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Alan Hutton believes Glasgow Rangers captain James Tavernier may have sacrificed his last chance of moving to the Premier League after signing a new contract at Ibrox.

Hutton discusses Tavernier

29-year-old Tavernier signed a new contract at Rangers over the past few days that will keep him at the club until 2024 (rangers.co.uk), when he will be 32.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton believes this decision has all but ended his chances of moving south of the border to the English top flight. He said:

“At 29, if you’re looking to go down south, I think this is, this would be the only opportunity.

“When you start going into your 30s, it’s very unlikely that it’s going to happen.

“He’s played that well this season that I’m pretty sure there’ll have been Premier League admirers out there watching.

“If anybody is willing to pay for him, what would the price be?

“For Rangers, it’d have to be a high value because he’s one of the top performers. He’s the captain, one of the best players.

“If Rangers don’t see the fee as suitable, then there’s no reason for them to accept it. He seems like he’s happy to stay and play for Rangers so that’s the most important thing.”

Gers legend

Of course, a move to England would lead to a higher weekly wage and perhaps more competition than he would have at Rangers. However, £7.2m-valued Tavernier (Transfermarkt) has now spent six years at Ibrox, helping them climb back to the top flight and leading them to their first major trophy in a decade. What he may have sacrificed in money will continue to be repaid in adulation.

By committing his future to the 55-time Scottish champions, he has given himself the chance to become a bona fide club legend. Champions League football, as well, could be a reward for his decision. Quite frankly, this appears to be the right call.

In other news, Rangers fans slam this broadcaster’s comments.

Sheffield Wednesday gave their survival hopes an almighty boost on Tuesday night as they defeated Blackburn Rovers 1-0 at Hillsborough Stadium to move to within four points of safety.

In the absence of manager Darren Moore from the dugout, the Owls edged this close affair thanks to a 37th-minute strike from Josh Windass, taking his tally for the season to nine goals.

And whilst he deserves plenty of plaudits – he did receive YorkshireLive’s ‘Man of the Match’ award – there was another name who was potentially Wednesday’s unsung hero on the night.

Joey Pelupessy.

Keeping that clean sheet was just as important as the 27-year-old finding the net and it was the Dutchman’s bustling energy and drive in the heart of midfield that was most notable, and ultimately infectious towards his teammates.

You’re never going to get anything fancy from the Jos Luhukay signing and truth be told, he’s rarely looked fantastic in an Owls shirt but against Rovers, he has to be given more credit.

[snack-amp-story url=https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-sheffield-wednesday-news-transfer-rumours-and-recent-gossip” title=”Read this week’s latest Sheffield Wednesday news, latest transfer rumours and more!]

The 27-year-old beast won 83% of his duels – five of six – to dominate his battles and drive Wednesday forward, often giving the ball to Barry Bannan to provide some sort of creativity.

But it is often that dirty work that goes unnoticed. He also chipped in with four successful tackles, which was the most of any player on the pitch – either home or away – and also managed an Owls-high two interceptions, only further proving his ability to read the game perfectly on Tuesday night.

Furthermore, he was a hard man to shake off. From his 36 touches, he only lost possession three times – by far the lowest of any starter on the pitch. He even made 75% of his long balls, and 88% of his 25 passing attempts, as per SofaScore.

These figures were all better than his averages for the campaign, where he has featured 36 times, too.

The Star summed it up perfecting in their post-game column, describing Pelupessy’s display as “unflashy but assured,” also adding: “Wednesday won the midfield battle and Pelupessy was a part of that.”

Indeed that was certainly the case and as a result, Pelupessy was Moore’s, assistant Jamie Smith’s, and the Owls’ unsung hero from this wonderful victory.

He and the side must now back it up with another win this weekend.

AND in other news, “He’s someone who’s always..” – Exclusive: Palmer drops Sheff Weds player claim amid club issues…

Southampton are reportedly interested in signing Hatayspor forward Aaron Boupendza this summer and, if he makes the move to the south coast club, he could prove to be their next Sadio Mane.

