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Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has revealed he has been contacted by an unnamed club after reports linked him with a move to Liverpool.

Gerrard makes contact admission

The 40-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to his boyhood club after rumours emerged that saying Jurgen Klopp was eyeing the Germany job (Daily Mirror).

In an interview with The Telegraph, Gerrard admitted there had been interest in his services, but he refused to reveal from which club. He said:

“There has been interest, and I don’t think I have to talk about where that comes from.

“All that does is that it tells me I am on the right lines. I am doing a decent job. My players are doing a decent job. I take it as a compliment.”

Unsurprising

Given the Gers’ form so far this campaign, it is hardly surprising to hear that there is interest from other clubs in taking the former Liverpool captain away from Ibrox. After 10 years without a major trophy, Gerrard led the 55-time Scottish champions to a dominant title success, while they have lost just two games in all competitions this season (Sky Sports).

In the long-term, Gerrard’s future probably lies away from Glasgow, but it still feels too early for him to depart. After all, the Gers are in with a chance of competing in the Champions League group stages next season – surely Gerrard will want to stick around for that.

In other news, many Rangers fans rage at this BBC pundit’s comments.

In a recent interview, former Premier League footballer, Alan Hutton, discussed the potential summer interest in Leeds United winger, Helder Costa.

Since joining Leeds from Wolverhampton Wanderers back in 2019, Costa has so far gone on to make 66 appearances for the Whites, scoring seven goals and providing 11 assists along the way.

However, the £36,000-per-week winger has found his game time under Marcelo Bielsa become more limited this season, with the 27-year-old starting just 10 Premier League fixtures for the club this term.

As a result, Phil Hay has claimed that, if Victor Orta plans to bring in new signings at Leeds this summer, then Costa’s position in the side is very much “at-risk”.

And, speaking recently to Football Insider, Hutton suggested that Costa could indeed leave the club at the end of the season, before suggesting that a large number of Championship sides will be interested in a move for the winger.

He said: “If [Bielsa] sees an opportunity to cash in, I think they can still make some money off him. There’ll be a lot of teams, especially high Championship teams, that will be interested. He’s definitely got that X factor on his day so I understand what they’re thinking.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Indeed, as Hutton suggests, Costa has shown this season that, on his day, he can be an extremely valuable player, such as when he bagged a brace and earned a WhoScored match rating of 8.23 in the Whites’ 4-3 win over Fulham, or when he provided an assist in the club’s 3-0 victory at Villa Park, earning a match rating of 7.38.

However, unfortunately for Costa, these flashes of brilliance have been few and far between, as the winger’s average WhoScored match rating of 6.31 over his total of 19 Premier League appearances ranks him as Leeds’ sixth-worst player in the top flight.

As such, perhaps the step down to a Championship side this summer, as Hutton suggests, would be a move that suits all parties.

In other news: Leeds United have been urged to sign this “highly sought-after” £31k-p/w star this summer – find out more here!

Celtic are currently without a manager but that hasn’t stopped the Bhoys from considering new recruits ahead of the summer window.

What’s the word?

One player Celtic have been linked with on a frequent basis in the past is Aaron Hickey.

The teenager left the Hoops when he was still an academy player, joining Hearts in 2018. However, the Bhoys seemingly hold regret and have been keen to bring him back.

In a recent interview, Hickey admitted there was a heavy interest from his boyhood club last summer before he joined Bologna for a fee of £1.8m.

The 18-year-old commented: “I’m a Celtic supporter and it was massive for me, but I just didn’t think it was the right time to go there,”

In light of this, Celtic pundit Frank McAvennie gave his thoughts on the left-back when speaking to Football Insider: “It sounds like a come-and-get-me plea. He’s a good left-back the young boy, I would take him.”

Ideal Tierney successor

Ever since Kieran Tierney left for Arsenal in the summer of 2019, Celtic have been trying to find a solution.

They signed Diego Laxalt on loan from AC Milan but his future at the club is in doubt with the defender only on loan in Glasgow.

