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Rangers have had a pretty eventful season this time around after cruising to the SPFL title in their previous campaign.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side currently find themselves in the semi-finals of the Europa League and set to take on Hearts in the Scottish Cup final.

One player that has been a particularly important player for the Gers this season is midfielder Joe Aribo.

With 31 league appearances to his name in this campaign, only Connor Goldson and James Tavernier have played more minutes than Aribo.

Across all competitions, the 25-year-old has now made 50 appearances for his side.

In those appearances, the midfielder has shown with his eight goals and ten assists just how important he is for the team.

Regarding Aribo’s future at Ibrox, not only has he been linked with a range of Premier League clubs during the previous January transfer window, but he will also be entering the final year of his contract in the summer.

With that in mind, it could be worth Van Bronckhorst having a player in mind that could be a potential replacement for the Nigerian should he end up leaving Ibrox in the near future.

One figure already at Rangers that could fit that particular bill is 18-year-old Alex Lowry.

As a product of the club’s youth system, the midfielder has made 13 appearances across their senior and reserve sides.

Having found the back of the net three times and delivered two assists, the teenager has shown what an attacking and creative danger he can be, just like Aribo.

Described as a player that is “unlike anyone else at Rangers” by his former academy coach Graeme Murty, Lowry has also scored two goals in five games for the Scotland U19 side.

Murty also praised the starlet’s “technical ability, the range of passing that he sees and executes” and his “individual ability to go past people.”

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that the Gers have a very exciting young prospect in their ranks that could well go on to become a big player for them in the first team.

Moving forward, while Van Bronckhorst would presumably prefer to keep hold of Aribo for as long as possible, it should be a relief for him and the Rangers fans to know they have a player like Lowry that can be relied upon to make the step up if needed.

In other news: Wilson could land a new £13m talent as Rangers plot bid for £180k-rated sensation

Leeds United could soon have another teenage goal machine on their hands…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Star, the Yorkshire side are among a number of Premier League teams taking a keen interest in Rangers prodigy Rory Wilson, who is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Europe.

Both Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Newcastle United are also thought to be monitoring his progress with scouts from City and United watching him in action for Scotland U17s this week, where he bagged two goals against the Czech Republic.

He has featured for the Gers’ youth team in both the Lowland League and in the UEFA Youth League.

Any club that signs him will have to pay compensation, likely to be in the region of £300k, as per the report.

Forget Gelhardt

The Whites have a track record in signing young, promising starlets, especially those of an attacking persuasion and Wilson could be the next to follow in the footsteps of Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt.

Much like the latter, there seems to be plenty of hype surrounding the Rangers gem, who has bagged an astounding 40 goals for the Scottish club this campaign.

Scotland has recently become a hotbed for young talent for some of Europe’s biggest clubs – Celtic youngster Ben Doak is the latest name to head south after clinching a move to Liverpool, whilst the likes of Calvin Ramsey and Kerr Smith have attracted interest in recent windows.

What bolsters Leeds’ chances of adding this goalscoring talent to their youth squad is the fact that Wilson has reportedly rejected Rangers’ offers of his first professional contract – in a bid to follow Billy Gilmour into the Premier League.

You’d imagine that his arrival would put competition at Gelhardt’s door, especially as he has struggled to start matches despite the injuries to Patrick Bamford.

Even though he’s bagged two goals from the bench in 13 appearances this season, the former Wigan prospect has been restricted to two starts, neither of which have come under new manager Jesse Marsch, who didn’t even introduce him during their 3-2 win over Wolves before the international break.

Wilson is clearly a very talented youngster with bags of potential and the Yorkshire giants must ensure they win the race to sign him, rather than letting one of their rivals get a boost towards their future.

For six figures, it’s a low-risk bargain with the potential of high rewards.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano reveals fresh Raphinha development…

Writing on his Patreon, club insider ExWHUemployee has lifted the lid on a behind-the-scenes ‘shake up’ at West Ham United.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing the long term…

During his first stint with the Hammers, Moyes was not offered the chance to build on his work at the London Stadium – being quickly replaced by Manuel Pellegrini.

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Nearly two years after he was re-instated following GSB’s decision to part ways with the Chilean, Moyes has guided West Ham back to Europe whilst being handed a new and improved long term deal.

