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Glasgow Rangers defender Connor Goldson has revealed he dreams of playing in the Premier League.

Goldson wants Premier League move

Goldson moved to Ibrox from English outfit Brighton, for whom he appeared in the Premier League on three occasions (Transfermarkt). At Rangers, he has had a big hand in helping the club win their 55th Premiership title, being rated as one of the team’s best performers according to WhoScored.

However, speaking to The Times, the £4.95m-valued 28-year-old has shared his desire to again play amongst the elite south of the border. He said:

“My dream was always to play week in, week out in the Premier League. Whether that happens, time will tell but I think for any English player that’s the dream.”

Hammer blow

This revelation will come as a huge blow to Steven Gerrard. Of all the talents to have contributed to the Gers’ success this campaign, few can claim to have had the same influence as Goldson. He has played in every single minute of every single game, regardless of the competition, and has played at the heart of the defence beside both Filip Helander and Leon Balogun.

Rangers have conceded just 10 goals in 33 matches in the league (BBC), while Goldson has even managed to hit the back of the net on eight occasions – he scored twice against Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the campaign. Were he to depart, a huge hole would be left in the Gers’ defence which could well take some time to fill.

In other news, Danny Mills believes this man could leave Rangers without any Champions League football.

According to a report by Italian news outlet TUTTOmercatoWEB, Tottenham Hotspur and, by extension, chairman Daniel Levy are ‘ready to take the next step’ for midfield maestro Sasa Lukic – with the Torino ace being one of a few positives in what has been a dismal season for the Serie A side. 

Daniel Levy and Spurs readying next step for Lukic

Lukic, who has started 17 league matches for Davide Nicola over 2020/2021, scoring three goals from central midfield (WhoScored), is touted by this report as a ‘perfect’ and ‘hot’ target for Spurs – coming amid heavy links to RB Leipzig star Marcel Sabitzer.

The 24-year-old, an established Serbia international with 17 caps to his name, has London calling according to TMW – with Crystal Palace interested in signing him alongside Tottenham and Levy.

As per the news outlet, Spurs are ‘ready to take the next step’ for Lukic as they eye potential summer signings – with manager Jose Mourinho currently in a fight to protect his position and guide the Lilywhites into a Champions League place.

Transfer Tavern take

Tottenham will need reinforcements for next season as TMW report they have their eye on the ‘perfect’ man – but even though he is only valued at a meagre £4.5 million by Transfermarkt, Torino could potentially demand a lot more given he has been one of their only bright sparks this campaign.

Time will tell whether this alleged ‘next step’ will be in the form of an offer during the next transfer window, but Levy firmly has his eye on Lukic according to this report.

In other news: Alasdair Gold criticised this £200,000-per-week star after his Fulham display, find out more here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer is certain the Baggies’ time in English football’s top flight is coming to an end.

Following the recent 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, West Brom are 10 points adrift from safety, slipping ever closer to Premier League relegation.

Manager Sam Allardyce is still giving his side a chance, suggesting six wins from their remaining nine fixtures could keep them up. Palmer, however, does not believe the Midlands club have it in them and thinks it is too little, too late.

Discussing Allardyce’s recent comments, Palmer said in an exclusive interview with FFC:

“Unfortunately for Sam he didn’t get the kick-start that he would have liked when he first went in there. The side have been unlucky, they should have at least three wins on the board from [recent] games. Burnley, they went down to 10 men, [yet] they absolutely battered Burnley and even Sean Dyche said they should have won the game.

“I think the squad before they brought Sam in, the squad was lacking quality and, you know, unfortunately, he got the quality in the window but just a little bit too late.”

What complicates West Brom’s chances of staying up even further is the form of Fulham, who currently sit above them in 18th on 26 points.

Scott Parker’s side were on a run they would have been pleased with prior to their defeat against Manchester City, managing to beat Sheffield United, draw against Crystal Palace and claim a famous win at Anfield versus Liverpool, which came shortly after a narrow defeat to Tottenham.

Ultimately, the west London club are an obstacle West Brom must first overcome before they can start thinking about the likes of Newcastle United and Brighton, who are both placed just outside the relegation zone.

Just when Leeds thought there was more positivity engulfing the club, they were rocked by yet another injury setback.

It’s been the story of their season, particularly from a defensive standpoint.

On the chalkboard

Leeds may have defeated Newcastle on Tuesday evening but after ten minutes they were dealt a crushing blow.

Despite coming through two sessions of murderball last week, Diego Llorente had to be substituted with an injury early on.

Phil Hay has since revealed that the Spaniard could miss up to a month of action after heading for scans on Wednesday.

As a result, Bielsa will have to scramble around to patch his defence together again.

