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Glasgow Rangers beat Premiership rivals Hibernian to go 19 points clear of arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the table with Neil Lennon’s side playing later on Saturday.

Ianis Hagi’s goal in the first half proved to be enough to extend their lead at the summit of the Scottish Premiership, although Hibs had their chances to bring the game level, but failed to stop Rangers from winning 12 games in a row.

The ball was worked to Kemar Roofe who carried it forwards and skipped away from Hibs defenders before Hagi finished off a fine team move to give the Gers a deserved lead.

And it was Hagi who ran the show as he outshone both Roofe and James Tavernier, having dragged a shot wide shortly before he found the back of the net.

The 22-year-old got himself on the scoresheet, but that was merely the icing on the cake in what was a masterful performance from the young Romania international.

As per SofaScore, Hagi received a high rating of 7.3 out of ten for his efforts – he won five out of his seven ground duels (71%), took three shots overall, including one shot on target, and was fouled twice, which suggests he was a real handful for Jack Ross’ Hibs.

He also took 50 touches of the ball, provided 27 out of his 33 passes (82%), completed one out of his two dribble attempts successfully and made two tackles and one interception as well.

Hagi, who earns wages worth £23,000-per-week at the Govan-based Glaswegian giants, has now scored three goals and supplied seven assists in the Premiership so far this season, via WhoScored, while he is averaging 2.1 shots and 1.3 key passes per game.

With Jordan Jones waiting in the wings after completing his seven-game ban for breaching COVID-19 regulations, Hagi will have handed Gerrard a huge selection headache with his dominant display during the win at home to Hibs as he ensured Rangers maintained their 100% domestic record at Ibrox this season.

He can’t ignore Hagi any longer after his latest showing, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must sanction Rangers swoop for Peterborough winger Dembele…

We’ve been here plenty of times before, but West Brom could be about to make an all too familiar mistake…

What’s the word?

According to The Scottish Sun, SPFL giants Celtic are set to launch a bid to sign Baggies youngster Rekeem Harper on loan during the January transfer window.

It’s claimed that the 20-year-old brute was close to making a move to Parkhead in 2019 before signing a new contract under Slaven Bilic at the Hawthorns.

Neil Lennon has previously scouted the player, whilst recruitment Nick Hammond once worked a similar role in the Midlands.

Shades of Nathan Ferguson

Harper may not be on the cusp of clinching a regular place amongst Sam Allardyce’s starting XI right now, but that opportunity could come with skipper Jake Livermore serving a suspension.

The new Albion boss was left reeling by his challenge on Jack Grealish on Sunday night, so much so that there will be question marks over his own positioning in this struggling squad. Thus, a door could well open.

Bilic has shown that the youth at the club can be trusted – Dara O’Shea is now a prominent senior figure at just 21, whilst Nathan Ferguson’s rise to stardom resulted in a Premier League move to Crystal Palace.

He was undoubtedly a major talent, just like Harper. One that they never replaced in the summer. The same could happen here.

Dubbed a “powerhouse” with “no limits” by Bilic and a starlet that has “got all the tools” by Tony Pulis, it’s clear there is something impressive about him, yet, he’s still not been given a fair crack.

Harper has even been likened to PL great Patrick Vieira, so even if he becomes half the player the Arsenal legend was, then West Brom will have a hell of a player on their hands.

Which is why sporting and technical director Luke Dowling must steer well clear of sanctioning an exit here. It could be yet another disaster if he does.

AND in other news, Forget Livermore, this Baggies calamity has already BADLY let Big Sam down…

أعرب النجم البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو، عن سعادته بتأهل فريق مانشستر يونايتد إلى دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا مساء اليوم، بعد الفوز على فياريال.

وتلاقى الفريقان على ملعب “لاسيراميكا” في إطار منافسات الجولة الخامسة من دور مجموعات دوري الأبطال، حيث فاز مانشستر يونايتد بهدفين دون رد. أهداف مباراة مانشستر يونايتد وفياريال

وتمكن كريستيانو رونالدو من تسجيل الهدف الأول لصالح مانشستر يونايتد في الدقيقة 76، قبل هدف جادون سانشو في الدقيقة 90.

