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A development has emerged on Rangers defender Nathan Patterson, regarding interest in the Gers’ full-back’s future at Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, Manchester United are lining up a swoop for the full-back ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims more than 12 teams across Europe are keen on the youngster, whilst United also hold a tentative interest in Gers captain James Tavernier. Everton are named as one of the other clubs looking at Patterson, whilst United have alternative options in Kieran Trippier and Max Aarons.

Concern

This development on Patterson will surely leave Rangers fans feeling concerned over the possibility of a large blow in January. His potential has clearly caught the attention of a host of teams and that opens the door to the prospect of him leaving Ibrox in one of the upcoming transfer windows.

If more than 12 clubs are interested in the teenager then that could make it difficult for Rangers to keep hold of him. His agent could be fielding enquiries from sides left, right and centre and hearing that teams in the Champions League, such as Manchester United, are looking at him could turn his head.

Having the chance to go and play in the Premier League and Champions League, competing for the top trophies, could convince him to quit Ibrox, if United – or another side in Europe’s premier competition – make a serious move for him. This is precisely why Rangers fans should be worried.

The club’s head of academy Craig Mulholland once heralded the full-back as a great example for young players, saying: “Nathan has been fantastic for us this year.

“If you go and look at Nathan in the last 16 of the Europa League, if you look at him in the Old Firm game, it’s a great example for all the young players in here of what we’re trying to achieve.”

The 19-year-old has lived up to this high praise on the pitch. Last season, he averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.85 in the Europa League, showing that he can compete at a high level despite his young age.

In his only Premiership appearance this term, he provided an assist and recorded a score of 7.6 against Hibernian last weekend.

Patterson has shown that he has the potential to be a big player for Steven Gerrard moving forward and thus, supporters will be gutted to see him go.

He has already proven that he can play to a high standard in the Europa League and the Premiership and at the age of 19, he is James Tavernier’s ideal heir at right-back. With that in mind, it would be a hefty blow to lose him. After all, when Tavernier was missing last season, Patterson came in and performed admirably.

Should the former be missing again and the latter departs, the club would not be in good stead.

AND in other news, Wilson masterclass: Rangers dynamo sees value soar by 85.7% in one year, he’s exciting…

Newcastle United are reportedly now targeting a stunning move for Ivan Toney in the summer.

The Lowdown: After Newcastle…

After a few loan spells away from St. James’ Park, Toney was sold to Peterborough United back in 2018 for just £351,000.

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Now, he is currently rated at £31.5m, after banging in 14 goals and making a further five assists in 32 games in total over all competitions for Brentford so far this season (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Newcastle target

Writing in his latest piece for The Daily Telegraph, journalist Luke Edwards has revealed that the North East club are now looking to target Toney this summer.

It looks as if they will miss out on Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, as he wants to play for a club in European competition, and so Toney is seen as a good alternative.

The Verdict: Get it done

Although not entirely successful on Tyneside, where he made a mere four senior appearances, Toney is a different animal now, and would certainly be a signing that would excite the Toon Army.

Described as a ‘special, special’ player by his manager Thomas Frank, the Englishman has finally proven that he can perform in the Premier League, after scoring goals for fun in the lower divisions.

At 26 years of age, he is about to enter his prime, and so now is the perfect time for the Magpies to pounce on his signature.

In other news, find out whose agent NUFC have now held talks with here!

Leeds United have been boosted in their efforts to sign Ben Brereton Diaz, with Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray admitting that a big offer could be accepted.

The Lowdown: Brereton Diaz on fire

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a magnificent start to the season, scoring 17 goals in the Championship and only trailing Aleksandar Mitrovic (21) in the Golden Boot race in England’s second tier.

Brereton Diaz has also made a promising start to his international career with Chile, netting three times in nine appearances to date.

The Blackburn attacker has been linked with a move to Leeds in recent times, and while his current club are desperate to keep hold of him, their manager may have given the Whites some hope.

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The Latest: Mowbray gives Leeds hope

Speaking to Lancashire Telegraph, Mowbray admitted that a sizeable offer next summer could see Blackburn have to part with the Brereton Diaz. He said:

“He’s not walking away for nothing in the summer. All of those things are really pertinent. How much do you pay Ben Brereton to keep him happy and stay at this club and keep the journey going? Or when does he cut off and say he’s not signing so you decide what you want to do?

“We’ve not reached that stage with him because he’s a brilliant kid, no ego, works really hard for the lads.

“I’d like to think we can give Ben a new contract because I believe the best way to leave the club would be if someone offers an amount of money that would just be stupid to turn down and we could buy three £5m players on the back of it and then give yourselves a real chance and expectation to get promotion.”

