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Kevin Phillips has urged Jonson Clarke-Harris to move to Glasgow Rangers this summer ahead of other clubs with interest in his services.

The Lowdown: Gers eye Clarke-Harris

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic campaign at Peterborough, scoring 33 goals in all competitions as Posh were promoted to the English Championship (Transfermarkt).

The Gers have been linked with a move for the striker (Bristol Post), but West Brom and Sheffield United are also said to be in pursuit.

The Latest: Phillips urges Ibrox move

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips believes that Clarke-Harris should make the move to Ibrox rather than joining an English Championship club. He said:

“I did the EFL coverage last week and I see him quite a lot.

“My opinion is if he gets the chance to go to Rangers from the Championship you don’t turn that down. 

“It’s different if you have just been promoted to the Premier League because I’d say the player would stay there. 

“But he’s got that chance to go to Rangers and play European football. He’s coming off the back of a brilliant season and he’s only going to get better.

“I’m sure Peterborough fans don’t want to hear that but he’s 26, is that big move going to come around again? 

“It’s a tough decision for him but it’s also tough to turn down.”

The Verdict: Rangers still in the market?

Clarke-Harris is clearly a striker who knows where the back of the net is – he even ended this campaign as League One’s top goalscorer (BBC) – but Rangers may have already completed their business up front. They recently confirmed the signing of Fashion Sakala on a free transfer from Oostende (rangers.co.uk).

That means that Steven Gerrard now has five strikers at his disposal. For the signing of Clarke-Harris to make sense, the Gers would surely need to move on two forwards, and is there any guarantee he would perform better than Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe, Cedric Itten or Jermain Defoe?

The ship may have already sailed on this one, despite Phillips’ endorsement of a potential deal for the Peterborough marksman.

In other news, many Rangers fans laud this man’s performance against Aberdeen.

Chelsea could try to bring Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah back to Stamford Bridge this summer in a sensational swoop, if Bild journalist Christian Falk is to be believed.

Falk reports that Salah ‘is on the shortlist’ of Thomas Tuchel and Champions League finalists Chelsea ahead of the transfer window.

Chelsea paid £14.85million to sign Salah from FC Basel in January 2014, but after just 19 appearances and two goals, he was sold to AS Roma for a £1million loss.

Salah has apparently been identified as a possible target, alongside Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland another former Blue, Romelu Lukaku.

Could Chelsea really be after Salah?

Chelsea may feel as if they need more firepower; £45million signing Timo Werner is their top scorer but he’s only managed 12 goals in all competitions.

Salah is about to enter the final two years of his contract and has said his future is in Liverpool’s hands.

The Londoners have lured a Reds superstar to Stamford Bridge before let’s not forget – in 2011, they paid a then-record £50million to sign Fernando Torres.

Liverpool fans react to Falk’s Salah revelation

“They have the funds”

Credit: @Bishop_Yayo_

“Is this 2011 again?”

Credit: @essinem7

“FSG would drop him off”

Credit: @ZakLFC7

“Not good news, but I think Salah knows from previous experience that he’d be better off elsewhere, even without Mourinho at the club”

Credit: @LFCdiscord

“Whatttt!!”

Credit: @SharafJuhayr

“If FSG is truly sorry, they will do everything they can to keep Mo. We’re in the mid-table without him”

Credit: @Dionasauruss

“Have I gone back in time?”

Credit: @lfcxcathal

In other news, Liverpool have joined the race to sign this 26-year-old Serie A star.

Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, according to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira.

Over a month ago, reports first emerged linking the north London strugglers with a move for the 21-year-old talisman, with the Serie A outfit looking for a fee in the region of €50m (£44m).

As Vlahovic is under contract until 2023, there is no rush to cash in on him, especially given the form he’s in but Spurs can strike gold if they win the race to secure him.

The likes of AC Milan, Dortmund and RB Leipzig, who offered €25m (£22.5m) last summer, are all said to be keen.

Spurs could have plenty of decisions to make in the striking department this summer.

Harry Kane’s future remains dubious for the time being, with both Manchester clubs keeping tabs on his situation, and he will wait until after England’s Euro 2020 tournament to decide his fate.

Whilst it seems unlikely that Spurs will activate the £40m option to sign Benfica loanee Carlos Vinicius permanently, according to the Daily Mail.

Therefore, a new forward is certainly going to be on the agenda, regardless of whether or not Kane goes.

Vlahovic makes an interesting candidate as he’s emerged as one of Europe’s most promising young attackers and at just 21, he’s surely only going to get better.

In just 30 league appearances, the Serbian has found the net 15 times, which is more than Andrea Belotti and Ciro Immobile, and as many as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, so he’s certainly in good company.

