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Many Glasgow Rangers fans were left fuming as some news emerged before their game at home to St. Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Boxing Day.

As per the official website of the Teddy Bears, there will now be a reduced capacity at Ibrox following an announcement from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The game will still go ahead despite concerns over rising Covid-19 cases, which has already seen two matches in the English Premier League in Liverpool versus Leeds United and Wolves versus Watford already being called off.

Nonetheless, there will now be a reduced amount of tickets available for the fixture against St. Mirren, much to the dismay of the Light Blues faithful, in what has put a damper on an otherwise celebrated football tradition.

Rangers fans on Ibrox restrictions

These Gers were left fuming as the news was shared on the club’s official Twitter page, with one RFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it was ‘disgraceful’:

“The bemusement surely must be sarcasm, the restrictions being imposed on everyone here has NO place in SCIENCE. Sturgeon has gone too far.”

Credit: @1rskl

“Is that it? Where is Stewart Robertson? As an @spfl board member he needs to explain to fans why the decision to move the winter break didn’t follow the 11/1 vote when curtailing the season 2 seasons ago did. From the outside it looks like corruption to benefit 1 club.”

Credit: @Northernger

“Limiting capacity to less than 1%, with absolutely NO DATA to support this action, DISGRACEFUL! And what happens if ALL of those with a ST or match ticket turn up??? The police will be forced to let the fans IN to avoid a public disturbance outside …. Just saying…”

Credit: @KenM_inCzechRep

“Not a word of anger about bringing the shutdown forward. Just new dates with times. This is detrimental and disadvantageous to Rangers going forward successfully this season.”

Credit: @ultrateque

“Is that it? Why are we not kicking up a fuss at the fact the break was brought forward so fans could have chance to see games yet now our fans won’t get that at all on Sunday! Absolute farce! We should be asking for compensation”

Credit: @crawford_hume

“Joke”

Credit: @JoshMcsorley72

In other news, find out what claim from this Rangers player’s father has fans talking here!

According to The Daily Mail, Glasgow Rangers are interested in signing Caleb Chukwuemeka from Northampton Town this summer.

The Lowdown: Gers prepare for new season

The Gers enjoyed a magnificent campaign in 2020/21, winning the Premiership for the first time in 10 years without losing a single game in the league.

As such, they are now preparing for a campaign which could also include a run in the Champions League – new signings are therefore expected to boost the squad.

The Latest: Gers eye Chukwuemeka

It is being reported that the Gers are interested in signing Chukwuemeka this summer.

Given that his youth contract will run out in January, he could be signed for a bargain fee of £60,000 – a deal reminiscent of the one the Gers carried out to sign Glen Kamara in 2019 for just £50,000 (via Daily Record). Earlier this year, he was even targetted by Premier League outfit Tottenham (Football Insider).

The Verdict: One for the future

So far, the 19-year-old has very little experience to his name. He has just one season of professional football under his belt as he managed two goals in 28 appearances last term (Transfermarkt). If he does move to Ibrox, it is unlikely that he will instantly become one of the first names on the teamsheet for Steven Gerrard.

However, Chukwuemeka would be joining a group of budding young talents as the Gers prepare for the future. Last season, Nathan Patterson evolved into a trusted squad member, making 14 senior appearances, while both Leon King and Ciaran Dickson made their debuts for the club. The 55-time Scottish champions are thinking long-term, and Chukwuemeka would fit into that plan.

In other news, Rangers are set to ramp up their interest in this 27-year-old.

Newcastle must look to sign Joe Willock on a permanent basis after Steve Bruce’s update on his situation.

What’s the story?

The Arsenal loanee has been a revelation since joining the Magpies on loan until the end of the season, popping up with some vital match-saving goals for the Tyneside club in recent weeks against the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Premier League clash against the Gunners on Sunday, Bruce once again confirmed his intentions to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis.