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The Verdict: Strong rival for Bamford

Leeds are short on strikers this season, with Patrick Bamford relied upon too often, scoring on his first appearance in almost three months last weekend after coming back from injury.

Marcelo Bielsa could do with signing someone who can rival provide genuine competition for the Englishman, and Brereton Diaz could be that man.

The Chile international may only be shining in the Championship currently but Bamford himself took form with him from that division to the Premier League stage, scoring 16 goals in the second tier in 2019/20 and 17 in the top flight in the following campaign.

In other news, one massive Leeds figure has been linked with a shock January exit. Read more here.

Wolves have had an impressive start to the season, with new attackers Francisco Trincao and Hee Chan Hwang, joining the squad in the summer, they have managed to maintain a comfortable position in the top half of the table where they currently sit eighth after eighteen games played.

Hwang has been one of the notable performers in the team making an instant impact on the side since his arrival 4 months ago, with four goals in 14 Premier League appearances, making him the highest scoring player in the side so far this season.

Unfortunately for Wolves, the South Korean forward sustained a hamstring injury in the early stages of the clash against Brighton earlier this month, and it has now been confirmed that he will be out until at least February.

The club officially confirmed the news on the Wolverhampton Wanderers website stating;

“Hee Chan Hwang sustained a hamstring injury in the win over Brighton and is expected to return to play in February.”

Bruno Lage has had to get through the first half of the season with key players missing for large chunks of the campaign, with injury hits over the last few months to not only Hwang, but Willy Boly, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Pedro Neto and many more, with some still out of action.

The Wolves boss will be looking to the upcoming transfer window, which opens in the next few days, to add quality, fitness and availability to his squad as they challenge for a spot in Europe next season, but he may be able to save money by making a bold decision.

Morgan Gibbs White is currently on loan with Sheffield United, and is thoroughly enjoying the first team football he is experiencing with the side after making 16 appearances, scoring five goals and bagging four assists in the Championship already.

The Blades team mate, David McGoldrick, heaped praise on the youngster claiming he has “the world at his feet” after he opened the scoring against Cardiff in a 3-2 win;

“Yeah he’s got the world at his feet. You know, great kid, great player. He’s got all the ability in the world”, McGoldrick said after the win at Cardiff.

Gibbs White also weighed in on his season so far;

“Going to Sheffield United was the right move because I didn’t want to be sat on the bench at a Premier League team. I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

Lage’s big decision

Despite the fact he is clearly thriving with the Championship side, Lage is plagued with virus outbreaks and particularly, an injury to an important goal-scorer in his team.

Which begs the dilemma as to whether the Wolves manager leaves the 21-year-old to continue to build confidence and experience, or recalls him from loan, bringing him back to the West Midlands club to make up for lost goal scoring opportunities in the absence of Hwang.

If Wolves were to bring back Gibbs-White it would free up funds for Lage to spend in other key areas that could use depth like their defensive and wing back positions, so it could be quite a positive move for the club.

But could also really disrupt the progression the forward is having away on loan if the manager can’t offer him enough first team football when Hwang returns.

In the end, Wolves’ need right now is far more pressing, so Lage must seriously consider making that bold call.

In other news: Ruben Neves squashes rumours of a move away

Graeme Bailey says that Newcastle United are now in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Hugo Ekitike in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Wood on his way…

Sky Sports reported on Tuesday night that the St. James’ Park faithful activated the £20m release clause of Chris Wood, and he is now set to undergo a medical ahead of a move from Burnley.

However, their striker search may not stop there, as The Athletic journalist Chris Waugh has suggested that could go for another one before the window closes.

Nonetheless, with the injury suffered by Callum Wilson, the North East club need all the help that they can get up top if they are to drag themselves out of the relegation zone come the end of the season.

The Latest: Ekitike to follow?

As per 90min journalist Bailey, the Tyneside outfit are now in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Ekitike, in what he claims would be a ‘huge signing’ if they can pull a deal off:

“Can reveal that Newcastle United are in advanced talks to sign Reims’ Hugo Ekitike for £30m.

“Outstanding talent – huge signing for Newcastle if they get it done, many in France believe he could be the next Mbappe.”

The Verdict: Worth the risk

With the Wood deal looking all but done, the Magpies have already found a striker with experience in the Premier League.

Thus, they can afford to take more of a punt on a player like Ekitike, and although £30m may be considered excessive considering his current market value, at just 19 years of age, he could easily be worth that in the future.

Any comparison to Kylian Mbappe, who has simply set the world alight since his teenage years at AS Monaco, is obviously welcomed, and highlights just how much potential Ekitike has.

