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Tottenham Hotspur and technical director Johan Lange remain on the hunt for Ange Postecoglou’s first outfield deal of the January window, with the Lilywhites now contemplating whether to open talks for a new transfer target.

Spurs targeting new forward for Postecoglou in January

Summer signing Dominic Solanke, who has been one of Postecoglou’s best players this season, is set to be sidelined for six weeks after he picked up a knee problem in training – adding to Spurs’ plethora of injury woes.

Tottenham make proposal to sign £227k-per-week Barcelona forward on loan

The Lilywhites are eyeing another temporary attacking move after failing to sign Kolo Muani.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jan 23, 2025

Solanke twisted his knee after attempting a shot and missing the ball, which just about sums up Tottenham’s serious bad luck with injuries right now. The England international joins Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Wilson Odobert on the long list of players who are certain to miss their clash against Leicester City on Sunday (Premier Injuries).

Leicester City (home)

January 26

Brentford (away)

February 2

Man United (home)

February 16

Ipswich Town (home)

February 22

Man City (home)

February 26

Djed Spence and Pape Matar Sarr are also doubts after picking up knocks, while Postecoglou is hopeful that Yves Bissouma can return against Leicester pending a late fitness test.

Tottenham’s extra matches, due to their participation in Europe, exacerbate the need for reinforcements before January deadline day on February 3rd – with this player selection nightmare exposing Postecoglou’s real lack of squad depth.

Spurs are reliably believed to be in the market for a forward this month, and did attempt to lure PSG outcast Randal Kolo Muani to north London before Juventus eventually won the race for his signature on a straight loan deal (Fabrizio Romano).

Postecoglou, speaking ahead of their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium match versus Leicester, sent another subtle message to the club’s hierarchy that he could do with a quality reinforcement or two.

“It depends on the player, it depends on how they fit in to what we do,” said Postecoglou on January transfers.

“It’s not just about bringing in another body, but yeah, there is still no doubt we need to help these players because we’ve still got some significant games in the next two or three weeks before we get players back.”

Tottenham debating whether to open "surprise" talks for Santiago Gimenez

As per GiveMeSport, Feyenoord star Santiago Gimenez is a player they’re seriously looking at before the window shuts.

It is believed Tottenham are “threatening to make a surprise move” for Gimenez, despite AC Milan attempting to close a deal for the Mexico international, with Spurs considering whether to “rush into negotiations” for his signing over the coming days.

While Feyenoord could look to demand £40 million for his services, this is a serious drop from his rumoured £84 million price tag last year. Gimenez, called “amazing” by journalist Graeme Bailey, is also in great form with 15 goals from his last 18 matches in all competitions so far.

Their renewed interest in Gimenez is described as a “major twist” by the news outlet, but with Milan trying to strike a full agreement for the centre-forward, they’ll have to act quickly.

West Ham United recorded yet another loss, their seventh of the season, as Ruud van Nistelrooy took charge of Leicester for the first time, guiding them to a 3-1 thrashing over the Hammers.

Julen Lopetegui’s side had more of the ball (61% possession), took more shots (31) and generated more xG in the game (3.10).

However, despite the Foxes only having eight shots in the game, they managed to create seven big chances, more than West Ham’s five big chances, which starts to tell the story of how Lopetegui’s side are struggling this season.

West Ham's big pressing issue under Lopetegui

West Ham are conceding 15.8 shots per game this season, the fourth most in the division. Teams are able to carve through the Hammers press with relative ease, due to the spacing between their lines of pressure.

The front four look to press high, aiming to lock off one side of the pitch, and force play down one side. The issue here is the depth of their midfield pivot and back four during this phase of pressure.

Teams are able to easily find the spare man around the West Ham front four, then attack the big space left between the front four and back six (pivot and back four). This pressing scheme is extremely disconnected and is becoming a key issue for the side.

So much so that Lopetgui’s future looks in doubt, and West Ham already look to be assessing their options for his predecessor.

West Ham looking at Italian manager

According to reports from Calciomercato, former Juventus manager, Massimiliano Allegri, is on West Ham’s managerial shortlist should they sack Lopetegui.