He said: “He doesn’t like being called super sub by the way, and – if we can get him for next year, he won’t be a super sub, he’ll be playing. I’m pleased for Joe, he has the football world talking about him. We’d love to keep him if we can.”

Bruce’s priority

After seeing him score on his Newcastle debut against Southampton earlier in the season, Bruce admitted that Willock has a the style of play from which the Magpies could really benefit.

He said: “It was a classic midfield player’s goal from the ability to arrive in the box, and that’s what he’s brought us. He can go box-to-box, he’s a terrific athlete, the kid, a typical modern-day midfield player who has the ability to get up and down the pitch quickly and has that added ability to score a goal.”

When you look at the rest of the Magpies’ midfield, Willock really does solve a major Bruce nightmare. The 21-year-old’s four goals from midfield is already more than what the rest of Newcastle’s midfield options have scored this season, with Jeff Hendrick the next closest with two in the league.

That ability to get into the box at the right time to finish things off is something about which Arsenal legend Martin Keown has waxed lyrical, too, hailing him after his goal-scoring display against Dundalk in the Europa League earlier this season.

The ex-Gunners defender said: “The point is, he can do so much, he gets in the box in the right place at the right time. He wants it to feet, he’s always on the half-turn, which is nice to see. Today I saw a bit more athleticism rather than just coasting in there. His overall game is really good.”

The £26m-rated Willock is the man Newcastle need to sign this summer.

Meanwhile, Steve Bruce could finally wave goodbye to this Newcastle liability…

Manchester City have not been shy when it comes to buying players from Spanish clubs over recent years such as Ferran Torres, Rodri and Aymeric Laporte among others.

Looking ahead to the next summer transfer window, it seems as though the Manchester club have set their sights on securing another one of La Liga’s star figures.

What’s the news?

According to a recent Twitter post from journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, City are “interested” in signing Villarreal defender Pau Torres this summer.

As a product of Villarreal’s youth system, the centre-back has made a combined total of 194 appearances for their senior and youth teams, prior to their Champions League semi-final clash against Liverpool this evening.

In those appearances, the 25-year-old has chipped in with 12 goals and four assists along the way.

In terms of his defensive capabilities, the Spaniard has the second-highest number of interceptions (39) and clearances (103) out of anyone in Unai Emery’s squad for this La Liga campaign.

Also, with a combined number of 57 tackles and blocks, Torres is clearly a very capable defensive figure.

Supporters will be thrilled

Having been described as a player that “fits perfectly in teams which want to play out from the back, with coaches who think that way,” by Paco Lopez, this would make the Spain international a seemingly good fit for Pep Guardiola’s side.

To put that into perspective, only nine other players in La Liga have completed more passes than the Villarreal centre-back this season (1562).

Taking into account how three of the Premier League’s top five passers this season are City defenders, this shows just how suitable a player like Torres could be for the reigning league champions at the back.

With that in mind, it would surely be a massive positive for the City fans to hear that Guardiola has his eyes on bringing another defender that can play his type of football to the Etihad Stadium.

Moving forward, securing a deal for the Spaniard this summer could be a great bit of business from the Manchester club and further strengthen what is already a rather strong defence.

In other news: “Man City have discussed…”: Romano drops exciting summer update, Pep will be buzzing

Dwight Gayle committed his future to Newcastle United despite having ‘grown frustrated with how he has been used by Steve Bruce’, The Athletic’s Chris Waugh reports.

Waugh’s colleague David Ornstein revealed on Monday that Gayle had agreed to a new three-year contract at the club on reduced terms.

Gayle considered moving abroad amid Galatasaray interest

His contract was set to expire in June, meaning he could have left the club as a free agent. Gayle was apparently ‘receptive’ to the idea of moving overseas ‘in search of a lucrative final contract’.

Galatasaray were said to be said one of the clubs interested in acquiring his services (via Chronicle Live), but Waugh has claimed that the financial consequences of the pandemic made those options less attractive for the 31-year-old, who has not at any stage decisively pushed to leave.

