you’d expect from a Premier League side vying for a European spot.

West Ham’s new head of recruitment Rob Newman could seal a bargain in the Baggies shot-stopper, especially if he secures him for nothing.

Despite being relegated last season, Johnstone made Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2020, though that should come as little surprise as he was one of the more impressive options between the sticks. No goalkeeper made more saves (161) than the 6 foot 4 glovesman in the 2020/21 Premier League, as per FBRef.

Former Villa boss Steve Bruce lauded him as a “diamond” for his work ethic on the training pitch. “He’s a diamond – first in, last out. He’s a typical goalkeeper who wants to learn,” the 60-year-old said, via BirminghamLive.

The £7.2m-rated star is only thought to be earning around £32.5k-per-week at The Hawthorns, which further suggests that it would be an absolute steal to secure him, especially ahead of Spurs and the Saints.

Newman and co must look to replace Fabianski with Johnstone in 2022.

AND in other news, Signed for £18m, now worth 81% less: GSB endured nightmare with “special” West Ham dud…

This was a difficult summer for Wolverhampton Wanderers. They lost Nuno Santo early on due to a rift over recruitment and it’s probably just as well he left.

The Portuguese had been informed by Jeff Shi and co that he’d have to operate in a market that revolved around loan deals.

Bruno Lage, however, was keen to come to the Premier League and has worked duly with what he’s been given at Molineux.

Trincao arrived from Barcelona and South Korean speedster Hwang-hee Chan was also signed on a temporary basis from RB Leipzig.

Both players are eye-catching additions but beyond that, there was little to shout about in the market.

Wolves looked to complete deals on deadline day but ultimately fell short in their pursuits of Kieffer Moore, Sven Botman and Renato Sanches.

The Old Gold came into the final day of the window looking as though they’d sign the latter. They were in talks with Lille over landing the midfielder on a loan deal before paying to sign him next summer.

However, with the 23-year-old injured and a disagreement over the future fee, a deal fell through.

It was a gut-wrenching blow for the club who were keen to bring in one of the most promising central players in Europe.

Sanches’ previous spell in the Premier League with Swansea had been unsuccessful but he’s come on leaps and bounds since moving to French football.

He was involved in four goals throughout the league campaign and was tantalising with the ball at his feet.

The Portuguese dynamo recorded a pass success rate north of 85% and registered 1.7 dribbles per game.

Yet, they shouldn’t be too disheartened about missing out on Sanches. After all, Lage may already have Wolves’ very own Renato lying within their ranks.

That happens to be Chem Campbell, the new darling of the Wolves academy.

Of course, he’s not at the level that Sanches currently is but his future at Molineux and in the game, in general, is huge.

The 18-year-old was courted by Borussia Dortmund last year and was named in The Guardian’s 20-best players at Premier League clubs for 2019.

Writing in that piece, Paul Doyle said: “He is a skilful, direct dribbler with a knack for bursting forward from central midfield.”

That reminds us of Sanches, a skilful ball carrier who is capable of dragging his team up the pitch.

Campbell became the second-youngest player to feature for Wolves at senior level when he played in the Carabao Cup back in 2019/20.

He’s not played a first-team game since but has taken part in the EFL Trophy, gaining regular football against senior professionals.

The teenager is one of the most vibrant players in the academy and a glowing review from former U18 boss Steve Davis says a lot: “[He can] go as far as he wants in the game,” Davis began.

“He can produce things out of nothing.

“Defensively he’s got work to do in terms of his responsibilities but with the ball he can create things just with his skill. He catches the eye.”

Campbell has a long way to go before he becomes a regular part of the furniture at Molineux but the midfielder has plenty of potential.

After missing out on Sanches, Lage should look to unearth it.

With Leeds United having the second-youngest squad in the Premier League with an average age of 24.8 according to Transfermarkt, it seems as though the Yorkshire club could be looking to add a player to their squad that could offer them a lot of Premier League experience.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Calcio Mercato (via Sport Witness) Leeds are interested in signing Juventus and former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey on a loan deal in the upcoming January transfer window.

Before jetting off to Juventus back in the 2019 summer transfer window, Ramsey made a total of 371 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions, scoring 65 goals and providing 65 assists in the process.

With 262 of those appearances coming in the Premier League, this shows just how much experience the Welshman could offer Marcelo Bielsa’s side if he does leave Juventus next month and fancies a return to England with Leeds and play alongside some of his Wales teammates such as Dan James and Tyler Roberts.

Labelled as an “outstanding technician” in the past by pundit and former Arsenal star Martin Keown, Ramsey could definitely offer some creativity and goals to this Leeds side who have only managed to score 15 times in as many games so far this season.

Additionally, with Leeds only having four central-midfield options in their squad at the moment, this backs up why signing a midfielder such as Ramsey, who is currently valued at £9m according to Transfermarkt, would be a good idea for the Yorkshire club to do in January to give Bielsa that bit of extra depth in that area of his squad.

The report does claim, however, that Leeds would look for a loan deal for Ramsey whereas fellow Premier League club Everton could be willing to make a permanent deal for the 30-year-old, which might be more appealing to Juventus rather than a loan deal and therefore put the Whites on the backfoot in the chase for his signature.

Either way, with January around the corner, Leeds and Victor Orta should definitely explore the option of signing Ramsey either on a loan deal or permanent basis if they can, as it would definitely start their transfer window with a bang given his pedigree at the top level.

In other news: Huge setback: Leeds struck with double injury blow that’ll surely have Bielsa fuming – opinion

Many Everton fans have been left lauding a transfer update on Philippe Coutinho.

Writing in his latest piece for The Liverpool Echo, football journalist Phil Kirkbride has claimed that the Goodison Park faithful have been offered the chance to sign the former Liverpool star before the summer window shuts.

However, it is unlikely that they will sign him at this moment in time, as he is a player that they are not currently actively pursuing, and his wages may present an issue.

Of course, Coutinho is proven in English football, having scored no fewer than 54 goals and made a further 45 assists in 201 games in total over all competitions across six consecutive seasons at Anfield (Transfermarkt).

There may be a bit of bittersweetness if he signs having played for the Reds before, but it seems as if a lot of Merseyside club supporters want him signed.

Everton fans on Coutinho transfer update

These Toffees lauded the transfer update as it was shared across Twitter:

“Sign him up, improves us straight away.”

Credit: @Gazala2

“I would take him he’s quality adds more options for us tbh”

Credit: @KieranTB20

“What get on it Mosh lad”

Credit: @eveoblue

“If he agrees a lower wage I’ll take him”

Credit: @OscarFinch15

“I’d bite your hand off for him.”

Credit: @JayRicho60

“Sign him up @rafabenitezweb @Everton”

Credit: @CursedToffees

In other news, find out what transfer update has Blues raging here!