With eight goals and three assists in 18 games in Ligue 1 so far this season (Transfermarkt), he has shown already that he can perform at a high level, and so would certainly be an exciting new addition for the Toon Army.

In other news, find out who NUFC are now set to bid for here!

According to a recent report from The Daily Mail (via The Sun), Celtic are interested in a January move for defender Jeremy Toljan. The 24-year-old currently plays his football at German giants Borussia Dortmund and has done so since leaving Hoffenheim back in 2017, although struggles for regular game time this time round has called his future at the Bundesliga outfit into question.

And a recent report from The Daily Mail (via The Sun) suggests that Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic are eyeing up a late January move for the right back in a bid to bolster that particular area of the field, with the £2.7 million-rated defender (as per Transfermarkt) the man to finally give Mikael Lustig something to think about down the right-hand-side.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Sweden international Lustig has been an excellent servant to the Bhoys following his move from Rosenborg back in 2012, with the defender having since then appeared 263 times for the Scottish giants, helping the club win seven successive Scottish Premiership titles in the process.

However, at the age of 32, it does appear as though things are beginning to catch up with the right back given he hasn’t always convinced down the Celtic right-hand-side this season – but with Cristian Gamboa struggling for game time under Rodgers as well, the Northern Irishman clearly doesn’t fancy the Costa Rica international as Lustig’s regular deputy.

As such, it seems pretty clear that not only is a right back needed in the long-term for life after Lustig, but the 32-year-old may need fresh competition this term to improve his form for the Bhoys – the arrival of Dortmund’s Toljan would surely do just that.

The 24-year-old made the move to the Bundesliga outfit from fellow German side Hoffenheim in 2017 after impressing at the latter, and while he appeared 16 times in the league for Dortmund last time round under a combination of Peter Bosz and Peter Stoger, he has struggled to convince new boss Lucien Favre of his capabilities.

In fact, the Germany Under-21 international has failed to appear even once in the Bundesliga for the current table-toppers to underline just how far down the pecking order he is under Favre – a move away clearly appears to be in Toljan’s best interests if he is serious about playing regularly.

And with a couple of assists for Dortmund last time round, as well as a goal in their 2-2 draw with Freiburg back in January 2018, the 24-year-old clearly has pedigree in the more attacking areas of the pitch in seeking to get forward and create opportunities – and with Kieran Tierney able to do the same down the Celtic left, the duo could be a constant thorn in opposition’s sides.

Importantly though, the arrival of Toljan might just be what Lustig needs to rediscover his best form for the Bhoys, as the lack of competition in that right back ranks may well be playing a part in his struggles this term – quite simply, he isn’t really being pushed.

But the arrival of the younger and arguably more dynamic Toljan would give him that competition, and thus very much something to think about in the second half of the campaign.

Celtic fans… what do you think? Let us know!

The international break perhaps came at the wrong time for Bruno Lage’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side, as things seemed like they were beginning to click under the leadership of the 45-year-old, with Wolves picking up nine points from a possible 12 over their last four fixtures.

With a West Midlands derby against Aston Villa coming up this afternoon, not only will Lage be hoping for a positive result in order to continue his team’s impressive run of form, he will also want to provide fans with the bragging rights of a win over one of their more prominent rivals.

Ahead of what is sure to be a challenging fixture for Wolves, will Lage decide to make any changes from the team which started the 2-1 win over Newcastle United last time out?

Here’s how we think the Portuguese could line up against Villa, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Francisco Trincao being ruled out of the trip to Villa Park after falling ill while on international duty with Portugal, Lage will be forced into at least one change this afternoon, and we predict that the 45-year-old will also make one other alteration to his starting XI against Newcastle United last time out.

The back three of Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Max Kilman remains untouched, as do the left and right wing-back duo of Fernando Marcal and Nelson Semedo, while Jose Sa also retains his place between the sticks.

The first change comes alongside Ruben Neves in the middle of the park, with the £100k-per-week Joao Moutinho dropping out of the XI and 26-year-old Leander Dendoncker taking his place. That is to provide Wolves with a bit more defensive stability and energy against what is likely to be a rather attack-minded Villa midfield, which conjured four key passes against Spurs recently.

In the front three, Hwang Hee-chan keeps his spot following his brace against Newcastle, while dribbling king Adama Traore is reintroduced on the right as Trincao’s replacement, and Raul Jimenez starts up top.

In other news: Huge Wolves blow confirmed ahead of Aston Villa clash, Lage will be gutted

Ian Doyle has been left ‘disappointed’ by the display of Curtis Jones as Liverpool hosted Watford in the Premier League at Saturday lunchtime.