Gayle on the periphery at Newcastle

The Englishman, who was out injured from the start of the season until December, has made 11 Premier League appearances this term (via Transfermarkt).

However, only two of those have been starts, and both have come as a winger – he lined up on the right away at Chelsea and on the left against Aston Villa – rather than through the middle.

Newcastle not preparing for the Championship

Gayle is a prolific Championship marksman, enjoying 23-goal campaigns in the second tier in 2016/17 and 2018/19 (via Transfermarkt), but Newcastle are not thought to be planning for relegation. Waugh insists that they would have sought to agree fresh terms with Gayle even if they were safe.

As it stands, they are two points clear of the bottom three with a game in hand.

A new deal for an out-of-favour forward who has already turned 30 reflects the challenges of the present market for clubs and players alike.

In other news, Newcastle fans have ranked their preferred alternatives to Steve Bruce.

A huge twist has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Nuno Santo…

What’s the word?

The 47-year-old is believed to be the front-runner for the vacant manager’s role at the North London outfit, with recently-appointed Fabio Paratici thought to be ‘pushing hard’ to secure him.

However, chairman Daniel Levy is thought to have major doubts about the former Wolves boss for numerous reasons, according to ever-reliable football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold.

In a recent article, he wrote:

“Paratici wants Espirito Santo and had him on his list of potential candidates to replace Andrea Pirlo at Juventus, along with Gattuso. Talks with the Portuguese have reached an advanced stage and he could be appointed next week, ahead of the club’s July 5 pre-season start date, if the green light is given.

“However, Levy is still believed to be undecided over appointing the former Wolves boss, concerned that some have compared his style to his compatriot Mourinho’s, and most of all there is fear over the reaction the chairman will get from the fans at the first home game of the season against reigning champions Manchester City, particularly if such a difficult first game is lost.”

Fans don’t want him!

Whilst this would pose yet another worrying setback in this arduous process, it’s one that will go down well with the Spurs faithful as many in N17 do not want the Portuguese coach appointed.

Levy and co have been dealt blow after blow over mooted targets ever since sacking Jose Mourinho in mid-April, with many names appearing to be close to being hired, only for the move to fall through at the 11th hour.

Initially, names like Bayern-bound Julian Nagelsmann and Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers were linked as Tottenham’s top targets before both were quickly ruled out.

And then came discussions with former Premier League winner Antonio Conte but both parties abandoned talks over concerns about one another. There was even a chance for Mauricio Pochettino to make a sensational return to the club but Paris Saint-Germain were not letting that happen.

Spurs were left back at square one following breakdowns in moves for Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso and that made Nuno a very clear candidate for the role, seeing as he’s available after he left Wolves by mutual consent only last month.

However, much of the Lilywhites faithful have been totally against the former goalkeeper and that had led to a similar social media campaign to stop him from being appointed, just like they did with the controversial Italian but more about his playing style rather than his sordid past.

Gold even makes reference to this in his latest update on the situation, claiming:

“The fans have not been as opposed to Espirito Santo as they were to the Gattuso talks, for different reasons. However, there is still an clear air of disappointment over a two-month long search, taking in such exciting names only to come around to a manager who has been free and available since May and has been linked with teams such as Crystal Palace and Everton.”

Furthermore, in reaction to the initial reports to Nuno, fans deemed it “embarrassing”, called for Paratici to be sacked and even claimed it was “worse than expected”, as relayed by This is Futbol.

All in all, it means the latest doubt from Levy will come as encouraging news for many in North London as it means there’s a chance that the chairman vetoes the move instead of approving it – if so, many will be buzzing as they simply do not want Nuno as their next manager.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops exciting Spurs transfer claim…

An update has emerged on Tottenham centre-back Joe Rodon, regarding Brighton’s interest in his services…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, Brighton have identified Tottenham centre-back Joe Rodon as a potential replacement for Ben White this summer. Graham Potter will need to bring in a defender if one of his current stars walks out of the AMEX and it seems as though he would like to reunite with his former Swansea colleague Rodon.

