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Glasgow Rangers left-back Borna Barisic stole the show against St. Johnstone on Wednesday night to ensure Steven Gerrard’s side stayed on top of the Scottish Premiership at Christmas.

The Croatia international started the action alongside Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and James Tavernier to form the back four in front of Allan McGregor, with Gerrard feeling the need to ring several changes to the team that came from behind to beat Motherwell, with Joe Aribo replacing Scott Arfield in the midfield.

Barisic has established himself as a first-team regular starter under Gerrard since he first arrived at Ibrox but has found his place in the starting XI under threat after the arrival of Calvin Bassey in the summer.

Gerrard recently admitted as much, as the Ibrox boss realises competition for places has arguably never been higher, with Bassey and Nathan Patterson ready to step into the full-back roles if required.

“The pair of them have started the season really strongly, and it’s interesting to watch Barisic and Tavernier because they have now got competition for places,” he said, as quoted by The Sun. “The way he’s looking in training, I wouldn’t think twice about putting Patterson in to start a game. And Bassey has already proved that he’s capable of stepping in as well.

“Both James and Borna know they have a challenge for their positions, which is good.”

“When Barisic is in the right place from a mental point of view, he’s capable of the kind of high-level performance he gave against Poznan.

“That’s the reason he’s picked as the best left-back in Croatia.

“When he gets into the final third, he’s got incredible quality. His delivery is exceptional.”

But Barisic, who reportedly earns £18,000-a-week, seems to have heeded his warning with his latest display against Callum Davidson’s side, with the defender winning eight out of his nine duels overall (88%) – which is more than any other player from the two teams, as per SofaScore.

Nobody manged more dribbles, either, with the Croatian completing two out of his three dribble attempts successfully, via SofaScore.

Only Tavernier took more touches of the ball, too, with the club captain managing 108 to Barisic’s 95 touches in the full 90′ minutes.

The 28-year-old provided 38 out of 59 passes (64%), while he also made four tackles, two interceptions and three clearances, which shows that he put in a defensive shift to ensure the Gers kept their first clean sheet since the 2-0 win over Lech Poznan in the Europa League.

Once hailed as an “unbelievable” defender by former Rangers full-back Alan Hutton, the timing couldn’t be better for Barisic with Bassey chomping at the bit amid links abroad, as the cards are very much in his hands.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers may have found their next Steven Davis in Ciaran Dickson…

Danny Ings was a surprise inclusion for Southampton in their game against West Ham on Tuesday night, and while fans will have been delighted to see him back his performance was far from his usual standard.

The former Liverpool man had missed the Saints’ game against Fulham on Boxing Day after picking up a hamstring injury against Manchester City earlier this month but was restored to the starting lineup against the Hammers on Tuesday.

However, he was nowhere near his best against David Moyes’ side, with an early goal ruled out for offside his only real contribution of note.

As per SofaScore, Ings had just 26 touches of the ball during the 90 minutes, as he struggled to stamp his authority on the game.

The striker was able to complete just nine of his 17 attempted passes during the game, resulting in a less than impressive pass accuracy rate of 53%, with it clear that on the rare occasions Ings was able to pick up the ball, he was wasteful in possession, as he also managed to lose the ball 13 times.

The 28-year-old was also unsuccessful in his one cross attempt and his two long ball attempts during the game, which again emphasises just how much the Englishman struggled on his return to the side.

Perhaps most frustratingly for Hasenhuttl, who was watching from home after a positive virus test in his household, was that Ings failed to win any of his seven duels during the game, with the West Ham defenders clearly getting the better of the striker on Tuesday evening.

Hampshire Live rated Ings a 6/10 and agreed that he was nowhere near as sharp as usual, with the England international unfortunately anonymous for a lot of the game.

Earlier this year, Eddie Howe was full of praise for the striker, saying:

“The most impressive thing about Danny is, of course, he’s an outstanding player.

“Technically he’s very good, plays with real intelligence and the way he’s come back from his disappointments, the injury setbacks he’s had, the way he’s fought back and kept his mental strength has been hugely impressive.”

The result now means that Southampton have gone three games without a goal, with Ings’ poor performances of late clearly having an impact on the Saints’ potency in front of goal.

Hopefully, when he is a lot more match fit, he will be back to his dangerous self, otherwise, the South Coast club risk slipping further down the Premier League table.