Interestingly, the Italian was in London last week to watch Tottenham take on Roma, and he’s allegedly been taking English lessons too. Perhaps this mean he could be lining up a role in England?

The biggest issue with this appointment, however, would be the money involved, as the reports claim Allegri would demand around £6.6m per year, which is double the £3.3m of Lopetegui.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast's Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

That being said, he would be a great move for the Irons. The Italian coach was with Juventus from 2021-2024, with his side finishing third in Serie A last campaign.

Playing in a 3-5-2 formation, Allegri’s side conceded just 11.6 shots per game, the sixth lowest in the Serie A last season. This could be the extra defensive unity the Hammers need in order to start getting results.

One man who could benefit from this is winger Jarrod Bowen, who could play as the secondary striker in this 3-5-2 system. Bowen has averaged 2.84 shots per 90 this season, generating 0.19 xG, and scoring 0.31 goals per 90.

Last season, the England international was scoring 0.47 goals per 90 minutes, and generating 0.35 xG per 90, often playing as a striker for the Hammers.

By unleashing him in a front two, he would have the freedom to drift into wide channels, link play, and make runs in behind, working off of a more physical striker, such as Niclas Füllkrug, who scored his first goal for West Ham in their 3-1 loss against Leicester.

This new role could allow Bowen to thrive, getting the best out of him, and allowing his output to increase, which could go hand in hand with West Ham climbing the table. Other positional changes could see the likes of Mohammed Kudus playing as a wingback, and Edson Alvarez playing as a central centre-back in a back three.

One thing is for sure, change is needed for West Ham, as they drop ever closer to that dreaded relegation zone, and the owners will want to strike before it is too late, looking to get their season back on track.

West Ham dud may have cost Lopetegui his job after a 4/10 performance

West Ham fell to yet another defeat in the Premier League last night.

1 ByEthan Lamb Dec 4, 2024

Leeds United could now sign a set piece master on an initial 18-month deal this January, according to a Sky Sports reporter.

Farke addresses Leeds January transfer plans

Daniel Farke may currently have his Whites side top of the Championship, however, it isn’t all positive at Elland Road. The club have begun 2025 by throwing away leads late on against both Blackburn Rovers and Hull City, with goalkeeper Illan Meslier having another afternoon to forget last time out.

Farke continued to back Meslier in his latest press conference, though, saying: “We were all angry after the last game. Our supporters have the right to be critical, there is pressure and that is normal we have to accept that. But some pundits and comments were pretty disrespectful. The outside world love to try and divide us, but we are close together and we back our players.

“We were not happy with the last game, we want to improve his consistency and it is important to address this, but his performances have been good enough to make sure we are top of the league. We are all convinced Illan will deliver more good moments for us and we back him, there is no panic and he is a very, very good goalkeeper.”

The German also stated how the club are expecting a quiet winter window: “Younger players for their development it makes sense to send them out on loan, we will assess the rehab of Patrick and how that progresses, but overall we are in a very good position and I expect a very quiet January.”

Leeds could sign their next Archie Gray in "one of the best CMs" around

Leeds United could be about to land a new version of the talented youngster.

1 ByEthan Lamb Jan 10, 2025

One player who has recently been linked with a move to Leeds is Hoffenheim forward Mergim Berisha, who previously scored 23 goals under ex-Whites boss Jesse Marsch.

New Leeds update on move for Mergim Berisha

Now, taking to X, Sky Sports journalist Ben Heckner revealed that Leeds are indeed keen on Berisha, who could potentially be on the move in an initial 18-month loan with an option to buy in 2026, with Werder Bremen also keen.

Berisha hasn’t exactly been prolific for Hoffenheim this season, scoring once and registering one assist in 540 minutes of action. He did come in for praise from Germany coach Antonio Di Salvo back in 2023 after Berisha was handed his first senior international call-up.

“We brought Mergim on when he was still as Salzburg. He works very well with his back to goal, can shoot with his left and right and takes good free-kicks. You can see from his hit rate in the Bundesliga that he can prevail.”

Should Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt both move on, then a move for Berisha could make sense, despite his poor goal tally this season, making this one to watch over the coming weeks.

Leicester City supporters would have been hopeful that an exciting new era was on the horizon when Ruud Van Nistelrooy took charge of the Foxes back in November after Steve Cooper’s tenure had fizzled out.