وكتب رونالدو عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “إنستجرام”: “دائمًا ما يكون رائعًا اللعب والفوز والتسجيل في إسبانيا، البلد الذي شعرت فيه دائمًا بالامتياز”.

وأضاف: “تهانينا للاعبين على الفوز العظيم الذي يضعنا في المكان الذي ننتمي إليه، نحن مانشستر يونايتد ولن نتوقف عن القتال من أجل هذا النادي، لنذهب أيها الشياطين”.

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West Brom are still waiting for their first win of the 2020/21 season but Slaven Bilic can take plenty of positives following their 0-0 draw with Burnley on Monday night.

There was an elusive clean sheet at long last, there was also a debut for latest arrival Karlan Grant and there were encouraging signs of things to come.

None more so than loan starlet Conor Gallagher, who looked a breath of fresh air in the Baggies’ engine room as he was a surprise starter over Bilic favourite Romaine Sawyers.

It was his first-ever appearance in the Premier League after an impressive maiden campaign in the Championship last term, where he delivered six goals and eight assists for both Charlton Athletic and Swansea City.

At the Hawthorns this week, the 20-year-old pulled the strings alongside fellow summer signing Filip Krovinovic – per SofaScore, Gallagher recorded four tackles, two key passes and won eight duels. He also made 92% of his 39 passing attempts and managed a 100% accuracy rate from four long balls.

BirminghamLive graded the young maestro with a 7/10 rating and said: “Immediately you can see what Gallagher brings to the table – and if you were an opposing midfielder you’d hate playing against him. The loanee was a nuisance, pestering and harrying yellow shirts on the ball. On the occasions that he was able to look up and pick a pass, he did so in impressive fashion. Real energy and legs right until the very end.”

The Chelsea prospect will surely now become a frequent presence amongst Bilic’s starting XI – at least until he warrants a change.

Albion have enjoyed many a loan sensation over the past few years. It was Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira last season and luckily for the Midlands outfit, both players turned those temporary switches into permanent deals.

However, that’s not always been the case – remember Harvey Barnes?

The Leicester ace scored nine goals and provided six assists, and also averaged 3.4 shots, 1.7 dribbles and 1.5 key passes per game, via WhoScored, before being recalled early to take a place in the senior set-up.

Blues boss Frank Lampard hasn’t been afraid to trust his academy players with Reece James, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham all first-team regulars at Stamford Bridge.

If Gallagher continues to impress, a recall to west London can’t be completely ruled out as this is effectively his acid test for the big time.

Dubbed a “jewel” who is “impossible to replace” by Addicks boss Lee Bowyer, the Baggies could find themselves in an all too familiar spot of bother.

Only time will tell.

AND in other news, Invisible West Brom ace who won ONLY 41% duels was ANONYMOUS vs Burnley…

After making his breakthrough in the 2018/2019 season when he made his full Premier League debut against Chelsea, Sean Longstaff hasn’t kicked on some would have hoped at Newcastle.

It even led to then Magpies boss Rafa Benitez saying he deserved a call-up to the England boss, insisting: “Sean wouldn’t look out of place with England, there are not too many young English players with his quality. I think he will go, he’s doing well and playing in the Premier League. I like to see my players going to the national team.”

But fast forward more than a year, and Longstaff has yet to move forward, with this season seeing him play just 13 minutes of football in the Premier League – two games even saw him fail to make the match-day squad.

After handing him a rare start against Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup back in September, Steve Bruce admitted that Longstaff has got a lot of work to do to get back to his best.

He said: “Sean is in the last two years of his contract – we all know what capabilities he’s got he’s got to show it more often and more regularly. He’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s got healthy competition around him and as I said, he was another one who needed a game tonight and I think that showed.”

