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Rangers defender Connor Goldson is a potential transfer target for Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa, Pete O’Rourke has told GIVEMESPORT. 

The lowdown

Gerrard has been linked with a host of his former Ibrox players since he opted to move south of the border, including Ryan Kent, Glen Kamara and Borna Barisic, but Goldson’s case is unique because his contract is due to expire at the end of this season.

It’s possible that January will be Rangers’ last chance to cash in on the 29-year-old, who will otherwise be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement ahead of the summer transfer window.

Football Insider have previously reported that, as per Ibrox sources, the former Brighton centre-back Goldson wants another crack at the English top flight.

The latest

O’Rourke thinks that Gerrard may deem Goldson to be Premier League standard and could look to engineer a reunion with the player in the Midlands, adding that the defender’s contract situation could lend itself to a ‘relatively cheap’ move in January.

The journalist told GIVEMESPORT: “One of the names in the frame would be Connor Goldson, who is yet to sign a new deal at Rangers. I think his contract is up in the summer, so Villa might be able to get him for relatively cheap in January.”

The verdict

There’s no escaping the reality that Goldson would be a big loss for Rangers as they look to retain their Premiership crown.

He has started 18 of their 19 league matches so far this season, and his average SofaScore rating of 7.19 ranks him fifth in the Rangers squad, indicating that he’s a hugely dependable performer.

Goldson helps the Gers to build attacks with his ‘next level’ passing, and Gerrard was also keen to point out his intangible attributes, such as the ‘incredible leadership’ he provides. Therefore, it’s little wonder that the 41-year-old wants to team up with the defender once more, so Rangers best be ready for an approach to come their way.

In other news, some Gers fans were buzzing over this news ahead of the upcoming Old Firm derby

Anthony Joseph has dropped a teasing update regarding Celtic’s business on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Sky Sports journalist revealed that, while a host of incoming signings aren’t expected on the final day of the January transfer window, Ange Postecoglou will be keeping a very close eye on the market in case a player becomes available who is too good for the Bhoys to pass up.

In his tweet, Joseph said: “In terms of Celtic, I’ve been told not to expect incomings, unless someone becomes available who’s too good to miss out on. Could see some fringe/younger players heading out – more likely on loan.”

Fans will be excited

While Celtic have already been one of the busier clubs in the January window, having already sealed the arrivals of Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi, Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny, the news that the Hoops could still be active on deadline day is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful excited.

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Indeed, there are a number of areas within Postecoglou’s first-team squad which could still do with greater strength in depth, particularly at left-back, attacking midfield and on the wings.

The Bhoys have been linked with the likes of Lee Buchanan, Callum Styles, Danny Mandriou and Albert Gudmundsson this month. Should any of those become available during the closing stages of the January market, it would indeed seem advisable for the Celtic manager to sanction a late swoop in the window, as each player would very much appear to improve the club’s chances of reclaiming their Premiership crown this season.

In other news: Ange must seal Celtic deal for £4m gem dubbed “one of the best”, he’s a big upgrade

Noel Whelan has been left wowed by the transfer news from the Daily Mail that Everton have been offered the chance to sign Kieran Trippier in the summer.

The Goodison Park faithful are considering making a move for the former Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley full-back, with his current deal at Atletico Madrid set to expire next summer.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan was wowed by the prospect of Trippier retuning to English football to play for the Merseyside club:

“How impressive would that squad look on paper?

“As a team, getting that experience, that creativity, getting that player can do that natural right wing-back role, box-to-box, set pieces as well.

“Lucas Digne on one side, it would be a fantastic signing. Two natural full-backs raiding up either side, offering set-piece takers as well.

“I mean look, wow. Everton fans will be licking their lips if they can get this signing over the line.”

Trippier could be a smart signing for Everton

Although Trippier is 30 years of age now, he still has a lot to offer, and Carlo Ancelotti’s team are in desperate need of some cover at right-back for Seamus Coleman.

