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Kevin Phillips says ‘the end is nigh’ for Allan McGregor at Rangers, as a player at least. 

The lowdown

McGregor has been in and out of the team so far, with Steven Gerrard rotating his goalkeepers.

The 39-year-old has started both of Rangers’ Europa League matches so far but has only been selected for three of their Scottish Premiership fixtures, with Jon McLaughlin playing four.

Clearly, the manager isn’t confident enough in either to make them his clear no. 1.

McGregor came back to Rangers on a free transfer from Hull City in 2018, six years after he’d left.

In all, he’s made 401 appearances for the club, keeping 186 clean sheets (via Transfermarkt).

His honours at Ibrox include four league titles, eight cups and the 2020/21 Player of the Season award.

The latest

Phillips says Rangers are easing McGregor out of the side and believes the time is right.

However, he did float the idea that the Scotsman could remain at the club in a different capacity as a coach.

“I think the end is nigh for him,” he told Football Insider.

“I think maybe they’ve got one eye on the future, and it might not be with him between the sticks.

“His time at the club could be about to an end – he’s been a great servant for them.

“But I think it’s time to move on.

“Whether he hangs his gloves up, continues playing, or moves into a coaching role at the club, who knows?”

The verdict

It will certainly be interesting to see if Gerrard continues his current rotation over the course of the season.

While he might argue he’s ensuring both ‘keepers are on their toes, the chopping and changing can unsettle the team. It’s important to have an established unit protecting the goal.

McGregor’s contract is up at the end of the season, by which point he’ll have turned 40, so Phillips may be right. It may be a sensible moment to call a halt to his playing career, and what better place to do it than at Ibrox.

In other news, this development had Rangers fans buzzing.

There appears to be ‘growing confidence’ that Leeds United could beat a number of top clubs to the signing of Espanyol youngster Mateo Joseph Fernandez.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Fernandez move

The Whites may potentially be looking at January reinforcements and one player they have been linked with is 17-year-old Fernandez.

The striker is yet to make a senior appearance for Espanyol but he is considered an exciting prospect with a bright future ahead of him.

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The Latest: January move incoming?

According to The Daily Mail, the signing of Fernandez could be edging closer, with Leeds confident that a January move will come to fruition.

The Whites are believed to be fighting off interest from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Barcelona, highlighting the attacker’s potential.

Fernandez reportedly has a £1.2million release clause in his contract that lasts until next summer, giving clubs the opportunity to sign him on the cheap.

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The Verdict: One for the future

While Fernandez wouldn’t arrive as an immediate first-team squad member for Leeds, he is someone who could be viewed as a long-term project, along with the likes of Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt.

It is vital that the Whites plans for life long beyond Marcelo Bielsa, ensuring they don’t stand still and instead continue to cement their place as a reestablished Premier League outfit.

In other news, one Leeds player has ‘a lot to improve’, according to a pundit. Find out who it is here.

Former Celtic striker Jorge Cadete believes that the Hoops could end up landing loanee Jota in a cut-price transfer, as reported by The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Jota clause

Ange Postecoglou made three signings on deadline day over the summer, one of which was Jota, who shares the same agency as Cristiano Ronaldo. He arrived from Benfica on a season-long loan with an option to buy, with the fee required to make a move permanent thought to be just over £6m.

The 22-year-old has been a regular in green and white in recent weeks, scoring the winner against Aberdeen prior to the international break.

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The Latest: Cadete’s comments

In a report from The Daily Record, Cadete had his say on whether or not Celtic will make a permanent move for Jota, hinting that the reported fee could well drop over the coming months for the ‘exciting’ winger. The 53-year-old said:

“It’s too early to talk about the value of Jota if Celtic want to buy him. It’s normal for clubs when they loan a young player abroad, they fix the buy clause at a high price.

“Jota has been mentioned at six or seven million Euros.

“But after the season, this figure is normally not the same as it was before. It might well be lower than that by then.

“I’d like Jota to stay at Celtic in the long-term because I think it can be good for both parties. The Celtic supporters have an exciting player so it keeps them happy.”

The Verdict: Looking good so far…

Postecoglou has used Jota on a regular basis over recent weeks, with the majority of his starts coming from the left wing.