With Boli Bolingoli frozen out after his pandemic-related mishap last summer, the Hoops are in desperate need of finding another full-back.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-edouard-desmond” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

In letting the likes of Tierney and Hickey go, Celtic are obviously full of regret but they could make a huge step towards correcting their decision by bringing the latter back.

He has developed excellently in recent years and a move to Serie A is a testament to that. He sparkled on his debut for Bologna, earning rave reviews from the Italian press.

Gazzetta dello Sport wrote: “Debuted at 18 as if he’d always played here. In the first half he showed personality and quality, a player who was bought for almost nothing.”

Hickey is evidently wise beyond his age and like Tierney, possesses attacking qualities in abundance. In a scout report on the player, The Footie Analyst wrote: “One of Hickey’s key strengths is his ability to run with the ball at speed, utilising the space available to drive his team forward.”

That is near identical to Tierney, a player who is often so rampant down Arsenal’s left-hand side.

What sets him apart, however, is his versatility. The youngster is capable of playing on the right-hand side too. Having also featured centrally, Hickey has been compared to one of the finest to grace the game.

Former Hearts man Austin MacPhee once said: “He’s so young he could play a lot of positions. He could end up being like Busquets.”

With defensive solidity to his game too – he has made 1.4 interceptions per game this season – he would be an excellent addition.

Celtic should consider reviving their interest in Hickey when the time is right.

AND in other news, Celtic hero sees value soar by 257% after leaving, Rodgers called him a “big talent”…

Without a manager, Peter Lawwell departing and a new director of football to come, making plans for the summer will be incredibly hard at Celtic.

Of course, the new faces may prefer a different approach in the transfer market, which makes it hard to predict who will arrive.

What’s the word?

That hasn’t stopped the transfer rumour mill from doing its job of churning out stories, however.

According to The Mirror, Celtic are one of a number of teams interested in signing Romain Perraud from French club Brest.

The race to sign him won’t be very simple, with Premier League side Leeds United in hot pursuit of the left-back. The defender has also now admitted that he’s a fan of Chelsea.

Celtic were keen on signing Perraud in 2019 when the player suggested a move very nearly happened.

He told Goal (via Daily Record) in November of the same year: “Celtic and Dijon made me concrete offers. With Celtic, the discussions started at the beginning of the transfer window, but Nice did not want to hear anything, so they did not come back.

“There remained Dijon and Brest. In the end, I chose Brest. I was seduced by the project and the speech I received.”

Nearly two years on, the Frenchman could have to make a similar decision over his future.

Imagine him and Edouard

Perraud is the definition of a flying full-back. Adept defensively, he’s marauding whenever he goes forward.

The £7.2m-rated defender is very much in the mould of Kieran Tierney, a player who brought great joy to those at Parkhead before departing for Arsenal 19 months ago.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

So far this term, the 23-year-old has been particularly impressive, winning 1.9 tackles per game in Ligue 1. For context, that tally is only bettered by the tough-tackling Ismaila Soro and rarely-seen Anthony Ralston in the Hoops squad.

However, the most frightening aspect of his play is undoubtedly in attack. Perraud has scored three goals from the left flank this term, also providing five assists for his teammates.

Assessing stats provided by Smarterscout, a tool which uses videogame-style ratings out of 99, it demonstrates that the 23-year-old is particularly good going forward.

Adjusted to Premier League standard – via The Athletic – Perraud’s carry and dribble volume ranks at 89 out of 99. On top of that, expected goals from his chance creation are rated at 75 while his shot volume is a staggering 99 for someone in his position.

Celtic have creativity in their squad but just imagine what Edouard could do if he’s granted the service of Perraud.

He’s naturally a defender but, like many modern-day full-backs, has a mean delivery. Similarly to Tierney, Perraud’s crossing ability is sensational. The former, for instance, has made 1.3 key passes per game in England this season.

Edouard already has 20 goals this term in a struggling Celtic side. They are 18 points behind Rangers but could narrow the gap next season by slotting Perraud in on the left.

Give him the freedom of that flank and his chance creation could be incredibly beneficial for Celtic’s star striker. This has the potential to be a mouth-watering partnership.

