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Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing over some transfer news that has emerged on John Souttar.

As per the official website of the Ibrox faithful, they have now signed the central defender on a pre-contract agreement from Hearts.

Given that a lot of their centre-backs face uncertain futures, including both Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun, signing Souttar up for no transfer fee was a no-brainer.

Comparing him to both Gers centre-halves in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, he is actually averaging more interceptions, clearances and blocks per match (WhoScored), suggesting that he is an upgrade on what they currently have, and will therefore slot straight into Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team.

Nonetheless, it is exciting for Gers that they are signing players in this month.

Rangers fans on Souttar transfer news

These supporters of the Light Blues buzzed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one Teddy Bear claiming that they were ‘delighted’, while another went as far as to call it ‘superb’:

“Superb Rangers”

Credit: @ryan_middlemass

“Chuffed with this signing… right Rangers… too much to ask for another?”

Credit: @Dan_D_88

“Delighted with this, hope Doekhi is next”

Credit: @Daniel11Thain

“Brilliant Rangers”

Credit: @JamiesonCairn

“An absolutely tremendous signing”

Credit: @johnwalker_1986

“You love to see it. Unreal bit of business”

Credit: @BrodieHamilton

In other news, find out what exit update has left RFC fans confused here!

A number of Liverpool supporters have slammed Jordan Henderson’s performance against Arsenal, despite the Reds reaching the League Cup final.

Jurgen Klopp’s men produced an impressive display away to the Gunners on Thursday evening, winning 2-0 at the Emirates.

Liverpool dominated the game barring a slow start, with Diogo Jota twice finding the net to fire his side to Wembley and a final against Chelsea next month.

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There were standout performers for the Reds in north London, from Jota to Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Henderson was again a long way short of his best.

The Liverpool captain played no key passes on the night and lost possession five times, according to Sofascore, lacking his usual energy in the middle of the park.

He was dribbled past once and only registered 39 touches, which was a whopping 20 less than his own goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher.

It is not the first time the skipper has struggled this term, ranking as Liverpool’s 14th-best player for the season on Whoscored.

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Liverpool fans criticise Henderson display

Henderson’s performance wasn’t ignored by some Reds fans on Twitter, who took to the social media platform to lambast his display.

“Henderson plays against us now. Man just got the ball off from Fabinho there”

Credit: @LuffyLFC

“Henderson had a very poor game. Really struggling for a bit of form at the minute”

Credit: @ciarano44

“Henderson did nothing all game yet again. Nobody has been good. But Henderson was invisible. He never came back from the Euros”

Credit: @AndyLFC17

“I’m better than Jordan Henderson and I’m 17”

Credit: @JacobSize3

“That was a truly anonymous performance from Henderson there”

Credit: @DollyDevereaux

“Henderson now is so poor in midfield and not improving at all. I miss players like Elliot, Thiago, Keita. Only Jones is doing anything in attack”

Credit: @Horlawale3043

In other news, some Liverpool fans are buzzing over a Reds transfer update. Read more here.

Leeds United appear to be very active this week after a reliable journalist issued an exciting transfer claim…

What’s the word?

Reports emerged suggesting that the Yorkshire outfit had a £15m offer knocked back for RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson, though the club are said to remain keen on signing him this month.

However, it’s not the only player that they have submitted a bid for.

“Victor Orta is being busy and Leeds have also tabled a bid for a second as of yet unidentified player,” revealed the Daily Mirror’s David Anderson to Twitter on Tuesday night.

It remains to be seen who the second player could be as United have been linked to many names in many different positions throughout the last two to three weeks.

Signings soon?

Whilst we may not know who Orta and co are targeting now, the point that they are now looking to conduct business is hugely exciting and encouraging news for the Elland Road faithful.

This window was quickly heading down the same path – a bleak one with no signings, nothing to help manager Marcelo Bielsa and the problems within his squad.

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Often, his side have been decimated by injuries and that was epitomised by the fact that he could only name one senior professional on the bench during Sunday’s 3-2 win over West Ham United. That being Rodrigo, who has only just returned from injury himself.

Leeds have long been on the lookout for a midfielder, with the last signing in the role being Adam Forshaw nearly four years ago. It has left the head coach awfully short on options.

With Kalvin Phillips on the treatment table, it is only Forshaw and Mateusz Klich available as clear-cut central midfielders. The likes of Stuart Dallas and Jamie Shackleton, who often play anywhere they are asked to, can fill in but they have largely been utilised at full-back.

It certainly seems as if Orta is trying his best to find solutions, having submitted two offers for two different players this week, and that should leave many supporters buzzing heading into the rest of the window.