The solution

The obvious answer to this conundrum would be to put Pascal Struijk at centre-back. The Dutchman came on during their win over the Magpies and performed well, standing out above a host of Leeds’ other players by winning 100% of his defensive duels.

That being said, this injury blow could open up the opportunity of first-team minutes for Charlie Cresswell.

It was revealed this week that fellow defender Oli Casey was set to go out on loan and with that in mind it appears Cresswell is next in the pecking order in terms of seniority to Struijk.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-leeds-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Leeds news!”]

The 18-year-old has played just once under Bielsa, a defeat to Hull in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, but he’s highly thought of and there is surely no better time than now to hand him some sort of role in the senior set-up.

Speaking about the centre-back earlier this season after he signed a new contract, Noel Whelan only had praise for him. He told Football Insider: “His debut was fantastic against Hull, in my opinion, I thought he was one of the standout players even though we played so poorly on the night.

“He is the future, he’s one for the future. At that centre-half position he’s got great attributes, he’s very calm on the ball, a great size to him, he’s quick, he can head, he can pass. He’s the modern-day, young-centre half.”

Considering some of the defending we’ve seen from Leeds this term, being of a good size would be incredibly useful. The Whites have shipped the most goals from set-plays (10) this term of anyone in the Premier League and thus, his 6-foot frame could be used to good effect in that department.

Though, it’s his calm nature on the ball that’ll please Bielsa the most. He prefers his defenders to play out from the back and judging by his pass success rate of 81% in the Papa John’s Trophy this term, Cresswell is highly capable.

The teenager’s not been in the first team very often so now is the time to give him a chance to show what he’s capable of. After all, had Struijk not been afforded a rare chance at the beginning of the season with Liam Cooper’s absent through injury, we’d never have known how good he was.

AND in other news, Get rid: Leeds must wield axe on 6 ft 4 flop after just 22 apps, Radz can’t be happy…

According to France Football, Tottenham Hotspur are one of the sides eyeing up a summer swoop for Sven Botman…

What’s the word?

It’s claimed that the north London outfit will try to convince the Dutchman into a move to the Premier League, though nothing has been agreed with either the player himself or his representatives.

Liverpool and Inter Milan are also mooted with interest in the 21-year-old defender.

Having signed Botman from Ajax for just €9m (£7.8m) as per De Telegraaf, via GFFN, it is thought that he’s now valued in the region of €30m (£25m).

Is Botman worth it?

If a new centre-back isn’t the top priority for Jose Mourinho and co this summer, then something is seriously wrong at Hotspur Way.

Last season, the club held the second-worst defensive record of any top-seven team in the Premier League and that problem has continued into this season, where a catastrophe of errors in the backline has been Spurs’ major Achilles heel.

Mourinho’s men have leaked more goals (27) than Aston Villa (26) and even Chelsea (25), who sacked Frank Lampard amid a run of poor form – how things change.

The Spurs boss has frequently chopped and changed his central options, though one player has remained constant in Eric Dier, who has started 21 of their top-flight outings, including four of their last five defeats as per Transfermarkt.

Botman, who has played only four more domestic matches than the Englishman this term, would be a major upgrade and should be signed at all costs this summer.

The Dutch gem, rated at £22.5m, is enjoying quite the season for the Ligue 1 leaders – indeed, according to WhoScored, no centre-back has contributed towards more clean sheets than Botman (13 total).

By comparison, Dier has only guided Spurs to six clean sheets in the Premier League, the last of which coming nearly two months ago at the turn of the year.

And when breaking down Botman’s defensive returns, he outranks the Spurs star considerably too.

In terms of work-rate off the ball, the 21-year-old is beyond clear, averaging more tackles (one) and interceptions (1.7) per game. At a tackle-success rate of 77%, it’s clear that many of Ligue 1’s attackers find Botman a difficult man to get past – the same cannot be said for Dier (0.8 tackles per game).

Whilst his positioning is ten times that of Dier, who only manages 0.9 interceptions per game.

This is often what lets the Englishman down – having moved into defence from midfield last term, he still cannot get in the right places at the right time, meaning his spatial awareness is actually quite shocking.

The Lille colossus is also a bigger and better threat in the air, managing 0.5 more aerial duels won per outing, via WhoScored.

Spurs rank 11th for this ability while six of their 27 conceded goals have come from set-pieces, so clearly there’s work to be done and Botman can help alleviate such a weakness.

At 6 foot 4, that’s hardly a surprise but given Dier is the same height, you can see why the Tottenham star should be doing better and it’s also no wonder that ex-PL defender and current Lille partner, Jose Fonte, “describes him as a machine and a man who doesn’t make mistakes,” according to The Times’ Duncan Castles on the Transfer Window Podcast.