AND in other news, Celtic could finally axe veteran star by hiring 49 y/o who’s done “phenomenal” things…

Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted that the club have decided to cut all ties with Reach PLC, who were in charge of putting together the club’s matchday programmes.

The Gers supporters do not have the best of relationships with Reach, who own outlets such as The Daily Record – the Ibrox outfit’s fans have had several issues with articles they have previously printed, and there has been a big movement away from mainstream media sources as fans look to get their news directly from the club or from supporter-run organisations.

There was already frustration that the club were working so closely with Reach (Rangers News), so the news that the partnership has been ended has gone down fantastically with the supporters.

The news was shared by Rangers Supporter Liaison Officer Greg Marshall on Twitter, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Reach PLC news below

“Absolutely delighted to hear this. Reach PLC as we all know are part the Daily Record group. They hate everything that Glasgow Rangers stands for. We should never ever be doing any business with this or any associated business cells.”

Credit: @Blabber08756401

“Excellent news.”

Credit: @rdonno1

“Best news in ages”

Credit: @WalterW31347418

“Excellent move on all fronts. Well done rangers.”

Credit: @craigmillar82

“Excellent news. Bin that lot and their associates. Keep it in house and maximise the profits.”

Credit: @Richard65272630

“Absolutely fantastic news! Thank you for listening to the fans.”

Credit: @Cosmos_Rangers

In other news, Rangers fans are far from happy with this pundit’s comments.

Amid suggestions Hector Bellerin could be on his way out of Arsenal this year, Edu could land Mikel Arteta a dream player by signing Norwich City starlet Max Aarons.

According to CBS Sports, PSG are ready to revive last summer’s interest in Bellerin, with the Spaniard himself eager to test himself away from the Emirates.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 giants are not alone in their interest in the right-back however, with Barcelona also said to be keeping an eye. It’s added that “for their part Arsenal have not indicated to the player what their plans are for him as he approaches the final two years of the contract he signed in late 2016.”

And with Bellerin’s long-term future at the Emirates up in the air, Aarons and Brighton flier Tariq Lamptey have been identified as potential replacements for the Spaniard.

When you look at how Aarons has performed back in the Championship this season, you can see why the 21-year-old would fit in so well with the likes of the Gunners’ other young starlets, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe for instance.

The £18m-rated right-back has scored once and picked up three assists, while crucially, has played the full 90 minutes in every single league game for the Canaries this campaign – the Gunners only have to look at Bellerin’s knee injury, or even the struggles of Kieran Tierney to see what an impressive feat that is.

Speaking earlier this season, Norwich boss Daniel Farke said: “Max is outstanding in many topics. I can’t praise him enough for what he has done since his first appearance. He is always looking to work harder. Never ill, never injured. If the best clubs in the world are interested then maybe there is not that much more space to improve.

“But he knows he can work a bit more on his assists and end product, like in the last game. I think he can be more of an offensive threat for us. You watch some of our games now and the opponents go man-for-man on him. That is crazy for a player who is a full-back but it says a lot about his reputation. He is just a special player and he has an unbelievable future.”

As Farke says, Aarons is a dangerous “threat” going forward, and for a manager like Arteta, who clearly places emphasis on his full-backs to go forward – both Tierney and Bellerin feature in the top six for key passes per game this season for the Gunners – the 21-year-old feels like a perfect fit for the Arsenal boss.

He’s young, forward-thinking and already with plenty of experience, especially given he had a campaign of Premier League football to taste just last season with the Canaries.

Edu could wave goodbye to Bellerin this summer and land a dream player for Arteta by landing Aarons.

Leeds United have given Hibernian teenager Ethan Laidlaw a trial at the club with a view to potentially signing the Scottish youngster.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side drew 0-0 at home to Chelsea on Saturday, once again proving that they can go toe-to-toe with the best sides in the Premier League.

Leeds give trial to Hibs youngster Laidlaw

According to the Daily Record, Leeds gave a trial to Hibs striker Laidlaw last week, with the 16-year-old considered a hugely exciting prospect.