With less than two weeks to go, the Yorkshire giants must accelerate plans to get at least one deal over the line.

AND in other news, Enquiry made: Leeds now eye £10m gem with “enormous ability”, Bielsa badly needs him…

Newcastle are in a dangerous position in the Premier League, and the remaining days of the January transfer window could play a major role in deciding their fate at the end of the season.

It does not take a genius to work out that having better footballers gives you a higher chance of winning matches, and bringing in talent is exactly what the Magpies need to do between now and Monday night.

The Magpies are 18th in the Premier League table and have only won two games all season in the top flight, sitting one point behind 17th-placed Norwich.

Save their season

Signings made between now and Monday could save Newcastle’s season, and one player who could do exactly that is Chelsea striker Armando Broja.

TuttoMercatoWeb reported earlier this week that Newcastle are interested in signing the Albanian and have placed a £34m (€40m) offer on the table for his services, although that is believed to be not enough to tempt Thomas Tuchel into cashing in on him.

He is currently on loan to Southampton and the Magpies must increase their offer to snap him up on a permanent deal, ending his temporary stay at St Mary’s and allowing him to join the Toon Army.

Whilst Newcastle have brought Chris Wood in from Burnley, the New Zealand international scored just three goals in 17 starts for Burnley in the first half of the campaign and is yet to find the back of the net in two matches for Howe’s side, meaning he has scored once every 6.3 games this term.

This suggests that he alone may not be enough to keep the club in the Premier League, particularly with Callum Wilson currently out injured. Broja could come in and score the goals to win vital points in the top flight to stave off relegation.

He has seven goals and one assist for the Saints in all competitions this season, starting just 12 matches in the Premier League and Carabao Cup combined. He has scored just over once every two starts for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men, showing that he has the ability to make a big impact in the final third.

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards hailed the youngster earlier this month, saying: “He’s fearless, he’s strong, he runs in behind, he can hold it up – just at the age of 20 as well. I’ve been really impressed with him.

“Sometimes when young players go on loan, especially in the Premier League, they come off the bench and he’s bided his time a little bit but when his chance came he took it with both hands. Every time that I watch him play I’m impressed.

“He holds the line by himself, his hold up play, constant threat running in behind, his aerial ability as well. He’s really growing in stature.”

This suggests that Broja offers more than just goals, as he is able to provide the full package as a striker. Richards believes that the 20-year-old has the qualities to be a focal point at the tip of attack by making runs and winning balls in the air, which means that he could be a terrific signing for the Magpies.

They could bring in a player who is able to decide matches with his goals and improve the team’s performances with his ability to link up the play. This is why signing the Albanian predator could save Newcastle’s season, so PIF need to splash the cash to get a deal done.

AND in other news, “Behind the scenes”: Chris Waugh drops worrying PIF claim that’ll upset Newcastle fans…

Wolves duo Romain Saiss and Joao Moutinho could both extend their respective stays at Molineux, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Saiss and Moutinho shine for Wolves

Bruno Lage’s side are enjoying an excellent season, with three Premier League wins in a row taking them to within just four points of fourth-placed Manchester United.

There have been star performers all over the pitch but Saiss and Moutinho have arguably stood out more than most, putting their experience to good use.

The Moroccan has shone in a back-three, making 19 league starts, while the evergreen Portuguese veteran has been superb in midfield, scoring decisive recent goals against Man United and Brentford.

Both players rank in the top seven in WhoScored’s rankings of Wolves players’ performances in 2021/22, illustrating their importance to the cause. However, as it stands, both will be out of contract in the summer.

The Latest: Spiers makes contract claim

Spiers partook in a Q&A mailbag with Wolves supporters for The Athletic on Tuesday morning to discuss the club’s January transfer business, as well as the futures of certain players at Molineux.

He was asked specifically about where things stand with Saiss and Moutinho, with the journalist offering a reassuring update on the duo by saying:

“Saiss turned down a contract offer last summer and it was expected he’d leave the club at that time. However, the general opinion among senior staff is he’s having the best season of his Wolves career and I’d expect them to start talking again in the coming weeks now that he’s heading back from the Africa Cup of Nations.

“Moutinho’s agent is Jorge Mendes, who is so influential in club dealings, so that’s a more difficult one to predict, but he seems happy and Lage loves him. He’s also in fantastic form and I’d imagine Lage will want him to stay.”

The Verdict: Great news for Wolves

Saiss and Moutinho may be 31 and 35, respectively, but their importance to Wolves is still plain to see given the impact they are still having, as evidenced above.

The former is still arguably in his prime years for a centre-back, proving to be an experienced head alongside the likes of Max Kilman and Conor Coady.

