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Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has experienced the highs and lows of the transfer market since arriving at Ibrox in 2019.

He has been able to seal impressive deals for the likes of Ianis Hagi and Joe Aribo, but he has also been culpable of a clanger or two – Cedric Itten being one example of a failed move.

However, the Gers chief has also dropped the ball at times with transfers that he has wanted to complete but has been unable to get over the line.

One player that he reportedly wanted to bring to Ibrox was left-back Aaron Hickey. The ex-Southampton chief was keen on a swoop for the youngster in 2019 and Hearts reportedly wanted £1.5m for him in 2020, but they were unable to strike an agreement as Italian side Bologna swooped in for that price.

It is now being reported by Fabrizio Romano that Newcastle United are eyeing up a deal worth up to £20m to sign the full-back this summer. This means that the Gers had a howler as they have missed out on a whopping £20m payday – and an £18.5m profit – because of Wilson’s inability to bring Hickey in during the 2020 transfer window.

Kamara 2.0

It was also a shocker from Rangers, as Hickey could have been Glen Kamara 2.0 at Ibrox.

Kamara 2.0? You may be asking yourself how that makes sense given their positions at left-back and defensive midfield respectively, but the Scot has been tipped to transition into playing centrally in the future.

Scottish coach Austin MacPhee previously claimed that the defender may develop into being like one Spain and Barcelona’s greats, saying: “He’s so young he could play a lot of positions. He could end up being like (Sergio) Busquets. Right now he reminds me of Jonny Evans, who I’ve seen in training with Northern Ireland. It’s the way he defends, moves and always wants the ball as a defender.”

Daniel Stendl labelled the 19-year-old an “extraordinary talent” and added further weight to a potential positional change, claiming: “Aaron as a player is like Philipp Lahm. For me at Hearts, he played as a full-back. He not only runs up and down the line, but looks for attacking moves like Lahm once did. And Aaron can also play in the central midfield.”

Hickey has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.89 in Serie A for Bologna this term, producing four goals and one assist from left-back. The 19-year-old has won five duels per game, at a success rate of 60%, and is showing that he can perform to a high standard on a regular basis despite his age – suggesting that he has the potential to improve further and develop into a midfield general, like Kamara, in the future.

One that got away…

AND in other news, Rangers had a major disaster on “complete” 243 G/A ace who’s “like Harry Potter”…

Patrick Vieira will lead his Crystal Palace team out in their first FA Cup semi-final since 2016 at Wembley this weekend in a fantastic achievement for the Eagles. However, there has been a late injury concern following the defeat to Leicester City on Sunday.

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, Crystal Palace are anxiously awaiting clarity on a potential injury problem following Tyrick Mitchell’s early departure from the pitch in the 37th minute of their Premier League clash at the King Power Stadium yesterday.

The Palace boss gave a brief update on the left-back’s condition in his post-match interview simply saying: “He felt something on his calf so we did not want to take any risk.

“We have to wait to see how bad it is.”

Vieira will be worried

Vieira will surely be worried not to have Mitchell in the team against Chelsea this weekend, after already losing Conor Gallagher following his parent’s club’s rejection of Palace’s request to let their loan player take part in the meeting.

The 22-year-old star has been incredibly influential this season for the Eagles, playing every single league game so far averaging at 88 minutes per match. He’s won the majority of his duels combined (61%), creating two big chances, delivering two assists whilst making three tackles, 1.2 interceptions and two clearances per outing on average, according to SofaScore.

If the defender isn’t available for the important clash, Vieira will have a huge headache in setting up his team and could potentially change formation in the defensive line, or he could simply deploy Joel Ward who is naturally a right-back but replaced Mitchell in the left-back position following his injury concern against the Foxes.

The 32-year-old has made 24 appearances in the Premier League this season, but before Sunday has not been involved in Palace’s last seven outings, out of the squad for five and on the bench for two following a groin injury, with Nathaniel Clyne taking up the right-back role during his absence.

The manager will now need to wait until he has full confirmation of the extent on Mitchell’s injury issues before he makes a decision on how best to deploy his team against Chelsea at the weekend, but the Frenchman will surely be frustrated to lose such an impactful player at this stage of the season.

In other news: Vieira now set for CPFC disaster on “phenomenal” £130k-p/w star

Ciaran Kelly spotted what Allan Saint-Maximin did right before he scored for Newcastle United in their game at home to Watford in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Great finish

The opening goal in the 1-1 draw against the Hornets was typical of Saint-Maximin with his outrageous ability on the ball.

The Frenchman cut inside from the wing, beating two players before rifling an unstoppable effort into the bottom corner of the net past Ben Foster.

It put the North East club in the driving seat at St. James’ Park, although Joao Pedro levelled things up with a smart finish.