Described on Hibs’ official website as an ‘agile, quick and skilful attacking player’, he will hope to have impressed during his short stay at Elland Road. Should that be the case, Leeds could eye up a permanent move for Laidlaw this summer.

He signed his professional deal at Hibs last month, highlighting how keen the Scottish Premiership club are to tie him down at Easter Road.

Transfer Tavern take

Laidlaw must be a very promising player to have already signed a professional contract at just 16, so it is exciting to see the Whites linked with a possible move for him.

It is always hard to tell how smoothly any young player will make the step up to senior football, especially in one of Europe’s top leagues, but if Laidlaw is to make the move to Elland Road, he could represent a smart coup for Leeds with plenty of raw talent to nurture into a polished diamond.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a move for a Premier League defender with considerable experience. Read about it here.

Everton can sign their dream Richarlison heir in Leicester City’s in-demand winger Demarai Gray amid reports Carlo Ancelotti’s side are eying a potential free transfer this summer.

What’s the word?

A Premier League scout has told Le Phoceen that the Toffees are one of several English sides likely to move for Gray at the end of the season when his £55,000-per-week contract expires.

Gray and his representatives are understood to have already held discussions with Olympique de Marseille over a move to the Ligue 1 side, with the 24-year-old free to negotiate with clubs from abroad.

SL Benfica, AS Monaco and Bundesliga outfits have also been linked, while Southampton have now come forward to register their interest after Leeds were claimed to be leading the race for the Tottenham Hotspur target’s signature (Mirror, 5/1, p. 47).

Gray has been shunned to the fringes at the King Power Stadium this term due to his reluctance to sign a new contract, with Brendan Rodgers calling on the former U21 international to play just 18 minutes of Premier League football.

Yet there appears to be no shortage of admirers, with Gray seen to be standing out as an exciting player set to be available for free this summer.

“He’s a very good player who keeps an excellent rating in England,” a Premier League scout told Le Phoceen. “He is still one of the very good wingers of his generation, even if his contractual situation at Leicester means that he is dismissed by Rodgers and the leaders.

“He is very quick and skilled at eliminating his opponent in the middle of the race, as well as against goalkeepers with a tendency to open his foot to find the opposite side of the net. There will surely be competition, because I think that good English clubs will move, like Everton, Tottenham or Southampton.”

Dream Richarlison heir

Marcel Brands moving to place Everton at the front of the queue for Gray’s services would see the Dutchman hand Ancelotti a dream heir to Richarlison, with the Italian tactician well-aware of the Brazilian’s importance to how his side operates.

Rodgers may be reluctant to field Gray this season with the Birmingham-born forward refusing to commit his future to Leicester, but the Foxes boss is a firm believer in the 24-year-old’s potential and had wished to see him pen a new deal.

“He’s obviously a player we want to keep,” Rodgers said, via quotes by the Leicester Mercury, last summer. “He’s got wonderful talent. He can dribble, he can do everything. With Demarai, it’s always been about that end product, creating goals and assisting goals on a regular basis, and then working with an intensity to fit in with the structure of the team.”

Gray has provided three goals and an assist in four Premier League 2 appearances this season as he looks to maintain his match fitness, and has previously found the back of the net 13 times and created 17 goals in 169 first-team outings.

Ancelotti would likely love to work with a player with the potential and proven skill as the Foxes’ speed demon, who registered 0.8 shots and 0.8 key passes a game in the top-flight last term despite playing just 29 minutes in each appearance, on average, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands can atone for his £18m summer mistake with an Everton raid for a relentless gem.

Manchester City were seemingly extremely close to signing Frenkie De Jong in 2018, with the young midfielder’s family reportedly scouting out potential properties in Manchester ahead of a potential move from Ajax.

That’s according to the Daily Mail, who suggest that City wanted the Dutch international to take over from Fernandinho in their side and he was ready to join the Citizens before Barcelona announced their interest.

He would ultimately join the La Liga giants in a deal worth £65m in January of last year, with him completing the move last summer.