According to a report from 90min, a host of Premier League clubs including Southampton, Spurs, Leicester City, West Ham, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Wolves are interested in signing the 24-year-old this summer, whilst Rangers and Celtic are also said to be keen.

The report suggests that Boupendza’s priority is to move to the Premier League and that the Turkish club would be willing to sell if anyone meets their asking price of £8.5m.

The Gabon international is a relatively new arrival at Hatayspor, having joined on a free transfer from Bordeaux last summer, but it appears as if he could be on the move again this year after an impressive debut campaign in Turkey.

In 26 league appearances, the forward – who can play as both a left-winger and a striker – has managed an impressive 18 goals, so it is no surprise that he is attracting interest from across Europe.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have been extremely reliant on the goals of Danny Ings and Che Adams for the past two seasons, and although James Ward-Prowse steps up with the occasional goal from midfield, the goal contributions from the wingers are far from good enough.

The two main culprits here are arguably Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo, with the two left-wingers having scored just two Premier League goals between them this season.

A prolific winger is something Southampton have arguably lacked since Mane was sold to Liverpool in 2016, with the Senegalese forward having contributed 25 goals and 14 assists in 75 appearances during his time at St Mary’s.

There are a lot of similarities between the transfer which saw Southampton sign Mane and the potential deal for Boupendza, as the Liverpool man moved to RB Salzburg after a disappointing spell in France before completing a £20m move to the Saints after impressing in a fairly obscure footballing league.

Like Mane, Boupendza likes to cut in from the left, with WhoScored suggesting that his dribbling and finishing are two of his main strengths, so again it is easy to see the likeness to Mane.

Therefore, CEO Martin Semmens should definitely push for Southampton to sign the Gabon international this summer, as it could prove to be a masterstroke if they end up with a player similar to Mane on their books.

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

Liverpool returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday evening.

An excellent finish from Curtis Jones followed by an own-goal from Kean Bryan were enough to secure the three points for Jurgen Klopp’s side, which leaves them just two points outside of the top-four spots.

One man who impressed with his performance against the Blades was experienced midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

In the absence of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, the Reds needed their other midfielders to step up against a physical Blades side and Wijnaldum barely put a foot wrong during the 90 minutes.

As per SofaScore, the 30-year-old would pick up a solid 7.2 match rating for his display, with only Adrian, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson rated higher of the Liverpool players on the night.

The former Newcastle man was the captain for the game and he produced a captain-like display, completing 56/59 of his passes, resulting in a superb pass accuracy of 95% – even better than the 92% pass accuracy registered by master-passer Thiago.

Considering the Dutch international has averaged a 91.9% pass accuracy in the Premier League so far this season, it shows that he was even more impressive than usual at Bramall Lane.

Wijnaldum was also able to contribute two key passes, which was more than both Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, as he was often the driving force and attacking threat in midfield.

Although he only contested two duels during the game, he won both of them, and he also gave away possession on just four occasions during the 90 minutes, suggesting that he was just too good for Sheffield United’s midfielders.

He was also unlucky to be denied by Aaron Ramsdale with a rasping shot from the edge of the area, from which Firmino failed to put away the rebound.

Therefore, it was arguably a near-perfect display from the midfielder, who earns £90k per week at Liverpool, and he definitely stole the show for Klopp’s side in a game that they desperately needed to win.

And, in other news… LFC signing gem with “extraordinary quality” would surely be the end for £50k-p/w dud

Some Arsenal fans have been left to slam the display of Granit Xhaka in the first half of their game away at Burnley in the Premier League, after he made a bizarre error to gift the hosts an equaliser.

The central midfield player was guilty of giving the ball away quite cheaply on a number of different occasions for the Emirates Stadium faithful, which eventually resulted in a quite ridiculous goal for Chris Wood.

The Switzerland international does sometimes takes a lot of risks in terms of keeping hold of the ball for too long or trying some ambitious passes, which can lead to him giving up possession to his opponents, and he played a ball across goal into the midriff of the New Zealand international, which ricocheted into the net.

