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Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been going wild over news involving Giovanni van Bronckhorst amid their continuing manager search.

It has been reported that the Dutchman is a ‘strong contender’ to replace the departed Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

As shared by Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth on his official Twitter page, the representative of Van Bronckhorst has now claimed that ‘positive talks’ have been held with the Light Blues over the vacant managerial role, with footage shown of the 46-year-old himself leaving London.

He would most certainly be a popular choice among a lot of Gers supporters, given that he is a two-time Premiership winner as a player with the club. He also did very well as a manager at Feyenoord, who he guided to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years back in the 2016/17 season (BBC), in addition to winning four other major trophies with the Rotterdam club.

Rangers fans on Van Bronckhorst manager news

These Rangers fans went wild as the news was shared on Twitter:

“Looks good to me”

Credit: @NickyTay55

“That is all”

Credit: @alanrankin77

“Ahhhhhhhhh it’s happening”

Credit: @JamieRFC14

“SIUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @__1872Scott

“Here we go, time for Gio.”

Credit: @jmc_1872

“Love to see it”

Credit: @cameron56689617

In other news, find out what international news has left these Gers fans buzzing

Aston Villa hope to have their new manager in place before their next Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans, who revealed in a post on Twitter that Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are hoping to have appointed Dean Smith’s replacement in the Aston Villa dugout by the time Brighton & Hove Albion visit Villa Park on November 20.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Appt’ expected before Brighton.”

Fans will be delighted

While Aston Villa’s transfer business this summer appeared to suggest that things were very much on the up for the club, with the likes of Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey all joining the Villans in big-money moves, unfortunately for fans of the club, these pre-season hopes have not quite lived up to expectations.

Indeed, over the club’s last five Premier League fixtures, Dean Smith’s side had suffered five consecutive defeats, scoring five and conceding 13 goals in the process – results which left the 50-year-old’s outfit on just 10 points after 11 games played, and only two points above the relegation zone.

And, after spending the best part of £90m in the transfer window, these results are quite clearly not good enough, meaning that, while he was undoubtedly a hugely popular figure at Villa, the club’s decision to part ways with Smith was probably the correct call.

As such, while fans are well within their rights to be sad to see the 50-year-old manager pack his bags, the truth of the matter is that now is an incredibly exciting time to be a Villa fan, as, with the players currently in the first-team squad, should NSWE get their appointment regarding Smith’s successor right, the next era in Aston Villa’s history could well be an incredibly successful one.

And, with the start of this new era looking to begin before the club’s next Premier League fixture, it seems as if fans will not have long to wait before they find out exactly who the next man to take charge of their side will be – something that is sure to delight the Villa Park faithful.

In other news: NSWE could land dream Gerrard alternative at AVFC in “exceptional” 54 y/o manager

The international break is never a straightforward period for any club, and for Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has now been dealt a pretty hefty setback as a result.

What’s the word?

The Times’ Paul Joyce confirmed a piece of news that surely no Liverpool fan wanted to hear ahead of a tough test against Arsenal this weekend.

He revealed that the international break had claimed Andy Robertson’s fitness with the full-back now a big doubt for this weekend’s clash.

Writing in his latest piece, the reporter noted:

“Andrew Robertson is a doubt for Liverpool’s game against Arsenal after sustaining a hamstring injury in Scotland’s World Cup qualifying win over Denmark.”

Huge blow

If Robertson is unable to take the field this weekend, it will surely leave supporters of the Reds absolutely gutted.

After all, the left-back is one of the club’s most important players and is undoubtedly the Premier League’s leading left-back.

He has been a vital cog in Merseyside for a considerable period of time now, with his defensive nouse, tantalising attacking play and boisterous leadership skills making him a mainstay of the team.

The defender has registered a whopping 39 assists from the backline since moving to Anfield and that kind of attacking fluency would be key against a Gunners team who are becoming more regimented in defence as the weeks go by.

Words from former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique provide evidence as to how good he is, and why he’ll be missed incredibly by Klopp on Saturday evening. The Spaniard said:

“He’s been the best left-back in the world for the last few years. I know everyone talks about [Alphonso] Davies from Bayern Munich but if you talk about consistency and level of performance all the time, this guy [Robertson] is unbelievable.”