Instead, the Dutchman looks to already be on borrowed time in the King Power Stadium dug-out, with the former interim Manchester United manager not taking to the pressures of a relegation battle whatsoever having now overseen seven Premier League losses in a row.

He will be trying everything in his power to turn around this sinking ship, however, with one or two positive January additions potentially helping him cling onto his precarious job post.

Leicester targeting additions at the back

As per recent reports from Spain, Leicester look to be targeting a move for CD Leganés goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic this January in an attempt to shore up at the back.

The East Midlands strugglers aren’t the only lowly team from the Premier League looking to snap up Dmitrovic, however, with Wolverhampton Wanderers also named in the article as a suitor for the Serbian shot-stopper.

What Dimtrovic could offer Leicester

Leicester will hope they can beat Vitor Pereira’s men to this coveted signature, knowing that the Foxes’ woes at the back stem from Mads Hermansen’s absence from the side, with Van Nistelrooy’s usual number one goalkeeper out of action since the middle of December through injury.

Therefore, picking up the £8k-per-week Leganes man could stop the goals from flooding in, and in tow, keep the under-fire 48-year-old in his unstable position for far longer.

Before emphasising further why Dmitrovic would be a welcome addition – away from his goalkeeping heroics against Barcelona above – Leicester really have struggled to keep the ball out of their net across a dismal January so far.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Indeed, across this depressing month to date, the relegation candidates have leaked six strikes in Premier League action from three games, with a further 12 strikes conceded in late December after Hermansen was substituted off mid-way through the Newcastle defeat.

Minutes played

90

90

Saves made

4

3

Goals prevented

+0.22

+0.67

Goals conceded

1

0

Whilst the likes of Danny Ward and Jakub Stolarczyk have collapsed under the strain of being Leicester’s number one between the sticks, Dimtrovic has revelled in the joy of being Leganes’ main man in goal this month, with just one goal given up across his two standout La Liga showings.

In total, the in-demand Serbian has only shipped 22 strikes all campaign long, with his unbelievable display at the Camp Nou last month helping Borja Jiménez’s men beat the Catalan giants 1-0.

Dmitrovic prevented 2.25 goals from rippling the back of his net across the course of the eventful 90 minutes, even as the likes of two of Europe’s premier forwards in Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski routinely burst forward in an attempt to gift their side a much-needed advantage.

He could take to the stresses of a basement battle in the Premier League well, therefore, with Van Nistelrooy having to seek out alternative faces in goal now, with the Foxes up to a worrying 48 goals shipped from 22 league games. To add context, only Ivan Juric’s Southampton have conceded more at 50.

If he doesn’t turn around his lowly team’s fortunes soon, Van Nistelrooy will begin to look more and more like a dead man walking, with transformative January buys needed to stop the current rot and to stave off an immediate return to the Championship.

2025 winter transfer window: Every done deal from the Premier League

Find every incoming and outgoing this winter for each Premier League club here.

ByStephan Georgiou Feb 3, 2025

Chelsea are seemingly starting to build some serious momentum.

On Saturday lunchtime, the Blues swatted aside Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the City Ground; Josh Acheampong breaking the deadlock, Pedro Neto firing home a free-kick and then Reece James making the points secure.

This result saw Ange Postecoglou sacked as Forest manager mere moments after full-time, ending his 39-day tenure.

Meantime, that’s now back-to-back league wins for Enzo Maresca’s team, who will take on Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday, but the Blues boss will be concerned by his growing list of absentees.

Levi Colwill, Benoît Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Enzo Fernández, Dário Essugo, Cole Palmer and Liam Delap all missed out due to injury, while Malo Gusto’s stoppage-time red card means he will sit out next weekend’s clash with Sunderland suspended, with João Pedro already banned for the Champions League tie.

Of course, one of these absentees is significantly more noteworthy than the others, so how should Maresca fill the void of his talisman?

The latest on Cole Palmer's injury

In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Maresca confirmed that Cole Palmer will be sidelined “for another six weeks”.

The 23-year-old has been plagued by injury issues throughout this season already, withdrawing following the warm-up at West Ham in August, before hobbling off inside 20 minutes at Old Trafford last month, not seen since.