That should be music to Spurs supporters’ ears as Dier has been as calamitous as anybody in the English top-flight this season, as seen by him conceding a clumsy penalty to Chelsea and then being caught out of position against West Ham at the weekend.

Also dubbed a “leader” by Les Dogues boss Christophe Galtier, it’s evident that Botman would not only be an instant upgrade but a massive one at that too for Spurs.

Mourinho desperately needs a new centre-back and the Lille sensation should, quite rightly, sit atop their shortlist ahead of the summer transfer window.

AND in other news, Levy can kill two birds with one stone in Spurs swoop for “insane” £40m-rated colossus…

Wolverhampton Wanderers are keen on signing Montpellier striker Gaetan Laborde, according to the latest reports.

Laborde to replace Jimenez?

Nuno Espirito’s side are currently without with the services of his star frontman Raul Jimenez, who was ruled out after fracturing his skull during Wolves’ 2-1 victory against Arsenal in November.

While the Mexican’s road to full fitness continues, Wolves are expected to dip into the market to find a player that can fill his boots.

According to Eurosport FR (via GFFN), the Black Country club have liked what they have seen from the 26-year-old Laborde, who  has six goals and five assists to his name from 18 appearances so far this season (TransferMarkt). This tally contributes to his overall tally of 69 for five different clubs in his career. West Ham United are also believed to be the other team who will be interested in his services this month.

The report adds that Montpellier, like many French top flight clubs, could be willing to cash in on a saleable assest or two as they are in urgent need of a cash injection after Mediapro, a TV rights holder, withheld two payments.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

To put it bluntly, Wolves desperately need an out and out goalscorer back in the team. Since Jimenez’s sudden exit from the squad, Nuno’s team have looked incredibly unbalanced.

Laborde could provide goals for them – and valued at just £4,5m (TransferMarkt) he could be a potential bargain too.

That being said, Wolves have an extensive shortlist of names that they can bring in this window (via The Athletic) and there is seemingly no suggestion as to how far down that list the former U20 international is.

In other news, Ex-referee believes Wolves penalty given against them during Brighton thriller was correct.

Liverpool’s defensive issues this season have overshadowed the steady rise of 18-year-old centre-back Billy Koumetio, with the defender becoming the Reds’ youngest ever player to feature in the Champions League earlier in the season.

Injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have meant that Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams have established themselves as first-team regulars so far this season but it seems as if the Merseyside club have another extremely talented youngster waiting in the wings, in the form of Koumetio.

The French defender joined Liverpool from Orleans U19 in January 2019 and has clearly impressed in his time with the Reds, as he has been training with the first-team since he was just 17 and made his debut for the senior side in the 1-1 draw with FC Midtjylland in December 2020.

Klopp is certainly a fan of the Frenchman, having included him in his pre-season training camp back in August 2020, dubbing him a “big talent”.

He also signed his first professional contract with the club in 2020 and looks destined for an excellent future with the Reds, so perhaps it won’t be too long until we see him make his first appearance in the Premier League.

Certainly, Rhys Williams’ vulnerability was exposed in the 4-1 win against Aston Villa recently, when he was left in the dust by 17-year-old Louie Barry, so perhaps Klopp should consider promoting Koumetio instead.

Barry Lewtas, who is now manager of the U23 side at Liverpool, described the defender as a “real imposing figure at centre-back” so you can definitely make a comparison to Van Dijk and his style of play, with the Dutchman regularly dominating his opponents with his strength and aerial ability.

Whilst the former Southampton man recovers from his cruciate ligament injury, therefore, perhaps we should see Koumetio start to feature more for the Reds’ first-team, as he could prove to be Liverpool’s next Van Dijk.

And, in other news, Transfer update on “aggressive” 6 ft 2 LFC beast proves Klopp doesn’t trust him…

Many Crystal Palace fans are reacting to the news that Scottish Premiership midfield star Glen Kamara is attracting the interest of the South London side.

According to TEAMtalk and tweeted out by @cpfc_xtra, Palace and fellow Premier League sides Everton, Newcastle, Sheffield United, Southampton as well as Portuguese giants Benfica are monitoring the Rangers player.

The 25 year-old has been a key asset for Steven Gerrard this season, playing 18 times in all competitions (WhoScored). In his Europa League appearances, he has proved how crucial he is at breaking up opposition attacks as he has managed two tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game. Clearly, some fans at Selhurst Park rate the player highly, with one saying his performances this season have shown real ‘quality’.

James McCarthy is linked to Celtic, Luka Milivojevic is struggling to perform at the level needed and James McArthur is nearing the end of his career. Therefore, a central midfielder around Kamara’s age could be exactly what the club need and would be a very astute signing.