Inter Milan legend Christian Vieri even believes he’s up there with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe as one of Europe’s top young strikers, he told fans on TwitchTV (via TBR): “I think that, after Haaland and Mbappe, he is one of the strongest in Europe. He has quality, technique. He is Serbian and they are all technically good.”

That sort of talent, combined with an evident knack for regularly finding the net, would certainly prove useful for Jose Mourinho or whoever is in charge next season – whether that be as a replacement for Kane or a viable understudy.

Rated at just £36m by CIES Football Observatory, Levy really ought to make a move now before his value soars rapidly – the comparisons to Haaland and Mbappe will certainly aid his growth, so the Spurs chairman must stump up the cash sooner rather than later.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Aurier? Spurs can land upgrade in 22 y/o beast who’s made 74 tackles…

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall continues to catch the eye away from Leicester City.

The Foxes’ academy graduate is in the midst of another extremely profitable loan deal with Luton Town, form that should see him rewarded a place within Brendan Rodgers’ squad in 2021/22.

Rated at just £1.8m, the 22-year-old has taken to life in the Championship expertly.

In 32 appearances for the Hatters in all competitions, Dewsbury-Hall has netted two goals and four assists from the centre of the park.

As a matter of fact, he has started 29 of the club’s 31 league matches this season as Nathan Jones aims to steer them to a third successive season of Championship football.

The former Stoke City boss has been full of praise for Dewsbury-Hall, labelling his performances as “pure class”.

The midfielder’s excellent spell at Kenilworth Road builds on another temporary venture away from the King Power Stadium as he scored four goals in League One with Blackpool in the second half of the 2019/20 campaign.

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Naturally then, there should certainly be questions over whether Dewsbury-Hall is ready to take that next step into the Premier League but considering his progression thus far, he could compete excellently.

That is certainly what he needs to do back at Leicester City.

A forward-thinking midfielder, the youngster could provide excellent competition for the likes of Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet.

Considering that the Foxes could be embarking on yet another European campaign next year, strength in depth could be crucial to cope with injuries or to give others a break.

After all, Praet has been missed for large spells of this season whilst Tielemans has only been absent for two matches in all competitions himself.

The introduction of Dewsbury-Hall then after an excellent season could well be a clever and shrewd move from Rodgers.

AND in more news, read why it was too early for Leicester to commit Iheanacho to a new deal…

Manchester City’s quadruple hopes are still alive and kicking after Pep Guardiola’s side secured a spot at Wembley with a 2-0 win against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Ilkay Gundogan finally broke the home side’s resistance with 86 minutes on the clock as he headed home the rebound after Aymeric Laporte’s shot came off the bar, before Kevin De Bruyne added a late second after running through and smashing a left-footed shot past Joao Virginia in the Everton goal.

Although there were plenty of impressive performances from City as they dominated proceedings against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, the standout performer was arguably Fernandinho in central midfield.

The 35-year-old is still going strong in Guardiola’s side and has shown himself to be a more than reliable cover for Rodri in recent months, which is ironic as the Spaniard was brought in as his long-term replacement.

As per SofaScore, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man would earn an impressive 7.6 rating for his display, with only Oleksandr Zinchenko rated higher from both sides, with the Ukrainian rated a 7.7/10 for his performance.

During the game, the experienced midfielder completed 63 of his 73 passes, which was the most of any City midfielder, whilst both of his long ball attempts also found a City shirt, per SofaScore.

Fernandinho, who reportedly earns £150,000 per week at City, was regularly the winner when in duels with Everton players, as he impressively won 13 of the 20 duels he contested during the game, which again was far more than City’s other midfielders Gundogan and Bernardo Silva combined, per SofaScore.

However, the most impressive and perhaps surprising part of the Brazilian’s performance were his driving runs from midfield, as he completed all four of his dribbles during his time on the pitch, one of which led to City’s best chance before the opening goal as he cut back to Raheem Sterling in the area after a lung-busting run into the area.

Considering he has averaged 0.4 dribbles per game in the Premier League this season, it was almost unprecedented how willing he was to run with the ball against Everton, which emphasises just how good he was.

Therefore, you could definitely argue that the Brazilian was the star for City in the FA Cup and he once again showed just how good he can be when selected by Guardiola.

And, in other news… Txiki can repeat Gundogan masterclass with City swoop for £7.65m-rated beast

Tottenham Hotspur signing Matt Doherty for £15 million in the summer transfer window looked to be a bargain at the time but after a questionable first few months with the North London club, some Lilywhites fans may have been quick to write the defender off.

The Republic of Ireland international found himself behind Serge Aurier in the pecking order under Jose Mourinho, with the Ivory Coast international clearly benefitting from the added competition at right-back.

Whilst the number of fixtures Spurs have had to play this season has meant that Doherty hasn’t been short of game time, Aurier has often been preferred in the Premier League, whereas the Irish defender has featured more regularly in cup competitions, having made 11 starts in the Premier League, averaging a solid, if unspectacular, 6.72 rating.