The 22-year-old also showed his versatility by playing off the right against Real Betis, and at £6m in today’s market, a permanent deal for that figure could prove to be a snip.

The Hoops have had a habit of making profits on players over the past decade, most notably Moussa Dembele, so maybe Jota could be the next in line to reap Celtic an eye-catching profit in the future if a clause of £6m or less is activated.

In other news: Sky Sports pundit thinks Celtic may land seven-figure fee as transfer news emerges

It’s been an impressive start to the new campaign for Crystal Palace, and a large reason for their early success is down to some outstanding recruitment.

The likes of Odsonne Edouard, Conor Gallagher and Joachim Andersen arrived at Selhurst Park over the summer much to supporters’ delight, but it’s perhaps with their youngest and least expensive acquisition where they really struck gold.

Michael Olise was new manager Patrick Vieira’s first signing back in July, putting pen to paper a five-year deal with the south London club after they triggered the £8m buyout clause in his Reading contract.

The 19-year-old earned his move to the Premier League after a string of impressive displays for the Royals saw him bag seven goals and provide a 12 assists in 44 Championship appearances, a return which saw him pick up the EFL Young Player of the Season award as a result.

Although a back injury has restricted Olise’s playing time at Palace so far, the youngster has clearly done enough to impress his new boss, with Vieira lauding his talent in a recent interview.

“He’s an interesting talent. He’s really good technically. He’s really good on the one-on-one – a left-footed player who is really composed on the ball,” said the French tactician.

“He can score. He can create something. He’s quite a creative player; he’s a winger who likes to come inside to link with the players. He’s a really good talent – a really special talent.

“We know at the same time that talent is not enough. He will need to express that talent around a collective that we are putting in place to allow him to express himself. But he is a really exciting young player.”

In just 68 minutes of top-flight action, Olise has already contributed one goal and one assist, playing a pivotal part in draws against both Leicester City and Arsenal.

The eye-catching contributions of the former France under-18 international have already seen his market value rise to £13.5m in a matter of months, and that’s only set to increase even further over the coming years if he maintains his recent form.

In other news…Never mind Benteke: Palace ace who made 3 key passes and won 7 duels shone against Arsenal 

Leeds United may still have the chance to sign Sampdoria centre-back Omary Colley, but only if a ‘great offer’ is made for the Gambian.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Colley move

Leeds ended up not bringing in a new central defender in the summer transfer window, but one player they did target was Colley.

The 29-year-old has been an impressive performer for Sampdoria in recent years, making 94 appearances for the Serie A club, not to mention winning 25 caps for Gambia.

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The Latest: New update emerges

Leeds’ interest in Colley eventually fizzled out to nothing, but it appears as though he could still leave his current club, should the right offer come along.

That’s according to his agent, who told TuttoMercatoWeb [via Sport Witness] that an exit as a distinct possibility if everything clicks into place, in terms of salary:

“The reasoning is always the same: he can leave Sampdoria only if a great offer arrives; let’s say the offer of a lifetime. He is fine at Sampdoria and Genoa.

“He will never leave this team for clubs and salaries of the same level or slightly higher. In fact, we have always rejected similar offers in recent years.”

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The Verdict: Is he needed?

While Colley has proven himself to be a strong defender in a top league, there isn’t a great need for him at Elland Road, considering the options at Marcelo Bielsa’s disposal.

He already has Diego Llorente, Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk to choose from, and while some of those have had injury problems, it still represents plenty of depth.

Not only that, but Colley is also 29 now and wouldn’t likely be a long-term signing – something that is needed, in order to build towards the future.

In other news, one player has again been tipped to leave Leeds. Find out who it is here.

While things at Celtic appear to be increasingly on the up under the management of Ange Postecoglou, with the Bhoys currently on a run of six games without defeat in all competitions, there are nevertheless a number of positions in the 56-year-old’s first-team squad that are lacking a considerable amount of depth.

Indeed, in a recent article for The Athletic, Kieran Devlin highlighted Celtic’s need for an adequate replacement for Callum McGregor in the number six role, as, during the four-game period in which the central midfielder was sidelined back in September, the Hoops clearly lacked a player who could replicate the 28-year-old’s “passing range, speed of thought and execution to accelerate attacks.”