The Latest: Kelly reacts

Writing on Twitter, The Chronicle journalist Kelly spotted the hard work that Saint-Maximin did before he got his goal:

“Will go a little unnoticed but that all stemmed from Allan Saint-Maximin not giving up the ghost.

“Chased and harried Ngakia in build-up, forcing him into a mistake, before cutting inside and rifling the ball past Foster. Great finish. Deafening noise inside St James’ Park.”

The Verdict: All-rounder

Everyone knows that Saint-Maximin is an elite dribbler – he currently averages the second-most amount of dribbles per game in the top flight, only behind Wolves ace Adama Traore.

However, as Kelly points out, his work off the ball sometimes goes unnoticed, and his effort in trying to win it back off of Jeremy Ngakia before going on to score was such an important moment in the match.

Nonetheless, the 24-year-old will no doubt be a key player for the Tyneside outfit if they are to avoid relegation down to the Championship at the end of the campaign.

In other news, find out who NUFC are now in ‘advanced talks’ to sign here!

Manchester United have an interesting summer ahead with a new manager set to be announced soon and the possibility of new signings after not making any in the January transfer window, and with Paul Pogba set to leave the club on a free this summer, the board at Old Trafford could already be putting the wheels in motion to replace him.

What’s the word?

According to TuttomercatoWeb, Manchester United will face a big battle with Paris Saint Germain to sign Sergej Milinković-Savić this summer, as the midfielder continues to be linked with moves away from Lazio at the end of the season.

The report suggests that Juventus are also interested in signing the 27-year-old, but his future is reportedly more likely to be elsewhere rather than staying in Italy.

Pogba replacement

As the clock runs down in the remaining weeks of Pogba’s contract, it’s clear the World Cup winner is interested in pursuing other options rather than securing a future at Old Trafford moving forward, and losing the player will be a shame for the club. However, if they are going to move forward it would be wise to bring in a replacement, and Milinkovic-Savic could definitely offer something new.

When you compare Milinkovic-Savic to the Man United midfielder this season it’s clear the Serbian can offer similar high quality and could even be a better attacking threat under a new manager and in a new system at Old Trafford. The Lazio midfielder has scored seven more goals (8), assisted equally nine times, has had 20% more shots and is ranked the sixth top-performing central midfielder in European football according to Soccerment.

Even the £63m-rated Lazio midfielder’s agent, Mateja Kezman, has spoken out on Pogba comparisons, hailing him in an interview with Mozzart Sport.

“When Sergej came to Italy, he was compared with Pogba, because at that moment it was probably the easiest comparison to make in terms of characteristics,” Kezman said.

“I do really respect Pogba, let’s be clear, and other linkers who can run and work for the team, but I think now Sergej has different and better quality than Pogba.”

Manchester United have a lot of work to do ahead of the summer and will need to appoint a new manager before they make any solid decision on summer signings, but with Milinkovic-Savic already reported to be in high demand the club will need to work fast to secure his signature and get him to Old Trafford.

In other news: Man Utd eyeing move for “top-class” £27m-rated monster, he’s a big upgrade on Maguire

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Loads of Everton fans have been running the rule over their FA Cup exit at the hands of Millwall, and plenty are beginning to turn on Marco Silva.

With a European place in the Premier League slipping further and further out of the Toffees’ grasp, a cup run was absolutely necessary to get the fans and players back on the manager’s side.

The gaffer will be having nightmares about Saturday’s performance for quite some time though, as the Toffees were dumped out of the FA Cup in the fourth round courtesy of some truly shambolic defending.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Richarlison put Silva’s side in front at the Den towards the end of a scrappy first half, but the hosts equalised almost immediately as Lee Gregory finished with aplomb after Jake Cooper looped a header into the box.

Cenk Tosun then came off the bench to put the Blues back in front, but once again they were pegged back instantly, as Cooper turned scorer this time, finishing controversially with his upper arm from close range.

The hosts then took full advantage of Everton’s uneasiness at the back, grabbing the winner in stoppage time through Murray Wallace.

All three of Millwall’s goals came from the second ball on a set piece, and Silva’s zonal marking system must now come under very serious scrutiny.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are lashing out at the boss…

Manchester United are working on appointing their new manager to take over at Old Trafford this summer with Erik ten Hag the favourite for the role, and now Fabrizio Romano has given a fresh update on the progress of the deal.

What’s the word?

According to journalist and transfer insider, Romano, there are still areas that ten Hag and Manchester United are yet to agree on to complete his move to the club this summer.

Romano tweeted: “Erik ten Hag wants to make sure he has enough ‘power’ to decide on the project together with the board, and especially to avoid transfer mistakes.

