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Manuel Pellegrini’s decision to substitute Pablo Zabaleta for Ryan Fredericks at half-time on Friday evening could finally be the sign that the manager has more faith in Fredericks than the 34-year-old.

Zabaleta was poor in closing down Fulham starlet Ryan Sessegnon last time out at the London Stadium and the right-back was largely at fault for the Whites opening the scoring as early as the third minute.

The Hammers recovered well to win the match 3-1 in the end but Sessegnon was quite easily able to put a low pass behind Zabaleta, which Ryan Babel calmly pounced on and put away to give Fulham an early lead.

Fredericks, who started West Ham’s previous two league games against Liverpool and Crystal Palace looked much more composed and organised at the back in the second-half, making it difficult for the likes of Sessegnon to find space on the wing.

The 26-year-old showed in the matches against the Reds and the Eagles that he is well and truly capable of handling the pressures of the Premier League and looked very comfortable at right-back.

The victory over Fulham was West Ham’s first in five league matches and it certainly boosted their chances of making a strong finish to the league.

Pellegrini should continue with Fredericks as a regular starter for the remainder of the season and use Zabaleta as a substitute when needed.

The former Manchester City man’s experience can undoubtedly not be questioned but given Frederick’s good showings of late, he might be of higher value when used from the bench in critical times.

Fredericks showed against Crystal Palace that he is a modern day right-back, who is capable of attacking down the flank with pace, while making quick recoveries in defence when needed.

Fredericks, who is valued at £3.6 million (by Transfermarkt), will definitely add to the East London club’s lethal attacking threat.

Leeds United could revive their interest in Club Brugge’s Noa Lang, Leeds Live’s Joshua Hobbs writes. 

The lowdown

Victor Orta, Leeds’ director of football, reportedly carried out ‘a lot of analysis’ on Lang, only for former manager Marcelo Bielsa to turn down the suggested move.

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The Argentine apparently had concerns about Lang’s contribution off the ball.

Lang, who’s predominantly a left winger but can also play centre forward, has made 42 appearances this season.

He ranks joint-fourth in Club Brugge’s scoring charts with nine, and sits fourth in the Jupiler Pro League assist table with 11.

The Dutchman still has more than three years remaining on his contract and is valued at £19.8million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Hobbs notes that Jesse Marsch, Bielsa’s successor, has moved away from Bielsa’s man-to-man defensive system and prefers to defend as a unit, and that could make Lang’s supposed shortcomings less of an issue.

He also believes that the 22-year-old, ‘excellent in compacted spaces’, would be well suited in Marsch’s ‘narrow system’.

The move is now ‘more likely’, particularly with Raphinha potentially set to leave Elland Road this summer.

Signing Lang could be part of Leeds’ plan to replace the Brazilian.

The verdict

If Leeds fans are concerned that Lang has only been delivering in a relatively weak league – the Belgian top-flight is the 13th-best in Europe – then they need only look to his displays in the Champions League.

For example, Lang won the Player of the Match award when Club Brugge drew 1-1 with French giants Paris Saint-Germain in September and looked, journalist Zach Lowy noted, ‘like prime Neymar’.

But what about those defensive concerns?

Well it’s true that Lang doesn’t press a huge amount – only 12.81 times per 90 minutes (placing in him just the 16th percentile) – but his numbers for tackles (1.54), interceptions (1.02) and blocks (1.2) are all closer to the average. There’s certainly enough there for Marsch to work with.

In other news, this Leeds transfer target struggled at the weekend.

Celtic are back in action tomorrow with another Premiership clash following on from their 2-1 win in the latest Old Firm derby.

Goals from Tom Rogic and Cameron Carter-Vickers helped the league-leading Hoops to open up a six-point gap to their nearest challengers at the top of the table.

This weekend sees Ange Postecoglou’s side back at Parkhead as they welcome St Johnstone for their next league showdown in their latest attempt at moving closer to the title.

On the chalkboard

One player who didn’t start last weekend but should be in the team from the beginning this Saturday is David Turnbull.

Having missed a significant period of the campaign with a hamstring injury, the Scottish midfielder has only made two substitute appearances since making his recovery, so this could be a good time for him to make his first league start since December.

With 36 appearances under his belt across all competitions this season, Turnbull has scored nine goals and provided seven assists along the way. This shows just how much of an attacking threat he can be for the team in the middle of the park and why he could be a useful asset on this occasion.

To further highlight his attacking prowess, only Jota (24) and Liel Abada (31) have had more shots on target than the midfielder (20), who also has the second-highest number of crosses (140) to his name in Postecoglou’s squad, as per FBRef.

Praised for his “phenomenal” performances for the Bhoys in the past by Alan Hutton, Turnbull certainly has what it takes to make a difference for Celtic in terms of pushing them up the pitch and creating goalscoring opportunities.

