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As Glasgow Rangers gear up to face Celtic in what will be a hotly-contested clash, Steven Gerrard will be well aware that he has a key decision to make…

What’s the word?

Rangers are doing rather well at the moment, aren’t they? And that seems to be part of the problem, as Gerrard’s side sit at the top of the Scottish Premiership, having taken 26 points from a possible 30.

According to The Glasgow Times’ Christopher Jack, the Rangers boss must solve the midfield puzzle before the Old Firm derby. Gerrard has some big calls to make as he will have to choose three from four.

It’s claimed that Ryan Jack will be the centre of attention as his brief stint with Scotland should mean that he is fit enough to face Celtic, which will mean one of Scott Arfield, Steven Davis and Glen Kamara will miss out.

Huge headache?

Gerrard may have a huge headache ahead of the derby as he wrestles with his selection dilemma. It’s certainly one of the toughest challenges the Rangers boss will have faced during his time with the Ibrox outfit.

He has relied on Arfield, Jack and Kamara in recent weeks, as the midfield trio started in the 2-0 win over Ross County, but Davis’ big game experience could give him a significant advantage. The 35-year-old recently sent Rangers a timely reminder with his performance during Northern Ireland’s victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a Euro 2020 qualifying play-off.

Arfield has also been one of the most consistent performers in recent weeks. He scored against Dundee United, Hibernian and Galatasaray, via Transfermarkt. So, that leaves Gerrard with really only two options to choose from.

Both Jack and Kamara are highly-rated by the Rangers boss. And the £1.08m-rated midfielder received plenty of praise from Gerrard for his “outstanding” performance against Motherwell. However, he will mostly likely miss out.

Per SofaScore, Kamara has played nine Scottish Premiership games this season, whilst he has averaged fewer than one interception, one tackle and one clearance per game. By comparison, Jack has averaged one interception and one tackle in eight appearances so far, via SofaScore.

So, if push must come to shove, Gerrard must trust his gut instinct and start Jack instead. We don’t envy him the decision, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers given major boost as Steven Gerrard cleared for Celtic clash…

Coventry City duo Michael Rose and Fankaty Dabo are closing in on a return to full fitness as the newly promoted Championship club return to training.

After a superb 2019/2020 campaign which saw them gain promotion from League One to the Championship, the Sky Blues have returned to training as they look to prepare for a stint in England’s second flight.

Boss Mark Robins has been busy this summer in making two signings already, completing deals for Gustavo Hamer and Julien Dacosta.

Other arrivals are expected with former Aston Villa midfielder Callum O’Hare been linked with a move, having spoken to former teammate Jordan Shipley recently.

Returning to training ahead of the 2020/2021 season on Monday, Robins put his players through their paces at the Ryton-on-Dunsmore training ground.

Two players who did not attend the session, however, were Rose and Dabo, who continued to do recovery work the club’s gymnasium.

The full extent of the injuries suffered by both over the recent break are unknown, but it is understood both are closing in on a return to full fitness.

The Sky Blues have two weeks of training to prepare for their first pre-season friendly which comes against Scottish Premiership side Rangers at Ibrox on July 25.

Rose and Dabo are both key players for Coventry and they will be integral to the club’s Championship stint next term. Indeed, the former made 31 League One appearances last term whilst the latter was involved 32 times (Transfermarkt).

Having them back fit will be a huge boost for the Sky Blues as they embark on a season in the second tier.

How well do you think Coventry City will get on in the Championship? Let us know in the comments section below…

Ipswich Town have joined Sunderland in the race to sign recently-released Everton left-back Luke Garbutt, according to The Northern Echo.

Despite making a number of summer signings already, bringing in Bailey Wright and Aiden O’Brien, and agreeing a new contract with Tom Flanagan, Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson knows that he may still need further additions to his squad if they are to earn promotion to the Championship in 2020/21.

To that effect, the Sunderland boss has shown interest in former Everton man Garbutt, although it is now being reported that League One rivals Ipswich are also keen on the 27-year-old.

The report claimed that Ipswich see themselves as favourites to sign the defender after having him on loan last season.

The Tractor Boys are also claimed to have held talks in an attempt to sign him permanently, whilst Sunderland officials are said to have issued a formal contract offer, as per The Northern Echo.

