It’s no secret that big changes are being lined up at Rangers this summer and although that could be unsettling for players, fans are excited at that prospect.

Steven Gerrard hasn’t enjoyed the best of seasons in his first-in-charge of the Light Blues but only improvements can be made from him, so long as he gets sufficient backing over the summer. New faces will be largely beneficial to Gerrard and his team, with each capable of bringing new ideas and talents to the team.

Whilst securing second spot in the league, it’s about time Rangers went one step further and beat Celtic to the title for the first time since 2011.

The services of a talented defender will have to be acquired in order to fulfil that ambition and reigniting their interest in Bournemouth’s Jack Simpson wouldn’t be a bad idea at all. Simpson, (who is valued at £450k on Transfermarkt) was a player of interest – according to the Sunday Mail via the Scottish Sun back in August – to Rangers last summer but after a deal failed to materialise, the two went their separate ways.

For Jack Simpson, it’s been yet another season of false hope with only six appearances to his name.

As a highly-rated 22-year-old, it goes without saying that he needs more time on the pitch than that. Why not offer him the chance to do that at one of the biggest clubs in Europe?

Indeed, with Joe Worrall returning to Nottingham Forest and Gareth McAuley out of contract, the need for a new defender at Ibrox is obvious and that is a role Jack Simpson can fulfil. Yes, it’s an ambitious move but that’s the thinking required to get the club back on the up.

A big money move for Hearts star John Souttar has been touted but why waste the money? Gerrard needs short-term success if he’s going to wholly convince during his time in Glasgow and cannot afford not to win a trophy. Save the money, get a loan in and work on strengthening the attack.

Rangers fans, are you still interested in Jack Simpson? If not, why not? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Loads of Rangers fans have been running the rule over their latest transfer target, as the Gers reportedly want to sign Aberdeen loanee Greg Stewart.

According to The Daily Record, Stewart’s move to Ibrox is “edging closer”, as the club have stepped up their pursuit of the forward in the last 24 hours.

Stewart, who has joined Aberdeen on loan in January, will be out of contract this summer, effectively making him a bargain regardless of what wages are on offer.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

The Birmingham ace has spent time with four different Scottish sides now, but has only managed to rack up 22 appearances in England since joining the Blues in 2016.

This, combined with the fact that he has not exactly been a sure-fire starter with the Dons this season, has got plenty of Gers fans turning their noses up at the prospect of bringing him to Glasgow.

However, the forward does possess that little bit of craft and guile that could help Steven Gerrard’s side unlock deep defences, something they have struggled with this season.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are split on moving for Stewart…

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The Sun are reporting that Borussia Dortmund and former Manchester City winger Jadon Sancho is top of Manchester United’s transfer list for the summer window.

What’s the word, then?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly considering four England stars to sign after the season’s end, Sancho, West Ham United’s Declan Rice, Aaron Wan-Bissaka of Crystal Palace and Leicester City’s Harry Maguire.

Sancho is just 19 and one of the brightest prospects in Europe.

After breaking onto the Bundesliga scene in 2017/2018, he’s made 47 senior appearances for Dortmund, scoring 10 goals, bagging a remarkable 21 assists and breaking into Gareth Southgate’s England squad to become a full international.

Sanchez out, Sancho in

It’s time Man United admit that the deal to bring Alexis Sanchez in from Arsenal was a complete disaster and get rid of the Chilean.

At the moment, the 30-year-old is hoovering up wages with little contribution to Solskjaer’s recent success, his ridiculous £350,000 per week salary could even be disturbing the harmony of the squad.

It makes perfect sense to give up on Sanchez now and identify the wage waster’s perfect replacement, Sancho, and make the wonderkid a Red Devil.

In the 19-year-old, who is valued at £72 million by Transfermarkt, United would be signing the player they thought they were getting in Sanchez – but a much younger and better version.

Like Sanchez, Sancho likes to play out on the wing, although he is versatile enough to suit most positions within the attack, from central attacking midfielder to striker.

One could perhaps argue that replacing a left winger with a right winger would make no sense, however, while left wing by trade, the injury-prone ex-Gunner Sanchez has played on both flanks in Manchester.