With the Hoops now having a comfortable lead at the top of the Premiership table, unleashing the £5.85m-rated gem could be just what the team needs to fire them to glory and get them a step closer to securing the title.

Also, with Saturday’s opponents only conceding 37 goals throughout the campaign, which is lower than any other side in the bottom half, having a player like Turnbull on the pitch could give Celtic a better chance of picking up yet another win.

In other news – “Ange will want..:” Fresh Celtic claim emerges which will leave many Hoops fans ecstatic

Aston Villa have been tipped by reports to see a number of players move in and out of the club during the upcoming summer transfer window.

Even though there are still a few games left for the Villans to play before the 2021/22 Premier League season draws to a close, it seems as though one current Villa player has already been targeted for a potential summer exit.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Insider sources, Arsenal are lining up a new move for Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz after failing to land him during the previous January transfer window.

Labelled as an “underrated” player by pundit Ian Wright, the £52k-per-week midfielder is set to see his contract run out in the summer of 2023.

Gerrard would be fuming

Since arriving at the Midlands club back in the 2019 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League side Manchester City in a deal worth a reported fee of £15m, the Brazilian has gone on to become an important figure for the Villans.

With 104 appearances under his belt across all competitions, the 23-year-old has scored four goals and provided eight assists in the process.

Having appeared in 27 league games in this campaign, Luiz has been a regular player for the Villans, leaving John McGinn as the only other midfielder in Steven Gerrard’s squad to have racked up more minutes than the Brazilian.

Earlier in the month, the Villa boss revealed that the former City man is a player that they rate very highly at the club, showing just how keen he would be to see the Brazil international stay at Villa Park.

To highlight just what he offers his side, only McGinn (127) and Matty Cash (156) have a higher number of combined tackles and interceptions than the £31.5m-rated ace (107).

His overall performances for the Villa Park outfit this season have earned Luiz a rating of 6.82 from WhoScored, making him the fifth-highest rated player in Gerrard’s squad.

Taking all of this into account, it’s hard to deny that the 41-year-old would be furious to see the club sell Luiz to another Premier League club this summer rather than tie him down to a new contract.

Also, with 91% of voters in a recent poll ran by Football FanCast claiming the Midlands club should offer the midfielder a new deal, this should be a top priority for the hierarchy at Villa Park.

In other news: Gerrard plotting AVFC offer for “phenomenal” £50m “machine”, it could be bye-bye Ings

Tottenham currently have an exciting set of young players coming through and impressing at youth and senior level this season.

The likes of Dane Scarlett, Ollie Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are academy products who have had first-team involvements, whilst Ryan Sessegnon, Dejan Kulusevski and Christian Romero are all promising talents who have come in from elsewhere.

Whilst the current crop of prospects can get the supporters excited, some fans may look back and wonder what could have been with some of the targets Spurs have had in the past.

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One player the club had a major howler with was midfielder James Maddison in January 2016. Mauricio Pochettino was reportedly keen on a deal to sign the Englishman from Coventry City but ultimately missed out on him as Norwich City snapped him up.

At the time of the move, Transfemarkt valued him at a measly £450k as he was an up-and-coming prospect who had yet to prove himself at senior level.

He spent time out on loan at Coventry and Aberdeen before Daniel Farke handed him his first-team opportunity at Carrow Road. In the 2017/18 campaign, the midfielder thrived under the German coach as he scored 15 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions for the Canaries.

This earned him a transfer to Leicester in the summer of 2018. Since joining the Foxes, he has scored 41 goals and registered 29 assists in 164 outings, including 14 goals and nine assists in all competitions this term.

Although he has only been capped once by England, Gareth Southgate previously hailed the magician’s “world-class” set-pieces and he has showcased his ability from dead balls for Brendan Rodgers, with six direct free-kick goals in the Premier League to date.

At the time of writing, Transfermarkt now value him at a whopping £45m. This illustrates the phenomenal rise over the years from his time at Coventry, Norwich and, now, Leicester. He has come on leaps and bounds as he has proven himself in the Premier League and is continuing to flourish in the present day.

This shows that Mauricio Pochettino had a major howler by missing out on him in January 2016, as Norwich and Leicester have gone on to profit from his immense talent on the pitch since then.

The size of their blunder can increase as he continues to develop in the top-flight. At the age of 25, he still has plenty of time left ahead of him to improve and hone his skills, proving that Spurs were wrong to opt against a deal to sign him six years ago.

AND in other news, Conte can now axe “truly hilarious” £42k-p/w flop as Spurs eye £33m “difference maker”

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side head into tonight’s Old Firm clash knowing that a win against their Glasgow rivals will take them to the top of the Premiership table for the first time this season.

