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Even though Aston Villa may have had a fairly impressive January transfer window in terms of the business they completed throughout the month, it seems as though they’ve now been dealt a blow in their apparent chase to sign one of the Premier League’s most promising young talents.

What’s the latest?

After being linked with a move for Manchester City midfielder James McAtee during the recent January transfer window among many other clubs also vying for his signature, Villa and those other clubs have now been dealt a big blow in their future attempts to sign the 19-year-old.

That’s after he recently put pen to paper on a new long-term deal at the Manchester club on Wednesday evening.

Gerrard gutted

In 81 appearances for City’s youth sides, McAtee has managed to rack up 42 goals and 26 assists, highlighting the clear attacking talents he has and presumably why so many clubs were apparently after him last month.

This also shows how disappointed and gutted Villa manager Steven Gerrard will be at missing out on having a young talent like McAtee in his ranks.

Described as an “intelligent” player in the past by City academy coach Brian Barry-Murphy, he could have been the perfect replacement for current Villa teenager Carney Chukwuemeka with the future of his time at Villa Park in doubt.

Now that the midfielder has pledged his future to the reigning league champions and current leaders until 2026, this could put an end to the possibility of the Midlands side or any other team signing him on a permanent basis in the immediate future.

However, with the teenager only making three senior appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side across all competitions so far this season, all coming from the substitutes bench, there’s every chance that a loan move away where he’d be able to play regular senior minutes would be seen as beneficial for the youngster.

With that in mind, when the next summer transfer window opens, if the Englishman doesn’t manage to break into the City team before then and isn’t likely to get much senior game time, it would definitely be worth seeing if they’d be willing to loan him out to a club like Villa.

In other news: Alan Nixon claims Villa are “going to sign” highly-coveted gem, he’s a “real talent” – opinion

Celtic have been handed a potentially significant selection setback ahead of their Premiership clash with Aberdeen at Parkhead on Sunday.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Jo Hendry, the Hoops are set to be without Carl Starfelt once again for the visit of the Dons, while fellow summer signing Giorgos Giakoumakis is also expected to be sidelined.

Following a press conference on Wednesday, she tweeted: “Ange Postecoglou confirms no fresh injuries. Rogic close but will probably leave until weekend. Starfelt a few days behind that. Giakoumakis to have further investigation on a knee issue.”

With holding midfielder Nir Bitton forced off the field of play with a knock on Thursday, Celtic could be without several key players for their crucial clash against Aberdeen.

Ange Postecoglou will be gutted

News that Starfelt is not expected to play any part for Celtic over the weekend will surely leave Postecoglou feeling gutted.

The 26-year-old centre-back arrived from Russian outfit Rubin Kazan for a reported £4m fee over the summer and has already started 20 games in all competitions for his new club in the opening weeks of the current campaign.

His underlying numbers highlight the impressive impact he was having for Postecoglou’s ever-improving Celtic. As per WhoScored, Starfelt has averaged 0.3 blocks, 1.5 interceptions and a whopping 3.7 clearances per league game this term, placing him in the top four for each metric when compared to his teammates.

With the Glasgow giants conceding seven goals in the four games that the Sweden international has missed in recent weeks, Postecoglou will be desperate to get the 6 foot 1 beast back in action as soon as possible.

In other news… Celtic in talks to sign £720k-rated “rocket”, he would be a dream transfer for Postecoglou

So far this season, West Brom have won ten of their 21 Championship games under manager Valerien Ismael, drawing seven and losing four along the way, placing them in third place in the league table behind Fulham and AFC Bournemouth.

With the January transfer window around the corner, it seems as though Albion could be set to do some business as they prepare for their promotion charge in the second half of the campaign and attempt to close the gap between the two clubs ahead of them.

What’s the news?

Journalist Alan Nixon recently shared a post on his official Twitter page claiming that on-loan Baggies striker Jordan Hugill will return to his parent club Norwich City in January.

He stated: “Forest. Front of the queue for young Norwich striker Idah. Should be loaned out … Canaries to have Hugill back from West Brom to fill that hole…”

Given how the striker has only managed to score one goal for the Baggies in the Championship since arriving back in August, it feels like it could be a case of West Brom wanting him gone rather than Norwich being desperate to have him back, even though they haven’t exactly been particularly potent in front of goal this season with just eight scored in 15 Premier League games.

With 17 league appearances for the Baggies under his belt this season, it’s not as if Ismael hasn’t given the 29-year-old ample opportunities to prove himself as a useful goalscorer for the team since he’s been there either.

In those games, Hugill has only managed to rack up an average of 0.3 shots on target per game with 0.3 key passes per game, highlighting just how ineffective he’s been for the Baggies. It’s sage to say his loan deal hasn’t really exactly worked out in the way that all parties would have presumably hoped it would have back in August.