A shorter-term deal for Moutinho makes more sense given his age, but he still looks capable of shining in the Premier League for another season or two, especially if his recent heroics are anything to go by.

In other news, one player’s Wolves future has already been sorted. Find out who it is here.

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side face a break from their Premiership campaign on Sunday afternoon, with Raith Rovers visiting Parkhead in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.

With the clash against a side who currently sit fourth in the Championship unlikely to cause the Premiership leaders too many issues, it could provide the Bhoys boss with the perfect opportunity to rest a number of his first-team regulars, along with handing valuable game-time to a number of the fringe players within the Hoops squad.

How many changes will the 56-year-old make to the side which started the 3-2 win over the Aberdeen last time out? Here’s how we think Celtic could line up against Rovers, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Postecoglou recently revealing that Josip Juranovic will miss today’s fixture due to illness and also confirming that Yosuke Ideguchi will be available for selection after recovering from an ankle injury, we predict that the 56-year-old will make 10 changes to the side which started the midweek win at Pittodrie.

Of the back five, only Anthony Ralston keeps his place in the initial line-up, with Scott Bain taking Joe Hart’s spot between the sticks, while Liam Scales, Christopher Jullien and Stephen Welsh replace Greg Taylor, Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers respectively.

In the middle of the park, club captain Callum McGregor – who has been playing with two broken bones in his face in recent weeks – drops out of the side for a well-earned rest, as do Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley. The aforementioned Ideguchi comes in alongside Tom Rogic, while the £14k-per-week Nir Bitton – who was once dubbed a “walking joke” by Bhoys Analytics – takes McGregor’s place in the more defensive role of the Bhoys’ three-man midfield.

In the Celtic attack, Jota and Liel Abada make way for Mikey Johnston and James Forrest respectively, while Daizen Maeda joins his Japanese team-mate Hatate on the bench, with Giorgos Giakoumakis making a return to the XI after missing out on a start against the Dons last time out.

In other news: Celtic dealt late injury setback ahead of cup clash, fans will be gutted

The returning Christopher Jullien is ‘like a new signing’ for Celtic, ex-Hoop Frank McAvennie has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

Jullien returned to action in Saturday’s 4-0 Scottish Cup win over Raith Rovers, coming off the bench for the final 15 minutes at Parkhead.

It was his first appearance for a full 14 months after he collided with a post and damaged in his knee in a game against Dundee United in December 2020.

The Frenchman said the whopping 409-day lay-off had been a ‘very challenging time’ in his life.

Jullien has been included in Celtic’s Europa Conference League squad, and so he could be involved in their play-off tie against Bodo/Glimt.

Celtic host Kjetil Knutsen’s side this Thursday before travelling to Norway for the return leg seven days later.

The latest

McAvennie is delighted for Jullien on a personal level after such a long spell on the sidelines.

Ange Postecoglou ‘will be over the moon’ to have one of his strongest defensive options back available, he tells FI.

“It’s absolutely brilliant, isn’t it?

“We knew all along that he’s one of the best centre-backs Celtic have within their ranks, but it’s been such a long road to recovery for him.

“That is a lengthy spell out where you’ve got to be watching from a distance and trying to stay positive through this recovery period.

“It’ll be like a new signing for Celtic and it just adds even more competition for places in that squad. That’ll be important with them still being in three competitions this season.

“It’ll be a welcome return and Postecoglou will be over the moon to see this and add another quality centre-half to his squad.”

The verdict

Domestically, Celtic’s defensive record this season has been strong. They’ve shipped only 15 goals in their 26 Scottish Premiership matches, six fewer than title rivals Rangers.

In Europe, however, they’ve been found wanting. Over the course of the six-match Europa League group stage, they scored 13 goals, roughly the same as the top two sides Bayer Leverkusen and Real Betis (who bagged 14 and 12 respectively), but they let in a whopping 15 at the other end.

If they’re to progress towards the tail end of the Conference League, they simply need to tighten up, and perhaps Jullien, billed a ‘colossus’ by The Celtic Way’s Tony Haggerty, could be key.

In other news, Craig Levein rips into this ‘terrible’ Celtic star after a Parkhead ‘calamity’.

As Frank Lampard tries to rebuild this Everton side in his own image, one man who arguably typifies the complete nightmare of a transfer strategy in recent years under Farhad Moshiri, is Alex Iwobi.

The Nigeria international signed in a deal worth around £34m back in the summer of 2019, and it’s since been 133 weeks to the day that he joined the club.

With 83 games under his belt for the Toffees, Iwobi has been nothing short of a disaster, scoring just six times and providing only six assists too –  it’s hardly a surprise then that he was described as “embarrassing” by The Liverpool Echo’s David Prentice last season.