Garbutt is expected to resolve his future in the coming days as the majority of Football League sides have already returned to pre-season. The new League One campaign is due to begin on the weekend of September 12.

Judging by The Northern Echo’s report, Ipswich seem to be in pole position for Garbutt, who could be inclined to go back to a club with which he is already familiar.

However, Sunderland came closer to the play-off places than the Suffolk outfit last season, so if they can make a convincing case to the defender, it could open up an exciting transfer tussle between the two clubs.

Do you think Garbutt would be a good signing for Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting in their droves to recent comments from their winger, Lucas Moura, this week and it’s fair to suggest that the Brazilian has divided opinion in north London.

The 27-year-old has lauded his manager Jose Mourinho for his support since taking the helm back in November and also went on to claim that he’d like to ‘become a champion’ at the club, thus marking his name down in folklore.

In an interview with Globo Esporte, Moura said: “You know I have that goal in my career (returning to Sao Paulo). But I have things to achieve here, the club is growing a lot. With the arrival of Mourinho and after last season, we reached another level. I aim to be champion here. I really want to be a champion and mark my name in the history of the club.”

It could be argued that the attacker already has etched his way into Spurs history after he bagged a stunning hat-trick against Ajax in the Champions League semi-final second leg to send them into the final last season.

Despite this, some supporters have blasted him for being ‘too inconsistent’ whilst others even wanted Moura sold – he is currently valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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This term, the former PSG man has provided seven goals and three assists in 39 appearances in all competitions and is clearly a favoured player by Mourinho.

Many fans have suggested that he’s best utilised as a rotation option or someone from the bench.

Here’s what has been said so far…

AND in other news, Spurs fans react to latest update on Philippe Coutinho move…

Burnley have declined to offer Joe Hart a contract extension at Turf Moor, with the veteran ex-England goalkeeper set to become a free agent from next week.

The Daily Mail reported that the 33-year-old has been told his contract won’t be renewed beyond its 30 June expiry date, even with the Premier League season continuing until late July.

As per Daily Mail, Hart is not the only goalkeeper set to leave the Clarets in just over a week’s time, with reserve netminder Adam Legzdins also set to leave at the end of this month.

Hart featured in 19 Premier League games for Burnley last season but the imperious form of Nick Pope this term has left the ex-Manchester City man kicking his heels on the substitutes’ bench. His only appearances in the current campaign have been in domestic cup competitions, with seven goals conceded in those three games (as per TransferMarkt).

His imminent departure will see Bailey Peacock-Farrell being promoted to the role of number two from next week. The Northern Ireland international has yet to feature for Burnley since joining them from Leeds last summer, while his only appearances in a matchday squad came whenever Hart got the nod to start.

However, with Hart and Legzdins both leaving the club in just a few days’ time, that will leave Dyche with only two senior goalkeepers in his squad – one of whom hasn’t played a single minute for the Clarets.

Backup goalkeepers might not see much action generally, although it is not unknown for them to suddenly be called upon. Liverpool’s first choice ‘keeper Alisson has had two spells out injured this season, duly thrusting Adrian into the fray. At the weekend, Arsenal’s number one Bernd Leno suffered a knee injury which could keep him out for some time, with Emiliano Martinez now set to fill the void.

The possibility of a similar setback occurring to Pope is not inconceivable and, if it does, Peacock-Farrell will swiftly go from third choice netminder to crucial first team presence for Burnley. The 23-year-old had a decent record with Leeds last season, conceding just 32 goals in 28 league games (1.14 per game). He could yet prove to be a very important figure at Turf Moor, despite still awaiting his debut nearly 11 months after arriving in Lancashire.

Burnley fans, can you see Peacock-Farrell having a part to play before the season is out? Comment below with your views!

Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn has got many supporters talking after an image emerged on social media showing the Scotsman’s brand new haircut.

Footballers have a lot of time on their hands at the moment, due to the game being suspended indefinitely in England due to a global pandemic which has forced parts of the world to shut down (Sky Sports).

It seems that McGinn has used part of his spare time to get a new trim. The 25-year-old usually sports a full head of hair and no beard, but he has now gone the opposite way round. Indeed, the image doing the rounds shows him with a fully shaven head but with a beard, quite a different look than he normally has and you can see it below:

The midfielder had a fantastic start to life in the Premier League with the Villans and he managed to score three goals and provide two assists in his first 11 appearances. His form did then dip a little before he picked up an ankle injury which has forced him to miss their last 10 league outings (Transfermarkt). He will hope to return to the team when football eventually restarts.