And, in other news… Semmens must avoid huge transfer blunder with Saints prodigy who could replace Ings

Phil Foden has been much more of a regular in Pep Guardiola’s side so far this season but it seems as if the academy graduate feels as if he should be starting a lot more games in the Premier League for the Citizens.

According to a report in The Telegraph, the England international is growing increasingly frustrated with his playing time at Manchester City, which will be a worry for the Citizens considering Real Madrid have recently been linked with a move for the creative midfielder.

Following David Silva’s departure in the summer, Foden was perhaps expecting a lot more game time in Guardiola’s side this season but has been limited to just five starts in the Premier League.

Whilst he is well on track to surpass the 12 starts he made in the top-flight and Champions League last season, the youngster clearly feels that he warrants more game time in the Premier League.

Considering he featured in all six of City’s Champions League group stage matches and averaged a superb 7.22 rating for his performances, it seems baffling that the Spanish manager is so reluctant to start him in the Premier League, as he now hasn’t started consecutive top-flight games since October.

The 20-year-old is destined for a huge future with Manchester City, with Guardiola having described him as the most talented player he’s ever worked with, despite working with the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Robert Lewandowski in his career.

The Spanish manager discussed the youngster recently, saying:

“He has incredible energy for a guy of 20-years-old but [in] still the final decision, the final pass, he has to slow down a little bit.”

Therefore, it seems clear that whilst Foden believes he is ready to be one of the first names on the teamsheet in Guardiola’s side, the former Barcelona boss still feels that he needs to fine-tune his ability.

Of course, Foden has a lot of competition in the attacking-midfield spot, as he is up against one of the world’s best in Kevin De Bruyne but Guardiola must eventually find a way to fit both players into his starting team on a regular basis, otherwise, he risks losing Foden’s generational talent.

And in other news… City can afford to axe “world-class” beast following worrying admission; Pep doesn’t need him

Sunderland fans have been reacting to an update from James Hunter on George Dobson, who is reportedly looking to move on from the Stadium of Light due to a lack of playing time.

Dobson made a move to Wearside in July of 2019 and made 29 appearances in League One during his first campaign at the club (Transfermarkt). However, he has played just five times in the league so far this season, and it looks as though he is not in manager Lee Johnson’s plans.

Hunter, who is a Sunderland reporter, took to Twitter to share an article that he’d written about Dobson in which he reveals that the 23-year-old is frustrated at a lack of playing time and that he could be on the move in January. However, he is already said to have turned down a couple of offers.

These Sunderland fans, it seems, would be eager to see him depart. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Sunderland fans had to say about Dobson below

“Please go.”

Credit: @CrazyMackem23

“Get rid of him, he’s offered absolutely nothing since arriving.”

Credit: @19Ross86

“An absolute terrible footballer makes Rodwell look like Ronaldinho”

Credit: @chrissafc1972

“I’m frustrated when he plays. Absolute garbage”

Credit: @liammcm54994114

“WHAT? Why? He’s so poor. Dan Neil should have had his shirt by October. Hope he leaves soon”

Credit: @JustBrowsingTa

“Bye”

Credit: @Dave41safc

In other news, Sunderland fans are worried by Lee Johnson’s comments.

Aston Villa have yet to sign any players this transfer window despite rumours circulating around Morgan Sanson, but there is now another target on their list in Sivert Mannsverk.

The latest on Sivert Mannsverk

According to Calciomercato.it, Italian sides Bologna, Lazio and Inter, as well as Everton and Aston Villa are monitoring the young star currently playing in Norway.

However, Villa might have to move for the player quicker than expected as the report suggests that 2019 Champions League semi-finalists Ajax, as well as FC Groningen, have made official offers for the player.

Should Villa make a move for the player?

The 18 year-old central midfielder is already captain at Sogndal IL, which clearly shows that the club think they have a real talent on their hands (Transfermarkt). He has made 47 senior appearances, scoring five goals and picking up six assists along the way. The Norwegian also has experience in the UEFA Youth League, where he has scored once and assisted once in four appearances.

Clearly this signing would be one for the future, and the quality of the other sides interested in him suggests that he has the potential to succeed at a top level.