The 58-year-old touched upon building for the long term and putting ‘another layer of bricks’ on top of simply signing players, with Ex now revealing news of a major overhaul at academy level.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee lifts lid on behind-scenes ‘shake up’…

As per his information, West Ham are now set for an overhaul in terms of key staff in the Hammers academy.

Indeed, Ex believes that Under-23s coach Dmitri Halajko is now ‘set to leave’ within the next month and other ‘key people’ could also be on their way before the season finishes.

Jeremy Sauer, who is currently assistant boss to Halajko, may depart after his current coaching partner with Moyes and the club now apparently set for an overhaul.

The Verdict: Moyes building…

Given the Scotsman’s fine job at West Ham, we believe the club and supporters should watch on and let him reshape the finer details of the club in his own image.

Planning for the long term is arguably an underrated part of any manager’s job with the emphasis being on aspects like transfers or results on the field.

Finer changes like this one could have a major impact on the talent coming through at Rush Green, and therefore, the first team – so this update could possess some significance.

In other news: ‘I’ve heard’…Insider drops ‘boardroom level’ claim in possible boost for Moyes and West Ham, find out more here.

An update has emerged on Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Magpies are lining up a January swoop to sign the midfielder as they look to strengthen their options in the middle of the park.

The report claims that he could cost a fee in the region of £15m, with Newcastle believing that he can add energy to their team.

Fans would love him

PIF must ensure that they are able to secure a deal for Nakamba in the January transfer window. They must splash out the £15m required to sign him in order to strengthen the squad, with the defensive midfielder a potentially excellent addition to the side.

Nakamba is a hard-working player who the Newcastle fans would love to watch in action in their midfield. He puts himself about and chips in with important defensive interventions, averaging an impressive 4.5 tackles and interceptions combined per match throughout his career.

Along with his fine defensive statistics, he has also completed 90% of his passes in the Premier League this season after averaging a success rate of 84.2% across his first two campaigns in the division. This shows that he is able to retain the ball after winning it back off the opposition.

Dean Smith’s comments on Nakamba upon his arrival at Villa Park highlight this. The manager hailed him being impressive with the ball at his feet, saying:

“Marvelous fits the criteria of the type of player we were looking for.

“He’s very mobile, he’s very good in possession and he will fit in with our style of play.”

Therefore, supporters would love the £34k-per-week beast as he has shown that he can play to a decent level in the top-flight and be a reliable operator. At £15m, he could be a bargain addition to the team and add some steel to the midfield, improving Newcastle’s defence whilst still having a player in the engine room who is capable of passing the ball efficiently.

This is why PIF must secure a swoop for the midfielder in January. The fans could be buzzing with this shrewd piece of business, with this deal potentially getting the ball rolling as the new owners attempt to bolster the entire squad in the next window.

AND in other news,  PIF must avoid first NUFC blunder over £20m “mentality monster”, fans would be fuming…

Alan Nixon has dropped an update on Wigan Athletic’s pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Jaroslaw Jach.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Wigan are interested in landing Crystal Palace centre-back Jaroslaw Jach on loan this month.

Nixon claims that Wigan and Ipswich are both exploring the possibility of signing the defender on a temporary deal before the window closes.

Worrying

Wigan fans will surely be worried by this rumour as Jach does not appear to be a shrewd signing by the club, on paper at least. The defender has struggled to adapt to life in England since joining Palace and has had a number of loan spells away from the club with little success.

Jach has not made more than 24 league appearances in a season in his entire career and has made just one senior appearance for Palace in three years. He joined Fortuna Sittard on loan in the 2020/21 campaign and was limited to just three games in the Eredivisie, suggesting that he was not able to cut it in The Netherlands.

The player, himself, admitted that he was not ready for the physicality of English football following his move to Palace from Lubin in Poland.

He told Sport.pl:

“I do not feel regret, only aggression and stubbornness. I want to prove to everyone that I can play in the Premier League.

“Yes, (the Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson) was a supporter of the transfer (from Lubin). But when I came to England, I was not ready for such a jump. It was hard for me to compete with the boys who have been playing in the Premier League for years.

“Today I have to gain experience and … grow. I devote a lot of attention to working out at the gym, because – to put it bluntly – in England, the physicality can kill you.”