With fierce London derbies against both Tottenham and Arsenal to come in November, as well as a Champions League clash against Barcelona, not having Palmer available for these games would be a major blow.

Minutes

3,191

2nd

Goals

15

1st

Assists

8

1st

Shots

121

1st

Shots on target

44

1st

Key passes

87

1st

Progressive passes

214

2nd

Shot-creating actions

202

1st

Goal-creating actions

15

2nd

Big chances created

24

1st

Attempted take-ons

113

1st

As the table emphasises, in the Premier League last season, Palmer ranked first for pretty much every available attacking metric; the second and third-highest goal-scorers, namely Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, have both been sold.

This time round, despite only starting two matches, accumulating 235 minutes, Palmer has already scored twice, on target against Brentford and Bayern Munich, both on the road.

Maresca added, during his aforementioned press conference, that “to replace Cole is difficult, because Cole is a very important player for us, probably one of the best players in the Premier League, so to replace that kind of player is always difficult… we don’t have another player like Cole, because Cole is unique”.

Of course, he is right, no current member of the Chelsea squad is at Palmer’s level just yet, but which player could get there soon and appears best-suited to start in his absence?

Chelsea's perfect Palmer deputy

Against Nottingham Forest, Maresca deployed a starting lineup surely no one could’ve foreseen, with Gusto alongside Roméo Lavia at the base of midfield, while Andrey Santos, Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho were deployed in-behind João Pedro.

He then made a triple alteration at half-time, Moisés Caicedo, Jamie Gittens and Marc Guiu all introduced, but there was still no room for Estêvão Willian, not brought on until the 78th minute, as he continues to be under-utilised.

In the previous game, the 18-year-old had announced himself to the world by scoring the injury-time winner against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, connecting with Marc Cucurella’s low cross at the back post.

Despite his tender age, Estêvão arrived in West London with a big reputation, not least after he scored against Chelsea during the Club World Cup quarter-finals for Palmeiras in July.

Even before that, he had been touted as a future global superstar.

Respected analyst Ben Mattinson has labelled him a “future Ballon d’Or winner”, while Brazil’s all-time top-scorer Neymar believes the teenager “will be a genius”, adding that he is a “big talent that is surging in Brazilian football”.

Before joining Chelsea for a reported fee of £29m, Estêvão scored 27 goals and registered 15 assists in only 89 appearances for Palmeiras, winning the Brasileirão title in 2024.

At international level, he scored his first senior goal for Brazil during a World Cup qualifier against Chile at the Maracanã in September, before netting twice as the Seleção smashed Korea Republic 5-0 in Seoul just last week.

Across his final season and a half in the Brasileirão, the youngster scored 13 goals, registered 12 assists, created 12 big chances and completed an average of 2.3 dribbles per 90.

Of course, moving to the Premier League is a step-up, but these numbers should not be dismissed because, according to Global Football Rankings, the top division in Brazil is the ninth-strongest league in the world.

Thus, both in terms of the eye test but also the statistics, Estêvão appears to be, stylistically, the best fit to replace Palmer.

His talent certainly warrants more than the four starts from ten matches he has enjoyed to date, not starting any of the last four matches.

So, with Chelsea’s next three games against Ajax, Sunderland then Wolves in the EFL Cup, Maresca must make Estêvão a central figure in his team as he seeks to find a way to fill Palmer’s void.

Worse than Garnacho: Maresca must axe 4/10 Chelsea flop who had 55% passing

Chelsea were 3-0 winners away to Forest but this star struggled

ByJoe Nuttall Oct 18, 2025

Celtic are preparing to face Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final this weekend, but a new update suggests they may be without a key player for the much-anticipated game.

Celtic take on Rangers in League Cup final

The Hoops drew 0-0 away to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, in what was a respectable point in the Champions League, as they continue to give themselves a good chance of getting into the playoffs in Europe’s biggest club competition early next year.

It’s now time to focus on a huge game on Sunday afternoon, however, as Celtic take on rivals Rangers in the League Cup final, as they battle to win the first piece of domestic silverware of the season.

