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Ibrox legend Alex McLeish has predicted that Glasgow Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack may not be fully fit until the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

McLeish makes worrying Jack claim

The 29-year-old has struggled with injuries throughout the campaign. He was ruled out of nine Premiership matches earlier this season with a knee issue, and he has missed the last three with a calf problem (Transfermarkt).

Speaking to Ibrox News, McLeish has suggested that Jack may not be ready before the next campaign. He said:

“It seems to be an ongoing saga for Ryan over this season.

“In terms of injuries and one particular problem, maybe it is calf or hamstring. He is certainly a player who has progressed under Steven Gerrard.

“As have all the midfielders, I’m not saying they miss Ryan, in certain games they do, but they do have tremendous cover.

“For Ryan’s peace of mind, I think it will be great if he could clear up all of these ongoing injury issues, and maybe that can happen for next season.”

Blow for Gerrard

While Jack has been in and out of the treatment term this season, he has still been an important player for the 55-time Scottish champions. He has played without the 29-year-old in the side.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time he has struggled with injury. As McLeish says, it is a recurring theme with Jack ever since he made the move to Ibrox from Aberdeen. However, when he is fit, he is a force to be reckoned with – Gerrard will be hoping he can get back to his best before July, at least.

In other news, this Rangers man slams both UEFA and FIFA.

Newcastle United are reportedly still in talks to sign Radu Dragusin from Juventus on a free transfer, according to Calciomercato.

As per the news outlet, discussions are continuing between the two clubs, as well as both RB Leipzig and Atalanta, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

At this current moment in time, the negotiations are at a stand-by phase, with his deal at the Serie A club set to expire on June 30th.

Dragusin one for the future

Dragusin is certainly a player for the future, having already broken into the senior side at the Old Lady despite being just 19 years of age, with four games under his belt in total over all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

With a frame of over six feet and two inches, the central defender should have no worries at all coping with the physical demands of the Premier League should he make the move to the St. James’ Park faithful, and his manager Andrea Pirlo was quoted as claiming that the he is ‘very strong’ back in December of last year.

On a free transfer, there would be very little risk in the North East club signing Dragusin up, and so they should be doing all that they can in order to secure the signature of the Romania U21 international.

In other news, find out what timeframe has been put on the takeover arbitration case by a sports law specialist here!

In a recent interview, Kevin Phillips suggested that West Ham United could make a summer move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

According to a recent report by the Daily Mail, former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes his Leicester City side have “won the race” to sign Edouard this summer, with the £13.5m-rated 23-year-old said to be keen on a reunion with the Northern Irishman, as well as a fee of around £15m “close to being agreed” between the Hoops and the Foxes.

However, speaking recently to Football Insider, Phillips stated his belief that, although Rodgers’ influence could sway the striker towards Leicester, should West Ham finish in a European spot at the end of the season, they too could be a contender for the Frenchman’s signature.

He said: “If Edouard is set to leave this summer I think West Ham and a few others would be looking at him. It will ultimately be down to the player but where West Ham and Leicester finish in the league could determine where the player goes. Having worked under Rodgers though, and knowing his style of football, I think he would opt for Leicester.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Having scored a quite remarkable 81 goals over his 161 appearances for the Bhoys, including 20 across his 33 fixtures in all competitions so far this season, it would be a difficult argument to make that Edouard would not be an inspired signing for West Ham.

Considering that David Moyes only has Michail Antonio as an out-and-out centre-forward in his current first team squad, a summer move for a player in Edouard’s position would indeed appear to be a priority for the Hammers. If the Celtic striker is available for a mere £15m as reported, he would not be far off representing the ideal candidate for Moyes given his value and goal return.

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!

West Ham United host Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium on Sunday looking to claim a first win at home to their rivals since 2017.

And in a boost for David Moyes, could have Michail Antonio leading the line again.

The Hammers boss is hopeful that the striker will be passed fit to feature in the London derby after sitting out his side’s last two fixtures across all competitions with fatigue, having appeared exhausted against Fulham in his 16th and most recent appearance of the season so far.

The Irons will still be without Angelo Ogbonna against Spurs as he continues to recover from the high ankle sprain sustained against Manchester United in the FA Cup, which ruled the Italian out of Monday night’s 3-0 Premier League win over Sheffield United.