This shows that the £10k-per-week dud is not prepared for the constant slog that is League One football. If he struggled with the physicality of training with Palace, how will he handle being bombarded with long balls and crosses into the box against towering third-tier centre-forwards week-in-week-out for Wigan?

Jach is a player Leam Richardson should avoid bringing to the club for these reasons, as the evidence available about him suggests that the move would not work out.

Unless he has seriously bulked up and improved his strength this summer, then he would – by his own admission – struggle in English football again, which is why Wigan fans will be worried by this transfer rumour.

Former Nottingham Forest star Nigel Jemson insists that Sam Allardyce would be a superb appointment as the club’s new manager.

The club are attempting to appoint a successor to Chris Hughton after sacking the former Newcastle United boss earlier this week.

They have endured a terrible start to the season and are currently rooted to the bottom of the Championship table.

Forest are looking to bring in a replacement to Hughton and Steve Cooper is reportedly the favourite to take the reins at the City Ground.

However, Allardyce is available after leaving West Bromwich Albion following his first relegation as a manager.

And Jemson believes that the experienced boss, who has managed the likes of West Ham United, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton and Newcastle United, along with a short-lived stint as England boss, would be an excellent appointment.

Jemson said: “You look at people like Sam Allardyce. Tried and trusted. They’re usually there to get people out of turmoil. I know Sam personally very well, I played with him at Preston.

“He would be a great person to get in there because he would be a no nonsense manager but, again, it’s whether he wants that job.”

Forest are still searching for their first win of the season.

A promising update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Lille centre-back Sven Botman in the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Whilst linking to an article from his colleague Simon Jones, Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has provided an update on the situation, tweeting: “Newcastle remain in contact with Lille over defender Sven Botman.”

This comes after The Athletic reported earlier this week that the deal is all but dead and the defender is poised to remain in France until the end of the season.

Excitement for Eddie Howe

This news will surely leave Eddie Howe feeling excited, as it leaves the door open for Newcastle to sign Botman before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month. It shows that the Magpies have not given up on a move for the 22-year-old just yet and are continuing to attempt to change Lille’s stance in order to bring in the centre-back.

Howe will be delighted with this, as the Dutchman could be an excellent addition to his squad in an area where the Magpies are in desperate need of strengthening. Only Norwich (44), who have played an extra game, have conceded more goals than Newcastle (42) in the Premier League this season, so they could need to resolve their defensive issues before they start to think about avoiding relegation.

Federico Fernandez’s SofaScore rating of 6.77 leads the Newcastle squad in terms of centre-backs this season, whereas Botman has averaged a score of 7.02 for Lille in Ligue 1. The former Ajax man also helped his side to win the league title whilst keeping 20 clean sheets in the French top division last term, showing that he can be a part of a successful defence.

This shows that the youngster could come in and improve the team in the short-term by putting in consistently high-quality performances, if he is able to translate his form from France over to England. He could also have a significant impact in the long-term, as he has plenty of potential left in him at the age of just 22.

Howe could get excited about this possible deal as he could have the opportunity to work with Botman on the training pitch in order to help him develop his game. The former Bournemouth boss could enjoy watching the Dutchman improve as a player over time, whilst also enjoying his displays on the pitch in the shorter-term.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Newcastle United transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

With Liverpool wingers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah contributing to 16 out of the 31 Premier League goals that Jurgen Klopp’s side have managed to score so far this season, there’s no denying that the duo are incredibly important for the Anfield side from an attacking point of view.

Taking this into account, it appears that the Merseyside club could be looking to bring in a familiar face to the squad that could compete with Mane and Salah for a place in the team.

What’s the news?

It has recently been claimed by journalist Ekrem Konur that Liverpool could be set to put in an offer for Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling amidst recent uncertainty around his future at the Manchester club.

Before joining City back in the 2015 summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £49m from Liverpool, the winger racked up a total of 129 senior appearances for the Reds across all competitions in which he managed to score 23 goals and provide 25 assists in the process.

During his time with Pep Guardiola’s side, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £81m according to Transfermarkt, has scored 116 goals and provided 89 assists in 307 appearances across all competitions, winning 11 trophies along the way.