Thus, to have a player like that absent for a clash against a team just two points behind you in the league table will be incredibly frustrating for supporters.

They do, of course, have the ever-improving Konstantinos Tsimikas to fill in but no one defines consistency and reliability quite like Robertson. His lack of fitness will surely be felt hard in the coming days.

AND in other news, Forget Edwards: LFC’s “incredible” 40 y/o brain-box could help keep Salah at Anfield…

A key Rangers transfer claim has been made ahead of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first window in charge of the Glasgow giants…

What’s the talk?

Retired Scotland international Frank McAvennie has claimed that he would ‘certainly expect’ the Gers to bolster their defence in the January transfer window.

The 62-year-old has pointed to their struggles against Martin Boyle, who scored a hat-trick in Hibernian’s 3-1 win over Rangers last weekend, as evidence as to why they need to dip into the market.

He told Football Insider: “I should think there will be deals.

“Martin Boyle is a very good player but if one player is running rings around your entire defence, you have a problem. The same quality hasn’t been there this season and sometimes the best way to amend that is with fresh blood.

“Maybe things have gone stale but look at the number of times they have conceded first this season.

“It’s a shocking drop off from last season. I don’t know if Van Bronckhorst will have taken the job if he wasn’t going to be backed. Let’s see what happens in January but I would certainly expect some movement to fix that defence out.”

Fans will be buzzing

Rangers fans will surely be buzzing with this claim from McAvennie as the team’s defence has faltered at times this season, so bringing in defensive reinforcements in January could delight those who want to see the backline improved.

So far this season, the Gers have only kept three clean sheets in their 13 Premiership matches. In the 2020/21 campaign, Steven Gerrard’s side managed 26 shutouts in 38 games on their way to the title, but the 41-year-old was unable to carry the impressive defensive record into the current season prior to his departure for Aston Villa earlier this month, with Van Bronckhorst tasked with improving that statistic.

The Dutchman also has to deal with Leon Balogun and Connor Goldson both being out of contract at the end of the season, although the former has an option to extend by a further 12 months. This means that Goldson could be on his way out the door next summer, so signing a replacement for him in January could be an ideal situation for the club and would surely please the fans.

Rangers could bring in a centre-back during the January transfer window to slowly take over from Goldson throughout the second half of the campaign. The former Brighton man could then leave next summer, with his replacement already in the door and accustomed to Van Bronckhorst’s tactics and his teammates.

AND in other news, Forget Morelos: “Special” Rangers beast with 91.6% duels won stole the show vs Sparta…

Aston Villa are looking to land Rangers defender Leon King in a cut-price deal, Ashley Preece reports.

The Lowdown: King profiled

King is 17 years of age and is primarily a centre-back who can also line out at left-back when required. He has made two senior appearances for Rangers and was promoted to first team training during Steven Gerrard’s time at Ibrox, with the current Villa boss labelling him ‘superb’.

The teenager’s contract in Glasgow expires at the end of the season, and although Rangers are in talks with King over a new deal, it seems as if Villa are looking to take full advantage.

The Latest: Preece’s update

Preece took to Twitter hours before Villa’s game with Manchester City on Wednesday, revealing that Gerrard is looking to take advantage of the defender’s contract situation, with a cut-price deal in the region of £200,000 thought to be on the cards.

The journalist tweeted: “Some transfer news into @birmingham_live prior to kick-off as Gerrard looks to take full advantage of Leon King’s contract situation at Rangers. The 17-year-old was promoted to first-team sessions under SG. Cut-price deal for #avfc.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move

Gerrard is thought to be after a centre-back in the New Year, and although King may not be an immediate first team signing, you’d expect that he could break into his plans over the coming years.

The teenager is clearly a player who the 41-year-old rates after promoting him to first team training at Rangers, and the defender may prove to be a bargain for villa in a six-figure deal.

Manchester United are also thought to be keen on the youngster, which further shows how big a deal it could be in the long run if the Midlanders pull it off.

In other news: ‘Gerrard out’ – Many Villa fans erupt over club’s plans for ‘brilliant’ beast

Liverpool are still reportedly eyeing up West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen with a view to a transfer in summer 2022.