However, with the 56-year-old still having a number of players unavailable due to injury, international duty and suspension, the Greek-Australian coach will once again face a number of tough decisions when putting together his starting XI this evening.

So, how many changes will Postecoglou make to the side that started the 1-0 win over Dundee United last time out? Here’s how we think Celtic could line up against Rangers, along with the latest team and injury news…

With the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Tom Rogic, David Turnbull and Yosuke Ideguchi being unavailable for the Old Firm clash, while Nir Bitton is suspended following his sending off against the Tangerines, we predict that Postecoglou will make three changes to the side that lined up in the 1-0 win at Parkhead last weekend.

The first of these alterations comes in the back four, with Josip Juranovic taking the place of 23-year-old Liam Scales at left-back – as, despite Greg Taylor being a natural choice in the position, the Croatia international who Marko Sapit dubbed an “intelligent” player has easily outperformed the 24-year-old so far this season.

The second change comes in the middle of the park, with the suspended Nir Bitton dropping out of the XI, and being replaced by the £6.75m-rated Callum McGregor – who Postecoglou recently revealed is in contention for a surprise return to first-team action following his speedy recovery from a facial injury.

The third and final change comes in the front three, with the 27-year-old Giorgos Giakoumakis having to make do with a spot on the bench after his stinker against Dundee United – with Liel Abada taking his spot leading the Bhoys attack, James Forrest switching over to the right flank and the “unbelievable” Jota making a return to the starting XI on the left.

In other news: Ange must brutally axe £8.2k-p/w “phenomenon” tonight, he could cost Celtic the title

Rangers will face Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly at Ibrox this summer.

The lowdown

Rangers will likely be preparing for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first full season at the helm. In addition to drawing up transfers, they’ll also have to arrange friendlies to help the squad build fitness for competitive fixtures.

If Rangers finish second in the Scottish Premiership and fail to win the Europa League, then they’re likely to enter the second round of Champions League qualifiers, scheduled for the second half of July.

Meanwhile, the start of the SPFL season is pencilled in for the weekend of 30/31 July.

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The latest

Football London’s Alasdair Gold writes that Rangers held talks with Spurs this week over a potential summer meeting at Ibrox.

The Lilywhites are due to jet off to South Korea for two matches, and wanted to line up a game in Glasgow on their return.

And those efforts have been a success, with the ‘excited’ Spurs officially confirming the fixture for Saturday July 23.

The verdict: Exciting indeed

This can only be good news. Rangers’ players get the chance to test themselves against elite opposition, and the added intensity should be of benefit to Van Bronckhorst’s side.

Last summer, when they faced Spurs’ North London rivals Arsenal, they could only welcome 2,000 spectators amid coronavirus restrictions, but this year, there’s no reason why they can’t get close to a full house and generate considerable funds too.

And the club hierarchy will be looking for alternative revenue sources this pre-season after backing out a friendly against Celtic in Australia following a backlash from fans.

In other news, read this journalist’s concerning Alfredo Morelos claim. 

After what has been a frustrating start to life at Aston Villa, Leon Bailey now deserves the opportunity to receive a run of regular games in Steven Gerrard’s side.

With nine matches left in the Premier League season, the Villans will be looking to finish the campaign as strongly as possible in order to secure their first top-half finish at this level in 11 years.

Furthermore, Gerrard will be keen to see the season draw to a positive close in order to lay down foundations to build upon for next season, with the West Midlands club possibly investing heavily once again.

Having been one of last summer’s big-money transfers when sealing a £25m move from Bayern Leverkusen, Bailey’s place is by no means secure but, amid injury issues, the Jamaican now deserves the chance to improve his status in the pecking order.

Bailey deserves his chance

The 24-year-old has only made 14 appearances in the Premier League, with just four starts, in which time he has scored once and set up two goals. However, during his time at Leverkusen, the Jamaica international scored 39 goals and set up another 26 in 156 appearances, an average of one goal contribution every 2.4 matches.

At 24, the winger has bags of experience, having played in both the Champions League and Europa League, also racking up 119 Bundesliga appearances, so there is no doubt that he can still be a huge asset for Gerrard’s side.

Indeed, after scoring in a 4-1 win over Hoffenheim in January 2018, his then-manager Heiko Herrlich gushed: “Leon Bailey can do anything at the moment.”

Last summer, the Jamaican wasn’t the only winger to join the West Midlands club, as Emi Buendia became the club’s record-signing when joining from Norwich City for a whopping £38m. Unfortunately for the Argentine, there hasn’t yet been much evidence of that fee being justified, with the 25-year-old scoring just twice and supplying four assists in 28 appearances.

The addition of Philippe Coutinho on loan from Barcelona has made a huge difference, with the Brazilian already doubling Buendia’s goal tally, having scored four goals in just ten Premier League appearances for the club thus far.