Taking this into account, it would be safe to assume that the West Brom fans will not have been pleased with Hugill’s time at the club so far and thus, would be buzzing to see the back of him in January.

If the striker does return to Norwich in January and calls his spell at West Brom to an end, the Midlands club should definitely try and find a suitable replacement for the striker that could come in and hopefully have more of an attacking impact on the team. Judging by his numbers, that shouldn’t be too hard.

In other news: Val could kickstart WBA’s promotion push with move for “invaluable” 59-goal monster – opinion

Flocking to Twitter, a number of West Ham fans have reacted furiously to David Moyes’ post-match comments following the Irons’ 3-2 loss to Southampton on Boxing Day.

A late goal by defender Jan Bednarek secured a crucial three points for the Saints in a rare away victory at the London Stadium, seeing the Hammers’ miserable streak of poor results continue over the hectic Christmas schedule.

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Michail Antonio made an instant impact upon being introduced at half-time, equalising just four minutes later. After the Saints retook the lead, Saïd Benrahma levelled the score at 2-2 in the 64th minute, before Bednarek clinched the winner shortly afterwards.

This result meant that the Hammers have secured just five points in their last seven league games, which has duly seen them slip seven points behind Arsenal in fourth.

These West Hams fume over Moyes’ comments

West Ham’s official Twitter channel posted a video of Moyes’ post-match interview. The manager was unimpressed with his side’s performance, saying that “lots of things didn’t go as well as we’d have liked” and that he couldn’t fathom why they were so “flat” in the first half.

A number of Irons fans took to the comments to respond, with many disillusioned with their club’s recent form. Here’s what some of those said:

“We are running on empty and it’s all down to the owners naive reluctance to appropriately balance the squad in the summer and try and play an entire season with no cover in key positions.”

Credit: @W1zardOz

“The contrast between our first choice defence and what Moyes has had available to him for the last month is shocking at this level. The contrast between Cresswell and Masuaku especially.”

Credit: @WestHamJoshV

“Let’s be real, we will be in the bottom half very soon the way our current form is”

Credit: @ellingford_paul

“Just copy and paste the same video for the next few months as well”

Credit: @veryupsetfan

“he says this every time”

Credit: @whujoe

“Moyes, you have had your time, time for a new manager. You served us well, we now require someone who is top of their game. Unfortunately you have nothing further to offer.”

Credit: @PeteWindham

In other news: ‘Yikes’, ‘Such a blow’ – Many West Ham fans left devastated by ‘horrific’ injury news

Odsonne Edouard’s performances may be ‘starting to pick up’ because ‘you have to play well if you want a move’, according to Celtic legend Frank McAvennie.

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that the 23-year-old impressed him in the recent 1-1 draw with their Glasgow rivals, when the Frenchman laid on Mohamed Elyounoussi’s 23rd-minute opener at Parkhead. The ex-Hoops striker said:

“They complemented each other so well in that first half against Rangers. They were superb. I liked what I saw from those two as a combination but we have not seen it enough this year.

“You have to play well if you want a move and Edouard’s performances are starting to pick up.”

Premier League big hitters eyeing prolific Edouard

Edouard could leave Parkhead this summer before he enters the final year of his contract.

Leicester City are among the clubs said to be keen, with the Daily Mail reporting at the beginning of March that a £15m deal was in the works. Arsenal and Liverpool have also been linked with the French marksman.

Edouard, who is Celtic’s record signing at £9.27m, has scored 81 goals and set up a further 36 in 162 appearances for the club. He has hit 20 goals in 34 games this season for the Hoops, but there have been occasional dry spells.

After scoring a hat-trick on the opening day of the season against Hamilton, he found the net only twice more before facing the same opposition on Boxing Day. His output then notably picked up from the end of January with a run of eight goals in six matches.

Transfer Tavern verdict

It will be interesting to see how Edouard performs this summer when, in all likelihood, he represents France in the knockout stages of the Under-21 European Championships, when he will be very much in the continental spotlight.

He has already opened his account for the tournament, netting from the penalty spot in their group stage win over Russia on Sunday. McAvennie is right in saying that Edouard’s form has improved in recent weeks, but it remains to be seen whether that will predicate a summer exit from Glasgow.

In other news, as one Celtic player leaves, a former Hoops ace could return. 

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has now dropped a worrying Glasgow Rangers claim on Alfredo Morelos.

The Lowdown: Morelos’ future uncertain

It has been reported that the Ibrox outfit will consider selling the Colombian in the summer, should he not sign a new deal at the club.