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So far this season, Sterling, who been labelled as an “exceptional” player by Guardiola, has only started six of the 13 appearances he’s made for City across all competitions, which has led to speculation over his future with the Citizens.

In terms of a potential move back to Liverpool, if current sporting director Michael Edwards could secure Sterling’s signature for a transfer fee around or below the fee that the Reds picked up for him back in 2015, this could be his final transfer masterclass at the Merseyside club before leaving his position in the summer.

After all, if you consider the goals, assists and trophies that Sterling has racked up during his time away from Anfield, he would be an incredibly valuable asset to have.

However, if Sterling does end up back at Liverpool in a few months time, it would be hard to see him starting ahead of the likes of Mane and Salah on a regular basis given how important the pair have proven themselves to be in recent years. That said, Sterling would provide some useful attacking depth given his experience and skill set, attributes that could take the Reds towards another domestic title.

In other news: Edwards must seal dream Liverpool swoop for 41-cap demon who’s “got everything” – opinion

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes that Leeds United winger Jack Harrison could play as a wing-back for the north London club.

The Lowdown: Good season for Harrison

The 25-year-old has enjoyed a decent campaign since being unveiled as a permanent Leeds player, having initially joined the club on loan in 2018.

The winger has gone on to establish himself as a mainstay in Jesse Marsch’s team, having featured in the starting XI in five of the new manager’s six games in charge. Moreover, he has made a telling impact under the American at Elland Road, netting three goals in his last three matches.

As a result, The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath has reported that Tottenham are interested in signing Harrison in the summer transfer window.

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The Latest: Robinson’s claim on Harrison…

Robinson, who regularly features as a pundit for Sky Sports, believes that whilst Harrison could perform as a wing-back for Antonio Conte at Tottenham, the 25-year-old would be better off remaining at Elland Road.

Speaking with Football Insider, the ex-Spurs goalkeeper claimed: “He is capable of playing that role, 100 per cent.

“The question is, would he want to? I’m sure he sees himself more as a goalscoring winger or midfielder.

“When you look at him, you ask the question – is he of the level required for Spurs? They want to push on and compete with the top four. Would Jack fit into that?

“Would he play week in, week out? I don’t think so. He is better off where he is if you ask me. He is building his career at Leeds and is playing every week. I question whether he would be a starter at Spurs.”

The Verdict: Difficult decision

If Harrison is offered the chance to join Tottenham, this could prove a difficult decision to make. With Spurs making a strong late push for a top-four finish, the Englishman could see himself playing in the Champions League next season with a move to north London.

Everton manager Frank Lampard clearly believes that the 25-year-old is up to the task, having hailed him as “one of the best wingers in the league”.

However, whether he can perform at the same level as a wing-back is yet to be seen. In 225 career club appearances, Harrison has only played in defence once, so this prospective transfer could be a gamble for both him and Spurs.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops Dejan Kulusevski transfer claim

Paul Joyce has now revealed some exciting Everton news involving Ashley Cole.

The Lowdown: Cole talks

Sky Sports have reported (via Football Daily) that the Goodison Park faithful have now started talks to reunite Frank Lampard with his former Chelsea and England international teammate Cole as part of his backroom staff, with a decision set to be made soon.

Of course, the retired left-back also played under Lampard at Derby County, and so it is no surprise that the new Toffees manager is looking for Cole to join him on Merseyside.

The Latest: Everton ‘confident’

Taking to Twitter, The Times journalist Joyce has revealed that the Blues are now ‘confident’ that Cole will join Lampard as part of his backroom team:

“Everton confident Ashley Cole will join Frank Lampard’s backroom team.”

The Verdict: Exciting

These are certainly exciting times ahead for Evertonians, as with the deadline day signings of Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United respectively, they now look set to bring in Cole to work alongside Lampard.

Aside from his playing career, the 41-year-old has earned his coaching merits with Chelsea’s youth side and England’s U21s. Sky Sports pundit Jamie O’Hara, who did his UEFA coaching badges with Cole, claimed that he was ‘fantastic’.

Nonetheless, if Lampard was not a big name to get excited about already, EFC fans can now add Cole into that mix.

In other news, find out what big Everton transfer update Fabrizio Romano has revealed here!