Bruce also added that he thinks the 22-year-old’s long-term future could be in the number ten role, and that’s something that tallies well with what former Scotland international, Kris Boyd, has said.

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He declared: “Sean Longstaff is a throwback. He is willing to take risks. He is a midfielder who is willing to take a shot, willing to try that forward pass. He might lose it five times out of six but he is prepared to do that because he knows that the sixth time it might lead to the goal that wins the game. He is always on the front foot and that’s what I like about him.”

With Jonjo Shelvey out injured, Newcastle need one of their brightest prospects to really step up to the mark. If he can get back to his best, then he could be the kind of game-changer that adds something different to the Magpies midfield.

Bongani Zungu has added fuel to the fire regarding rumours of a move to Glasgow Rangers.

The ‘Gers have been heavily linked with Zungu over the past few months, with the Ibrox outfit said to be in advanced talks with his current club Amiens over a potential deal. However, news of any agreement has cooled recently, and it seems as though the 54-time Scottish champions have moved on to other targets.

However, there have been further developments over the past few days. When asked on Twitter whether he still played for Amiens, Zungu replied that he does not, and he then proceeded to like a tweet from a Rangers fan account saying that he should make the move to the ‘Gers.

As a player with 52 Ligue 1 appearances to his name and 24 caps for South Africa, Zungu would be a good signing on paper. Having said that, this kind of attitude will surely be a warning to Steven Gerrard and Ross Wilson. If he is acting in such a way to secure a move now, who is to say that he wouldn’t do so again in the future if he were looking for a move away from the ‘Gers?

Having the playing ability is one thing, but that means nothing if the mental part of your game is just not as strong. Gerrard and co must do their due diligence if they are still in the market for the £1.44m-valued 27-year-old.

‘Gers fans, are you alarmed by Zungu’s denial about being an Amiens player? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Aston Villa got last summer’s transfer window horribly wrong.

Over £100m was spent, and despite all this new talent coming in, the Birmingham outfit only secured their Premier League survival on the final day of the season.

Understandably, the higher-ups at Villa Park feel as though something has to change, and they have made steps towards that, parting ways with their transfer chief Suso and bringing in Johan Lange.

Gregg Evans documented what this change means, and he mentioned that the Villans already have some players of a certain mould lined up.

What’s been said then?

The Atheltic journalist wrote a long and detailed piece about Lange’s background and how his role at Villa Park is likely to affect the club, and he stated that the transfer strategy this term is going to go in a completely different direction than last season.

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“First and foremost, The Athletic understands that tried and trusted players from the English game will be targeted and that some of those have already been lined up.” Evans wrote.

Better strategy

Dean Smith’s side may fare a lot better with this transfer strategy than they did last season.

We’ve seen it all too often that players from abroad sometimes struggle to get to grips with the tempo and tenacity of the Premier League, and that’s where Villa struggled this term with the likes of Wesley and Mbwana Samatta scoring just six league goals between them, while Bjorn Engels was often criticised by fans throughout the season.

It’s no coincidence that four of Villa’s five highest-rated players on WhoScored had experience in England before this season, with Frederic Guilbert the exception to the rule on this occasion.

Fingers crossed Smith can get the right profile of player in and guide Villa to a lot more comfortable position next season.

Jose Mourinho hasn’t had the easiest time in charge of Tottenham Hotspur so far. 

Indeed, after a 3-2 win derby win over West Ham, everything went downhill from there.

Eight months later, Tottenham find themselves in eighth place, four points behind his old club Manchester United, and nine points away from fourth-placed Chelsea, who are managed by his former player Frank Lampard.

Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Steven Bergwijn and Moussa Sissoko all succumbed to injury, although they have now made a full recovery. However, Dele Alli was banned for the game against Manchester United, and Japhet Tanganga and Juan Foyth have been ruled out for the foreseeable future.

Nevertheless, Spurs are targeting closing the gap on United, as Manchester City’s Champions League ban could mean fifth place will be enough to qualify for the competition.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, Mourinho insists his front six are more than capable of carrying the club higher up the table.