The Hoops’ adversaries are the reigning holders of the trophy, but Brendan Rodgers’ side prevailed against them in last season’s Scottish Cup final and will hope to do the same again at Hampden Park this weekend.

Celtic will go into the game as favourites, given their current lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership title, but it is a match that still has the potential to be decided by fine margins. Both sides have injury concerns leading up to kickoff and a key update has dropped regarding one individual.

Worrying Celtic injury news emerges before final

On Friday, footage from Sky Sports showed that Alistair Johnston wasn’t part of Cetic’s training session, suggesting he could be a doubt for the final against Rangers this weekend. Not having Johnston available for a game of such magnitude would be a major blow for Celtic, considering what a consistent performer he has become at right-back.

The 26-year-old has won two league titles during his time with the Hoops, and this season, he has bagged four goals and assists apiece in the league, highlighting the impressive level of end product he has provided from his full-back role.

Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner has heaped praise on the job Johnston has done since arriving from CF Montreal at the end of 2022, saying: “Johnston has settled in so well. People talked about (Josip) Juranovic being a star player but Celtic haven’t missed him – that’s how well Johnston has done.”

Hopefully, his absence from training is nothing serious, but the fact that he hasn’t been seen alongside his teammates ahead of such a big occasion can only suggest that there are genuine doubts over him being fit for the showdown with Rangers.

Officials sent as Celtic on verge of losing major academy talent for free

The young forward has been tearing it up for Celtic B.

1 ByBarney Lane Dec 13, 2024

Celtic are simply a better team when Johnston is playing, whether that be because of his defensive solidity or attacking quality, so seeing him in the starting XI on Sunday will immediately increase Rodgers’ side’s chances of winning yet another trophy.

Well, that was just what Tottenham Hotspur needed.

After Sunday’s dreadful defeat to Leicester City in the Premier League, Ange Postecoglou’s side had to pick up all three points in their home Europa League clash with Elfsborg last night, which is just what they did.

Now, genuine chances were few and far between for the Lilywhites in the first half, but the team stuck to their plan and eventually ran out 3-0 winners.

The victory, on top of news about an offer for Bayern Munich’s sensational Mathys Tel being accepted yesterday, has really lifted the mood around the club.

That said, while youngster Dane Scarlett has understandably grabbed the headlines for his impact off the bench, another standout performer showed why he could save Daniel Levy and Co from spending millions on the Frenchman.

Dane Scarlett's game vs Elfsborg

So, while the mood after the game was an understandably positive one, and the win was fully deserved, it would be fair to say that for the entirety of the first half and much of the second, it felt like Spurs were never going to score.

However, in the 66th minute, Postecoglou was forced into a substitute when Radu Dragusin went off injured – yes, another one – and opted to bring on the recently returned Scarlett. What a decision that was.

Just four minutes after stepping onto the pitch, the 20-year-old forward found himself perfectly positioned between two defenders in the opposition’s penalty area, jumped to meet a pinpoint accurate cross from Dejan Kulusevski and headed the hosts in front.

He wasn’t done there, though, as 14 minutes later he was involved in a lovely passing move that saw him provide fellow academy graduate Oyindamola Ajayi with the assist for his first senior goal to take the game out of sight for the visitors.

The Hillingdon-born poacher left quite an impression on Spurs writer Alasdair Gold, who awarded him a 9/10 match rating at full-time and wrote that the academy graduate was ‘terrific’ during his time on the pitch.

However, while Scarlett was certainly superb, there was another youngster who shone on the night, a youngster who played the full 90 and might have put in a performance good enough to tempt Levy into not splashing the cash on Tel this month: Mikey Moore.

Mikey Moore's game vs Elfsborg

Yes, the player in question is, of course, none other than academy star Moore.

The 17-year-old prodigy started the game out on the wing and looked entirely at home in senior football, so much so that he was undoubtedly one of the Lilywhites’ best players.

The “outrageous” talent, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, was a constant threat throughout the game, making a couple of dangerous dribbles in the first half and then topping off his performance with a sensational run in the final minute of the game that ended in a goal; his first in senior football and the third scored by an academy graduate on the night.

Now, we would argue that this is the wrong conclusion to take from the incredibly exciting attacker’s display, but there is a chance the board might reassess their need for a new wide player after watching him boss the game from the word go.