Since then, he has established himself as a key first-team player with Blaugrana, having made 53 appearances in all competitions, contributing two goals and five assists, as per Transfermarkt.

The young midfielder could well have been the perfect man to replace Fernandinho in this City side, although Rodri has done a fairly impressive job since joining from Atletico Madrid last summer.

So far this season, the Dutchman has averaged a solid 6.94 rating across his eight appearances in La Liga, whilst earning an impressive 7.11 rating across his three appearances in the Champions League, via WhoScored.

When De Jong joined Barcelona, he attracted a lot of praise from former coaches and managers, with the youngster’s U’15 coach  at Willem II, Jos Bogers, suggesting:

“I had an interview for the Willem II website and was asked about my favourite player. Obviously, most coaches name Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Messi, but I said Frenkie De Jong. He was fantastic technically – a natural talent.”

The Barcelona manager at the time of his signing, Ernesto Valverde, was also clearly very excited to work with him, saying:

“He’s a really exciting signing for the club, both in terms of the present and the future. He’s a great player with a really, really big future in front of him. We are hoping for the best for him, because his success will be the club’s too. He’s a great signing, a really great acquisition.”

Considering De Jong has established himself as a key player at Barcelona despite being just 23-years-old, it seems clear that he is destined for a big future, and would have been a big success had he joined Manchester City in the Premier League, so the club’s sporting director, Aitor “Txiki” Begiristain Mujika, will be frustrated that he was unable to complete a deal to sign him back in 2018.

A potentially disastrous decision in the long-run.

And, in other news… 100% aerial duels: Man City beast produced another superb display vs Burnley

According to TEAMtalk, Crystal Palace are interested in signing Glen Kamara from Glasgow Rangers.

What’s the word?

Kamara has been an integral part of Steven Gerrard’s side as Rangers have made a strong start to the season as they sit top of the Scottish Premiership and qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League.

It’s claimed that Roy Hodgson still retains an interest in the Finland international with several players out of contract in the summer, including veteran midfielder James McArthur.

However, Palace will face stiff competition from several other Premier League sides such as Everton, Newcastle, Sheffield United and Southampton if they wish to secure his services when the winter transfer market opens in January.

Get it done, Eagles

The 25-year-old defensive midfielder has been in impressive form for the Gers since the start of the season, providing one goal in 20 appearances in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Injuries have limited McArthur to eight starts in the Premier League this campaign, as he missed the clash with Wolves, whilst Luka Milivojevic was suspended for the entirety of November after he received a red card in the defeat at Molineux.

Jairo Riedewald has stepped up in the club captain’s absence, but that hasn’t been enough to prevent Palace from slipping further down the table, with just one win from their last four games.

Steve Parish may be best served sanctioning a move for Kamara as not only would he be able to compete with the likes of Riedewald, McArthur and James McCarthy for a place in the starting line-up, but he’d also be a useful attacking threat as well.

The Ibrox boss was effusive in his praise for the midfield dynamo following the win over Dundee United, as he said: “The previous coaches that have worked with Glen at Arsenal and when he moved on have done a fantastic job because he’s been schooled right.

“I think he fits into our system like a glove. He could’ve started today, without a shadow of a doubt, he’s certainly pushing. I thought he was very good when he [came] on.

“Over the course of the season, Glen Kamara’s going to get many appearances.”

In five games in the Europa League, he has scored one goal, whilst he is averaging 2 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.

Former Rangers player Neil Murray has also praised Kamara in the past, telling The Daily Record: “Kamara was excellent at the weekend and he really is an intelligent footballer.

“He has so much ability on the ball, although if you don’t have that then you just won’t play in Gerrard’s midfield.

“We tend to forget how young he is and how much better he is going to get.”

Comfortable on the ball and confident in possession, these kind of traits would be most welcome in south London, and when you consider the fact that his market value is estimated at a mere £1m via Transfermarkt, he could be an absolute steal if the Eagles can get a deal over the line.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace must make cut-throat Mamadou Sakho decision amid Real Betis links…