However, before Postecoglou enters the January transfer market in search of a backup for the Scotland international, perhaps it would be wise to take a closer look at one of the club’s summer signings first – in the shape of Liam Shaw.

Indeed, after joining the club on a free transfer back in July, the 20-year-old said of his style: “I describe myself as a box-to-box midfielder, a lot of energy running up and down, I can score a goal, and be aggressive in that I like a tackle and I like to press people.”

This is something that was evident in his 19 Championship appearances for Sheffield Wednesday last season, over which the £315k-rated man scored one goal and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.3 key passes, 0.7 tackles and taking 0.5 shots per game.

While these statistics are not exactly mind-blowing, it must be remembered that his returns came while the midfielder was enjoying his breakthrough season in professional football within a side who were fighting at the wrong end of the Championship table – before ultimately suffering relegation.

Indeed, it is clear to see that the foundations are undoubtedly there for Shaw to blossom into a fine number six, something that will be developed further with more experience of first-team football.

However, with the 20-year-old being yet to make an appearance in the Scottish Premiership under the management of Postecoglou, it would appear a very wise move for the Bhoys boss to finally unleash the rarely-seen Shaw in the coming weeks and months, as the midfielder could prove to solve one of the 56-year-old’s biggest issues at Parkhead.

In other news: Ange must ruthlessly axe “incredible” £14k-p/w Celtic ace, there’s a better option

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left fuming after a claim from Ewan Murray emerged involving their annual report.

The Ibrox faithful released their report on their official website, which confirmed staff costs of £47m, including £33.5m on the first team playing squad in total.

Murray, a journalist who oversees coverage of Scottish football, took to his Twitter page to give his thoughts on the numbers, claiming that it is a ‘serious outlay’ for a team looking to win the Scottish Premiership and reach the last 16 in the UEFA Europa League.

Murray has caused anger among Light Blues supporters with some of his posts before, seemingly even looking for bites at times.

The numbers may be deemed to be high, but the Light Blues will only spend what they think will give them the most success, and are well within their right to do that.

Some Gers also noticed how he did not compare the numbers to those of their main rivals Celtic.

Rangers fans on Murray claim

These RFC fans fumed as Murray shared his claim on Twitter:

“The golf correspondent is taking up fishing, again”

Credit: @will_i_aint_74

“His point is basically grown from a point of jealousy which means he completely ignores facts, like how much did the team who finished 2nd spend on there playing staff. All about the Rangers with this guy”

Credit: @KevDogg93

“Honestly don’t know what your point is here”

Credit: @LJKershaw

“Here we go”

Credit: @CraigSim

“What is your issue with all things Rangers?? The only defence is that it seems to be a concern of many in the poor excuse that passes as Scottish sports journalism.”

Credit: @johnhalliday88

“If you only knew how stupid this is you wouldn’t have wrote it.”

Credit: @__DaReal__

In other news, find out whose display against Brondby was blasted here!

Following on from their disappointing 2-1 defeat against Wolves last week, Everton missed the chance to pour cold water on Antonio Conte’s first game back in the Premier League by beating Tottenham Hotspur in their latest fixture, ending with a 0-0 draw against the north London club.

Even though Everton defender Mason Holgate managed to get himself sent off in the match at Goodison Park, we feel that there was one player on the day that arguably let Toffees manager Rafa Benitez down even more so than Holgate; Richarlison.

During the full 90 minutes that the Brazilian was on the pitch for in his latest appearance for the Merseyside club, Richarlison registered just 27 touches of the ball which was fewer than goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on the day who had 28.

The forward failed to have even one shot on target while his tally of only eight passes was not something to be proud of. Furthermore, he was victorious in five of the 16 duels he was involved in, lost possession 11 times and committed three fouls.

Nothing really went right for the Brazil international who ultimately earned a rather uninspiring overall match rating of 6.5/10 according to SofaScore, making him the lowest-rated Everton player that started the game against Conte’s side.

So far this season, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £49.5m according to Transfermarkt, has managed to score just two goals in seven league appearances.

