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Rangers travel to face Motherwell in the Premiership this lunchtime as they look to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Their Glasgow rivals’ failure to beat Livingston on Saturday kept the Gers at the Premiership summit and they now have a chance to build on their lead today.

Steven Gerrard’s side come into the match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Aberdeen in midweek, as they came from 2-0 down to salvage a point.

How many changes will Gerrard make to the side for today? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the team from midweek, with Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Fashion Sakala all coming in.

Starting off between the sticks, it could be time for the veteran shot-stopper to come in for Jon McLaughlin, who has conceded three goals in his last two matches. McGregor has only let in four goals in his last five matches for the Gers and he could be called upon against Motherwell today.

In defence, the back four could stay the same. Tavernier picked up a goal and assist at right-back, while centre-back options are few and far between for the Gers. Calvin Bassey appears set to keep his spot at left-back, with Gerrard ruling Borna Barisic out due to injury.

The manager said: “Borna has a small issue at the moment and I think he will be out for the weekend, also. Hopefully we will have him around for the Brondby game.”

We are predicting that Steven Davis will come in to replace John Lundstram in central midfield. The ex-Sheffield United man was caught sleeping for St Mirren’s opener last Sunday and was then dispossessed in his own box for an Aberdeen goal earlier this week. After two key mistakes in as many matches, Gerrard should axe the 27-year-old from the team and start the experienced Northern Ireland international.

Finally, Fashion Sakala could come in for Ianis Hagi. We published an article explaining why the Zambian deserves a chance to start and could potentially form an exciting partnership with Alfredo Morelos in the final third.

Hagi could come out of the team after a frustrating display against Aberdeen. As per SofaScore, the 23-year-old lost 66.6% of his duels and created zero chances as he failed to pick out a team-mate with 12 of his 13 attempted crosses. Therefore, he could be axed from the starting XI today to make way for Sakala.

AND in other news, “Likely be with us”: Gerrard drops huge Rangers injury update which will delight fans…

Celtic have had plenty of consistent goalscorers in their ranks over the past few years, such as Leigh Griffiths, Kris Commons and Odsonne Edouard among others.

However, it seems as though the Parkhead club could have had another figure in their ranks who may have gone on to become a significant scorer for them but didn’t end up making the move to Celtic Park.

According to an article from Planet Football, back in the 2001 summer transfer window when the Hoops signed winger Momo Sylla from St Johnstone, the Guinean was asked by his former Le Mans team-mate Didier Drogba about a potential move to Celtic the following summer.

Unfortunately for Celtic, Sylla apparently told the striker that he wouldn’t have any chance of making it into the team and should forget about trying to join them.

With a total of 686 club appearances under his belt, the Ivory Coast international ended his career in 2018 with 300 goals to his name and four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one Champions League title under his belt among other trophies and individual awards.

Labelled a “remarkable” player by his former Blues boss Jose Mourinho – who knows a good footballer when he sees one having managed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard and Karim Benzema among many others – Drogba could have been a revelation for Celtic had Sylla not put him off a potential move to Glasgow early in the Ivorian’s lengthy and very successful career.

Whether the Parkhead hierarchy had any knowledge at the time over Drogba’s interest in a potential move to the club is unclear, but it’s safe to say that had they known of it, then they should have moved heaven and earth to get the striker in a Hoops shirt.

Looking back, there could now be some Celtic fans displeased with what Sylla had to say to the young Drogba about his chances of breaking into the first team at the time, with the club potentially now having nightmares over the situation.

In other news: Ange must brutally axe “horrendous” £20k-p/w Celtic liability, he’s “been a disaster”

Aston Villa confirmed on Saturday afternoon that striker Wesley Moraes has re-joined Club Brugge on a season-long loan.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa supporters have been giving their thoughts to the news on social media.

Wesley signed for Villa from the Belgian club back in 2019 in what was a club-record deal at the time.

However, things haven’t gone to plan for the Brazilian, who has missed a whopping 57 games through injury.

He’s made just 26 appearances for Villa, scoring six times and will now be given the chance to get regular football under his belt with Club Brugge.

Dean Smith admitted the 24-year-old does have a long-term future at Villa Park but he’ll spend the current campaign in the Jupiler Pro League.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the news regarding Wesley on Saturday on their official Twitter page, hours before their 1-1 draw with Brentford.