But, with Antonio possibly back to lead the attack, here’s a potential line-up Moyes could name against Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham on Sunday…

Lukasz Fabianski recorded his ninth clean sheet of the season across all competitions when he kept the Blades at bay earlier this week, marking his fourth back-to-back top-flight shut out this term.

The Poland international is yet to register three on-the-bounce and will hope to do so against a Spurs side that has only scored twice in their last four league games with an unchanged back five from Monday night.

Ben Johnson returned to left-back against Chris Wilder’s relegation-threatened Sheffield United, as Aaron Cresswell joined Issa Diop and Craig Dawson at centre-half in Ogbonna’s absence. Vladimir Coufal featured at right-back for his 20th Premier League outing since joining the Hammers from SK Slavia Prague last summer for what now appears a modest £5.5m.

Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice, the only other West Ham players than Cresswell to have featured for all 2,160 minutes of Premier League football on offer this term, will expect to again anchor the engine room on Sunday.

The pair operated behind a front-three of Jesse Lingard, Manuel Lanzini and makeshift striker Jarrod Bowen against the Blades, yet would see the line rotated with Antonio making his return to the sole centre-forward position.

Lingard will expect to continue his run of starting all top-flight matches in claret and blue since joining West Ham on loan from Manchester United, after taking a game-high five shots and making a team-high three successful dribbles from a game-high six runs on Monday, per WhoScored.

No West Ham player has now taken a higher average number of shots per game in the league than Lingard (3.7), who further ranks first for dribbles attempted (4.3) and is second for successful efforts (1.7).

Bowen and £70k-per-week playmaker Lanzini may both find their positions at risk on Sunday to free a space for Antonio to return, while also being at risk for Ryan Fredericks to earn only his seventh start of the season across all competitions.

Moyes enjoyed great success from the full-back operating a wide right position against Aston Villa, and may look to replicate that at home to Tottenham.

Fredericks offered two successful tackles – a personal best for the season – at Villa Park, along with two key passes and three accurate crosses. Bowen, the only West Ham player to have made more than one appearance at right-midfield in a Premier League game this term, has averaged 0.8 successful tackles, 0.9 key balls and 1.2 accurate crosses a game thus far.

So, Bowen could find that he not only makes way for Antonio but also Fredericks, as Moyes looks to orchestrate West Ham’s first home victory over Spurs since 2017.

AND in other news, West Ham face a Premier League tug-of-war to retain a £60k-p/w David Moyes favourite this summer…

This summer could represent a huge upheaval at Celtic. The Bhoys are on the hunt for a new manager after Neil Lennon resigned while there are others who could depart Parkhead.

Peter Lawwell has already announced his decision to retire, with the club set to replace him with Dominic McKay.

The Hoops are on the hunt for a Director of Football and he could have a busy few months with up to 12 players departing Glasgow.

One of those individuals could be Tom Rogic. The Australian nearly left last summer after Celtic accepted a bid for his services.

He ultimately stayed in Scotland but it is thought that clubs in Asia are still interested in securing his services.

Having scored two goals all season, his loss won’t be particularly great to whoever takes on the managerial reins. It will be important to replace him though.

Celtic could save themselves millions in the transfer market by looking towards one of their young players; Scott Robertson.

The 19-year-old has only made one senior outing for the Glaswegians and spent the first part of the current campaign on loan at Gillingham in the English Football League. He is now on loan at Doncaster and like Rogic, has played in a multitude of positions.

Now, it’s important to note that Robertson is more defensive than Rogic. However, he’s played in central midfield and behind the striker at various points this term.

On top of that, he has also played on the wing, another area of the pitch than the Australian is familiar with.

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Robertson’s only appearance in that position for Gillingham garnered an assist during a 4-1 win over Rochdale in December. On that occasion, he recorded four key passes, the second-highest number of anyone on his team.

With that kind of figure in mind, it’s not unreasonable to suggest he could play in forward areas on a regular basis and replace Rogic in the Celtic senior squad.

The Hoops have kept a close eye on his development this season, sending a member of staff to watch him on a weekly basis.

Gills boss Steve Evans noted in November: “I spoke to the people at Celtic and they think he is being educated here, they have sent people to watch him and I talked to them because I said I wasn’t going to include him, they are delighted with his progress.”

Evans continued: “He is simply a wonderful talent.”