Here is how Palace fans reacted to the update on Kamara:

In other Palace news, have a read of a bizarre statistic about the club which fans aren’t happy with here!

Jamal Lewis badly let Steve Bruce down against Leeds United on Wednesday night as the Newcastle United defender got torn apart by Raphinha in a 5-2 thrashing at Elland Road.

The Toon endured a frustrating first half in West Yorkshire with Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites dominating possession, leaving the Magpies to feed off scraps as the visitors struggled to connect yet returned to the dressing room at the break with the score miraculously level.

Yet a humbling was on the cards, and that was exactly what Newcastle were dealt when the floodgates opened in the second period, with Stuart Dallas, Ezgjan Alioski and Jack Harrison unleashing an 11-minute blitz on a helpless Karl Darlow.

Leeds ended the match with a mammoth 25 shots to their name with 10 on target compared to Newcastle’s toothless four directed on Illan Meslier’s net with five sailing wide of the post and one effort blocked, per SofaScore.

Raphinha brought the magic to Bielsa’s plans on Leeds’ right-flank with seven shots and two key balls, with the 24-year-old comfortably having Lewis’ number throughout the evening encounter at Elland Road.

Bruce had high hopes for what the future would have in store for Lewis when the 22-year-old joined from Norwich City in the summer in a £15million deal that could rise to £20m with add-ons but saw nothing of the sorts in West Yorkshire.

“Jamal is a very exciting prospect,” Bruce said, via The Shields Gazette. “He is only 22 and has a wonderful future ahead of him. I hope he’s a Newcastle United full-back for years to come.”

Lewis has now started 11 of his 12 Premier League appearances this season but was massively out of his comfort zone at Elland Road, where the Northern Ireland international completed just 12 of his 21 passes for a mere 57% completion rate.

The young full-back offered no attacking presence, either, with zero crosses attempted, no key balls recorded, zero shots on goal, just one successful dribble and only one of four long passes finding teammates, while losing possession 10 times.

Bruce rarely saw Lewis offer a hand defensively as Leeds wreaked havoc on a disjointed Newcastle line-up, with the Canaries product dribbled past once, making just one successful tackle, one interception and two clearances.

Lewis would leave the field at the full-time whistle having contended just three ground duels and two aerial contests, with his horrific performance only worth of a 5.8 out of 10 match rating from SofaScore, the lowest of any player who started for either side.

AND in other news, Lee Charnley must secure a January loan exit for an in-demand Toon gem Steve Bruce takes for granted.

Glasgow Rangers dodged a bullet by not signing Juninho Bacuna from Huddersfield Town in the summer…

What’s the word?

Recent reports had revealed that Rangers were interested in a move for the 4-cap Curacao international, with the club keep to take him on loan for the rest of the season with an option to buy.

The Sun’s Alan Nixon added that Steven Gerrard was searching for an attacking midfielder, as the Ibrox outfit had enquired about Bacuna’s availability, but their request had been rejected, and they ended up bringing in Bongani Zungu on a season-long loan deal from Amiens instead.

Rangers dodged a bullet!

Bacuna clearly has bags of potential, that much is almost obvious, but his inexperience would’ve made this a hard sell with supporters. He broke through the ranks at FC Groningen after scoring 13 goals for their academy teams, via Transfermarkt. Since then, it’s fair to say that he has struggled for consistency so far, as he has only managed to score seven goals in 68 appearances for the Terriers in all competitions.

When you consider that Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield have been in such fine form in recent weeks, and that’s without even mentioning Ryan Jack, it’s difficult to see which player would’ve been forced to make room for him in the Rangers midfield.

Coupled with the fact that the 23-year-old earns weekly wages worth £17,000, which is more than what Arfield earns every week, it’s safe to say that it would’ve been a nightmare move for the Gers. The last thing that Gerrard needs is an inconsistent, inexperienced midfielder, who would cost a fair amount of money. It almost doesn’t bear to think about.

Former Terriers striker Dale Tempest once criticised the £4.95m-rated ace for his inability to concentrate during a game, saying he often “falls asleep”. He told The Examiner: “He is a technically brilliant player and physically fantastic, but tactically and mentally he falls asleep and doesn’t fully fulfil his responsibilities in a central role.

“Every time I watch a Town game, I swear to myself and to anyone I am with – I wish Bacuna would stop rolling his foot over the ball!!”

Hardly the stuff that legends are made of, that’s for sure. Rangers will be glad that they signed Zungu instead. Now they just have to make sure that he is fully fit and firing on all cylinders.

AND in other news, Rangers must watch out for Standard Liege’s Mehdi Carcela in Europa League…