Alli has now served his suspension and Lucas Moura is fully fit and they will now join the likes of Kane, Bergwijn, Son and Erik Lamela in competing for a place in the starting lineup.

Mourinho told Sky Sports: “So now we have the six players available which is a very, very good attacking force that allows us to start the game and have players on the bench to make changes in case we have a need.

“And I think in this moment, with this long period without football, the attacking players especially, it is not easy for them. So to have in this moment, three plus three is a great situation for us.”

As the Premier League heads into the crunch stage of the competition, coaches will have to juggle with team selection to try and share the workload from a busy schedule.

Mourinho will have noticed the problems affecting his counterpart Mikel Arteta across London, as Arsenal are facing a transfer dilemma after Bernd Leno, Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari picked up injuries in the past week.

Kane is the club’s top scorer this season, despite the fact the 26-year-old missed a huge chunk of games after suffering a hamstring injury in the loss to Southampton on New Year’s Day.

Meanwhile, Bergwijn continued his fine form after the break, as he opened the scoring against Man United.

With Alli and Moura coming back into the fold, Mourinho now has so many options to choose from, and although this may cause a selection headache, it should improve his chances of making the top four this season.

Tottenham fans, do you think Spurs can qualify for the Champions League? Let us know down below!

Andrea Radrizzani selling a slice of his stake in Leeds United is an idea that has been bound around for quite some time now with rumours of both QSI and the San Francisco 49ers investing in the club circulating for what seems like an eternity.

Phil Hay reported last month that the QSI deal looks unlikely at the moment and that people at the club believe further investment from the 49ers is more likely, and unsurprisingly, reports have emerged this weekend to that effect.

On the surface, QSI look like the more appealing option, considering the unrivalled wealth of the Qatari group, but when you look at the sporting pedigree of the 49ers it’s hard to say that they wouldn’t be the perfect group to take the club forward.

The US-based investors, of course, have a footing in sport already, running a San Francisco based NFL outfit, but the success they’ve garnered over in the States shows that they could be exactly what Leeds need at the moment.

United are going through a transition period after being promoted, and the 49ers group certainly know how to handle that, helping the Californa-based outfit through their move into the Levi’s Stadium while still bringing success on the field.

They made the Super Bowl this year after winning their conference final, and they’ve managed to become a success through a series of shrewd business moves with John Lynch winning the 2019 award for Executive of the Year in the NFL, add into that a reported net worth of $3.5bn and you have a recipe for success.

Leeds have plans of expanding Elland Road to a 50,000 capacity ground, and with the 49ers knowing how to market and manage a sports team to perfection, they could be exactly what the club need during this time.

United may need something of a corporate facelift as they head back into the Premier League for the first time in 16 years, as a lot has changed since 2004. They have just struck a big deal with Adidas, and with the connections their investors already have in the sporting world through their NFL franchise, they could help them find a few more deals of that ilk.

From a business standpoint having a team as savvy as the 49ers on board surely won’t do United any harm, and perhaps it’s favourable to the QSI deal that was previously rumoured.

A lot of Celtic fans are reminiscing after celticbible posted a video of Hoops fans at Ibrox generating a great atmosphere, one that is much louder than the home support.

The video is from a past trip to their Old Firm rivals, and clearly has hit a place in fans hearts as they flooded the post to tweet about the day.

The bitter rivalry between Celtic and Rangers has had to be put on hold currently, as football is postponed due to recent events, however the Bhoys were looking to have one over on Steven Gerrard’s side this campaign as they sat 13 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, via BBC Sport and were on course to win their ninth league title in a row, via Transfermarkt.

Back in 2017 the Celts fans were named the best in world football at the Best FIFA Football awards, via the Scotsman, and the video recently posted emphasised why their support is rated of the best in Europe.

The club will hope that they can return to what they do best, and the fans will be itching to get behind the players whilst they continue their dominance at the top.

Here is what fans had to say following the video:

Celtic fans, how good has the away support been this season? Comment below!