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Given that James Tavernier has now played a total of 256 games for Rangers across all competitions, it’s quite easy to forget that the Englishman was once on the books at Newcastle, coming through the academy system at St James’ Park.

The 28-year-old made just ten first-team appearances on Tyneside, predominantly playing for the youth teams. And whilst he may not have showed anything in his limited game-time with the senior side, he certainly showed a lot of talent for the U23s, managing five assists in 33 games.

After failing to make the grade at Newcastle, the Magpies sold Tavernier for just £90k to Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2014, and it’s a decision that the club surely still regrets even now.

The full-back has gone on to carve out a very successful career since his departure, and despite playing in defence, has turned into one of the most dangerous attacking players in Britain.

As well as his three goals and one assist at Bristol City, Tavernier has racked up the stats whilst at Rangers, and his kind of numbers are unheard of for a defender – even Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold would surely be proud of it.

The 28-year-old has scored a whopping 54 times for the Gers, and even more impressively, picked up an incredible 78 assists too – it all means that since leaving Newcastle, he’s been involved in 136 total goal contributions. Not too shabby for a right-back.

And with Steve Bruce’s side having had some issues in that position over the years with the likes of Javier Manquillo, Emil Krafth and DeAndre Yedlin all trying to stake their claims to be first-choice, Tavernier’s exit continues to haunt them.

The English ace is in the prime years of his career, and has enjoyed a blistering start to the current campaign too, netting eight times in 13 games. As far as goal-scoring defenders go, Tavernier is right up there with the very best of them.

And in other news, Newcastle desperately need to offload this fringe player before the deadline.

Tottenham are holding talks with Southampton to sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer. 

Jose Mourinho has identified Hojbjerg as his top target to transform the side that he inherited from Mauricio Pochettino.

Hojbjerg has made it clear he wants to leave Southampton as he is looking for a new challenge. He will be out of contract next year and this summer could be the last chance for Ralph Hasenhuttl to cash in on his former captain.

According to Football Insider, Spurs are negotiating with the Saints over a possible move, with Tottenham confident that they can complete a deal for the Dane this summer. The Saints were demanding £35m for the ex-Bayern Munich ace but he could be available for a cut-price deal worth £20m as they are eager to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Although Daniel Levy is infamously tight-fisted, the club believe that they will be able to reach an agreement with Southampton in a matter of weeks.

Hojbjerg was stripped of the captain’s armband after refusing to sign a new deal with the Saints and a move is surely in the interests of both parties involved.

Spurs have borrowed a huge sum of money from the Bank of England, as Levy has taken out a £175m loan to cover the costs of these uncertain times. However, the club have held early discussions with his agent Pini Zahavi to sort out conditions of the contract.

Everything seems to be working in Tottenham’s favour, as Zahavi has a strong relationship with Mourinho, which should in theory smooth things over.

As it stands, Spurs should easily be able to afford the asking price, as they splashed the cash to sign Tanguy Ndombele last year. However, clubs are working under extreme conditions, so fans will have to wait and see what deals can be made before the transfer window closes.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer? Let us know down below!

Burnley’s prospects of offloading Ben Gibson in this transfer window appear to have been boosted as Norwich seem to have taken the lead in the hunt to sign the defender.

The Northern Echo reported that the Canaries are confident of beating his former club Middlesbrough to a deal for the 27-year-old, who has been exiled at Turf Moor since falling out with Sean Dyche over a blocked move to Watford in January.

According to The Northern Echo, Norwich hold two significant advantages over Middlesbrough in the respective clubs’ pursuit of Gibson.

Firstly, the Canaries would likely be able to pay a much higher portion of the defender’s £45,000-a-week wages if he goes on loan to Carrow Road than ‘Boro would if they took him to Teesside, with the northeast club reportedly offering to pay no more than a third of his weekly wage.

Also, Norwich have apparently discussed the options of both a loan and a permanent move for Gibson, and such is their willingness to sign the 27-year-old that they are prepared to meet Burnley’s demands in order to get a deal done within the next couple of weeks.

In the 2019/20 season, the Clarets continued to pay the defender £45,000 per week despite him making only one appearance, the Carabao Cup defeat to Sunderland which is now almost a full year ago. After falling out with Turf Moor management, he has been training with his former club Middlesbrough, and not even a defensive injury crisis could persuade Burnley to recall him over the summer.

It is doing neither Gibson nor Burnley any good to have him on the club’s books when Dyche clearly has no intention of picking him. Therefore, Norwich’s reported desire to strike a deal for him and, at worst, pay a substantial portion of his wages to facilitate a loan move should come as good news for all parties concerned.

The Canaries get the man they want, Burnley will get an expensive yet unproductive asset off their hands and the player will have a fresh start at a club where he may have a chance of obtaining game-time. It’s a situation in which everyone appears to be a winner – assuming it comes to fruition.