And, despite the fact it would presumably take a ludicrous fee to sign someone who hasn’t even made 50 appearances in one of Europe’s top five leagues yet, Ed Woodward must pay whatever it takes to bring in one of the brightest talents in world football to fill the boots of an ageing and useless former star.

كشفت صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية موقف نادي برشلونة تجاه إمكانية رحيل مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، أنطوان جريزمان، في الميركاتو الشتوي خلال شهر يناير 2021.

وخرجت بعض التقارير في الأيام الأخيرة لتلمح إلى إمكانية رحيل جريزمان عن برشلونة وربما تكون وجهته المقبلة هي العودة إلى أتلتيكو مدريد مرة أخرى.

ولكن تواصلت الصحيفة الشهيرة مع مصدر داخل نادي برشلونة والذي أكد على أن جريزمان مستمر مع الفريق ولن يرحل في يناير، رغم كل الانتقادات التي يتعرض لها في الفترة الماضية بسبب عدم ظهوره بمستوى جيد مع العملاق الكتالوني.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ليكيب: كومان نجح في إحكام قبضته على غرفة اللاعبين في برشلونة

وكان جريزمان قد أثار الجدل بعد مباراة فرنسا وكرواتيا في دوري الأمم الأوروبية في وقت سابق هذا الشهر، عندما صرح وأكد على أن ديديه ديشامب (مدرب منتخب فرنسا) يعرف كيف يضععه في المكان الصحيح، في إشارة إلى عدم التفاهم بينه وبين رونالد كومان في برشلونة.

هذه التصريحات هي من فتحت باب التكهنات حول إمكانية رحيل جريزمان عن برشلونة، والبحث عن فريق آخر قادر على الاستفادة من قدراته الفنية المعروفة.

وينتظر عشاق نادي برشلونة بالإضافة إلى الصحافة والإعلام الإسباني إذا كان كومان سيعتمد على جريزمان في مباراة الكلاسيكو اليوم، السبت، أمام ريال مدريد أم سيدفع بأحد مواهبه الكروية مثل بيدري وترينكاو.

It has been another season with more questions being raised than answers being offered for Rafa Benitez and Newcastle United, as they battle through another relegation scrap.

It seems the old adage of learning from your mistakes does not apply to Mike Ashley, as once again it is down to the last six games of the campaign, and still the club’s fate is not mathematically certain.

Two relegations and countless nail-biting years would make most people realise that something is not right.

But for Ashley, he has his ace up his sleeve — a world class manager the envy of the clubs in and around them in the table.

But for his tactical genius, Newcastle would not have survived last season, nor this.

It is, though, still all to play for this season, with Newcastle looking more comfortable than most, but still nervously looking over their shoulders, knowing they are just one bad run away from being dragged back into the mire.

So we at the Tavern have looked at the remaining fixtures for the season, and determined how the table will look in May.

Fortunately for black and white fans everywhere, we predict that Rafa’s side will finish on 45 points, which will see them 12th — a huge 11 points above the bottom three.

While that will not match their incredible tenth place of last year, it will still represent another spectacular job from Benitez.

The manager endured heavy criticism from pundits early in the season, for his negative tactics — particularly in games against the top six sides — but he is wily enough to have ignored them, and stuck to his game plan.

Of course, his tactics saw them pull off a quite brilliant turnaround against champions, Manchester City in January, and has seen them minimise the impact of defeats in most others — an undeserved 4-0 reverse at Anfield apart.

In our table, with Fulham and Huddersfield’s fates already sealed, it is Cardiff who are the unlucky losers for the last spot, finishing just two points behind fourth-bottom Burnley.

A mid-table finish would be accepted by most of the Geordie fans, but they will not want to have to go through any further seasons like this.

If Rafa commits to the club, and signs an extension to his current deal, the signs must have been made clear to him, and hence indirectly to the fans, that he will be given the budget to ensure that top half finishes can be the norm.

All fans will be relieved if that proves to be the case.