“That’s why he’s still in discussions with Man Utd before signing.”

Good news

For supporters of the club, ten Hag’s desire to play a part in transfers and power that allows him to have much more involvement than those that managed the team before him is good news in terms of the project that needs to be completed given the manager’s track record with building teams.

The 52-year-old tactician has got his team at Ajax playing phenomenal attacking football that has proven to be highly efficient and successful in the Dutch league and European competitions.

This season alone Ajax are winning 2.45 points and scoring 3.04 per game with a win ratio of 78.57% putting the side at the top of the Eredivisie table four points clear of PSV and currently in with a good chance of securing their third title under ten Hag, according to FootyStats.

In terms of European competitions, the Ajax boss took the side to their first Champions League semi-final in 22 years back in 2019, but this season ironically crashed out of the prestigious competition on the same night as Manchester United, when they lost to Benfica at home in the round of 16.

Despite not being able to lift a Champions League trophy yet in his managerial career, Manchester United supporters and the board will be hoping the winning mentality he has built in the Netherlands can be emulated and will further progress in England if he joins Old Trafford this summer.

With RB Leipzig reportedly attempting to hijack the deal by signing up ten Hag in the Bundesliga, the Red Devils must do everything they can to complete the move for the Dutch coach as soon as they can.

In other news: Journalist drops big late-night Man United manager update, supporters will adore it

Aston Villa have emerged as a potential suitor for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly according to reports from Italy.

What’s the Word?

Italian outlet TMW has claimed that Premier League sides Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are all interested in the Senegal international, labelling him a “real tressure” in what would undoubtedly be a sensational signing for Villa.

The centre back is in high demand, with European heavyweights Barcelona also interested, this is despite Napoli placing a €70m (£58m) price tag on his head.

Koulibaly will turn 31 in June and a fee of this size might put a lot of teams off, especially when they may only get a couple of years out of him at his peak.

Imagine him & Konsa

Villa have been leaking goals as of late and surely a centre back is high on the list of Steven Gerrard’s priorities as he looks ahead to his first full season in charge at Villa Park.

There aren’t many defenders better than Koulibaly at the moment, with the Premier League surely being an attractive move having spent the last eight years in Serie A.

Forza Italian football editor Connor Clancy previously stated his belief that the Napoli titan “improves any team” he plays for, as well as dubbing the defender “phenomenal.” High praise for the 30-year-old.

The most important aspect that Gerrard will be looking at is to create a solid centre back pairing of both Ezri Konsa and Koulibaly.

With Konsa having a rating of 6.74 on SofaScore this season, the onus would be on the Senegal international to come in and form a solid backline with the 24-year-old English talent.

Regardless of if Gerrard actually manages to secure his services or not, it shows just how far Villa have come since promotion three years ago that they are linked with one of the finest centre backs in the world.

What a summer Villa supporters have in store.

AND in other news, Gerrard now plotting AVFC bid for £46k-p/w “phenomenon”, he’s better than Phillips

Club-record signing Daniel James delivered his worst performance in a Leeds United shirt as the Yorkshire giants were beaten by a struggling Newcastle United side at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

Having cost a whopping £30m from Manchester United in the summer, the Wales international – who had long been a target of manager Marcelo Bielsa, having gone close to signing him for a third of the price in January 2019 – has struggled to make his mark at Elland Road.

And Saturday’s disaster was another reminder that he’s just not been good enough.

Jonjo Shelvey fired in a 20-yard freekick to seal a 1-0 victory for the Magpies after Javier Manquillo was brought down on the edge of the box in the 75th minute.

Perhaps goalkeeper Illan Meslier could have done better with it seeing as it flew in on his side of the goal but by no means was he at fault for their overall display.

Toothless in the final third yet again, Leeds have been pulled back into the relegation mire and now sit just seven points above the bottom three, with a couple of sides below them holding games in hand.

Bielsa was once again without his star striker Patrick Bamford, leaving James to play upfront on his own.

In 71 minutes of action, the 5 foot 7 dynamo registered only 15 touches of the ball, comfortably the fewest of any starter on the pitch for either side. For further context, Meslier managed 39 touches, whilst visiting striker Chris Wood had 50 touches, as per SofaScore.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-lufc-transfer-rumours-gossip-bielsa-orta-radrizzani-elland-road-updates” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

It shows how the former United man was more involved in the game than James, despite playing the same role.

With those few touches, the Welshman managed only four accurate passes from nine attempts (44%), which would have done last weekend’s hat-trick hero Jack Harrison, top goalscorer Raphinha and others no favours whatsoever in the attack.

Whilst he also won just one of his six duels (16.6%), lost possession with nearly 50% of his touches (seven times) and to make matters worse, he fluffed two big chances – so despite barely being involved, he could’ve been the man to win it for Leeds.