Burnley fans, will you be happy if Norwich sign Gibson, even on loan, for next season? Comment below with your views!

Kris Boyd has written for The Scottish Sun that the Gers should make a move for Kenny McLean.

The 28-year-old is currently with Norwich City in England, with the Canaries struggling at the bottom of the Premier League as they stare relegation in the face – they are six points adrift of safety. He has been a regular at the centre of their midfield, appearing in 28 league games already this season.

Former Gers striker Boyd has suggested that he could be tempted into a move to Ibrox if the opportunity arose. He said:

“Kenny McLean might be one. He’ll be on big money at Norwich City and he’s arguably at the peak of his career. But he’s a big Rangers man and, who knows, could he be tempted to come back up the road if an offer was placed in front of him with his side likely to go down?”

It is a big call. After all, McLean is currently playing Premier League football which, even at Norwich, is a step up in quality from what is generally on offer north of the border. However, the Gers are undoubtedly a bigger club than Norwich, with far more prestige. His £10,000-a-week wages at Carrow Road are not unaffordable for the Gers, either.

The £3.15m-valued midfielder – as per Transfermarkt – has plenty of experience in the top tier in Scotland, having made over 300 appearances combined for Aberdeen and St. Mirren. If Gerrard could convince him to move north of the border, it could put them in good stead as they look to get their hands on some silverware next term.

Let us know what you think below!

Manchester United have been chasing Jadon Sancho for a number of months now, with no signs of it ending anytime soon.

The Red Devils have been linked to Sancho for several years, stemming back to Jose Mourinho’s time in charge at Old Trafford.

Sancho has informed Borussia Dortmund he wants to return to England, via ESPN. Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made it clear that the Englishman is his top transfer target.

However, according to German publication kicker, as relayed by @utdreport, Dortmund have not received any offers for the winger so far.

Former BVB star Sebastian Kehl, who is now the club’s player licence director, revealed “we assume that Jadon will play for us in the coming season.”

Reports have insisted Man United are leading the race to sign the 20-year-old but this no longer appears to be the case.

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Indeed, United have started drafting a list of alternatives in the event they cannot sign the Englishman in the summer.

Sancho, who is Dortmund’s top scorer this season, has scored 17 goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga at the time of writing, although Lucien Favre’s side have missed out on the coveted title.

As it stands, the Bundesliga challengers are refusing to budge on their £115m valuation.

Ed Woodward has previously admitted it is unrealistic to expect the board to splash the cash in the transfer market, in light of the current economic climate.

Clubs across the country are facing financial repercussions as a result of the pandemic, and it seems United are unwilling to meet Dortmund’s colossal asking price.

United fans, do you think the board will sign Jadon Sancho in the summer? Let us know down below!

According to The Express and Star, Crystal Palace are confident they will complete their move for Nathan Ferguson when the transfer window opens this summer.

What’s the word?

The West Brom starlet was ever so close to a move to Selhurst Park in the January transfer window, with a reported £10m fee being agreed by the two sides.

However, the deal collapsed at the final minute when Palace appeared to pick up a problem with the defender’s knee during his medical examination – Ferguson has since undergone surgery to solve it.

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Now, The Express and Star claim that with Ferguson’s contract set to expire in the summer, he is “destined to continue his career elsewhere”, and that Palace are confident they will finally get their man.

Moving on

Well, it appears the Ferguson saga is finally set to reach its end over these coming months.

Whilst the Baggies may have harboured hopes of retaining him for the long-term after his switch to Palace in the January transfer window fell through, this latest developments means they can finally start drawing up plans for the future.

The uncertainty surrounding him up to this point would have made it difficult for Slaven Bilic to truly start thinking about next season, and even for figuring out what their transfer plans should look like.

But if it’s now understood that Ferguson will leave, and will join Palace for a big-money deal, then Bilic can start planning on how to reinvest that potential money and which areas need strengthening ahead of their possible return to the Premier League for next season.

Meanwhile, West Brom should make keeping this man their priority.

Speaking to The Liverpool Echo, Jamie Carragher has urged Neco Williams to be given a chance to shine at Liverpool.

What did he say?

Trent Alexander-Arnold has held down the right-back slot for more than a couple of seasons now, and has continued to astound with his incredible number of assists – prior to football being postponed, the England international had already managed a ridiculous 14 in just 40 games across all competitions.

And with finances set to be tight this summer due to the current climate, Carragher has urged Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to place his trust in another youngster going forward.

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He said: “Liverpool won the FA Youth Cup two years on the bounce in 2006 and 2007 and very few of those players went on to have great Liverpool careers because Rafael Benitez at the time had some problems with Steve Heighway and there was no way they were going to have the chance that Jurgen Klopp has given these lads.