He is only valued at £450,000, so if Villa could get the promising star who also looks to be a leader for such a cheap price then it would be a good move.

In other Villa news, fans have been piling praise on one star at the club following his latest comments. Have a read who it is here!

Mention a certain Aaron Hickey around a Celtic supporter and you’re likely to be greeted by frustration.

The young Scot was on Celtic’s books in the academy but then left for Hearts in 2018. Within a year, he was a regular in the SPFL for the Edinburgh based outfit.

His emergence in the Hearts team happened to fall at the same time Celtic sold Kieran Tierney to Arsenal for £25m. The timing was unfortunate, but there was nothing Neil Lennon and co could do to prevent it all from unravelling.

What Celtic’s recruitment team set about doing was bringing the defender back to Glasgow. Craig Levein revealed last summer that the Hoops had tried to sign Hickey on five or six occasions.

Why, therefore, did they fail?

Hickey was long-touted with a move away last summer with Bayern Munich even casting their eyes towards him. Though, it was Bologna in the Italian top-flight that eventually lured the defender away from Scotland.

Celtic did profit, receiving 30% of the transfer fee from their initial sale to Hearts. However, there must have been a sense of regret.

The Hoops acquired Diego Laxalt instead but he has hardly been a picture of consistency since arriving on loan from AC Milan.

This transfer window or the summer market could present the Bhoys with an ideal opportunity to correct their Hickey mistake. That’s because they’re targeting another young left-back in Josh Doig.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-celtic-manager-stories” title=”Read this week’s latest Celtic news!”]

Like Hickey was, the 18-year-old is attracting beady eyes. Manchester City, Leeds and the Hoops are all interested and similarly to the former Hearts man, he has impressed in the SPFL as a teenager.

Doig has made an impressive breakthrough this term under Jack Ross at Hibernian and has played 11 league matches. In the process, he’s proven to be a stable defender, especially in the tackle.

Ross remarked earlier in the term that he’d been “brilliant this season” and it’s difficult to argue with that statement. The Hibs defender has won 2.1 tackles per game, which for context would make him the joint-best at Celtic.

Coincidentally, he’s made the same number of tackles per match as Laxalt, but even more than fellow left-back Greg Taylor (1.1 per game).

With Laxalt due to return to Milan in the summer, finding a new left-back will definitely be at the height of Lennon’s agenda. Though, if they can bring in one similar to Hickey it would certainly go down a treat.

After losing out on the Bologna youngster, they must push hard to ensure they don’t miss out on another of Scottish football’s most promising young players.

This is a chance to correct their mistake. With the player available at a reported £1m, they must take it with both hands.

AND in other news, Lennon could finally axe veteran Celtic star by signing powerhouse once valued at £25m…

Eberechi Eze’s wonderful solo goal against Wolves helped Crystal Palace to a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson has had to endure harsh criticism from a section of Palace fans this season whilst his side had only won one of their past nine Premier League fixtures prior to the clash with Wolves.

But after switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation Hodgson’s side held on to secure all three points, with Eze’s sensational strike helping to beat a toothless Wolves.

Wilfried Zaha, who went close either side of the break, came close to adding a second in the second half, only to see his effort slam against the crossbar.

Eze, on the other hand, looked a real handful, losing his marker in Leander Dendoncker, before curling the ball into the back of the net, which led Sky Sports’ Paul Merson to exclaim:

“What a big goal this is. He hit it as hard as he could, it wasn’t far from the goalkeeper, but it was a great strike. Eze is a class player.”

A moment of individual brilliance from the 22-year-old helped Palace put their poor form behind them with a 1-0 victory over Wolves.

As per SofaScore, the attacking midfielder – who earns around £30,000-per-week at Selhurst Park – earned a high 7.1 match rating for his performance, bettered only by the likes of Patrick van Aanholt, Luka Milivojevic and Vicente Guaita.

He took two shots in total, including one shot on target, which is far better than his seasonal average of 0.9 per 90 minutes, and shows that he was performing at a higher level than previously expected.

Despite taking 55 touches, Eze lost possession of the ball just eight times in the entire game, this being fewer than any attacking player on the pitch besides Andros Townsend, and also significantly less than the 11.8 he has averaged per game in the Premier League this season thus far.

The victory has moved Hodgson’s men back into 13th place in the Premier League with Wolves a place below them in 14th.