This is what some Villa fans had to say in reply, with one believing a deal is probably for ‘the best’.

“thank god”

Credit: @marathesayu

“surely we’d get another in?”

Credit: @sevravfc

“Probably for the best for all parties at the moment.”

Credit: @FabledSage

“Another mistake.”

Credit: @Villanous_

“No great loss.”

Credit: @MrP7478

“Hope he smashes it out there. Guy deserves a shot at consistent minutes and some decent goalscoring form. Come back stronger, Wes”

Credit: @rad_nauseam

In other news: ‘The deal we’ve been waiting for’, ‘Exactly what we need’ – Many Villa fans buzz as news emerges. 

Many Everton fans have been left fuming as some news emerged on their proposed new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Patrick Boyland has now revealed that the Goodison Park faithful are very close on getting two funding streams for the new ground.

While this is good news in terms of the stadium’s development, a lot of the Merseyside club’s supporters were left raging at the timing of it, as one supporter said: “Oh what a surprise a bad defeat and a stadium announcement.”

After two losses at the hands of Aston Villa last weekend in the Premier League and Queens Park Rangers in the Carabao Cup in midweek, it’s fair to say fans are in no mood for this.

Nonetheless, Rafa Benitez needs to get some good results soon in order to brighten the mood among the Toffees, especially in the build-up to moving grounds.

Everton fans on stadium news

These Blues fumed as the news on the stadium was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that the timing of it was ’embarrassing’:

“The predictability. It’s embarrassing.”

Credit: @robbietaylor_86

“Oh what a surprise a bad defeat an a stadium announcement, could not write it”

Credit: @BarryWilliams93

“Two days too late Paddy, surely they should have timed this just after QPR put in the winning penalty?”

Credit: @melbourne1973

“Wow positive stadium news after a poor team performance – seems to be a pattern here”

Credit: @TonyJo1878

“Announcement on stadium after a few awful results. Doesn’t surprise me one bit. Need to focus on our atrocious squad than anything else right now”

Credit: @siewakes20

“Like clockwork”

Credit: @_DL96

In other news, find out what setback an injury expert has said Everton may now face here!

With the future of West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone looking increasingly uncertain as the season progresses, Valerien Ismael may already be turning his attention away from attempting to convince the 28-year-old to remain at The Hawthorns beyond the end of the campaign and towards sourcing a replacement for the England international.

However, before dipping into the transfer market, it would appear highly advisable for the Frenchman to take a closer look at one of the Baggies’ home-grown talents – in the shape of Josh Griffiths.

Indeed, having been sent out on loan to Cheltenham Town last season, the £450k-rated man highly impressed over his 44 League Two appearances, keeping a whopping 21 clean sheets and making an average of two saves per game.

These returns saw the 20-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as the club’s ninth-best performer in the fourth tier of English football.

Upon returning to West Brom this summer, the England U21 international was once again sent on out loan for the 2021/22 campaign, this time to Michael Appleton’s Lincoln City.

And, despite the Imps having something of a bumpy start to the season – winning four, drawing four and losing six of their opening 14 league fixtures – Griffiths has nevertheless turned in a number of impressive performances over his 14 League One appearances, making an average of 2.6 saves per game and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.72.

Indeed, Appleton has been impressed with what he’s seen from the 20-year-old, stating: “It’s been a difficult start to his campaign, but to come through that type of match [against Rotherham] with crosses and set-pieces raining in on him, shows the type of character he’s got and what sort of goalkeeper he is going to be.”

As such, with yet another season of first-team football behind him, the player Andy Wilcox claimed has a “big future” and believes “one day he could go and play in the Premier League” would appear to be getting ever closer to staking a claim in Ismael’s first-team squad.

And, with Johnstone’s future still appearing to be very much up in the air at present, should the England international indeed leave The Hawthorns at the end of the season, giving the highly-rated Griffiths a shot between the sticks could end up saving the Baggies millions in the transfer market.

In other news: Ismael drops “behind the scenes” January transfer claim that’ll have WBA fans buzzing

Carlton Palmer reckons that Wilfried Zaha leaving late in the window could leave Crystal Palace in serious trouble.