The report claims that the Seagulls are ready to pursue a permanent deal for the Welsh international. However, they would also be open to signing him on loan if Spurs are unwilling to part ways with him permanently.

Fans would be gutted

Fabio Paratici must avoid making a grave error following this update. The newly-appointed chief must keep hold of Rodon and refuse to allow him to join Brighton, especially on a permanent deal. With Nuno Santo coming through the door this summer, Rodon could have a chance to stake a claim for his place in the side and the Portuguese boss’ preferred formation could increase his chances of becoming a regular.

Santo lined up with three centre-backs, either in a three or a five, in 24 of Wolves’ 38 Premier League matches last season and all 38 of the games in the 2019/20 campaign. This suggests that he could look to employ a similar system in North London this year, which could open the door for Rodon play as one of the three central defenders in the team.

Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld all played more minutes in the Premier League for Spurs last season, but The Sun recently claimed that the club are open to selling any of those three this summer. Therefore, Rodon could become one of the three first-choice options in that area of the park.

Earlier this year, Jose Mourinho lavished praise on “brave” Rodon and refused to blame him for making a mistake in a Premier League clash with Liverpool as his overall performance was excellent.

He told the Evening Standard:

“He showed good personality, good concentration, was good on the ball. First half building well and going for duels. Not a coward for not to assume the duels, a brave boy to go for every duel, even against difficult opponents like they are.

Mourinho seemingly rated the £24k-per-week beast and saw potential in him at Tottenham. He did hand the centre-back 12 Premier League appearances, but opted to go with experience for the most part with a back four the most used formation for the club. This means that he was competing with Dier, Alderweireld and Sanchez for two spots in the team.

The fans would now be gutted if a promising young player is not offered the opportunity to show what he can do as part of a back three for Santo, given that the likes of Sanchez and Dier have hardly set the world alight.

Therefore, Paratici must reject any offers from Brighton – loan or permanent – for Rodon and keep him this summer. If it gets to January and he has not been able to force his way into the XI then they could reconsider their stance but for now, Rodon should stay.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Kane: Spurs must swoop for Nuno-approved beast compared to Haaland…

SL Benfica harbour a ‘strong interest’ in Wolves defender Ruben Vinagre, according to Football Insider.

He started two of Wolves’ first three Premier League fixtures this season, lining-up in the defeats to Manchester City and West Ham, but when Rayan Ait-Nouri came in, Vinagre sealed a loan move to Olympiacos.

Vinagre’s mixed fortunes on loan

That deal included an option to buy, but it didn’t work out in Greece. He made only two league appearances before the loan was cut short at the mid-point of the season.

Another loan move was agreed in January, this time to lower mid-table Liga NOS outfit Famalicao. The 22-year-old has established himself as a consistent starter this time.

Benfica, who were knocked out by Arsenal in the Europa League Round of 32, have seemingly been impressed with his displays in Portugal, as a Wolves source has told Football Insider of ‘strong interest’ in the youngster.

Wolves paid £2million to sign Vinagre from AS Monaco in July 2018 and could more than double their money through a sale, considering he boasts a Transfermarkt value of £4.5million and still three years left on his contract.

Transfer Tavern verdict

It’s clear that Vinagre isn’t part of Nuno’s plans going forward. Jonny, when fit, Ait-Nouri and Marcal are all ahead of him in the pecking order and aforementioned, his contract situation could actually allow Wolves to earn a small profit on a move that simply hasn’t worked out.

The Portuguese Under-21 international failed to show that he has what it takes to be a consistent starter in the Premier League, but his level is surely higher than the 13th-placed side in Portugal, given Benfica’s interest.

Perhaps the Molineux outfit could insert a buy-back or sell-on clause if he does make the move, just in case he starts racking up the accolades with the 37-time Primeira Liga champions.

In other news, fans slammed the display of one of Vinagre’s compatriots on Friday.