Former Everton man Michael Ball was equally loud in his criticism of the versatile attacker, pointing to the fact Arsenal fans seemed to be delighted with Iwobi’s sale.

He said: “Yeah it hasn’t worked out for him. He came to the football club with that chunk of a fee. The reaction of the Arsenal fans didn’t really help, I think they were very pleased with the amount of money they received for him.

“And you just hoped that (Alex) Iwobi would come to the football club with the attitude to prove them all wrong and show everybody that he is worth that amount of money and he’s got the ability to step up to the plate but, unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out for him.”

The £100k-a-week earning ace has endured a Goodison Park nightmare, and while he has featured in the past two games for the Toffees under Lampard, it’s hard to see how he turns things around in the long-term.

With his transfer fee and wages combined, the Toffees have splashed out an incredible £47m on Iwobi in the time that he has been at the club, and that’s money well and truly down the drain.

If Everton genuinely have aspirations of taking that next step under a new and exciting young coach in Lampard, then it’s high-time they cleared out the deadwood in the summer, with Iwobi being one of them.

Meanwhile, this Everton starlet is impressing behind-the-scenes at Finch Farm…

It is believed that Curtis Jones could be given a start tonight against Inter Milan in Liverpool’s Champions League round of 16 second leg, given the Reds’ advantages of playing in front of the home crowd as well as already having a 2-0 lead to hold on to.

While the English midfielder has found playing time hard to come by of late, the 21-year-old has the same amount of goals and assists in the Premier League as the returning Thiago, and has also provided two Champions League assists in two games.

With Naby Keita also having picked up a knock recently as well as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner all having played a lot of football, it’s likely that those four will all be rested in games over the next few weeks, as Liverpool continue to compete for trophies on all fronts.

The homegrown ace has averaged a 6.97 match rating across all competitions this season for Liverpool, making 14 starts and six appearances from the bench, and his best performance so far this season saw him earn an 8.5 after setting-up two goals against Porto in the Champions League back in September.

In comparison to other central midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions, Jones ranks in the top 1% for assists per 90 minutes (0.43), shots on target per 90 (0.97), progressive carries per 90 (8.81) and short pass completion percentage (95.3%).

His numbers are a reflection of his excellent attitude and mentality, as despite not being considered a key player for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side, he has constantly and consistently performed extremely well when called upon – much like Takumi Minamino. Those statistics also provide a glimpse into how he could run their opponents ragged.

Reds captain Henderson believes the midfielder has all it takes to become a star, saying once in an interview at the start of the season, “He has all the attributes to be a top player.”

Tonight can be another key demonstration of Jones’ potential – should Klopp opt to start him vs the Italian giants.

In other news: Klopp axes “frightening” 25yo, “world-class” gem starts in 3 changes: LFC predicted XI

Everton currently find themselves in an unnatural territory as they bid to avoid being relegated out of the Premier League and into the Championship.

With six games left to play, the Toffees need as many points as possible and hope the teams directly above them can slip up and fall behind.

However, it seems as though talks have been going on behind the scenes to try and secure one potential deal for the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Independent, Everton have had “productive meetings” with the representatives of Nottingham Forest midfielder Brennan Johnson over a potential summer transfer.

The same source suggests a fee in the region of £25m could be enough to secure his services.

Johnson has all the ingredients

As a product of Forest’s youth system, the 20-year-old has made a total of 105 appearances across their U18 and senior side as well as for Lincoln City, who he had a loan spell with last season.

In those appearances, the Welshman has racked up a combined total of 56 goals and assists, having found the net 33 times and delivered 23 assists for his teammates.

With 15 goals and ten assists to his name in this current Championship campaign, no other Forest player has been able to provide as many goal contributions as the youngster.

In fact, only six other players in the second division have managed to score more times than Johnson.

Labelled as a “special” player that is “destined for the top,” by Glenn Murray, Johnson has also received praise from Wales youth coach, Paul Bodin, who had this to say about the young talent.

He said: “He’s got all the ingredients, he’s got the right attitude, he’s got great family support, so the world is his oyster.”

Thinking about how Everton have struggled to score goals at times this season, with 11 league games in which they have failed to find the net, a player like the 20-year-old could be the exact sort of spark the Toffees need to freshen up their attack for next season.

Taking all of this into account, it’s easy to see why Everton have been in contact with Johnson’s representatives over a potential move to Goodison Park.

Whether the Toffees end the season in the Premier League or Championship, they should definitely do all they can to secure the Forest sensation’s signature in the summer.

In other news: Huge blow: Everton now dealt worrying injury setback, it’s terrible news for Lampard