For the umpteenth summer on the bounce, Zaha’s Palace future is in doubt, with transfer insider Dean Jones claiming Tottenham are looking at the player as they consider pinching him away from Selhurst Park.

However, with less than two weeks until the window closes, Zaha remains a Crystal Palace player, and the speculation doesn’t appear to have affected him following a productive pre-season campaign.

Patrick Vieira has already bolstered his defence, although the Eagles manager is yet to add any attackers to his squad, meaning Zaha is likely to lead the way in terms of goals and assists once again.

Christian Benteke has been signed up once again, but Ebere Eze is still out with a long-term injury, and Palmer thinks that selling Zaha before the deadline would leave Vieira’s team in a difficult situation.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Anybody who loses a player so late in the window, who’s important to them, is a huge, huge blow and with Crystal Palace not replacing him as it seems at the moment, they would be in serious trouble.”

With just 19 points on the board from 19 Premier League games so far this season, the January transfer window could provide Leeds United with the opportunity to make some changes to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad and improve their chances of ending the season on a high note and away from the relegation zone.

Looking ahead to the next few weeks, it seems as though the Yorkshire club have their eye on one player to bring to Elland Road that could end up solving a big issue for Bielsa.

According to a recent club-by-club January transfer guide from the Daily Mail, Leeds are interested in signing Marseille’s defensive-midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

Given how Leeds have their current defensive-midfielder, Kalvin Phillips, out for a significant period of time with a hamstring injury, Kamara could be just what Leeds need in their side while the Englishman is recovering.

As a product of Marseille’s youth academy, Kamara has made a total of 162 appearances for the French club across their senior and youth sides, scoring four goals and providing five assists in the process.

Labelled as a “phenomenon” in the past by Rolando, Kamara has made 21 appearances for the French club across all competitions so far this season, starting 17 of them, showing how important he is for the team.

While the 22-year-old may not have racked up the same number of tackles, interceptions or clearances per game in Ligue 1 that Phillips has managed to in the Premier League this season, his average of 1.4 tackles, one interception and 0.9 clearances per game shows that he is a capable defensive-midfielder.

Despite being a potentially useful replacement for Phillips while he’s out injured, in a recent report from The Athletic, it was claimed that Kamara, who is currently valued at £22.5m according to Transfermarkt, has chosen to leave the club at the end of the season as a free agent when his current contract expires.

With this in mind, if Leeds would be willing to spend a fee for him this month, this could be preferable for Marseille rather than let him leave as a free agent in the summer.

Leeds and Victor Orta should definitely explore the possibility of making a deal for Kamara this month to see if he can solve Bielsa’s issue of having such a defensive-minded midfielder like Phillips out on the sidelines and help the team stop leaking so many goals.

In other news: “Interested in” – Journo drops teasing Leeds transfer update that’ll have fans buzzing – opinion

According to a report from Calciomercato, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte was watching Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku in UEFA Champions League action this week. 

The lowdown: Lukaku’s struggles

Signed from Inter Milan for £97.5million (Sky Sports), Lukaku has struggled to recapture the form shown in Italy since arriving back in the Premier League.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The 28-year-old ended the 2020/21 Serie A title-winning season as the second top goalscorer under Spurs’ boss Conte with 24 strikes to his name.

However, following just five league goals on a return to Stamford Bridge, a quick exit could already be on the cards and Tottenham could be in the mix…

The latest: Friends reunited?

As per the report from Italian outlet Calciomercato, Conte was in attendance as Chelsea went down 3-1 to Real Madrid on Wednesday night (April 6).

It’s claimed that as the summer transfer window approaches a return to the Nerazzurri is a possibility for the Belgian star, as is ‘finding his former coach’ in Conte at Tottenham.

Whilst the reasons for the Italian’s visit could be unrelated, the report states that the presence of the Lilywhites boss didn’t go ‘unnoticed’ as Lukaku squandered two big chances in a disappointing 26-minute cameo (Sofascore).

The verdict: An unlikely move

Despite the perceived woes of this season, the 101-cap ace has still managed 12 goals and two assists from 36 appearances across all competitions – earning the tag of ‘world class’ from Thomas Tuchel following a match-winner against Zenit St. Petersburg.