Gunners supporters fumed at his performance in the first half of the match, and Mikel Arteta will be hoping that the 28-year-old can put that blunder behind him and recover after the break.

Arsenal fan reaction to Xhaka’s first-half display

These Gooners slammed his first-half performance on Twitter, with one AFC fan even going as far to claim that he is ‘useless’:

“#BURARS good chance for a breakaway, but, no, #xhaka side wards, backwards…”

Credit: @chudds007

“Xhaka starting to lose possession.”

Credit: @FRANXICAN

“Xhaka is useless stop defending stupid players”

Credit: @olalekan_ab

“Xhaka is so negative with going forward its a joke. Definitely glad we bought a forward thinking player in Partey”

Credit: @jed_i_diah

“Xhaka error, normal thing.”

Credit: @TayoSays

“Again. What’s with Xhaka’s bad habit to pull back when we’re breaking forward?”

Credit: @Arsenal_LINY

In other news, find out whose display was slammed against Leicester City here!

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting after The Guardian journalist Ewan Murray shared an update on Slavia Prague’s criminal complaint.

The Czech champions progressed to the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday after beating the Gers 2-0 at Ibrox. However, the match was marred by an incident of alleged racism, with Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara saying he was racially abused by Ondrej Kudela.

Slavia have moved to deny the allegations, and even said Kamara hit Kudela on the back of the head in the tunnel (slavia.cz). They threatened to lodge a criminal complaint against the 55-time Scottish champions, but Murray has revealed Police Scotland have so far received no word from Slavia. He also mentioned the Czech embassy in London has now got involved.

Murray shared the update on his official Twitter page, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with a couple of movie references along the way.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the update from Murray below

“That mob will be signing Jason Bourne at this rate”

Credit: @ian_barrie

“Seen a couple vids of the lad today and he looks alright, so if there was an “assault” in the tunnel did they set some wrong rules….”

Credit: @monkjohnson82

“Not sure that makes any sense? If they are making a complaint what’s it to do with the Czech embassy?”

Credit: @scott41mcd

“I welcome an open honest investigation.I don’t believe the racist was assaulted.Looking at him when boarding buses, there were no obvious signs of a beating.Albeit mask covered much of his face,but they wud surely have publicised pics of his bruised face etc it it were true.”

Credit: @ElaineBoyle4

“This is totally embarrassing……”

Credit: @joe_black1509

“I want to say Tom Cruise just got in a helicopter”

Credit: @3Michelenstar

In other news, Alan Hutton has suggested this Rangers ace could leave the club this summer.

Steve Bruce could bin DeAndre Yedlin before the January transfer window closes if Newcastle United sign anyone on loan.

What’s the word?

According to Chronicle Live, Yedlin’s Tyneside future is up in the air ahead of Monday’s Deadline Day as United eye late reinforcements for Bruce’s side.

Newcastle named a complete 25-man squad for the Premier League season last summer and are yet to offload any of those in the winter market, leaving no space for potential arrivals.

Yedlin would serve as a prime candidate to depart if suitable offers are received in the coming days, with the United States international now inside the final six-months of his £30,000-per-week contract and yet to be offered a new deal.

The 27-year-old has spoken on his frustrations at the lack of clarity on his situation, having seen United chiefs fail to make any contact with the defender or his agent.

“Obviously, with my situation, currently I have six-months left on my contract. It has been a bit frustrating because me and my agent have had no communication with Newcastle at all about what their plans are for me, if I can go or if they want me to stay,” he told CBS Sports HQ.

Yedlin has also had visa issues rule him out of Newcastle’s last two Premier League games after his previous work permit expired, which may yet play a role in United’s decision over whether or not to retain the £4.5m-rated titan.

Should Newcastle get rid of Yedlin?

If Newcastle are to strengthen Bruce’s squad before Monday’s deadline passes, the Toon will have to make a tough decision on at least one of his current players and the indicators point to Yedlin being the most at risk.