Given how Everton have had striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin out injured since August with a fractured toe, Benitez has put a lot of faith in Richarlison to score some goals for the team while the Englishman is out on the sidelines, especially in their big games such as this one against Tottenham. However, given his lack of attacking presence on this occasion, it’s safe to say he let his manager down on the day and failed to repay the trust shown in him.

Moving forward, with Everton set to take on Manchester City in their next Premier League game later this month, they will definitely need Richarlison, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £90k-per-week at the Merseyside club according to Spotrac, at the top of his game if they want to secure a win against Pep Guardiola’s side.

In other news: Benitez may unearth an Everton gem in “skilful” 18 y/o prodigy, he’s an “intelligent” player

West Ham are interested in signing Hellas Verona pair Giovanni Simeone and Antonin Barak, in a deal that could be worth up to around €40million (£33.7m).

The Lowdown: West Ham flying

The Hammers are in one of their richest veins of forms in years currently, jumping to third place in the Premier League after their memorable 3-2 win at home to Liverpool.

David Moyes’ side genuinely look like one of the best teams in the division and there is no reason why they can’t keep battling for a top-four finish this season.

While West Ham have an enviable squad these days, that’s not to say new signings aren’t also key, with depth behind star striker Michail Antonio surely the primary area of concern come January.

The Latest: Hammers linked with Hellas Verona pair

According to L’Arena [via Sport Witness], the Hammers are eyeing up moves for both Simeone and Barak, both of whom are attack-minded players.

Twenty-six-year-old Simeone has scored nine goals in just 10 appearances for the Serie A club, also scoring once in five caps for Argentina. Meanwhile, Barak is a 27-cap Czech Republic international who plays in attacking midfield.

It is stated that it would cost West Ham at least €40million (£33.7m) to snap up the duo, although Verona have a €12million (£10.1m) option to sign Simeone from Cagliari, with the striker only on loan at the moment.

The Verdict: Good squad depth

Not a huge amount may be known about Simeone and Barak but they both have international experience and could add attacking depth to the Hammers’ squad.

As the season goes on, there is always the threat that injuries could mount and it is vital that Moyes has options galore in the Champions League battle, especially with Europa League football set to continue into the knock-out stages.

Assuming the deal potentially gets done in January, it would give West Ham an extra boost at a time when the matches come thick and fast – Simeone in particular could be a vital addition given Antonio’s past injury woes, with Genoa Coach Ivan Juric praising his work rate as a youngster during his time at the club.

No player in Europe’s elite leagues has out-performed their expected goals more than Simeone (+6.2), showing how clinical he is – Ballon d’Or candidates Karim Benzema and Mohamed Salah sit second and third in that statistic.

In other news, a pundit has shut down a West Ham transfer rumour. Read more here.

Many West Brom fans have been left slamming the display of Cedric Kipre in their 0-0 draw away at Blackpool in the Championship on Tuesday night.

It was a frustrating game for the visitors, who mustered nearly double the shots of the Tangerines, but had fewer on target, as Valerien Ismael’s team simply did not have their shooting boots on.

Down the other end of the pitch, they were perhaps fortunate not to concede at times, with Kipre particularly guilty of some poor play.

The 24-year-old lost out on eight of his duels, and failed to block any shots on his goal, while he was guilty of losing possession of the ball 13 times in the match (SofaScore).

He was the only Baggies starter to have recorded fewer touches than his own goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, and his yellow card right before half-time pretty much summed up his night (SofaScore).

West Brom fans on Kipre display

These members of the Hawthorns faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Albion supporter even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘liability’:

“Kipre, Hugill and Grady I don’t wanna see near this team ever again.”

Credit: @wbaxingram

“Kipre can’t control a football”

Credit: @WBAHazzaFT

“Well Kipre would be a 1300L as he gets passed so easily.”

Credit: @EveRay1

“Cedric Kipre = complete liability”

Credit: @CJHall83

“Bartley leaving his post to have a go at the lad who dived is peak Bartley. Him and Kipre are in competition to see who can give a goal away first.”

Credit: @_ColinGriffiths

“With great respect to Blackpool, we are dire. chaotic, panicky and chronically poor in final third and don’t get me started on Grant and Kipre”

Credit: @iammorty

In other news, find out whose display against Huddersfield Town was slammed here!