Loads of Villa fans were reacting to the image of McGinn on Twitter, here is what some had to say…

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have been calling for the club to make one out-of-contract star a Spurs player this summer – and it’s not Willian.

It comes after Football Insider revealed that AFC Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser has ‘told friends’ he would be keen on joining the north London outfit if they make a move for him.

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They also claim that a club of Spurs’ calibre would interest the 26-year-old whilst the club could appear to be keen on a deal given their potential transfer budget ahead of next season.

The Scotsman appears set to leave the Cherries when his contract expires having scored one goal and provided four assists for them in 28 Premier League appearances, via WhoScored. Fraser has also averaged 1.6 key passes, one cross and one shot per game this term.

Many of the Spurs faithful have been drooling over the prospect of landing a proven top-flight player like Fraser, describing the possibility as a “no-brainer.”

Here’s what has been said on social media…

AND in other news, Five youngsters Jose Mourinho should call upon next season to SAVE MILLIONS…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Building for the long-term future, rather than just this season.

That appears to be the way that Brendan Rodgers is going to be handling the January transfer window according to journalist Jordan Blackwell.

What’s he said?

Speaking during a Q&A on Leicestershire Live, Blackwell gave an interesting insight into how the Foxes are going to be attacking the defence during the January window, and how it will affect those who are already part of the setup at the King Power Stadium:

“City will be looking for someone young with potential to improve, but who already has a decent level of experience. They will then compete with Benkovic to be City’s third-choice centre-half, behind Evans and Soyuncu, with Morgan likely to leave in the summer at the end of his contract.”

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Standing by the old guard, for now

It’s a pretty good indication that this Leicester project that Rodgers is currently overseeing at the King Power isn’t going to be coming to an end any time soon.

With all the talk in the media about whether or not he should be considered for a ‘bigger job’, it looks as if he’s set to try and make the job he already has a ‘big’ one.

It shows that rather than just focusing on this season, and bringing someone in who can usurp someone like Jonny Evans from the starting line-up as they make a push for Champions League football, that he’s looking long term.

It would be so easy to just simply gamble everything on this season and trying to achieve everything in one go. However, by the looks of it, Rodgers is looking to use this campaign as a platform to make sure that this sort of thing isn’t simply down to the ‘blip’ the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are having right now.

If they do fall short this season, then they are in a perfect position to try it all again next season. Although ideally, they’ll be able to do well across both of them rather than prioritising one over the other.

There haven’t been too many good signs for West Ham United ahead of their derby day against Tottenham Hotspur.Lukasz Fabianski is still out injured, while Jose Mourinho has come in and replaced Mauricio Pochettino, which has been seen as something that should lift Spurs.However, there has now been a positive for the supporters, as Michail Antonio and Mark Noble have been declared fit to take part in the game:

This update has left many Hammers fans excited about the prospect of seeing them back in the West Ham team.

Antonio seems to be the one getting the majority of the reaction, probably due the extent of his absence and that fact he can have a positive impact on the team.

Before getting injured during the Carabao Cup win against Newport County, the winger showed that he can be a threat for the Hammers, as he averaged 0.7 key passes and 1 dribble per game, despite averaging 42 minutes per Premier League appearance.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the update, including posts from thrilled West Ham fans, can be seen below:

Some Tottenham fans on Twitter were not happy with Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to start Tanguy Ndombele on the bench against Liverpool on Sunday.

The 6-cap France international was in fine form against Red Star Belgrade in Tuesday’s 5-0 Champions League win, grabbing two assists in what was a dominant midfield performance from the 22-year-old.

Ndombele also made three key passes and completed three tackles in his all-action display, so you can understand why some fans were disappointed to see the former Lyon man dropped for the trip to Anfield.

Pochettino opted to start with a midfield consisting of Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks against the European champions, and it seemed to be the right call early on as Tottenham went 1-0 up – the north Londoners eventually threw their lead away to lose 2-1.

Before a ball was kicked, however, they were not happy with the former Southampton manager’s decision to drop Ndombele at all.

Let’s take a look at some of the tweets…