Aurier, meanwhile, has made 14 starts in the top-flight, averaging an impressive 7.03 rating, and perhaps would have made more if it wasn’t for the minor injuries that have kept him out on several occasions this season.

However, just as Doherty’s arrival has encouraged an upturn in form from Aurier, the Ivorian’s recent injury problems have seemingly been a factor in the 29-year-old’s improved performances at right-back.

After a disappointing performance in the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in January, Doherty has bounced back and recorded impressive displays in recent weeks, with five out of six of his last performances in the Premier League seeing him rated above a 7/10 from WhoScored.

Although his assist for Harry Kane’s wonder goal against Crystal Palace on Sunday night was reminiscent of Tom Carroll’s assist for Gareth Bale in a 3-2 win against West Ham in 2013, it shows that Doherty is starting to get forward a lot more and replicate some of the form he regularly produced at Wolves.

As per SofaScore, against Roy Hodgson’s side, the right-back would register a 95% pass accuracy and impressively contribute three key passes, which shows that he is starting to become much more of an attacking threat in Mourinho’s side.

Considering he is now 29, it was something of a gamble for Levy to sign him on a four-year deal, but considering his recent performances, it looks like Spurs may actually have a real quality right-back on their hands, so that gamble looks to have paid off and it’s giving Mourinho a nice headache when choosing who to select between him and Aurier.

And, in other news… Forget Bale and Kane: Gem who had 99 touches had the best game of his Spurs career vs Palace

أكد المدرب البرتغالي، كارلوس كيروش، المدير الفني لـ منتخب مصر، أن منتخبنا الوطني سيظهر بشكل أفضل ويُقدم أداءً أقوى خلال مسابقة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2021، وذلك بعد الهزيمة من نيجيريا في المباراة الافتتاحية.

وكان منتخبنا الوطني قد خسر، مساء أمس الثلاثاء على يد نيجيريا، بهدف نظيف، بالجولة الأولى من دور المجموعات بكأس الأمم الإفريقية 2021 المُقامة بالكاميرون.

وتلقى كيروش العديد من الانتقادات من قبل النقاد ووسائل الإعلام والجماهير، بسبب عدم وجود خطة واضحة للفراعنة في مباراة الأمس أمام نيجيريا، والدفع بلاعبين في مراكز غير مراكزهم الأساسية.

وكتب كيروش عبر حسابه الرسمي بموقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”: “نشعر بالألم والحزن، لأننا نريد دائمًا تقديم أداء جيد وتقديم السعادة لمُشجعينا وأصدقائنا وعائلاتنا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كاف يوضح عبر بطولات هل يستطيع منتخب مصر ضم لاعب بديل لـ أكرم توفيق

وأضاف: “نحن فخورون بالتزامنا ونريد أن نجعل الناس فخورين بنا، تُظهر اللحظات الصعبة أن الرجال الأقوياء حقًا يقفون معًا ويكونوا أكثر اتحادًا وأقوى”.

وشدد: “تُظهر اللحظات الصعبة أن يجب أن نكون فريقًا واحدًا متحدًا ومستعدًا للقتال بقوة، وتقديم أداء أفضل من أجل النجاح دائمًا”.

وأتم موجهًا حديثه للاعبين قائلًا: “أيها الرجال، فلننتقل إلى مسؤوليتنا وأهدافنا الرئيسية!”.

يُذكر أن منتخب مصر يستأنف مبارياته في الأمم الإفريقية، يوم السبت القادم، حيث يُلاقي في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة منتخب غينيا بيساو، ضمن مباريات المرحلة الثانية لمباريات المجموعة الرابعة.

➡️ Tough moments show the really tough guys standing up together, more united and stronger. Tough moments show one team united and ready to fight harder, perform better e and succeed always.
Lads, lets move forward to our responsibility and major goals!#EFA #AFCON2021 — Carlos Queiroz (@Carlos_Queiroz) January 12, 2022

Many Wolverhampton Wanderers fans have been reacting to a tweet that was recently posted by The Athletic’s Wolves reporter Tim Spiers which shared Old Gold manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s injury update on Daniel Podence and Willy Boly. 

The Portuguese manager has revealed that the Old Gold duo are set to be sidelined “for some time,” with both the attacker and the centre-back sitting out Wolves’ 0-0 draw with Leicester City this past weekend. 

After Spiers took to Twitter to share this news, lots of Wolves supporters replied to his post to react to this revelation.

So, how have these Wolves fans been reacting? 

Many Old Gold supporters have been devastated by this news, indicating that they think this is a significant blow for their side, who are already on a poor run of form, having won just one of their last 10 top-flight fixtures.