If Palace are to stay above the relegation battle this season, on this evidence alone, we suspect Eze will be central to their hopes of Premier League survival. There’s no doubting the fact that Steve Parish will be delighted with his performance, having spent £19.5m to prise him away from Queens Park Rangers in the summer.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace can sign perfect Vicente Guaita replacement in Manchester United’s Sergio Romero…

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is doing a remarkable job at the club and looks to have turned them from a Championship team to a comfortable Premier League team and Phil Hay has delivered an exciting update on his future.

What Hay had to say about Bielsa

The journalist for The Athletic was talking about the manager and reported: “Marcelo Bielsa has been involved in talks about the next transfer window and people close to him say he is more and more invested in the ‘long game’ at Leeds.”

This is great news for the club

The fact that the Argentinian was nominated and placed in the top three for ‘the best’ FIFA men’s coach emphasises the quality of manager Leeds have and it was a great achievement to get him at the club in the first place.

He is normally known for not thinking about his long term future, and this is proven by the fact he only does one-year contracts. Therefore to hear this update from a very reliable journalist should excite supporters of the club massively.

It is also good to hear that they are discussing the transfer window. Kalvin Phillips’ injury is highlighting a need for squad depth as they struggle a lot defensively without him. If the club can continue to have such a good campaign then they have a real foundation to build on, especially with Biesla in charge and they can look at promoted clubs from the past like Leicester and Wolves and turn the club back into a real powerhouse again.

In other Leeds news one star has been praised by legend Deco, have a read who it is here!

According to a report by ‘transfer insider’ Dean Jones, writing for Eurosport, West Ham United could face stiff competition from Leicester City over a permanent deal for Jesse Lingard – with the Foxes set to monitor his situation ahead of a potential summer bid. 

Brendan Rodgers’ men are reportedly showing some interest in signing Lingard after his head-turning start to life in east London, with West Ham now facing competitors if they wish to sign him on a permanent deal at the end of the season.

West Ham face potential Jesse Lingard worry

West Ham insiders Claret & Hugh claimed at the start of this month that despite Manchester United failing to include an option to buy in the loan deal, Lingard is likely to become an Irons player at the end of the season regardless.

Having just a year left on his current deal, Lingard could be made available for around £10m according to C&H – but fellow transfer insider Jones has now stated to Eurosport that David Moyes could face stiff competition from Leicester.

Transfer Tavern take

Given Lingard’s start to life at the London Stadium, scoring three goals in four Premier League starts already (WhoScored), including a winner against Tottenham last weekend, it’s hardly surprising that other clubs are monitoring his situation.

A potential worry for Moyes if he wishes to sign Lingard permanently, especially given that the Foxes look destined to achieve Champions League qualification this season, something that could tip the scales in their favour.

In other news: ExWHUemployee dropped an enticing behind the scenes claim, find out more here.

Rob Lee told Football FanCast exclusively that Steve Bruce’s decision to drop Karl Darlow was not necessary and the 30-year old can count himself hard done by.

Darlow has been arguably Newcastle United’s player of the season with claims he was on the cusp of an England call up at the back end of last year.

Martin Dubravka replaced the former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper and was largely at fault for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ goal previously, before making a world-class save in added time.

Newcastle are blessed to have two great keepers at the club, but when that position was seemingly the strongest on the pitch Bruce’s decision to replace Darlow may have just been for the sake of making changes.

Bruce has struggled to get his team in form since December and he may have felt changing his keeper would’ve brought about a much needed clean sheet with Dubravka being a more commanding voice behind his defence.

During his exclusive interview with FootballFanCast, Rob Lee shared his thoughts and tried to make sense of why Bruce dropped the man who has kept them out of the bottom three with numerous man of the match performances.

He said: “I personally think it was changed for the sake of change. I don’t think Darlow deserved to be dropped. Is that going to affect anything, him changing Darlow? Not really, that’s not going to affect anything.

“I think Darlow has been our best player by a million miles. I think we’d be in the bottom three if it wasn’t for him.

“I don’t think that’s going to make us any better or any worse really.”

Darlow may look to force a move away from the club for regular first-team football if Bruce would rather have Dubravka as his number one.

The 30-year old has made some outstanding saves this season and has won points for Newcastle almost single-handedly.