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His current contract expires in 2023, but with no signs of renewing at the moment, the board could now look to cash in while the 25-year-old still holds a decent market value.

The Latest: O’Rourke claim on Morelos

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has claimed that there is now a ‘real possibility’ that Morelos may have played his last game for Rangers, as it was confirmed that the Colombia international has undergone surgery on a thigh injury and will only come back to training in pre-season.

The journalist stated: “It could be a real possibility that we have seen the last of Morelos in a Rangers shirt. We’ve had speculation about his future every transfer window since he’s been at the club.

“He’s scored goals again in Europe, which is going to attract interest from teams in the Premier League and across Europe, and he will not be short of offers in the summer because of his goalscoring record.”

The Verdict: Worrying

The possibility of Morelos being sold this summer is certainly worrying for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Rangers.

Despite his injury, the 25-year-old still remains the Gers’ top scorer this season with 19 goals in total across all competitions, so he would be a very difficult man to replace.

It looks as if Celtic are going to wrestle the Premiership title back off of the Light Blues, so to give Rangers the best possible chance of winning it next term, they will almost certainly need Morelos to stay, given his proven status as a regular scorer in Scotland.

In other news, find out what ‘brilliant’ Ibrox update has now emerged

Leeds United were linked with a move for Paris Saint Germain midfielder Julian Draxler as the January transfer window first opened, with Gazzetta dello Sport claiming that the Germany international is being increasingly monitored ahead of what could be his final season with the French giants (via Sport Witness).

The Whites would hugely benefit from signing a player of Draxler’s calibre, especially as a free agent. The 27-year-old is now into the final six months of his current deal and although he is valued at £18million by Transfermarkt, he could join Leeds for nothing in the summer if they can agree a pre-contract agreement.

However, should Victor Orta work his magic on bringing Draxler to Elland Road, it could spell the end of Pablo Hernandez.

Hernandez replacement?

Draxler is being eyed by several elite level clubs, as is natural for a 56-cap international who has won three league titles and the World Cup. Since his arrival at PSG in 2017, he has impressed all around him. Former coach Unai Emery heaped praise on his debut and described him as an “ambitious” player.

Draxler has since gone on to score 22 goals and 33 assists for the Parisians but has recently fallen out of favour. Should he join Leeds, his direct competition would be Hernandez, who is eight years his senior. The Whites veteran has already slipped down the pecking order under Marcelo Bielsa, making just eight appearances in the league this season.

His only goal contributions came during Leeds’ 5-2 win over Newcastle last month, where he grabbed himself two assists. With just over a year left on his £23,500 per week contract and already struggling for game time, the arrival of a much younger and more prolific player in his position will surely only push him further towards the exit door.

According to WhoScored, Draxler has averaged more key passes, crosses and a better passing accuracy than Hernandez so far this season. Whilst they have both been deprived of minutes, the German comes off the stronger candidate to slot in behind Patrick Bamford in Bielsa’s struggling attack.

Having a new creative player like Draxler who has been praised by many could be the exact boost Leeds need to pick up their inconsistent form. Whilst they aren’t in any real danger of relegation as it stands, the tables can easily turn and they will want to get themselves back on track and hopefully return next season with a stronger lineup that can cause problems for opposition’s backline in a second top-flight campaign.

In other news, Leeds target Louie Sibley can put huge pressure on Jamie Shackleton…

Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish claims it is only a matter of time before Allan McGregor signs a new contract at Ibrox this season.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks suggested Steven Gerrard’s side are planning on offering the 38-year-old a new deal, with the Ibrox boss himself claiming that the club will hold talks with the veteran goalkeeper about his long-term future.

When asked if he feels McGregor will sign a new deal, McLeish told Ibrox News: “Yes, I believe so.

“If he’s not got any underlying issues in terms of his knees, his hips, his back or anything because old age does catch up with you sometimes.

“McGregor looks as if he’s going to be able to go on above 90-years-old, he’s playing at a great level, and he’s playing at Champions level.”

However, given there has been no confirmation of at least a short-term extension yet, there remains uncertainty surrounding his future as the deadline edges closer.

Wilson must act now

When fit, McGregor has shown that he is one of Rangers’ most important players alongside the likes of Glen Kamara and James Tavernier, as he has earned a regular role in the first-team this season, with Gers icon Peter Lovenkrands even saying he’s in the conversation for the club’s player of the year award.

Lovenkrands added: “When he’s called upon he comes up with the big moments and the big saves.”

It’s precisely why Ross Wilson must act now and tie him down to a new deal before it’s too late.

The 38-year-old, who earns wages worth £13,000-per-week, re-joined Rangers in 2018 – six years after leaving Ibrox for Besiktas. Since then, he has made 128 appearances under Gerrard across all competitions, that being bettered only by his teammates Tavernier and Connor Goldson respectively.