The youngster still has plenty to learn but Celtic could do far worse than building their new era around young players, rather than those – including Rogic – that have let them down this term.

AND in other news, Desmond could sway Ajer’s Celtic future by hiring 47 y/o who’d be a “very good fit”…

For Wolves, adding further numbers to their squad over the winter window was absolutely imperative.

The Old Gold had lost Raul Jimenez for a prolonged period of time because of a fractured skull and since that issue, they have won only three of their last 11 outings.

It has been a torrid time for Nuno Santo who has witnessed his side more or less fall apart over the last month or so.

The club’s woeful performances were highlighted in the FA Cup when they could only surpass non-league Chorley 1-0.

Thus, Wolves could do with a few more additions before the transfer market closes. They have, of course, welcomed Willian Jose on loan but we’re tipping two more incomings.

Here is the XI that could line-up for Wolves once the deadline closes.

You will notice two new faces in the side, one of which is Douglas Costa. Rumours surfaced over the last week linking the Brazilian with a loan switch to Molineux.

Juventus have grown tired of his lack of game time during his temporary stint at Bayern Munich, and thus, the Premier League has emerged as a potential destination for the second half of the campaign.

If he does come to Wolves, he may take the place of Adama Traore on the right-wing. After all, we’ve already discussed the vast similarities between the duo on FFC.

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Another change is in midfield where Christian Eriksen starts. Tim Spiers claimed a deal for the Dane was a non-starter this month but fresh reports from Italy revealed that talks have been held with his entourage.

Eriksen is a proven Premier League creator and in over 300 appearances for Tottenham, registered 69 goals and 89 assists. Thus, he would simply have to play behind Willian Jose if he comes to the Midlands.

Behind that, we’re not expecting any incomings. Although, we do think Wolves could persevere with four at the back with potentially up to three attacking additions in January.

AND in other news, Shi must seal Wolves swoop for “outstanding” 6-goal gem, he’s shades of Bakary Sako…

Southampton fell to a 2-0 defeat against Leicester City on Saturday night, with Che Adams, in particular, disappointing with his performance.

The former Birmingham City striker struggled to have any real impact on the game and was rarely involved during his time on the pitch.

Ralph Hasenhuttl would have been relying on him to step up in the absence of strike partner Danny Ings, but in truth he never looked like scoring at the King Power Stadium as the Saints struggled to create clear-cut chances against Brendan Rodgers’ side.

As per SofaScore, the £15m Adams picked up a 6.7 rating for his performance, which was actually better than a lot of his Southampton teammates, but it is not easy to see why.

The 24-year-old striker would have just 20 touches of the ball, which was the fewest of any player who started the game, and significantly fewer than Saints ‘keeper Alex McCarthy, who had 53 touches.

Adams’ opponent Jonny Evans would earn a 7.1 match rating, register significantly more touches and only lose one duel during the game, with it clear that the former Manchester United man won the battle with the Southampton forward.

He would also manage to complete just eight of his 13 attempted passes during the game, resulting in a less than impressive success rate of 62%, which is lower than his season average of 69.3%.

By comparison, Adams’ last appearance in the 0-0 draw with West Ham saw him register 22 touches of the ball, despite him only being on the pitch for 58 minutes and no doubt still dazed from the kick in the head he received from Craig Dawson.

The striker usually averages 1.7 shots per game and 1.5 aerials won per game but registered just one of each against the Foxes, suggesting that his performance was below his usual standards.

Despite seeing very little of the ball, Adams would still manage to lose six out of eight duels and lose possession on eight occasions, suggesting that on the few occasions he was involved, the Leicester defenders had the better of him.

In the absence of Ings, the young striker needs to involve himself a lot more in Southampton’s build-up play but hopefully, the former Liverpool man will be back to accompany Adams in the Saints’ next Premier League fixture, which sees them take on Arsenal at St Mary’s.

And, in other news… Southampton signing England U’21 gem could see Ralph favourite depart

Crystal Palace have endured an inconsistent start to the season but reports claim that the club are set to reward Christian Benteke with a new deal at Selhurst Park.

What’s the word?

According to The Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser, Palace chairman Steve Parish has offered Benteke’s representatives a contract extension to avoid losing him for free next year.

Palace have several players who are out of contract in the summer, with Benteke, Patrick van Aanholt and Gary Cahill chief amongst them.