As Whelan alluded to, he has a great delivery, especially from set pieces, and with Digne on the other side having the same qualities, Dominic Calvert-Lewin would surely be drooling at the prospect of having them both bombing forward and putting in crosses for him.

With plenty of experience in playing in the Premier League as well, the Englishman would not need any time adapting to the demands of the top flight.

Nonetheless, the Toffees potentially signing Trippier could well go under the radar in the summer as one of the smartest pieces of business that a side could to in the transfer market.

In other news, find out what EFC update has left Blues fuming here!

Crystal Palace host Leeds United this evening as they look to climb the Premier League table with just six matches to go whilst can all but secure their safety with a victory.

The Eagles followed up their Wembley heartbreak in the FA Cup semi-final with a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United last Wednesday night, with manager Patrick Vieira making changes to his team.

Now though, after a five-day break, the Frenchman must resort back to his best possible lineup, with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta leading the line.

On the chalkboard

Mateta was rested in the North East on Wednesday, with out-of-favour Odsonne Edouard getting the nod to start up front against the Magpies.

The Frenchman struggled to make an impact at St.James’ Park and hasn’t found the back of the net for Palace since late January.

As for his fellow countryman, Mateta has been the Eagles’ best striker since the turn of the year, scoring five goals and assisting one in 2022.

The 24-year-old’s form has ironically correlated with his loan move from Bundesliga outfit FC Mainz being made permanent in the January transfer window.

Vieira has chopped and changed his strikers this season, with no centre forward finding consistent form in front of goal that rivals that of top scorer Wilfried Zaha, as well as the impressive Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher.

The long-term Palace servant has enjoyed his best-ever season in front of goal for the Eagles this term, scoring 12 times across all competitions whilst Gallagher is the south London outfit’s second-top-scorer with eight strikes.

With Zaha in support, Mateta can find his best form, with the forward finally starting to find comfort in the red and blue of Crystal Palace after a shaky start to life in England.

The £30k-per-week striker was signed on a season-and-a-half loan from Mainz in January 2021, with former Palace boss Roy Hodgson handing the Frenchman just seven league appearances.

Although, the 24-year-old did instantly boost his popularity amongst the Selhurst Park faithful, netting the first goal in a dramatic 2-1 win against arch-rivals Brighton.

This season, the forward was shut out almost completely, playing just 61 minutes of the Eagles’ first 17 league matches and sometimes failed to even make a matchday squad.

However, once handed his chance at the back end of December, Mateta, who was labelled as “brilliant” by teammate Will Hughes earlier this term, grabbed it with both hands and is now the south London side’s most in form striker and thus must be unleashed against Leeds.

AND in other news: Cost £0, now worth £15.3m: Parish struck gold with “fantastic” £25k-p/w Palace dynamo

According to a report by Claret & Hugh, West Ham United are now committed to bringing defender Craig Dawson onto the payroll permanently, with David Moyes deciding some time back that he wanted a permanent deal regardless of his obligation-to-buy clause.

West Ham committed to Dawson signing

Indeed, as per the Irons insiders, West Ham had already made the call over Dawson becoming a permanent player, with the 30-year-old having been a revelation since coming to the London Stadium on loan.

The defender, who has started 14 Premier League games this season (WhoScored), took a while to work his way into the side but has managed to usurp the likes of Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop over the course of the campaign.

He is currently a mainstay in Moyes’ backline, and the manager has apparently already made up his mind on a permanent deal for Dawson, with the club set to sign him for around £3m.

Transfer Tavern take

Claret & Hugh added that GSB are committed to this transfer regardless of whether Dawson hits the number of games needed to trigger his obligation-to-buy clause, which seems inevitable judging by Moyes’ recent admission that it was ‘very close’.

Given his form over this season, it seems obvious why Moyes made up his mind about the 30-year-old a while ago.