With that said, someone who was very impressed with what he saw was Gold, who gave the teenage dynamo an 8/10 at full-time and praised him for his close control, goal and application.

Minutes

94′

Expected Goals

0.23

Goals

1

Expected Assists

0.09

Shots on Target

3

Shots Blocked

1

Successful Dribbles

3

Touches

64

Key Passes

1

Fouls Won

2

Unsurprisingly, the Southwark-born gem’s statistics from the game more than back up the praise he’s since received, as in 94 minutes of football, he produced a combined expected goals and assists figure of 0.32, took three shots on target, took 64 touches, completed three dribbles, played one key pass, won two fouls and, of course, scored the final goal.

Ultimately, for his goal and assist, Scarlett deserves all the praise he’s received since full-time, but for his efforts across the 90 minutes, Moore’s display was arguably just as impressive.

Their own Rogers: Spurs hold concrete interest in "unplayable" £60m phenom

The exceptional talent would be a game-changer for Spurs.

5 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 30, 2025

A fresh transfer report has claimed that Newcastle United are keen on completing the signing of a “truly magnificent” attacking player from La Liga, with his current club happy for him to leave.

Latest Newcastle news

The Magpies enjoyed another brilliant Premier League outing on Monday, winning 2-0 away to Manchester United and comprehensively outplaying their opponents at Old Trafford. Alexander Isak and Joelinton got the goals for the visitors, who must be eyeing a top-four finish after an improved run of form of late.

The January transfer window could see Newcastle delve into the market for new signings, should Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe feel that fresh faces are needed to aid their quest to seal a return to the Champions League.

The Magpies are reportedly the front-runners to acquire the signature of AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori, with long-term defensive reinforcements needed, considering Fabian Schar, Dan Burn and Jamaal Lascelles are all now in their 30s. A return to the Premier League is thought to appeal to the Englishman, having fallen out of favour a little at times this season.

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin also continues to be linked with a move to Newcastle in 2025, although a summer switch looks more likely than a January transfer, allowing him to head to St James’ Park on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Newcastle want to sign "truly magnificent" Barcelona gem

According to Caught Offside, Newcastle are “among the clubs” who are keen on signing Barcelona youngster Vitor Roque, with the La Liga giants also willing to allow him to move on.

The 19-year-old is currently on loan at Real Betis, having struggled to be deemed a key player by Hansi Flick, and Tottenham are also believed to be in the mix to sign him. Barca would rather use him in a swap deal with Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres, though.

The £55,000-a-week Roque could be an exciting addition for Newcastle, even though his time in Spain hasn’t gone to plan, with only two goals coming his way in 16 Barca appearances to date.

At 19, he is far too young to be written off as a top-level footballer, however, and football talent scout Jacek Kulig has hailed him as both “truly magnificent” and someone with “crazy potential” in the past.

Roque wouldn’t arrive at Newcastle as a regular starter, given his age, but he could be a great backup option to Alexander Isak leading the line, arriving as a young replacement for the likely outgoing Callum Wilson.

11 duels won: 8/10 Newcastle monster was even better than Isak & Bruno

The Newcastle United titan was a wall at the back for Eddie Howe on Monday.

1 ByDan Emery Dec 31, 2024

If the Magpies were able to bring in both the Brazilian and Calvert-Lewin, it could give Howe the attacking depth that he craves moving forward, making his side an even more daunting proposition.

Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement may have been offered plenty of backing by new CEO Patrick Stewart, but the Ibrox faithful know that he isn’t the right choice to lead the club into the future.

Indeed, during the 3-1 victory over St Johnstone in Glasgow on Sunday afternoon, the Union Bears departed in the 55th minute as a sign of protest against the board and their decision to back the manager.

With the January transfer window in full swing, the only thing that might save Clement will be a deep run in Europe and winning the Scottish Cup.

The Premiership title race is all but over, as Celtic currently top the standings by a staggering 15 points.

The only positives from recent weeks have been the performances of certain individuals. Nico Raskin has impressed in recent weeks, even captaining the Gers to a memorable 3-0 win over Celtic at the start of the year.