Xherdan Shaqiri has been linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer as Jurgen Klopp looks to rebuild his squad.

What’s the story?

According to Turkish reporter Ekrem Konur, several teams across the continent are interested in acquiring the 29-year-old’s services, including AS Roma, Lazio and Sevilla.

It’s also claimed that the Anfield outfit are only interested in entertaining permanent offers for Shaqiri, with transfer funds expected to be limited due to the ongoing pandemic.

Klopp must sell

The Switzerland international arrived at Liverpool for just £13 million back in 2018 from Stoke City thanks to a relegation release clause in his contract.

His arrival was deemed to be an astute piece of business by the Reds as Shaqiri had won major trophies during his stint with Bayern Munich and had proved himself to be a talented Premier League force throughout his time with the Potters.

However, things have not quite worked out for the diminutive forward on Merseyside. A string of niggling injures have kept Shaqiri on the sidelines for large spells of his Liverpool career, limiting him to just 18 league starts in three seasons.

Alongside his fitness concerns, there have also been question marks lingering over the creative talent’s attitude and application for many years.

“I’m not a fan of Shaqiri, to be honest with you,” Gary Neville revealed ahead of Switzerland’s World Cup opener against Brazil in 2018.

“I think that was to be fair made worse by the fact that he distanced himself from his teammates at Stoke. They were unprofessional last season, there’s no doubt. And he epitomises it.”

Nevertheless, the £80,000-per-week gem is still capable of producing a magical moment on his day and has done sporadically throughout his stay with Klopp’s charges.

Important goals in victories over bitter rivals Manchester United and Everton rank just behind an assist in Liverpool’s famous Champions League semi-final second-leg comeback against Barcelona in Shaqiri’s highlight real, but they were individual stand-alone moments rather than a product of consistent quality performances.

If Klopp wants to wrestle his Premier League crown back from Pep Guardiola and Manchester City next season, then he must axe Shaqiri in order to make room for fresh legs to add new attacking impetus into his forward line.

Liverpool need a magician they can rely on, not one who’s likely to disappear for months at a time.

And, in other news…Liverpool tipped as club who could move for £650k-p/w liability, Edwards must avoid 

Said Benrahma struggled to be the spark that West Ham needed as their unbeaten run continued with a 0-0 draw at Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

David Moyes lambasted his side’s attacking play as “poor” to reporters after the game and it’s easy to see why after they registered only three shots on target from 13 attempts, whilst they also dominated possession (58%), via SofaScore.

The Algerian maestro lasted just 63 minutes before he was hooked for new summer signing Nikola Vlasic, who the fans have already taken a liking to after an impressive debut and cameo from the bench.

Benrahma was rather sloppy in possession, managing to make just 72% of his 36 passing attempts, which was the second-lowest of any Irons player on the day. He also lost the ball a squad-high 16 times, gifting the ball back into the hands of the home side.

Furthermore, the £26m-rated dynamo struggled to beat his man, failing to register a single successful dribble and on top of that, both of his shots were blocked, so evidently, he was lacking in the final third.

In fact, football.london graded the 26-year-old as Moyes’ worst player at St Mary’s Stadium, handing him a 4/10. “A very quiet first-half from the Algerian who saw little of the ball and struggled to make an impact in the game. Eventually replaced by new signing Nikola Vlasic,” they wrote.

In comparison to the Hammers’ opening three matches, Benrahma was way off the standards he had previously set. Against Newcastle United and Leicester City, he contributed a total of two goals and two assists, and created five key chances, as per WhoScored.

He’ll have to get back to that level in the coming matches, especially with Vlasic hot on his tail, vying for that starting spot in Moyes’ XI.

Despite Michail Antonio receiving his marching orders, in what Moyes could only describe as “stupid”, it was the 11-cap winger badly let the Scotsman and the West Ham side down with a disappointing display on the south coast this weekend.

AND in other news, West Ham keeping tabs on key David Moyes transfer target ahead of January…