The former Scotland international, who remains a hugely popular character among Rangers players and staff, has previously impressed Gerrard with his attitude during first-team training – the Gers boss even mentioned him as a “pillar” of the dressing room and someone who sets the standard for the rest of his teammates.

Time and again, McGregor has proved to be the difference-maker. His performance in the Old Firm derby at the start of this calendar year have said as much.

Given the lack of options, this is surely a no-brainer, as Jon McLaughlin has found himself on the fringes of the squad, having made just nine top-flight appearances so far this season.

A contract extension for McGregor seems like a no-brainer, and it’s something Ross Wilson surely has to get done and dusted as soon as possible.

AND in other news, Rangers should unleash Cedric Itten against Hamilton Academical…

According to a report by Sky Sports, as relayed by West Ham Transfers, the Hammers are now in talks with defender Vladimir Coufal and his representatives over a new and improved deal at the London Stadium.

Coufal, who signed last summer from Slavia Prague for just £5 million, has arguably been one of manager David Moyes’ best buys with the right-back drawing acclaim for his consistent performances over 2020/2021.

The 28-year-old was a mainstay throughout the campaign, starting 34 Premier League matches under Moyes, with the club now seeing fit to reward Coufal with a new and improved deal.

Sky Sports claim that the Irons have commenced talks with the player’s representatives over the revised terms with his current deal running until 2023.

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Only Tomas Soucek and Aaron Cresswell started more English top flight games this term, so a new deal seems like a fitting reward.

West Ham supporters certainly think so, with many of them flocking to social media in light of this development as one called it ‘absolutely huge news’.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans buzz over Coufal talks

“Get it done @WestHam our best full back since Frank Lampard”

Credit: @RichardRf020370

“Deserves it. Unreal RB”

Credit: @joshbw13

“Give him what he wants”

Credit: @HR_WHU

“Lifetime contract pls. I want him teaching our kids.”

Credit: @jamiebaxter182

“Good! Deserves a significant pay rise”

Credit: @Joshua_Mbu

“Put your hand in your pocket the mans a star.”

Credit: @trevoroliver20

“This is absolutely huge news, love the man.”

Credit: @stephenlott

“Good news. He has been outstanding for us this season”

Credit: @FredJac07859045

In other news: West Ham fans flock to official club announcement, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly added Rangers boss Steven Gerrard to a shortlist of managers to replace Jose Mourinho but the Ibrox side shouldn’t be concerned about him departing.

According to 90min, Gerrard is on a list of potential replacements for the Portuguese manager at the North London club, who is under serious pressure after recent defeats against Arsenal and Dinamo Zagreb.

Whilst Brendan Rodgers is the reported number one target for Daniel Levy at Spurs, the Leicester boss would not come cheap, so Gerrard and RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann are also being considered, although Levy is said to be concerned about their lack of managerial experience.

Gerrard has proven himself to be an excellent manager during his time at Rangers, helping transform the club both on and off the pitch and his successes this season will not go unnoticed by teams in the Premier League and in Europe, with former England teammate Wayne Rooney impressed with the “fantastic” job he has done in Scotland.

The 40-year-old delivered title number 55 for Rangers and his side remain unbeaten in the top-flight with just five fixtures remaining of the season, whilst the Ibrox outfit also enjoyed an impressive run in the Europa League, one that saw them reach the quarter-finals before a rare home defeat against Slavia Prague.

In 33 top-flight fixtures so far this season, Rangers have scored 78 goals and conceded just 10, which emphasises that Gerrard has made a hugely positive impact on both their attacking and defensive records during his time in charge.

In the season before Gerrard joined, Rangers finished third, scoring 76 goals but conceding 50 in 38 fixtures, demonstrating how much work he has done to be able to solidify their defence whilst maintaining their threat going forwards.

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Therefore, it is no surprise that we are starting to see interest in Gerrard from down south, however, on this occasion, it feels like Rangers don’t have much to worry about.

Whilst Gerrard would surely appreciate the opportunity to work with world-class players such as Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane, it is difficult to see him returning to the Premier League as a direct rival to his beloved Liverpool.

There is also no guarantee that Spurs will be in the Champions League next season, as they currently sit sixth in the Premier League, whilst they were also knocked out of the Europa League recently, and Gerrard would surely not want to give up the chance to manage Rangers in Europe’s elite competition to move to a side such as Spurs.

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This, combined with Levy’s reported concerns about Gerrard’s lack of experience, will hopefully prove enough to see him stay at Ibrox for another season at least.

And, in other news… No goals or assists in March: £1.8m-rated Rangers ace endured a nightmare month