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Glasgow Rangers romped to a 4-1 win over Dundee United to leave Steven Gerrard’s side needing ten more points to win the Scottish Premiership.

Ianis Hagi gave the Gers the lead before Ryan Kent made it 2-0 with a low drive from the edge of the area, and Joe Aribo cut inside from the left flank to blast his shot into the bottom corner.

Alfredo Morelos also came close to scoring on several occasions, only for the Colombian to finally get his name on the scoresheet in the strangest of circumstances after goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist’s clearance bounced off him into the back of the net.

Rangers impressed for most of the game, but Marc McNulty gave the Tangerines a lifeline with a goal just before the final whistle blew though by then, the damage had already been done.

However, there was one man who struggled while those around him shined: Filip Helander, who let his manager down badly.

Now, we may, perhaps unfairly, be accused of having an agenda against the Swede defender. But we’re surely not the only ones who are beginning to question the logic behind Gerrard’s decision to start him regularly, especially after such a dismal showing.

In defence, no Rangers player was arguably worse than the centre-back, who looked distinctly out of sorts.

It was Connor Goldson and new boy Jack Simpson who conceded against Dundee but at least they were getting in the right areas, with the latter managing the same number of clearances as Helander, despite only playing a handful of minutes.

As per SofaScore, he received the worst rating out of any Rangers player who started the game, and it’s easy to see why when you take a closer look at the numbers.

During his 67 minutes on the pitch, the 27-year-old produced just one tackle and one interception, the latter being the lowest of all defenders to start the game.

Despite being on the pitch for a little more than 23 minutes, Simpson was still more diligent. He attempted the same number of clearances as Helander and also provided 100% of his passes. For context, Helander could only muster a pass success rate of 82%.

With that in mind, it wasn’t a great surprise to see him substituted in the second half, and it would be a shock to see him start against Royal Antwerp.

With Simpson patiently waiting in the wings, Gerrard has plenty of options at his disposal. If Helander keeps performing at such a low standard, he may find his chances limited in the coming weeks and months.

The Swede was an accident waiting to happen against Dundee and Gerrard should seriously consider dropping him ahead of the Europa League return fixture with Antwerp.

AND in other news, Rangers dealt devastating James Tavernier injury blow ahead of Dundee clash…

After seeing a resurgence in form from Gareth Bale, it’s now time for Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho to unleash forgotten star Dele Alli in the final third of this campaign.

The league season has not gone to plan for Spurs overall.

They find themselves eighth in the Premier League table, six points behind the top four and behind all but one of their main rivals, though they have advanced into the last 16 of the Europa League and have a genuine shot at winning silverware with the Carabao Cup final on the horizon.

But this means that games will be coming thick and fast every week, and thus, the Portuguese stalwart will need his entire squad to be at the races.

Bale had barely featured for the north London club until recently – indeed, the Welsh superstar has only played 1,000 minutes in all competitions for a total of 20 appearances (just 12 starts), as per Transfermarkt.

But in his last four appearances, the 31-year-old has delivered four goals and three assists to help arrest the poor run of form Spurs had found themselves in.

This, ultimately, needs to be the masterplan for Alli to refind his feet in N17.

The 24-year-old, who is valued at €30m (£26m), has played fewer minutes (737) but he too showed flashes of his old ability in their 4-0 win over Wolfsberger last week, delivering one goal and a brace of assists.

SofaScore graded that display a 9.2, his highest since a win over Bournemouth in December 2019 (9.0).

After the game, the Spurs boss waxed lyrical about the rarely-seen playmaker, he said (via the Evening Standard): “He is playing very well” before adding: “The goal was beautiful, but the meaning of the assists and hard work for the team means more to me. That work of continuity in the performance is what makes me really happy.”

Mourinho has largely relied on the goalscoring exploits of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son as the duo account for xx% of their league goals this term, whilst no player has stepped up to fill the void left behind by Christian Eriksen in the no.10 role.

And with Tanguy Ndombele being deployed in a deeper position, alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, there is a spot up for grabs alongside Bale, Son and Kane.

Both Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela have been deployed there, but it is Alli who is the better and more natural fit – just imagine him and Bale if he manages to rediscover form.

The £100k-per-week midfielder was once dubbed a “freak of a talent” and compared to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes by ex-Spurs star Darren Anderton in an interview relayed by Goal.com.