“They have had great exposure and played in big games. They’re not all going to come through, of course not, but two or three could become really good squad players at the very least.

“Neco Williams, in my eyes, he should already be backup to Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back. I don’t want to see Joe Gomez moving to right-back because I’ve been in that situation myself as a centre-back and you don’t want to keep moving position. Would you go and buy a backup for Trent given the performances Neco Williams has shown?”

Opportunity

Given Alexander-Arnold’s incredible performances, Liverpool quite obviously have a right-back for the next decade or so. So spending money on someone simply to be a back-up would be somewhat of a waste of resources, and exactly why Klopp should be heeding Carragher’s words and trusting Williams to come through.

The Welshman has played five times for the first-team this season, racking up an impressive three assists – including one against Arsenal in that thrilling EFL cup victory back in late October.

Bringing through another young starlet into the Liverpool senior set-up would be yet another tick in Klopp’s copybook, and ensure that he continues to build a team around those who have been in and around the club for the longest.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans discuss Simon Hughes’ verdict on this star.

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Why Joe Gomez was booed at Wembley Stadium on Thursday makes little sense.

The Liverpool defender was involved in an altercation with Raheem Sterling in the England camp after the two had clashed during the Reds’ fixture against Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend. However, the 24-year-old winger was the one who was dropped for the match, even if there has been some discussion as to whether Gareth Southgate made the right decision.

Sterling may be a fantastic player, but he was at fault – which he confirmed in his own words on Twitter after the match against Montenegro. 22-year-old Gomez cannot be blamed for his teammate’s actions, yet he received the brunt of the abuse from the crowd. No wonder he was said to be “devastated” afterwards.

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This is just the latest episode in a tense atmosphere between Liverpool and the national team. One Reds fan called into talkSPORT this year to adamantly say he was “Scouse”, not English, but there is truth in his and other people’s comments.

They are not the only fans to say so, whilst Jamie Carragher (BBC via The Liverpool Echo) even admitted that he cared more about playing for his club rather than the Three Lions.

There is apathy towards England from sections of the Anfield faithful. When the Reds were challenging for the Premier League title last term, there were many rival fans who didn’t want them to lift the trophy. Even though winning clubs are often disliked, it is hard to remember such a distaste towards one side.

The reaction and vitriol towards Liverpool’s Gomez makes it easier to understand why portions of the club’s supporters are against the national side. Why would you be fully behind a team whose fans boo their own player despite him doing nothing wrong, and damage his morale in the process?

The situation was made even worse by the fact that the England supporters appeared to be siding with Sterling, a player who is far from popular with a number of Reds followers after being booed himself.

Incidents like this will do little to reduce the fans’ apathy towards England. For all involved, it is a crying shame.

Celtic have closed the rail seating section at Parkhead, which houses the Green Brigade fan group, for tomorrow night’s Europa League match against Rennes. [via Sky Sports]

The decision was taken by the club after they were fined £12,900 by UEFA last week due to some spectators displaying an “illicit banner” and engaging in offensive chanting during October’s home game against Lazio. [via Sky Sports]

It is the third UEFA fine issued to the Hoops already this season, with European football’s governing body also punishing Celtic over the use of flares and throwing of objects from some supporters. [via Sky Sports]

The Daily Record noted that, in addition to banning the Green Brigade group from the Rennes game, the club have also withheld tickets until further notice, which could see those fans being barred from attending the two games against Rangers next month.

In response to Celtic’s actions, the Green Brigade group issued a strongly-worded statement via @NCCeltic on Twitter, branding the club’s stance as “particularly vindictive” and accusing them of “sowing seeds of division”.

Many Celtic supporters subsequently took to Twitter to condemn the club over the sanctions taken against the Green Brigade:

Do you think Celtic were right to take the action they did against the Green Brigade or has the club acted excessively? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Tottenham Hotspur fans have hailed Paulo Gazzaniga after his performance against Liverpool on Sunday.

Spurs lost 2-1 at Anfield, despite Harry Kane giving his side the lead in the first minute.

Per WhoScored, the Reds dominated the game, registering 68.3% possession, 21 total shots and eight corners to Spurs’ three.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men managed to get to half-time with their lead intact but Jordan Henderson equalised and Mohamed Salah scored the winner from the penalty spot after Serge Aurier had fouled Sadio Mane in the area.

Gazzaniga made 12 saves throughout the 90 minutes, compared to Alisson Becker’s three.

And Spurs fans have heralded the former Southampton stopper, with several claiming that he is one of the few players who can leave Anfield with his head held high.

Thus far this season, Gazzaniga has made five appearances in all competitions, deputising in the absence of Hugo Lloris, who injured his elbow during the 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!