Bringing Dawson to east London permanently for just £3m has been described as a potentially ‘staggering’ deal by pundit Noel Whelan (Football Insider), and it’s hard to argue with his assessment.

In other news: West Ham have been dealt a potential Jesse Lingard blow, find out more here.

Everton are reportedly leading the race to sign Merih Demiral in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Everton need centre-back

The Goodison Park faithful certainly need to invest in their defence if they have the ambition to qualify for European competition next season, given that they conceded no fewer than 48 goals in the Premier League in the last campaign.

A new centre-back would go a long way towards resolving that, and would give the Merseyside club another handy option alongside the likes of Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina.

The Latest: Everton lead Demiral race

As per Calciomercato, the Toffees are ‘ahead of others’ in the race to sign Demiral, who reportedly wants to leave Juventus.

Both Atalanta and AS Roma are also in the hunt for his signature, but the Old Lady will not sell him for anything less than €40m (£34.3m).

The Verdict: Sign him quickly

Even though Turkey went out at the group stages at Euro 2020, Demiral performed very well for his country at times, averaging a mammoth 6.7 clearances, as well as 1.7 interceptions and 1.3 tackles a game, while also winning 4.3 of his duels per match (Sofascore).

Given that all eyes have been on the tournament, he is likely to have grabbed the attention of other clubs in addition to the likes of Atalanta and Roma, meaning that the Blues may need to sign him quickly.

At six-feet-two-inches tall, Demiral should have no problems at all in coping with both the physical and aerial demands of the Premier League, and at just 23 years of age, he will only get better.

Nonetheless, if given the chance, EFC should be all over a deal for the big central defender.

In other news, find out what Calvert-Lewin footage has Evertonians talking here!

Leeds United defender Liam Cooper has received strong criticism from Gabriel Agbonlahor, following his red card tackle against Manchester City.

The Whites picked up a sensational 2-1 win at the Etihad last Saturday, in what was surely their best result of the season so far.

Stuart Dallas’ double sealed the victory, which was made all the more remarkable because they had to play with 10 men for more than half of the game.

Cooper was sent-off for a challenge on Gabriel Jesus just before half-time, with the decision overturned after the centre-back was initially shown a yellow card.

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Agbonlahor critical of Cooper tackle

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Aston Villa and England striker admitted he was not remotely impressed with what he saw:

“It’s definitely a red card. You can’t make tackles like that in the game these days. I think he’ll know that when he looks back at it. It was definitely a red card.

“It was very dangerous, another day and he breaks Gabriel Jesus’ leg so he has to be very careful with his challenges in the future.”

Transfer Tavern take

There is no denying that Cooper’s tackle was a little on the reckless side, but he did still win the ball first, prior to making contact with Jesus.

The subjective nature of football means there are guaranteed to be differing views on the incident, but there was no malice in the challenge, regardless of whether or not it was a red card offence.

So, while it was certainly the correct decision by the letter of the law, it feels harsh to damn the centre-back for what was seemingly an honest tackle that went wrong.

In other news, a pundit has tipped one Leeds player to be a regular by the start of next season. Find out who it is here.

Queens Park Rangers are yet to receive any transfer offers for Seny Dieng.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by West London Sport, who claim that there have, so far, been no enquires made regarding the 26-year-old goalkeeper, despite the fact that West Ham United have recently been linked with a move for the QPR man.

Indeed, a report by The Sun claimed that David Moyes’ side are extremely keen on signing the £720k-rated shot-stopper this summer, for whom it is claimed Queens Park Rangers would demand a £6m fee.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Dieng has been since earning his spot at Mark Warburton’s number one this season, the news that there have been no offers made for the ‘keeper is likely to leave Rs fans buzzing.

Over his 42 Championship appearances for QPR this term, the 26-year-old helped his side to keep 11 clean sheets and made a total of 121 saves, as well as making an average of 2.9 stops and 0.2 successful run outs per game.