In three of his last six Premier League campaigns, Alli has delivered at least nine goals and seven assists and throughout his Spurs and competitive England career, the attacking maestro has averaged 1.4 key passes per game, even despite playing only 138 minutes this season, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Moura averages only 0.7 in the role, while Lamela can only muster up 0.4 per game across all positions played. Similarly, Kane and Son are the only players managing above one key pass per league outing.

There is evidently a need for creativity, and this is something Alli can provide, if Mourinho can get him back to his best and considering Bale’s drastic turnaround, it is certainly possible.

Alli must now be unleashed alongside Bale, Kane and Son. That’s a front four capable of striking fear into any side.

AND in other news, Mourinho must make U-turn over “special” £18m-rated Spurs gem who’s “better than ever”…

Former Scotland international Alan Hutton believes that Eddie Howe is the “better choice” that Celtic can choose from over Rafael Benitez.

Howe over Benitez?

Neil Lennon recently resigned from his position as the club’s manager in what was his second stint in charge at Parkhead – following a desperately disappointing 2020/21 campaign.

John Kennedy has taken charge of the Hoops for the remainder of the campaign, with the green half of Glasgow 18 points behind their arch-rivals Rangers in the standings.

Several names have been linked with taking Lennon’s place, including both Howe and Benitez – as well as Frank Lampard who was recently dismissed by Chelsea.

But Hutton believes that the former Bournemouth boss would be Celtic’s best option, despite the amount of success that Benitez has had over the years.

“What do you do? Do you go for experience? The likes of (Rafa) Benitez and people like that are getting bandied about, I don’t see that happening,” he told Football Insider.

“I think what looks more of a better choice to me is the likes of Eddie Howe. He’s a standout to me because he’s young, used to having to build teams with not huge amounts of money.

“He’s been very successful in his career already. I think you need that kind of hungry manager that loves what he’s doing, loves to build. He fits that bill for me.

“Someone like that could be a good appointment. It’s whether they could entice him up to do a job in Scotland or not.

“It’s a huge decision and it’s one that I’m sure they’re not taking lightly.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

This is quite an eye-opening statement for Hutton to make. We believe Celtic should consider all of the options available to them right now – not just one man in particular.

The fact that Benitez has managed and triumphed at some of the biggest clubs in world football though should not be overlooked. Let’s not forget, the Hoops simply have to regain the Scottish Premiership title at the first time of asking – second place is last place in Glasgow.

Of course, the pressure would be on almost immediately if the results didn’t go their way, but we still think that Benitez would bring a stronger hand than Howe.

In other news, Celtic contact “fantastic” manager as news from Hoops source emerges.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 193 Premier League appearances during his career, believes if Mohamed Salah’s attitude is a problem, then Liverpool shouldn’t think twice about selling him.

Salah is the Premier League’s top scorer this season with 17, which has taken his total for Liverpool up to 118 in just 190 league appearances, despite the Reds struggling this campaign.

Liverpool have had a front three of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino for four seasons now, however, it may be about to be dismantled if the Premier League champions follow Robbie Fowler’s advice to sell the Egyptian if he isn’t happy.

Speaking on the £200,000-a-week star’s future at Liverpool, Howey exclusively told FFC:

“Nobody is bigger than one club. If there is an attitude problem with Salah then you don’t want him in there.

“I think Salah has done amazing but, you don’t want anything that could spoil the dressing room.

“Once the dressing room is infested, it’s difficult to get it all cut out.”

Salah has once again proved he’s a clinical finisher and any team in the world would like to have one and with the Real Madrid rumours, it could be time for the Egyptian to depart.

Liverpool have struggled on all fronts this season after winning the Premier League and Champions League in the last two seasons, although they have progressed into the last eight of the latter following their two-legged success against RB Leipzig.

Lots of Everton fans have been fuming at the performance of Andre Gomes in the club’s Premier League loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Gomes started in midfield on Monday, playing beside Allan in Everton’s 3-4-1-2 formation, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison up front. The Portuguese midfielder didn’t impress, though, and pick up a lowly WhoScored match rating of 5.97.

The home side scored in the first half as the ball went into the back of the net via a Ben Godfrey deflection. Jorginho then converted a penalty in the second half to make it 2-0 for the Londoners (as per Whoscored).

As a result of the 2-0 defeat, Everton are now down to sixth in the Premier League, behind Chelsea and West Ham. They have a game in hand on Chelsea, but they are four points behind Thomas Tuchel’s men (BBC).