Yedlin has emerged as a potential target for sides in Turkey and America this month, with reports suggesting the defender – whom Rafa Benitez once said about “I love this player” – has been offered a Major League Soccer return and a move to Super Lig giants Galatasaray.

His preference may be to remain at St. James’ Park and sign a new contract, yet that option may never be one Yedlin can explore as his form – despite being the star of the show against Fulham and Liverpool – would suggest he may not be a huge loss, if one at all, now that Javier Manquillo has returned from Covid.

Among the four players Bruce has fielded at right-back more than once in Premier League fixtures this season, Yedlin’s efforts have only returned marginally superior results to those of Emil Krafth and Jacob Murphy in some regards but often trails those of Manquillo.

Bruce sees Manquillo win the highest number of successful tackles (2.3) and with the second-most attempts (2.7) per 90 – Yedlin offers 1.8 from 3.0 – while Krafth is first for clearances, as he keeps things simple to protect Karl Darlow’s goal with 3.5 a game to Yedlin (2.6), Manquillo (1.5) and Murphy (0.5), per WhoScored.

Murphy tops the charts for interceptions (1.5) to Yedlin (1.4), Krafth (1.3) and Manquillo (0.7), and looks to drive play forward when on the ball far more often than his positional rivals with the 25-year-old making 3.5 successful runs from 5.5 attempts to Krafth (0.3/0.5), Yedlin (0.2/0.4) and Manquillo (0/1).

Murphy matches his drive with quality at the top of the pitch, as well, to deliver 0.8 accurate crosses from 3.1 deliveries a game to Manquillo (0.8/3.3), Krafth (0.3/2.8) and Yedlin (0.2/2.6). It also helps the £3m-rated maestro to create more goalscoring opportunities with 0.8 key balls to Manquillo (0.7), Yedlin (0.6) and Krafth (0.5).

So, if Bruce was to lose Yedlin in the final days of the January transfer window, it may not be a blow for Newcastle to endure, so long as United first meet the one condition needed for his exit. Signing a player who will improve a squad winless in 11 games across all competitions.

AND in other news, Newcastle have landed a huge boost in their pursuit of a £4m-rated beast…

Matt Targett emerged a surprise hero for Dean Smith as Aston Villa beat Wolverhampton Wanderers in the West Midlands derby on Saturday.

The ex-Southampton full-back had his work cut out keeping Nuno Espirito Santo’s talismanic forward Adama Traore quiet, but excelled at the task to force the Spaniard into switching flanks with Pedro Neto after the hour mark.

Wolves had a clear gameplan of working the ball to Traore in the opening stages yet rarely enjoyed much success, with his only true break resulting in a tame effort on Emiliano Martinez’s goal early in the second half.

Martinez was inspired between the sticks to produce an array of pivotal saves as the game edged toward a draw, but a late mistake from Nelson Semedo gifted the Villans a penalty which substitute Anwar El Ghazi buried.

The win moved Aston Villa up to eighth and above their West Midlands rivals, while holding two games in hand, despite claiming just one win in five Premier League fixtures before travelling to Molineux.

Targett upstaged Traore magnificently to ensure his performance could not go unnoticed, as the £17million signing from 2019 earned his 10th-straight start of the top-flight season.

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The 25-year-old’s performance was not perfect, having recorded just a 56% pass success rate and was cautioned in the closing stages, yet excelled with a joint-team high 61 touches and the third-most total passes by a Villans player, per WhoScored.

Targett completed just 19 of his 34 total pass, one of which being deemed a key ball, while delivering four attempted but unsuccessful crosses and attempting nine long passes, of which only three found teammates.

He also lost possession 20 times – only John McGinn (21) turned the ball over more often, per SofaScore – but stood out with his back to Martinez’s goal with five clearances, three interceptions, three successful tackles and blocked one shot.

Smith never saw Targett try his luck on Wolves’ goal or attempt a dribble, but would have left Molineux mightily impressed by the former England U19 international’s efforts in behind youngster Jacob Ramsey, who was making his first-ever Premier League start.

