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Whilst Rangers’ defence has been one of the key factors behind their impressive title triumph this season, it is worth noting that Steven Gerrard has been without one of his best centre-backs in Nikola Katic due to injury for the whole campaign, but it appears that the Croatian is nearing a return at Ibrox.

Speaking in a press conference earlier this week, assistant manager Gary McAllister delivered a promising update on the 24-year-old defender, confirming that he is now ‘back on the grass’ after his long-term injury problems.

The centre-back, who was signed from Croatian side Slaven Belupo Koprivnica in the summer of 2018, quickly established himself as a regular and a fan favourite at Ibrox and has now made 59 appearances for the Light Blues, in which he has contributed six goals and three assists.

It was a massive blow for Gerrard ahead of this campaign when Katic ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in training last summer and it would be great to see him make even one appearance before the end of the campaign.

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Gerrard is undoubtedly a massive fan of the centre-back, as in 2019 he explained why the Croatian was keeping Filip Helander out of the team, saying: “Nikola is a player we love and admire and want to help grow and develop and that is happening.”

The centre-back also earned a lot of praise from Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic after he suffered his injury last year and assured the defender that he will reclaim his place in the national side, saying: “Niko is young and he has lots of time on his side to come back from this. He is a player I rate highly. He is playing at a very high level.”

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Therefore, it is a massive boost for Rangers and Gerrard that the £1.44m-rated Croatian has made a big step towards his recovery, and even if he doesn’t make his return this season, he will undoubtedly have a big part to play next season when the Light Blues look to retain their Premiership title.

In other news… Gerrard should axe £7.5k-p/w Rangers outcast this summer, he’s nowhere near Champions League level

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O técnico interino do Corinthians, Fabio Carille, tentou não polemizar, mas admitiu carências no elenco da equipe. Após a derrota para o Botafogo, no último sábado, ele admitiu que o Timão não consegue manter o mesmo padrão de jogo quando perde alguns de seus titulares.

– Para jogar da mesma forma, não (conseguimos), temos que mudar a forma de jogar, pelas características dos jogadores. Temos de fazer o melhor com esse grupo – opinou.

Carille não quis jogar a toalha no Brasileirão e falou em motivar e treinar o grupo. O próximo compromisso corintiano, que vem de cinco jogos sem vitória no Brasileirão, é quarta-feira, contra o Atlético-MG, na Arena.

Contudo, embora reconheça deficiências no grupo alvinegro, Fabio Carille vê uma pressão exagerada sobre o elenco, que perdeu muitas peças.

-É um grupo jovem, e temos um ano em que aconteceu muita coisa, desde a pré-temporada quando perdemos seis titulares, depois partiram Felipe, Elias e outros. Se cobra às vezes mais do que se deve – opinou.

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What forms a recipe for a transfer at Molineux? Well, first of all, you have to be a fine cheese, a player capable of maturing over time and developing as each year passes by.

Secondly, you quite often have to hail from Iberia. Add a light sprinkling of Gestifute, Jorge Mendes’ agency, into the equation and you have a classic culmination.

Of course, Wolves do explore other areas but they have no fewer than eight of their players on the books of the so-called super agent. It’s hard to forget that Nuno Santo is also a client of Mendes.

Close ties to an agent as powerful as him leads to a lot of transfer rumours and one of the freshest to emerge regards Goncalo Guedes.

Football Insider revealed earlier this month that Wolves were trying to beat West Ham to the attacking midfielder’s signature. Again, he is a player with all the ingredients Jeff Shi loves.

He is Portuguese, he is young enough to develop at 24, and he’s a client of Mendes.

With seven goal involvements to his name in 2020/21, he’d be a shrewd addition for Wolves and crucially could give them a bit of added spice in the final third. After all, it’s something they’ve lacked enormously this term.

Fabio Silva has netted just twice while Willian Jose is yet to score for the Old Gold, something Steve Bull attributes to a lack of service.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said last week: “I can relate to where he’s [Jose] coming from because I’d be as frustrated as he is, and I’d want to get the wingers and strangle them and say get that ball in the box.”