Gomes couldn’t play a single key pass in the game, as the former Valencia man completed only one dribble all evening. He was also dispossessed three times – the second-most in the Everton side (Whoscored).

These figures illustrate that it wasn’t a great night for the 27-year-old and it caught the attention of many Everton fans who were fuming at the midfielder for his “shocking” performance.

What did Everton fans make of Andre Gomes’ performance?

“Andre Gomes has to go next season.”

Credit: @kierendcook

“Andre gomes shocking again.”
Credit: @djdavedempsey

“Hopefully it’s Andre Gomes back to Portugal or Spain in the summer too.”
Credit: @BT_1878

“Andre Gomes gets away with murder on here, was our worst player tonight, just like he was against West Brom, but all you’ll here about is Holgate and Iwobi because Gomes has nice hair.”
Credit: @EFC1878JM

“No need to over-react but how long do we have to put up with carrying Andre Gomes? He is too slow for this level of football.”

Credit: @dazzler1878

“Andre Gomes making me want to put me phone through the tele.”

Credit: @J_Harrison1878

In other news, Everton could lose a young forward – read more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who scored 306 goals for Wolves, believes Adama Traore’s poor form is partially down to the absences of Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez, who he worked well with last season.

Traore has failed to register a single goal or assist in the Premier League this season, compared to the last campaign where he ended up with four goals and nine assists, and Bull believes being the only one left of their formidable trio is a big factor.

Wolves have struggled in front of goal since Jimenez fractured his skull against Arsenal last year, with nobody able to do what he does for the Midlands club in what has been a frustrating season for Nuno.

Speaking on Traore not being the same without Jota and Jimenez as well as on what has been a difficult season for Wolves, Bull told FFC exclusively:

“When we had the three of them; Jimenez, Jota and Traore they were a formidable force. When you take a piece of that jigsaw away the other two are thinking, ‘what’s going on?’

“Nuno’s had a frustrating year, it’s been like a transformation period. There’s been new players coming in and old players go out, so it takes time for them to gel.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“I think Nuno signed a three-year deal at the end of last year, so we’ve got him for the next two years at least and he’ll be thinking about building for the future now.”

Wolves scored 49 times in the Premier League last season, however, they’ve only found the back of the net 26 times so far this campaign with their frustrations in front of goal obvious to see.

Traore has been good in his build-up play towards the final third but has failed to convert it into any meaningful passes or attempts at goal.

Southampton eased through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup thanks to a comfortable 3-0 win against Championship side Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Moussa Djenepo opened the scoring for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side before Nathan Redmond doubled the lead on the stroke of half-time with a superb run and finish.

The former Norwich City man then added his second and Southampton’s third goal in the second half as he finished into an empty net after Stuart Armstrong’s effort came off the post.

Although Redmond will steal the limelight after an impressive two-goal display, his teammate Armstrong was excellent throughout the game and deserves a lot of credit for his performance.

As per SofaScore, the former Celtic man earned an impressive 7.9 rating for his display, with only Redmond (9.4/10) rated higher of any outfield player who featured in Saturday’s early kick-off in the FA Cup.

The 28-year-old, who reportedly earns £50,000 per week at Southampton, was full of energy down the right-hand side and caused Bournemouth all sorts of problems with his direct running, especially in the second half.

Armstrong completed four dribbles out of five attempted during his time on the pitch and clearly had the better of Bournemouth left-back Diego Rico, who earned a 5.8 Sofascore rating for his performance and was axed by Jonathan Woodgate before the hour mark.

The Scottish international also contributed three key passes during the game and registered an assist for Redmond’s first goal, so it was clear that he was at his creative best on Saturday, as he normally averages just 1.1 key passes per game in the Premier League.

He was unfortunate not to be credited with more goal contributions in the game, as his pass found Che Adams to score in the second half, only for VAR to rule it out, before his fierce strike came off the post for Redmond to score Southampton’s third.

Armstrong and Kyle Walker-Peters have formed a fantastic partnership down Southampton’s right-hand side this season and both were on top form on Saturday, which was a big factor behind Hasenhuttl’s side picking up an important win, which seals a place at Wembley in the semi-finals.

In other news… Southampton signing 11-goal beast could be bad news for 22 y/o Ralph loves.

Writing for the Daily Express, journalist Archie Griggs has told Tottenham Hotspur to sign striker Ollie Watkins as a potentially perfect Harry Kane replacement should he leave north London – explaining that he has all the attributes to thrive under manager Jose Mourinho.