The Lowdown: Bowen linked with Liverpool move

The 24-year-old has enjoyed an impressive season for the Hammers so far, playing his part in his side excelling in the Premier League.

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Bowen has scored three goals and registered four assists in the competition, including a superb strike in last weekend’s 3-2 win at home to Chelsea.

As such, Liverpool have been linked with a move for the Englishman, with Jurgen Klopp even commenting on his admiration for the player, and it is seemingly a rumour that is refusing to go away.

The Latest: Liverpool ‘monitoring’

According to The Liverpool Echo, the 5 foot 9 Bowen remains on the Reds’ radar, with the Merseysiders ‘continuing to monitor’ him.

It is stated that Liverpool are ‘unlikely to make an official approach’ next month, however, potentially waiting until next summer to get their man.

Bowen’s current Hammers deal expires in the summer of 2025, meaning the £27million-rated wide man shouldn’t be allowed to leave on the cheap in the near future.

The Verdict: Potential big loss

Bowen has been a key cog in the machine for David Moyes, dovetailing beautifully with the likes of Pablo Fornals, Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio in attack.

He would be a big loss as an all-round player, with the former Hull City man possessing quality on the ball but also working extremely hard for the team off it.

Bowen has averaged 1.3 key passes and 1.9 dribbles per game in the league this season – no West Ham player has more in the latter – and has also chipped in with 1.3 tackles per match, highlighting his worth to David Moyes on the other side of the ball.

In other news, a reliable reporter has made a key claim regarding one West Ham target. Find out who it is here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers managed to hold off a nightmare scoreline against Premier League champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon, especially after going down to ten men just before half-time.

Raul Jimenez could’ve opened the floodgates for a thrashing by getting sent off in the last moments of the first half after obstructing play whilst Manchester City attempted to take a free kick as a result of a foul the Mexican had committed only moments earlier, for which the striker was shown a yellow card. The 30-year-old went on to see his second yellow in a matter of seconds after refusing to allow the free kick to take place.

Rio Ferdinand spoke after the game on BT Sport about Jimenez’s reaction that caused the avoidable red card, saying: “It was schoolboy errors and he was playing to the crowd but there must have been a tinge of embarrassment at what he’d done. It was silly, 44 seconds from the yellow card to the red card. Stupid.”

In terms of more positive contributions from Bruno Lage’s side, Conor Coady might have been the man to produce a sensational goal-line clearance to deny Ilkay Gundogan, but another man who made an outstanding defensive contribution today was Jose Sa.

As per SofaScore, the goalkeeper made eight saves, with six of those coming from inside the box, and won 100% of his duels throughout the game, resulting in him earning the highest rating of 8.3 for Wolves, which was fully deserved.

The Athletic journalist Tim Spiers took to Twitter to express his amazement at one of the many saves that the 28-year-old made at the Etihad, commenting: “Jesus looks set to score but Sa is in with another big boy save at the near post.”

Manchester City had 24 shots, with 10 on target, giving Sa a busy shift in goal for Wolves this afternoon. After his performance which saw him concede just one goal, as well as having more touches and completing twice as many passes than Adama Traore throughout the game with only ten men on the pitch for Wolves, it’s safe to say that Sa was an absolute credit to his team today.

Based on this display, City boss Pep Guardiola will be having nightmares about having to face the Portuguese ‘keeper when the champions go to Molineux later in the season.

In other news: One of Sa’s team-mates had a rather different afternoon at the Etihad

Joey Veerman ‘remains high’ on Rangers’ list of transfer targets, journalist Pete O’Rourke has told Give Me Sport. 

The lowdown

The 23-year-old central midfielder plays for Heerenveen in the Eredivisie. He has two-and-a-half years left on his contract with the club and is valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt.

Rangers may need to seek replacements if some of their existing midfielders are lured elsewhere. The Gers are braced for January interest in Glen Kamara, while Joe Aribo also has admirers from the Premier League.

The latest

O’Rourke told Give Me Sport that Rangers attempted to bring in Veerman last summer, when Steven Gerrard was still their manager, and that the club’s interest hasn’t subsided.

He wonders if the defender’s Dutch compatriot Giovanni van Bronckhorst might enjoy more success in pursuit of the player, saying: “Veerman will definitely be high on the list of targets. They tried to sign him in the summer and he still remains high on their list of potential targets.