Meanwhile, this Aston Villa ace badly let Dean Smith down against Wolves.

Many Liverpool fans concluded that midfielder Naby Keita should be sold next summer after he suffered another setback.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference before tonight’s FA Cup tie against Aston Villa (via James Pearce), manager Jurgen Klopp confined that the 25-year-old will not be fit enough to face Dean Smith’s side.

Keita has suffered various injury issues this season and hasn’t started a game since the Reds’ 7-0 win against Crystal Palace last month.

The Guinea international is sidelined, along with Joel Matip and Diogo Jota, in a game that is essentially in doubt after a mass coronavirus outbreak in the Villa camp.

With this in mind, supporters have had enough of Keita and some believe that his time at Anfield is coming to a screeching halt.

“Naby can just go in the summer… Dude just can’t stay fit”

Credit: @PromoPromise

“Just sell”

Credit: @okekemezie1

“This is how I didn’t react. Guys a sicknote, unfortunately…Sturridge II”

Credit: @NOMISYOUNG

“He’s made of glass… He will come back… Play 4 games… Then out for another 4/6 weeks.. Klopp should cut his losses in the summer and sell him… Imo”

Credit: @Oddjobbobajobb1

“Ruled out again. Who treats him, physios or Autoglass? It’s a shame but it’s like Aquilani all over again.”

Credit: @LeeGregson

“He’s been a massive disappointment. Tries to do too much, loses the ball, gets injured. Rinse, repeat.”

Credit: @Shadows07847621

In other news, talkSPORT pundit lambasted ‘rubbish’ Liverpool mishap during Southampton defeat.

Jairo Riedewald has signed a new three-year contract with Crystal Palace which will keep him at Selhurst Park until 2024.

While it’s a welcome boost for Roy Hodgson, the same can’t be said for James McCarthy, who faces an uncertain future in south London.

Riedewald scored a worldie of a goal after his 20-yard screamer took a deflection off Ciaran Clark to ensure the Eagles recorded back-to-back-wins in the Premier League for the first time since September as they overcame a spirited Newcastle United on their own home turf at St James’ Park.

He then marked the special occasion by putting pen to paper to a new deal to commit his future to the club.

McCarthy, on the other hand, has struggled for game time under Hodgson this season, with Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur often preferred in his place, having made ten appearances across all competitions, earning a rather disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.36 overall for his efforts.

By comparison, the 24-year-old has been in superb form for Hodgson’s side since the start of the season, averaging a solid 6.44 for the Eagles in all competitions.

In fact, it’s fair to say that Hodgson’s midfield is pretty well-stocked at present. He’s got Milivojevic, McArthur, McCarthy and Riedewald at his disposal, with the first two making at least 37 appearances between them this season thus far.

And the Eagles also have Cheikhou Kouyate on their books, albeit the 31-year-old has shifted to more of a defensive role as of late.

With Riedewald now penning a new deal, you do worry that McCarthy could soon be deemed surplus to requirements by the south London club.

Hodgson previously praised McCarthy for his role in Palace’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City last season, saying: “He’s been excellent and he’s getting better and better. We knew it would take a little time. He was training with Everton, so when he came to us he was technically fit and there was nothing wrong with him but of course he was not that close to the first-team for periods of time, not knocking on the door if you like.

“I knew the more he did with us, the chances he would get, he would get stronger and stronger. The action he performed for our equalising goal was quite incredible. That amount of running at that point in the game and to produce that pass was a class act. My faith in him and his faith in himself and determination to get back to that level of football has been rewarded. When you get these serious injuries which take you out of football for a long period of time it’s not easy.”

Unfortunately for McCarthy, since those promising comments, he has still been forced to settle for a spot on the bench more often than not so far this season and with Riedewald seemingly here to stay, the Irishman may have to get used to a place on saidthe aforementioned bench.

If he can’t re-establish himself in the first team between now and the end of the season, then it wouldn’t be a a surprise at all to see him leave Selhurst Park in the summer.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace will rue not signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Demarai Gray…