“Spain but the S is silent”

Credit: @matthewashaww

“Gutted”

Credit: @HeadInTheSkies

“Oh dear, oh dear”

Credit: @FW90

“Calls for a round of applause for the Wolves sport science and fitness team. Shambles !”

Credit: @MrR1g4t

“Not what we need!”

Credit: @EssexWolvess

“That’s disgusting Tim, clean up your tweets, there are children on here”

Credit: @metalliam

“Ouch”

Credit: @richwolves41

In other news, lots of Wolves fans were disappointed with Willian Jose’s display versus Leicester City.

According to Football Insider, Leeds United have been offered the chance to sign Montpellier striker Andy Delort in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Whites have had to rely on Patrick Bamford week-in and week-out for this entire Premier League campaign thus far, and to the 29-year-old’s credit, he’s done remarkably well on the whole – he’s already bagged ten goals in 18 games in the division.

But now, Football Insider claim that with French football feeling the pinch of the financial situation facing most clubs around the world, Montpellier are keen to raise some quick money by cashing in on Delort this month.

The report adds that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are one of a number of clubs to be offered the 6 foot Algeria international’s services, and that Leeds are on the look-out for a striker who can benefit from the amount of crosses they put into the box.

Shades of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

With Bamford Leeds’ sole saviour up front this season in the Premier League, Bielsa will no doubt be desperate to add to his striking ranks, and a move for the rapid Delort could go a long way to solving way.

How quick is Delort? Well, it was revealed that last season in Ligue 1, he was ranked as the fastest player in the division, even ahead of PSG flier Kylian Mbappe.

And, an analysis piece by French Football Weekly hailed Delort’s all-round game, saying: “What Delort lacks in height, he more than makes up for in terms of his use of physique when holding off defenders with his shoulders and he uses his excellent ball control to quickly move the ball out of his feet to release venomous shots from range.

“His strength also allows him to play with this back to goal and his placement of shots is extremely accurate. On his day, Delort is a technically-gifted player who makes the best use of his great first touch.”

A lot of Delort’s game resembles that of former Leeds striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, with the Dutchman of course possessing one of the fiercest strikes in the Premier League during his time and having great feet – that’s not to mention how much of a proven goal-scorer he was in the top-flight too, netting an impressive 129 times in the competition.

Delort has been in fine form this campaign for Montpellier, out-scoring PSG superstar Neymar with nine goals in 18 games. His previous experience in English football – 11 games with Wigan in the Championship back in the 2014/2015 season – saw him score none whatsoever.

But with a few years gone, Delort may be ready for a return to these shores.

Meanwhile, Leeds must try and sell this Radrizzani disaster…

Tottenham Hotspur legend Glenn Hoddle has dropped an intriguing transfer claim this week ahead of the January window.

The 63-year-old, who managed and played for Spurs, believes Southampton skipper James Ward-Prowse would be a perfect target for Jose Mourinho this year.

Speaking on his podcast, ‘The Glenn Hoddle Footy Show’, he said:

“I think his all-round game has come on leaps and bounds, but as a set piece artist there is no-one better.

“He’d be a major asset for Tottenham, for instance. Or he could go and play in Everton’s team tomorrow.

“Whether he has the mentality you don’t know until he goes to a big club.”

Daniel Levy has already raided the Saints once this season, and perhaps, he should indeed listen to Hoddle and swoop for the impressive attacking midfielder.

Spurs’ form has dipped in recent weeks, indeed, they have not won in their last four Premier League outings, and they have struggled to continue their rich vein of goalscoring.

This points to there being a creative issue amongst Mourinho’s squad – they certainly haven’t been able to replace Christian Eriksen as of yet. No midfielder is averaging more than 0.8 key passes per game in the top-flight at the moment.

Both Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have effectively been creating those chances for one another (both managing 1.5 key passes per game or more), and that is something that needs to change to sustain the form that saw them briefly top the table.

And that is where Ward-Prowse makes a ton of sense.

The £22.5m-rated maestro is not just a set-piece specialist having contributed to seven goals in 16 starts so far this term. That is more than Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele combined.

Ward-Prowse is also managing 1.7 key passes per game, only better by Son, and 1.8 crosses per game in the top-flight this term, as per WhoScored.

Of course, his free-kick ability is what he is most known for with Peter Crouch dubbing him “Beckham-esque” which only echoes the thoughts of teammate Theo Walcott, who claimed he is actually better than the England legend.

Now capped four times by the Three Lions, the Saints skipper is finally getting the recognition he deserves. He’s even impressed talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham, who claimed he’s “got the devil in him” after a win over Iceland.

No one could fault the “machine” for following Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to N17 if any offer were to come about. Levy must strike.

AND in other news, Levy could secure Jose Mourinho his next Essien in £16.5m BEAST…