Hamza Igamane has been the other big positive in the previous few months, emerging as someone who shouldn’t be dropped from the starting XI.

If he maintains this current form, then there will be a host of clubs queuing up to secure his signature this summer.

Hamza Igamane’s amazing season in numbers

Rangers were in need of another striker last summer. Despite Cyriel Dessers scoring 22 goals, he wasn’t the answer for Clement.

The arrival of Igamane for a fee believed to have been £1.7m was certainly a surprise, especially considering the youngster had not played senior football outside of Morocco before.

While seen as a big gamble, if the striker could settle and score goals, there was no doubt the Light Blues might strike gold on the Moroccan starlet.

Struck gold they have. Just seven months after moving to Scotland, Igamane has emerged as a hot prospect, one that has already scored 12 goals in just 21 appearances for the club thus far.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that Everton had sent scouts to watch the striker during the Europa League clash against Tottenham Hotspur. Igamane did his chances of a big move no harm by scoring the opener against the Premier League outfit.

Although the 22-year-old has eventually settled into the rigours of Scottish football, it has been in Europe where he has showcased his true talents and that he belongs at this level.

Across four Europa League games, he has netted four goals, scoring once every 48 minutes, along with having a stunning 67% goal conversion rate in the competition.

Furthermore, averaging 1.3 key passes and 1.3 successful dribbles on the continent indicates that Igamane offers more than just a clinical threat in the final third.

He has already endeared himself to the Ibrox faithful, who see the striker as the ideal heir to Alfredo Morelos, with the pair sharing similar attributes.

The more goals he scores, the higher the interest will be heading into the summer transfer window. If a big-money move comes in, he might just make the Light Blues a significant profit.

Having excellent players operating behind him will allow Igamane to improve as the season progresses. Though, should he stay, he could well be complemented by one of the SPFL’s top young talents.

Rangers eye move for Dundee star

According to the Sun, Rangers are considering making a pre-contract move for Dundee starlet Lyall Cameron, who has enjoyed a wonderful season at Dens Park.

Cameron was briefly linked with a move to Glasgow last summer, but nothing materialised in the end. Celtic were the ones to sign a Dundee star, bringing Luke McCowan to the club, who has settled in well at Parkhead.

Could Cameron perhaps follow in his former teammate’s footsteps by making the switch from Dundee to Glasgow?

The report from the Sun claims that the Gers are leading the chase for Cameron’s signature, although there is plenty of interest from other parties.

Fabio Silva

Wolves (loan)

2024

Mohamed Diomande

FC Nordsjaelland

2024

Oscar Cortes

Lens (loan)

2024

Todd Cantwell

Norwich

2023

Nico Raskin

Standard Liege

2023

The chance to win trophies and compete in Europe on a consistent basis suggests a move to Ibrox could be the perfect one for the player to take his game to the next level.

Why Rangers should sign Lyall Cameron

Earlier this season, following a game against Rangers, analyst John Walker took a look at his performance, saying: “Had a look at him closely v Rangers on Saturday & he was an absolute stand-out.”

Transfer Focus

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So, he’s already stood out against Clement’s side but what could he offer if he signs in the summer? Well, in the Premiership this season, the Dundee sensation has already scored five goals and registered four assists. When taking into account all competitions, he has registered a total of 15 goal contributions.

This tally is made even more remarkable considering he has operated either in the centre of the Dundee midfield or at times, as a defensive midfielder.

Should he move to Ibrox, could his future be in a more advanced role? It’s something that would see him linking up directly with Igamane.

Considering Cameron has created four big chances in the top flight throughout 2024/25, along with averaging 1.7 key passes and succeeding with 0.6 dribbles per game, he could be excellent if he moved slightly further forward should he join Rangers.

Averaging 59.7 touches of the ball per game demonstrates his willingness to often get involved during games, not shying away from the challenge of more illustrious teams.

These statistics should be enough for Clement to see that he could add a quality midfielder to his squad for nothing, boosting the homegrown quota in the process.

Aged just 22, Cameron still has plenty of development to do. A move to Ibrox could be fundamental in achieving his dreams while improving as a player.