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross graded the £16.2m-rated star amongst the worst performers in his post-match ratings column and highlighted how ineffective he was at leading the line for Bielsa.

Indeed, in the past, James has been lambasted as “headless” with his decision making in the final third, so it’s a really baffling decision to see him trusted as a centre-forward, especially over someone like Rodrigo, who has bundles of experience playing that very role over in Spain.

Not only did he badly fail Bielsa on Saturday afternoon but also the Yorkshire outfit as a whole. Once again, the £52k-per-week-earning 24-year-old was a sheer disappointment and he ought to have no place in the starting XI going forward.

AND in other news, Leeds suffer transfer blow over “playmaker” who “Bielsa really wants”, he’ll be livid…

Manchester United have not been as active as expected during this transfer window so far, although they have been linked with a number of players over the last few months as Ralf Rangnick’s side have struggled to chase down a top four spot so far this season.

What’s the word?

Journalist Alex Crook has given his insight to the speculation surrounding United potentially signing Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria during this month’s transfer window.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, he revealed: “I think if they did that, it’d be to keep him out of the clutches of the likes of Liverpool. I think certainly there’s been talks between United and his representatives.

“No fee agreed yet, and there would be a minimal fee, I think it’d be less than £10 million to sign him this month.”

It was reported by SPORT1 this week that United had made contact with the midfielder and commenced talks, but there doesn’t appear to be any official moves made by the club as of yet.

Fans will be buzzing

Signing a defensive midfielder has been a priority at Old Trafford for a long time, and numerous fans have continuously identified this issue in poor performances over the last 18 months.

Nothing has materialised in the way of filling the position with a high-quality upgrade, but if the club can bring Zakaria to Manchester, it would likely leave many Red Devils supporters buzzing.

The 25-year-old is composed on the ball, his 90.1% passing success rate this season bettered only by Jesse Lingard at United. He is also adept at breaking up play, making 1.2 interceptions per game – a higher average than any of Rangnick’s current midfielders.

He is not afraid to break forward, either, averaging 1.2 shots per match this term. Remarkably, that is a slightly better return than United forward Marcus Rashford (1.1).

The Red Devils remain in a decent position to change the direction of their campaign, still competing in the Champions League and FA Cup, as well as being in contention to finish inside the top four with almost half of the Premier League season still to go and only six points off West Ham, who currently occupy fourth spot.

Adding a player like Zakaria, who has won the majority of his aerial duels this season, into an oft-cited weakness of the team would surely help United to progress in the tournaments in which they are still competing, as well as the challenge of securing a top four spot in the Premier League.

In other news: Rangnick reveals quadruple selection boost ahead of Aston Villa clash

Rangers secured their place in the final of the Scottish Cup in an enthralling Old Firm clash with their rivals on Sunday.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s side came from behind to seal a 2-1 win and they now have a chance to lift silverware next month.

After failing to capitalise on their good play in the first 45, Rangers were made to pay for falling asleep at a free-kick as Callum McGregor was afforded the time and space to feed Greg Taylor and the full-back’s shot deflected in off Calvin Bassey.

However, they found their equaliser with just over 10 minutes left as substitute Scott Arfield found the back of the net from James Tavernier’s assist.

This allowed them to take the game to extra time and they found their winner in the 115th minute as Carl Starfelt turned the ball into his own net after a ball into the box by Bassey.

Whilst Arfield coming on to level the scores set-up the win for the Gers, the player who really stole the show was James Tavernier at right-back.

Former Gers man Neil McCann lauded his display, saying: “James Tavernier has defended really well, the fitness that the boy shows is absolutely out of this world.”

Journalist Joshua Barrie also dubbed his and Connor Goldson’s play as “superb” in the build-up to the equaliser as the full-back’s cross – aided by Kemar Roofe – set up Arfield to score.

The £24k-per-week Englishman held his own defensively and was a constant threat in possession as he put in a complete performance on Sunday. He did not allow the likes of Jota and Liel Abada to expose him at the back as he remained strong in his one-on-one duels and this meant that Jon McLaughlin was not troubled as much as he could have been, with Celtic managing two shots on target all game.

Along with his great work for the equalising goal, the machine also almost scored the winner in extra time. He hit the post late on as he came inches away from being the match-winner before Starfelt turned the ball into his own net a few minutes later.

Van Bronckhorst will surely be delighted with his captain’s performance as the ex-Newcastle man stood up to the test and led by example throughout the match. It is now down to him and his teammates to continue to produce on the pitch in the coming weeks to win as many trophies as they can.

AND in other news, £10.1m in the bank: Rangers hit the jackpot on “brutally ruthless” £31.5k-p/w machine…