“With van Bronckhorst in there now, I think it just gives extra weight in maybe following up that interest in the Dutchman.”

The verdict

Veerman would arrive at Ibrox with some pretty glowing endorsements. Dutch coach Robert Molenaar has called him ‘extremely good’ on the ball, adding that he plays like he’s ‘on a square in [the village of] Volendam’. Meanwhile, former Rangers defender Michael Ball has said that ‘his numbers are fantastic’.

Ball is right to do so – Veerman has been directly involved in nine goals (scoring three and setting up six) in 15 league appearances in 2021/22. He also ranks in the Eredivisie’s top six for chances created per 90 minutes with 2.4 (via WhoScored).

Hopefully O’Rourke’s suspicion that Van Bronckhorst’s arrival at Rangers could be a substantial step towards persuading the 23-year-old to make the move to Ibrox, especially if Aribo moves south of the border.

In other news, this Rangers trio struggled against Hearts

Crystal Palace are thought to be interested in Everton left-back Lucas Digne ahead of the January window, and as to be expected, a number of Eagles fans have been giving their thoughts to the news on social media.

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux, the Eagles and Patrick Vieira are keen on his services, with the defender reportedly involved in an altercation with Toffees manager Rafael Benitez earlier this month.

The 28-year-old hasn’t featured in Everton’s last three games, with the France international making himself unavailable for the club’s recent draw with Chelsea.

Benitez looks set to add to his left-back ranks in January by bringing in Vitaliy Mykolenko in a deal worth a reported £17.9m, which could mean that Digne becomes surplus to requirements at Goodison Park.

The defender currently earns £110,000 per week on Merseyside, and if he were to join Palace for a similar pay packet, he would instantly become the third-highest paid player at Selhurst Park behind Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the story regarding Palace’s interest in Digne via Twitter. Here is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply, with some mixed responses and one labelling a possible deal as ‘unbelievable’.

“Absolutely no chance. But my god what a signing that would be”

Credit: @Phillyconcarne

“Would destroy the wage bill”

Credit: @dougCPFC

“Would be an UNBELIEVABLE signing”

Credit: @Benteke_SZN

“I can’t lie we would probs win the league if we signed him, no disrespect to Mitchell who has been excellent but Digne is a level above”

Credit: @TalkCPFC

“Can we maybe get a new RB before LB? Ferguson will never play a minute for this club, Clyne will no longer improve and Ward is out of his depth at RB in the Prem now”

Credit: @rossNOIRElloyd

“I don’t get why, he would obviously slot straight in but when Mitchell is looking good, you’ve got Hannam coming through, it’s bizarre, need to spend on backup midfielders and centre halfs really”

Credit: @nikolimorgan

In other news: ‘Going to be insane’ – Many Crystal Palace fans react to ‘wild’ club update

Albian Ajeti is among the players who could leave Celtic during the January transfer window, according to The Daily Record’s Scott Burns. 

The lowdown

Celtic kicked off the window with three incomings in the form of Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate, but it looks like Ange Postecoglou also intends to trim the excess from his Hoops squad this month.

Ajeti has made 17 appearances so far this season, but only three of those have been Premiership starts. Celtic paid £4.5million to sign this Swiss marksman from West Ham in August 2020, but he has only managed to score nine goals in his 48 outings since.

The latest

Burns wrote in The Daily Record that Celtic are ‘open to deals’ for Ajeti, Boli Bolingoli and Vassilis Barkas.

He added that Ismaila Soro ‘could also come into that equation’ after falling out of favour at Parkhead.

The verdict

If Celtic can offload all four players permanently, they could generate a healthy sum. Combine their Transfermarkt valuations – £1.35m each for Barkas and Bolingoli, £810,000 for Soro and £2.25m for Ajeti – and it comes to £5.76m.

That would put them comfortably in the black for January given that their J1 League triple swoop only cost them £2.06m overall.

Looking at it another way, it could finance the prospective permanent signing of Cameron Carter-Vickers from Tottenham Hotspur. Celtic have an option to buy the on-loan American for £6m, and Spurs may be willing to negotiate.

In other news, Celtic have been linked with this Bundesliga talent.