At the time of writing, the youngster has 12 caps for the Scotland U21 side. Switching to Rangers ahead of next season could see him garner the attention of Steve Clarke, who might find it hard to ignore him.

Enquiry made: Rangers could sign a "vastly experienced" Barron upgrade

Rangers could target a player who can potentially leave his club for free

ByRoss Kilvington Jan 11, 2025

How do Rangers salvage this season, and how does Philippe Clement keep his job?

Having been ignominiously dumped out of the Scottish Cup by Queen’s Park last Sunday, defeated in that competition by lower-league opposition at Ibrox for the first time ever, the Light Blues are staring down the barrel of a trophyless season.

The Gers are 13 points adrift of run-away Premiership leaders Celtic, a gap that will be insurmountable, but Sunday’s trip to Tynecastle still feels must-win, as Clement fights to remain in situ, ahead of Rangers’ Europa League last 16 tie coming up on 6 March.

So, could the Belgian claim the victory he so badly needs by unleashing a highly-rated teenage midfielder?

Rangers' midfield issues

As noted by former Celtic defender Charlie Mulgrew, midfield has been a problem area for Rangers throughout this season.

Clement has primarily deployed three different options at the base of midfield this season, so let’s assess their stats.

Statistics

Mohamed Diomandé

Connor Barron

Nicolas Raskin

Appearances

38

33

32

Minutes

2,831

2,251

2,394

Goals

5

0

1

Assists

4

2

4

Big chances created

6

0

1

Tackles per 90

1.6

2.4

3.5

Interceptions per 90

0.8

1.2

1.2

% of ground duels won

52.5%

52.1%

55.1%

Average Sofascore rating

7.06

6.88

7.20

As the table outlines, Mohammed Diomandé and Nicolas Raskin have been Rangers’ best-performing midfield duo this season.

The former boasts the best attacking statistics, goals, assists and big chances created, while the Belgian shines for defensive metrics, namely tackles, interceptions and duels.

Thus, it’s no surprise that this has been Clement’s starting duo for the last five Premiership and Europa League matches they’ve both been available for; Diomandé was suspended for the trip to Old Trafford last month.

Thus, this means Connor Barron has been the man to miss out, generally performing the poorest of the three, reflected by the fact he has the worst return for goals and assists, as well as big chances created.

Chalkboard

Earlier this season, after making the move from Aberdeen, Barron was earning rave reviews, most notably named the club’s player of the month for September.

Meanwhile, a report by BBC Sport noted he made a “promising start to his Rangers career”, with Peter Cassidy of STV describing him as “one of the few shining lights at Ibrox this season”.

However, the 22-year-old has not featured in any of Rangers’ last four Premiership fixtures due to a medial collateral ligament injury sustained during a collision with Manchester United’s Matthijs de Ligt, and the date of his return is as yet unknown.

So, currently short of midfield options, should Clement turn to a teenager at Tynecastle?

The Rangers starlet who Clement must unleash

Against Queen’s Park in last Sunday’s ill-fated Scottish Cup tie, 18-year-old Bailey Rice, who Ben Mattinson on Twitter describes as a “quality midfielder”, was handed his full-senior debut.

However, it didn’t last long, with Rice hooked at half time, a substitution that former Hearts and Hibs midfielder Michael Stewart, speaking on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social club, described as a “deplorable decision”, adding that Rice “did not deserve to be taken off”, with Darrell Currie saying that he hopes the youngster does not feel like a “scapegoat”.

On top of this, former Rangers defender Alan Hutton believes Rice is “ready” to start contributing at first-team level, adding that he was impressed by the teenager when he was introduced at halftime against Man United, following Barron’s injury.

Teammate Ianis Hagi has also praised the youngster’s “mentality”, so we’re advocating for Clement to put Rice back into the team at Hearts on Sunday, if the Gers are to claim the three points they so desperately require in Gorgie.

Tipped for success at such a young age, the signs point to the teenager emerging as an even bigger talent than the stricken Barron, with it set to be an interesting tussle in the centre of the park over the coming years.

Rangers loanee who left in 2022 is now worth 2421% more than Lyall Cameron

One of the best players in the Premier League this season was on loan at Rangers not that long ago, so how has this youngster risen to stardom?

ByBen Gray Feb 14, 2025