Should speculation surrounding the future of Harry Kane ramp up once again, Spurs may enter the market for a high-profile frontman in order to replace their talismanic striker.

Conte would undoubtedly welcome the 6 foot 3 powerhouse to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium squad with open arms were that the case, although signing an elite player from London rivals is difficult to envisage despite the off-field issues at Chelsea.

In other news: Italian newspaper makes Tottenham transfer claim…find out more here.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped an injury update ahead of the Bhoys’ upcoming Premiership clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, the Hoops boss revealed that both Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic should be available for selection for the visit of Hearts on Thursday night, as the central midfield duo appear to have recovered from their respective injuries.

The Israel international missed out on the Bhoys’ 2-1 win over Aberdeen on Sunday due to a knock picked up in the Europa League loss against Bayer Leverkusen last Thursday, while the Australian has been out of action since October with a hamstring injury.

On the current condition of the duo, the 56-year-old said: “Hopefully Nir should be available again and Tommy Rogic will definitely be available for Thursday.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how impressive Rogic had been prior to picking up his injury, in addition to how well Bitton had fared while filling in for the Australia international, the news that both players look set to make a return to action against third-placed Hearts is sure to have left the Bhoys’ fanbase buzzing.

Indeed, over Rogic’s 11 Premiership fixtures this season, the £1.35m-rated midfielder has scored one goal, provided two assists and created five big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the £16k-per-week 28-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97.

Meanwhile, over Bitton’s last four Premiership and Europa League fixtures, the £720k-rated 30-year-old has enjoyed 353 touches of the ball, completed 269 passes, made 15 tackles and won a whopping 31 duels, with these metrics seeing the £14k-per-week midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 7.33.

As such, with the prospect of a win against Robbie Neilson’s side making a very clear statement to the rest of the league that Celtic mean business in their pursuit to reclaim their Premiership crown this season, it will surely be a huge boost to Postecoglou that it looks as if he will be able to call upon both Rogic and Bitton this week.

In other news – “I’m sure..”: Celtic figure drops promising transfer claim which will delight Bhoys fans

Crystal Palace must revive their interest in Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey over the coming months after an intriguing update was revealed.

What’s the story?

The Eagles were linked with a possible move for the Wales international in October as a return to the Premier League appeared to be on the cards.

And now, according to Italian outlet CalcioMercato, the 30-year-old is ‘no longer a resource’ to Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri and insists that he has ‘no future’ in Turin.

The report goes on to state that the club’s hierarchy are considering terminating Ramsey’s contract ahead of the winter window in order to get his sizeable wages off their books.

Although his current deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2023, and the Italian giants believe it will be easier to reach an agreement with the player than to secure a transfer fee for his services.

Patrick Vieira needs him

Despite new Palace manager Patrick Vieira adding Conor Gallagher and Will Hughes to his engine room options over the summer, the Frenchman is still in need of extra reinforcements in the centre of the pitch.

Loanee Gallagher is set to return to parent club Chelsea next term, while 34-year-old James McArthur and 31-year-old Cheikhou Kouyate are into the twilight zone of their respective careers.

Therefore, the south London outfit are expected to be in the market for a new midfielder in the next two transfer windows, and the opportunity to sign Ramsey on a free transfer is too good for Steve Parish to turn down.

The £175,000-per-week gem would be a significant coup for the capital club, and he already has bags of Premier League experience under his belt from his impressive 11-year spell at Arsenal.

During his time with the Emirates Stadium outfit, Ramsey scored 65 goals and laid on a further 65 assists in 371 appearances for the Gunners, winning three FA Cups along the way, but it’s perhaps his exploits on the international stage that have really caught the eye.

He was instrumental in Wales’ run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and was labelled as “world-class” by teammate Joe Allen after a stellar showing against Turkey in a crucial 2-0 victory at the European Championship this year.

However, the creative talent has found life tough since moving to Italy two-and-a-half years ago.

Ramsey has only started 25 league games to date for the Bianconeri, highlighting his peripheral role within the first-team squad, and moving to Palace could prove to be the catalyst he needs to get his career back on track.

And, in other news…Nixon’s exciting claim on £13m-rated “game-changer” should leave Palace fans buzzing