It’s claimed that the Belgian striker is happy at the club but he could change his mind if he doesn’t get enough game time before the end of the season.

Shrewd move

Benteke was billed with so much promise upon his arrival at Selhurst Park but has turned out to be something akin to a poisoned chalice.

The Eagles signed the Belgium international from Liverpool for a club record £27m in 2016. Since then, Palace’s record signing has been nothing short of a damp squib, having scored just 23 times in 121 appearances in all competitions, which is a pretty measly return by anyone’s standards.

However, this time there is a method to Parish’s madness, or so it may seem at least.

The 29-year-old, who is one of the club’s highest-paid players, hasn’t scored since the 3-2 defeat at home to Chelsea last season, having failed to find the back of the net for the first team so far this season.

Despite his struggles, the Eagles gave Benteke an extension last year to keep him at the club until the end of the current campaign. Whilst a move failed to materialise, despite links to Spurs, tying him down to a new deal would give Palace the chance to try and recoup even a fraction of the price they paid the Reds for him in 2016.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Darren Bent believes his former Aston Villa teammate may never rediscover his best form, saying: “I can’t believe it because I was with him at Villa. He took my place at Aston Villa. So when I think about it everything was tailor-made for him. Every free-kick we hit was ‘hit Benteke,’ every goal kick, throw in, we just hit Benteke but that season, he could not stop scoring.

“And to see him in the form he’s in now and to go so long without a goal, I can’t quite understand it because he was honestly brilliant at Aston Villa. Even some of the finishes, the chests and volleys, every time Aston Villa needed a goal, Benteke would come up with it.

“Now to see that Benteke there and to see the Benteke that we see today at Crystal Palace where he can’t buy a goal, I can’t quite understand what’s happened there. Confidence is massive but the way he’s playing at the moment it’s like he’s got no confidence left.”

Parish must cash in on Benteke at the earliest opportunity, to put it mildly, but in order to so, he needs to convince him to sign a new contract to prevent him from leaving as a free agent in the summer.

The Belgian has received plenty of interest from China in the past, including from Marouane Fellaini’s Chinese club Shandong Luneng Taishan. Benteke currently earns £120,000-a-week, which Chinese Super League clubs would be able to double with ease.

If a club can meet their asking price, it will then allow Parish to reinvest the funds into the first team instead. Valued at £8m via Transfermarkt, even a transfer fee in this region would go some way towards revamping Palace’s ageing squad, which is the oldest in the Premier League by quite some margin.

There’s no doubt that losing their record signing for a fraction of the price they originally paid for him would be a bitter blow, but when push comes to shove, Palace may just have to bite the bullet and accept a cut-price deal.

AND in other news, Bye Benteke: Parish must sign Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud for Crystal Palace…

Carlo Ancelotti must unleash Anthony Gordon in Everton’s Boxing Day trip to Sheffield United with the Toffees potentially without Richarlison.

The Blues travel to Bramall Lane looking to match last season’s 1-0 win over Chris Wilder’s Blades but could be without game-winner Richarlison, after he was substituted off during Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester United.

And according to The Guardian, the Goodison Park natives are awaiting the results of further tests to determine whether or not Richarlison can feature against Sheffield United as the club refuses to breach the Football Association’s concussion protocols.

Richarlison has claimed in a message shared on Twitter that “everything is fine” after receiving an accidental elbow to the head in a collision with Eric Bailly, which saw Everton’s club doctor instruct Ancelotti to withdraw the Brazilian from the game.

Everton are yet to win a top-flight fixture without Richarlison featuring at some stage since his £50m arrival from Watford in 2018, including all three Premier League fixtures this season whilst the 23-year-old was suspended after a red card in the Merseyside Derby.

Ancelotti will be eager to avoid a repeat string of results should Richarlison not be eligible to face Sheffield United, and therefore must turn to Gordon and hand the academy product his first league start of the campaign.

Gordon has played just 32 minutes of Premier League football this season, including a sole one-minute cameo since October, despite offering three assists in two Carabao Cup appearances during the early rounds in September.

The 19-year-old was clearly surprised by his limited opportunities to impress after catching Ancelotti’s attention last term, but looked positively on the situation having spoken with the Everton boss to discuss a route back into the Italian’s plans.