Coutinho’s place in the team is guaranteed but Bailey could certainly pip Buendia to a regular starting spot for the remainder of the campaign. However, if the 24-year-old is to succeed in doing so, he must prove to his manager that he’s fit and ready to start matches in order to show him and the Villa fans what he can do.

A strong conclusion to the campaign should certainly get Bailey’s spell in the West Midlands back on track.

In other news: Aston Villa open transfer talks over 105-goal machine, Gerrard will be buzzing

After winning just one out of their seven previous Championship games, West Brom pulled the plug on Valerien Ismael’s tenure in charge of the Baggies after just seven months and swiftly appointed former Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce as their new manager.

With the Midlands club currently sixth in the table with 45 points on the board and 17 league games remaining, the 61-year-old has a big challenge on his hands to get the Baggies back into the Premier League next season.

Moving forward, with a new crop of players at his disposal at The Hawthorns, here’s what we feel Bruce’s West Brom starting XI could look like.

Taking into account how the former Newcastle boss was rather flexible in terms of what formations he used at St James’ Park, he may stick with the same mindset for this season, chopping and changing things at West Brom.

In goal, despite being out of the picture in the past few weeks, it seems likely that Bruce will put Sam Johnstone back in the team to see if he can help stop the Baggies from conceding as many goals as they have been recently.

Presuming Bruce goes with a standard 4-4-2 formation at some point during his tenure as West Brom manager, we think the new Baggies boss will go with a centre-back pairing of Kyle Bartley and Cedric Kipre, with Conor Townsend keeping his place at left-back and Darnell Furlong on the right-hand side.

For the two central midfield positions, it seems likely that Bruce will preserve the pairing of club captain Jake Livermore and summer signing Alex Mowatt. On the left-hand side, the oft-shuffled Adam Reach could finally get some consistency under his belt this season in terms of his position ahead of Townsend in a more attacking role.

On the right, with the experience of 196 appearances as a West Brom player, Bruce could look to Matt Phillips as a regular figure in his side who can lead by example on the pitch ahead of Grady Diangana. The 23-year-old, who is currently picking up £25k-per-week, scored just two goals under Ismael’s guidance this season, so he could be a victim of the managerial change at The Hawthorns.

For the two centre-forward positions, with Karlan Grant being West Brom’s top scorer this season with 10 goals, it seems likely that he will be seen as a main attacking threat for the team alongside January recruit Andy Carroll, who Bruce will know well having worked with him at Newcastle.

In other news: Bruce can become an instant fan favourite by unleashing WBA’s rarely-seen “star”

According to a report by Hull Live, there has been a transfer development out of Tottenham Hotspur involving Hull City forward Keane Lewis-Potter as the Lilywhites attempt multiple new signings.

The Lowdown: Paratici at work…

As per reliable sources, Tottenham could be set for a ‘frantic’ end to the January transfer window, as Spurs chief Fabio Paratici and manager Antonio Conte work on multiple moves.

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Despite looking set to miss out on long-time winter target Adama Traore, who is currently in talks with Barcelona, Spurs are believed to be on the verge of landing Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat, with growing optimism they could also sign FC Porto star Luis Diaz after a bid.

They’re also working on multiple exits as midfielder Tanguy Ndombele remains in talks with Paris-Saint Germain, while the likes of Dele Alli could also be on the move (Sky Sports).

The Latest: Tottenham ‘preparing big-money’ transfer…

As per Hull Live, it appears Spurs aren’t done there in the last hurdle. As stated in the website’s headline, Tottenham are ‘preparing a big-money transfer’ for Lewis-Potter, with the Lilywhites and Paratici ‘understood to be keen on making a bid’.

According to this report, Conte has even sent scouts to watch the 20-year-old in action, with the Italian personally keen on his potential signing.

Their ‘expected’ offer will apparently include the option to loan Lewis-Potter back to the MKM Stadium for the rest of 2021/22.

The Verdict: Get it done…

The bright Championship starlet is certainly one to watch, and the fact that Hull could demand just £14m should be a real incentive for Spurs to make a last-gasp move.

Lewis-Potter was a key player in helping the Tigers achieve promotion back to England’s second tier last season, scoring 13 goals and setting up six others in 43 League One appearances. A regular under former Hull boss Grant McCann, he has continued that form into this season, with six goals and four assists in all competitions halfway through the current campaign (Transfermarkt).

His former manager even labelled the attacker a ‘special talent’, and the 20-year-old’s numbers over the last two years back up this statement.

Lewis-Potter could also help to fill Tottenham’s homegrown quota as the reasons to move far outweigh any doubts.

In other news: In the coming hours: Sky Sports journalist shares exciting transfer news out of Tottenham, find out more here.