What do you think, Newcastle fans? Why don’t you try the predictor for yourself and let us know how your final table looks…

Miguel Almirón certainly had an interesting night when coming off the bench in Paraguay’s defeat to Mexico in California on Tuesday night, with what you could describe as a hot and cold few minutes.

The Newcastle record signing was brought into the action in the 57th minute. Just three minutes later he set up teammate Hernán Pérez to score and get his side back into the game, albeit still trailing 3-1.

But Almirón’s night took a bitter twist just four minutes later, with the speedster chasing Jose Juan Vazquez, he lunged at him from behind, catching the Mexican on the back of the calf in a nasty challenge.

The Paraguayan midfielder was rightly given his marching orders, and will now suffer a one-game suspension.

The suspension will only apply for Paraguay, however, meaning the player will still be eligible for Newcastle at Arsenal on Monday.

The show of frustration and temper from Almiron will be noted by Premier League rivals, who may now target him in future games against the Magpies, in the hope that he will do something similarly petulant and see red against them.

That said, it could also be seen to suggest that, despite his baby-faced looks and slight frame, he will be able to take care of himself and not be bullied by Premier League defenders, following a spate of poor challenges he has been on the receiving end of since moving to England.

As you might expect, Twitter lit up following his red card.

Does this challenge shock you, Newcastle fans? Or does it suggest to you that he has the ability to look after himself in the Premier League? Let us know your thoughts…

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According to The Sun, Roy Hodgson wants to bring Jordan Ayew, who has been on loan at Crystal Palace this season, to Selhurst Park on a permanent basis this summer despite the Ghanaian having netted just once in the league in 18 appearances.

Michy Batshuayi’s arrival has seen the former Aston Villa man slip down the pecking order but that doesn’t mean Hodgson doesn’t see him as a useful squad player for next season, with the Premier League’s oldest boss keen to make the £4m striker his first signing of the summer.

Goals remain a problem for the SE25 outfit and offensive reinforcements are clearly required in the summer – Ayew plays up front, but should he return to the Eagles once his loan move expires? Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts on a Palace swoop for the number 14 below…

Ben Goodwin

“Any amount of money spent on Ayew would be money wasted by Crystal Palace. Last time I checked, the Eagles are suffering because none of their strikers can score goals, so why on Earth would they spend part of their transfer kitty on a striker with 2 goals in 23 appearances? He is not physical enough for the Premier League and needs to be let go for his woeful form, not rewarded with a permanent deal.”

James Beavis

“While I can see why a £4m transfer may be tempting in this day and age, it would be madness to bring Ayew to Selhurst Park permanently. The Ghana international would have been signed by the south London club to score goals and give the Eagles a boost in the final third, and he has failed to do that. They have signed a number of attackers over the years that have failed to make their mark such as Yaya Sanogo and Emmanuel Adebayor, and Ayew would be an even worse signing than Adebayor in the circumstances.”

A Crystal Palace fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Eagles in the video below…

Jack Saville

“Ayew has had ample chances to prove himself at this level and he hasn’t taken them. Palace have been starved of a reliable goalscorer for the past two seasons and Ayew quite clearly isn’t a solution to the problem, he’s a major part of it. Roy Hodgson would be a fool to sanction a deal even at £4 million.”

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That Moussa Sissoko is widely fancied to win Tottenham’s player of the season award speaks volumes about how far the once ritually lambasted midfielder has come this season, but has Victor Wanyama shown him that another level can still be reached?

On the chalkboard

Sissoko’s transformation has been as compelling as it has been stunning. Simply put, nobody saw this coming, nobody. In seasons gone by it seemed the France international had no excuse for consistently underperforming in Lilywhite without the fallback of inexperience to explain his abject displays.

But the beginning of the current campaign and a move into central midfield has seen the all-action midfielder become a hub at the heart of Tottenham’s free-flowing system.

The 29-year-old now patrols the centre circle with a swagger and sense of authority which is a mind-boggling far cry from the frightened and nerve-jangling figure who used to strike every ball as if his basic liberties as a human being were at stake.

Yet the transformation does not feel complete.

This is a player who is able to flick on the jets and rapidly switch a canter into a gallop to breeze past his opponent, but one who also fails to fully utilise this skill.