“I didn’t go and bang his door down, I went and asked politely: ‘What can I do better to get in the team?’,” Gordon told EvertonTV. “I always want to get better and improve as a player. I just wanted his views on that – he gave me his view and I am trying to work on that every day.”

Ancelotti had noted after a sublime display against Leicester City in July how he felt ready to invest “a lot of trust and confidence” in Gordon, believing the England U20 international is “physically good and has a lot of ability and technical skills”.

That confidence has clearly not returned the chances Gordon would have liked this season, but the potential loss of Richarlison perfectly re-opens the door for Ancelotti to usher the teenage prospect back into the fold.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands will have to ditch his favoured Everton approach to sign a sought-after £18m enforcer.

Jose Mourinho might well rue Daniel Levy’s blunderous decision to allow Jan Vertonghen to quit Tottenham Hotspur this summer after the Belgian upstaged Toby Alderweireld in his country’s victory over England in the UEFA Nations League.

What’s the word?

Vertonghen departed north London after the expiration of his £100,000-per-week Tottenham contract this summer, ending an eight-year stint with the club before joining Liga NOS giants SL Benfica as a free agent.

He was signed by Andre Villas-Boas early into the former Chelsea coach’s tenure as Spurs boss and he went on to accumulate 315 career games under the tutelage of Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood, Mauricio Pochettino and lastly Mourinho.

Mourinho had nothing but praise for the 33-year-old after he played his final game in the Premier League, saying Jorge Jesus was acquiring a terrific centre-half who helped Spurs to the 2018/19 Champions League Final.

“He will be a great man to play in the Portuguese League. A big professional, a silent leader, an example in a workgroup. Fortunately, I’ve met many throughout my career but Jan is certainly among the best,” Mourinho told Record, via quotes by Sport Witness.

“As a player, everyone knows him and the Benfica coach, as well as his structure, certainly analysed everything he can bring to the team. I wish him to be very happy in my country. At Spurs, we’ll all be behind a person who is very dear to us.”

Mourinho’s admiration for Vertonghen was matched only by the defender’s admiration for Tottenham, the coaching staff and supporters, having posted an emotional farewell message on Twitter when confirming his exit in July.

“So, my time at the club comes to an end. A sad day for many reasons. I will miss the friends I’ve made here, the staff that make the club run, playing at the amazing new stadium & of course you fans.

“Thank you for all the support over the years. You’ve been amazing. We had many unbelievable memories but for now, it’s goodbye.”

Mourinho may well be wishing he never parted ways with Vertonghen, after witnessing the 6 ft 2 enforcer upstage Alderweireld against England as Belgium won their UEFA Nations League meeting 2-0.

Upstaged Alderweireld

Like Vertonghen, Alderweireld was set to be out of contract this summer but penned a new £110k-p/w deal last December to commit his future to Spurs through to 2023, yet, he has found his place in the starting line-up far from secure this season.

Mourinho has called on the former Southampton star to start just five Premier League fixtures and one of the north London side’s Europa League Group Stage ties, with Eric Dier enjoying the most top-flight minutes (630) at centre-half under the Portuguese to date.

Davison Sanchez, despite playing 90 fewer minutes than Alderweireld, also has more successful tackles (9) to his name than the Belgian (7) in league games, who ranks last among the trio for interceptions (1), aerial duels won (10) and second for clearances (22) as well, per WhoScored.

Alderweireld had the chance to show Mourinho was not wrong when allowing Vertonghen to leave and retain his services against England, but he failed to impress as the Benfica man stepped up to keep the Three Lions at bay and the Red Devils top of Group A2.

Vertonghen and Alderweireld both registered two clearances, one blocked shot and one interception at home to the Three Lions, but it was the former Spurs star who recorded more touches (89 to 60), more accurate passes (60 to 42), completed more dribbles (1 to 0), won more ground duels (3 to 2) and aerial duels (1 to 0), per SofaScore.

Alderweireld also committed three fouls, whereas Vertonghen kept his powder dry on route to a 100% duel success rate that Mourinho would surely love to have from his players this season.

Jesus has called on Vertonghen to start all six of his Liga NOS appearances to date, in which he’s helped to keep three clean sheets with 6.0 duels won, 2.2 clearances and he has been dribbled past just 0.2 times a game.

AND in other news, Tottenham can unearth their new Dembele in a youth prodigy who can play five positions.