These metrics culminated in the Senegal international earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.96, ranking him as Warburton’s seventh-best performer in the second tier this season.

As such, it would very much appear as if keeping hold of the shot-stopper – whom the Rs manager dubbed as “outstanding” – this summer will be something of a priority for the 58-year-old QPR boss, as Dieng will likely play a huge role in the Rs’ bid to push for a top six finish next season.

And, at present, it would seem that, contrary to reports of West Ham’s eagerness regarding a deal for the goalkeeper, QPR could be on course to retain the services of the £4k-per-week man beyond the summer, something that is undeniably good news for both fans fo the club and Warburton alike.

In other news: Warburton heading for QPR summer transfer disaster over “brilliant” £5k-p/w flop – opinion

Newcastle United are thought to be closing in on signing Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer.

The Lowdown: Newcastle’s previous interest

Ajer was first linked with a move to St James’ Park back in March, with the 23-year-old setting his sights on a Premier League switch.

The towering defender was a regular for the Hoops during the 2020/21 season, making 46 appearances in all competitions.

Celtic signed Ajer for just £540,000 in 2016, and it seems they will make a big profit this summer.

The Latest: Magpies close to landing Ajer

According to the Sunday Mirror (30/05, pg 76), the Norway international looks set to become Steve Bruce’s first signing of the summer window, with a deal reportedly costing Newcastle £6m.

The Magpies were thought to be advancing with an £8m offer earlier this month, despite the Hoops wanting double that, so this latest update does appear to be slightly low on the valuation.

Nonetheless, it seems as if Newcastle have managed to knock £2m off the fee, with Ajer having just over 12 months remaining on his Celtic contract, which is thought to be worth around £14,000-a-week.

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The Verdict: Postecoglou to face an early problem?

Celtic are hoping to conclude a deal for Ange Postecoglou next week after talks with Eddie Howe collapsed on Friday, so the 55-year-old could be faced with an early problem as Hoops boss.

Should Ajer depart, Postecoglou would be left with Stephen Welsh as the club’s only recognised fit centre-back, with Christopher Jullien currently sidelined through injury.

The versatile Nir Bitton could fill in if required, but having a lack of central defensive options ahead of Champions League qualifiers in July may not be ideal.

Postecoglou will surely now identify a new centre-back as a key area to strengthen, so Hoops fans may well be in for a busy summer.

In other news: Celtic closing in on landing director of football, find out more here. 

Ian Doyle of The Liverpool Echo has claimed that Andy Robertson could be left out of Jurgen Klopp’s side against Leeds on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Brazil stars to be missing

Both clubs look set to be impacted by Brazil’s decision to ask FIFA to invoke a five-day ban on players who were not released for World Cup qualifiers by Premier League clubs.

Leeds may well be without Raphinha, whereas Liverpool could be missing Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.

All three have been regulars under Klopp in recent years, and another key member of the Reds’ squad may also miss out against Marcelo Bielsa’s side this weekend.

The Latest: Doyle’s claim

Reliable reporter Doyle shared a story on Wednesday looking at how Liverpool could line up without their Brazilian trio on Sunday.

Within his report, he admitted that Kostas Tsimikas could come in for Robertson at left-back, with the Scot featuring four times in 11 days since being ruled out with a minor ankle ligament issue in August.

The Verdict: Another boost for Bielsa?

Robertson missed just two top-flight games in the 2019/20 campaign and started every league fixture last season, becoming one of the most influential full-backs in the top flight in that time, so Klopp leaving him out for Tsimikas could work in the Whites’ favour.

The Greece left-back has just five Premier League games under his belt, so Leeds could look to exploit that side of the pitch in preference to targeting Reds right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Raphinha would’ve operated from the right, so perhaps Bielsa will hand Dan James a Leeds debut looking to exploit Tsimikas with his sheer pace.

In other news: Leeds source now reveals nine-figure issue facing Radrizzani after ‘big money’ news.