The Lowdown: Given chance

Jones was given his chance to impress from the start by Jurgen Klopp, ahead of the likes of Fabinho and James Milner in the centre of midfield.

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It was only his ninth start in the top flight this season, but he did not seem to be able to make the most of his opportunity, despite the Reds moving top of the Premier League with a relatively tame 2-0 victory.

The Latest: Doyle reacts

Taking to Twitter, The Liverpool Echo journalist Doyle slammed Jones’ performance after he shot ‘well over’ the crossbar in the second half of the game:

“Jones has a run and although it opens up a little, he shoots well over. It has been a disappointing afternoon so far for the LFC midfielder.”

The Verdict: Not his day

It was clearly not Jones’ day, as that shot was one of two attempts that he put off target, while he was also wayward with three of his crosses (SofaScore).

Defensively, he lost out on five of his duels, and failed to make a single interception or clearance in the match, while he was also dribbled past and made a foul (SofaScore).

However, Jones was perhaps most ‘disappointing’ in possession, as he was guilty of losing the ball a total of 12 times, and given that he came off on the hour mark for Fabinho, statistically he gave the ball away every five minutes.

The 21-year-old Englishman will know that his starting spot is not guaranteed, and he will have to put in better performances if he is to be a mainstay in the side in the future.

In other news, find out what big transfer update Fabrizio Romano has dropped that affects the Reds here!

A number of Liverpool supporters are fuming after a fresh report claimed that the Reds are unlikely to make any new signings in the January transfer window.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have suffered a disappointing run of form, failing to win any of their last three Premier League matches against Tottenham, Leicester City and Chelsea, leaving them 11 points behind leaders Manchester City and arguably out of the title race.

Liverpool have arguably looked a tired outfit in recent weeks, with the pandemic striking down a number of players and other individuals currently out injured.

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The Reds’ decision to only sign Ibrahima Konate last summer may be having a negative impact now, and some will no doubt want new faces to arrive in January, especially with three players away on Africa Cup of Nations duty, including 23-goal top scorer Mohamed Salah.

However, according to the Liverpool Echo [via Anfield Watch on Twitter], no new signings are expected to come in this month, with Klopp making do with the squad that’s currently at his disposal.

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Liverpool fans angry at new latest rumour

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their displeasure at the news, with some taking aim at club owners FSG, who have a reputation for being rather frugal in recent transfer windows.

“These kind of quotes are so infuriating… like we know we are finished, stop rubbing it in our face”

Credit: @AC_LFC19

“FSG clearly unserious about competing”

Credit: @momurewa

“We’re a joke”

Credit: @JosephShirley87

“Oh come on”

Credit: @Malekzzzzzzz

“Rinse, repeat, recycle”

Credit: @dzidzorly

“Of course he will. Same old from this mob. Forza Divock and Taki”

Credit: @Daws_21

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has made one Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

Antonio Conte will be in the dugout to take charge of his first game as Tottenham Hotspur boss after being appointed on a one-and-a-half-year deal on Tuesday afternoon.

The Italian’s work permit has come through just in time to lead out his new side later this evening when they welcome Dutch outfit Vitesse to north London in the Europa Conference League.

He will need to spark an instant reaction with Spurs sat third in Group G, having been defeated 1-0 in the Netherlands two weeks ago.

Conte has barely had time to properly implement his own ideas and philosophy, so it will be interesting to see what sort of formation and lineup he opts for.

With that in mind, here’s the XI we’re predicting tonight…

The 52-year-old will want to kickstart his reign with a bang, so we could see much of his first-team squad feature – there could be just three changes from the side that were thrashed 3-0 by Manchester United on Sunday.

That will also include a change in system as Conte’s famed 3-5-2 gets a run out for the very first time.

Spurs club captain and no.1 Hugo Lloris is set to remain between the sticks despite Pierluigi Gollini often being the choice in the competition, whilst we could see a three-man defence of Eric Dier, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez.

On either flank in a new and exciting advanced wing-back role, we’re expecting Sergio Reguilon to come back into the side over Ben Davies, with Emerson Royal continuing on the right.

There are plenty of decisions to be made in the engine room but it’s 21-year-old academy gem Oliver Skipp who is likely to be an unfortunate casualty as Conte may prefer Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg occupying a deeper role on his own, allowing Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso freedom further forward.

They will need to get up and down and be industrious in the middle in order to support the two-pronged frontline of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane, who should thrive off each other in the final third.

This change in formation means the £18m-rated Lucas Moura is ruthlessly axed as the Italian is unlikely to utilise wingers in their natural form.

AND in other news, Paratici could transform Conte’s Spurs by signing “special” £63m-rated “absolute gem”…