Kane’s future has been at the centre of much speculation linking him with a move away from Spurs as he could stand a better chance of winning silverware.

Tottenham told to sign Watkins as possible Kane heir

Manchester City, as relayed by the Express, are currently touted with heavy interest in the Englishman – but Griggs has pinpointed Watkins as a perfect successor should the 27-year-old leave.

Scoring 10 goals and assisting three others in the Premier League so far this season (WhoScored), Watkins also enjoyed an historic landmark in his career at Wembley Stadium against San Marino – netting his first goal for England just 20 minutes after coming on for his debut on Thursday evening.

Transfer Tavern take

Touted as a player who could thrive under Mourinho, he has also been called a ‘machine’ and ‘physical specimen’ during his time at Brentford (The Athletic).

The £75,000-per-week star was allegedly ‘desperate’ to join Spurs before signing for Aston Villa in the summer – but chairman Daniel Levy apparently wouldn’t meet his asking price after extensive talks (Football Insider).

Whether or not they do return for Watkins remains to be seen, but it heavily hinders on Kane’s future amid heavy links to an exit.

In other news: Alasdair Gold drops claim on barely-seen talent at Tottenham, find out more here.

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to the club’s interest in PSV Eindhoven star Noni Madueke.

According to the Evening Standard, the Eagles, along with Leeds United and Bayern Munich, have already put feelers out over a potential swoop.

Madueke, 19, is currently with England’s Under-21 squad at the European Championships.

He’s starred for PSV in the Eredivisie this season, playing as a centre-forward and a right-winger.

The teenager, valued at £12.6m by Transfermarkt, has scored seven league goals and registered six assists.

Madueke was also involved in three Europa League goals this season, and his displays appear to be catching the eye at Palace.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared the Evening Standard’s story on Monday afternoon, which, as to be expected, received plenty of interaction.

This is what some supporters had to say to the links, with some excited and others not exactly optimistic over the chances of Madueke heading to Selhurst Park.

“Highly doubt that but omg”

Credit: @BenM_CPFC

“would be a class signing”

Credit: @OwenQuick2

“Do I expect Noni Madueke to come to Palace? No. Is he the sort of player that I want us to be interested in? Absolutely.”

Credit: @TCPalacePod

“Not a chance”

Credit: @CPFCH10

“Would be brilliant if we could pull this off”

Credit: @LawonY60

“would be absolutely class but we’ve got no chance”

Credit: @s_cpfc

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to update on international midfielder with Palace ‘ready to get started’ on deal, find out more here. 

Crystal Palace could potentially be securing a world class midfielder in the summer, with rumours linking them to Fenerbahce’s Ozan Tufan continuing to intensify.

According to Turkish outlet Ajansspor, the Eagles have been interested in 26-year-old for some time and have increased their offer to sign him having seen a previous effort knocked back in January.

Having been tipped to emulate former Manchester City colossus Yaya Toure earlier in his career by former Fenerbahce Head Coach Vitor Pereira, he could be an excellent addition for Palace.

Pereira said: “He still has a lot to learn and that is my job, but the world will soon have a central midfielder on the level of (Toure) on their hands.”

Usually deployed in a midfield position, whether that be more defensive or slightly further forward, Tufan is currently in the midst of one of the most productive seasons of his career so far having plundered five goals and six assists in 27 Super Lig appearances.

Away from his output, the 58-cap Turkey international has also been entrusted with considerable responsibly having captained the Istanbul giants on three occasions in 2020/21.

Palace certainly need a midfielder of such quality heading into next season, with their current options looking depleted.

Both James McCarthy and James McArthur are out of contract at the end of the campaign which leaves just the likes of Luka Milivojevic, Cheikhou Kouyate and Nathan Ferguson as viable options in the centre of the park.

The arrival of Tufan would certainly give the Eagles far more competition in midfield should he continue the sorts of displays that he is producing in his home country.

With just two years left on his contract and rated at £8.55m, any deal for Tufan could also potentially be an affordable one for the hierarchy at Selhurst Park.

If he can produce just a portion of the world class performances that Yaya Toure did in the Premier League, he would certainly be a terrific signing for Crystal Palace. It would surely have Roy Hodgson buzzing at the prospect of him dominating the midfield for the Eagles.

AND in more news, a 2016 sale continues to look like a master-stroke from Palace and Steve Parish…