Victor Wanyama, however, making a rare start for Spurs on Saturday, showed Sissoko how to perfectly time a run into the penalty area by striding forward to latch onto a loose ball, bypassing the goalkeeper with ease and tapping the ball into a gaping goal.

If anyone needed to learn a lesson from this moment of undisputed class, it was Sissoko.

Sissoko could and should score more

The manner in which Wanyama ghosted into the box was (sorry Spurs fans) almost Lampard-esque.

Timing of the run is everything, and that’s an area where Sissoko must improve to utilise every aspect of his footballing repertoire.

For a player with his speed and energy he ought to be running free of his marker and arriving in the box unmarked and ready to find the net, but he seldom finds himself in a goal scoring position.

Wanyama, valued at £22.5 million by Transfermarkt, is hardly famed for his goal scoring prowess or the intelligence of his running into the area but he still managed to showcase that side of his game against the Terriers.

If Sissoko wants to full complete his turnaround and become a truly devastating talent in central midfield, he needs to find tune that side of his game.

هاجم رئيس رابطة الأندية الإسبانية، خافيير تيباس، رئيس نادي برشلونة السابق، جوسيب ماريا بارتوميو، بعد ساعات قليلة من تقديم استقالته من منصبه يوم أمس، الثلاثاء.

وقرر بارتوميو التنحي عن مهمته بعدما رفضت الحكومة الكتالونية في خطاب رسمي، تأجيل التصويت على حجب الثقة من مجلسه خوفًا من تفشي فيروس كورونا المستجد، كوفيد 19، بين الأعضاء.

ولكن في خطاب الرحيل، أكد بارتوميو أن برشلونة قد وافق على المشاركة في البطولة المقترحة من قبل بعض الأندية وتسمى “البريميرليج الأوروبي” أو “الدوري الأوروبي الممتاز”. (طالع تفاصيل الدوري الأوروبي الممتاز)

وبالتالي، قام تيباس بمهاجمة بارتوميو على هذا القرار عبر حسابه على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”، وكتب: “تصريح بارتوميو المؤسف في يومه الأخير حول انضمام نادي برشلونة إلى منافسة ضعيفة وخيالية ستدمرهم”.

وأضاف في النهاية: “هذا يؤكد جهله بصناعة كرة القدم، نهاية محزنة لرئيس حقق نجاحات وأخطاء كثيرة في الآونة الأخيرة”.

Victory on Monday sent Arsenal third in the Premier League for the first time this season, and the club have Alexandre Lacazette to thank for that.

The French striker assisted Aaron Ramsey’s opening goal in the first-half before rounding off the win with a delightful chip seven minutes from time in Arsenal’s 2-0 result over Newcastle.

Lacazette’s contributions brought the former Lyon frontman’s goal and assist tally to 13 and nine respectfully in the Premier League, the same number of goals Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has contributed for the Gunners this season.

Although the 27-year-old striker is beloved by the fans, it always seems like Lacazette doesn’t receive the same recognition as his Gabonese teammate does by other fans and the media despite making a good case for being Arsenal’s best player this season.

Lacazette has scored some of the clubs most important goals this season, with goals against Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United earning Arsenal points in games most fans would not have expected anything, but it’s his ability to be just more than goalscorer that has made him such a vital player for the Gunners,

The striker has the most assists out of any centre forward in the Premier League this season, the closest competitor being Wolves man Raul Jimenez with eight, and it’s his ability to bring more players into the attack that has made him a revelation with Arsenal.

Lacazette is a striker who does enjoy scoring goals but also loves bringing his teammates into the game and setting them up for goals. His partnership/bromance with Aubameyang is something Arsenal fans adore, and the likes of Alex Iwobi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aaron Ramsey have all benefitted from the forward’s ability to link the attack and the midfield to create more chances for the team.

Arsenal are in the driving seat for Champions League, and whilst the likes of Ramsey and Aubameyang are receiving all the praise for the club’s recent run of good results, there’s no doubt that Lacazette is the key architect behind the Gunners sprint to the finish line.

Arsenal fans, has Lacazette been your best player this season?