Guedes is someone who can bring a bit of extra creativity to this Wolves side, possessing the ability to play on the wing and in behind the striker.

Though, as well as aiding Wolves’ frontline, he could make up for the loss of a certain Pedro Goncalves. The Portuguese sensation played a matter of minutes for the Molineux outfit before being sold to Sporting Lisbon with very little fanfare.

However, his development has been meteoric, now being linked with high-brow moves to clubs like Liverpool after scoring 15 goals and claiming five assists this term.

Guedes might not be as prolific as that, but he certainly knows where the net is and he comes with a glowing recommendation from none other than Luis Figo; “Guedes is a fast, irreverent and unpredictable player, who himself builds actions for his teammates and is also able to finish well,” the former Ballon d’Or winner said.

Building chances for others and finishing adeptly bears great similarity to Goncalves, a player Wolves must now be cursing their luck over.

Guedes has scored 20 times during his time at current club Valencia and due to the positions he occupies on the field, could be their inadvertent replacement.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for £74k-p/w beast this summer, Spiers once dubbed him “superb”…

Speaking to the press, via football.london, West Ham United boss David Moyes has dropped a promising transfer hint that loanee Craig Dawson could soon become a permanent Irons player – with the Scotsman confirming that the club are ‘very close’ fulfilling the obligation to buy clause.

Dawson, who has been a revelation for the Hammers since signing on loan from Watford in the summer, could soon become a permanent Hammers man as the club near the amount of games needed to trigger a deal.

When asked how likely it is that the defender becomes a fully fledged Iron, Moyes responded by saying that there is indeed a ‘good chance’ – going on to say that the club are indeed approaching that outcome.

David Moyes drops enticing hint in West Ham transfer message

“There is a good chance although we are not quite there yet,” explained the West Ham manager.

“But there is a clause in it after a certain amount of games and we are getting very close to that number.

“His performances, his attitude and determination are certainly worthy of that anyway.

“We brought him in, it took him a while until the Southampton game I think it was before he got a start but that was because of the form of Fabian Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna but he has come in and added goals to us as well and his experience has been really important and he is playing really well this season.”

Transfer Tavern take

Given how much he has shone as a centre-back partner to both Ogbonna and, more recently, with Issa Diop – Dawson signing permanently at the London Stadium could come as another boost to the club as they chase European football for this season and beyond.

Time will tell exactly when he becomes a permanent West Ham man, but it almost appears inevitable judging by this Moyes message.

In other news: A West Ham source lifted the lid on this GSB plan, find out more here.

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud recently and his signing could prove to be a repeat of the deal that saw Ilkay Gundogan join the Citizens in 2016.

According to the Daily Mail, a host of Premier League clubs including City, Chelsea, Everton and Chelsea are all interested in signing the 25-year-old, who has just one year left on his deal with BVB.

The report suggests that City were keen on the midfielder before his move to Dortmund from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2016 and they could reignite their interest this summer as he continues to impress with the Signal Iduna Park outfit.

So far this season, the German international has made just 12 appearances in the Bundesliga, in which he has contributed one goal and no assists, averaging a solid if unspectacular 6.74 WhoScored average match rating for his performances.

However, he has impressed with his displays in the Champions League, as he has averaged a 7.21 WhoScored rating for his performances, which suggests that he can be a top midfielder when on form.

City’s last signing from Borussia Dortmund was the deal which saw Gundogan join in 2016 and he has certainly proven to be a huge success, despite the injury concerns many had when he made the move to the Etihad.

This season in particular has seen the 30-year-old impress, as he has contributed 12 goals and one assist in 23 Premier League appearances, resulting in a superb 7.23 WhoScored rating.

However, the Turkish-born midfielder was not usually renowned for his goals at Manchester City, with his six league goals in the 2018/19 Premier League season his previous best tally.

WhoScored suggests that both Dahoud and Gundogan’s main strengths are their passing and long shots, which suggests that the Dortmund midfielder is a very similar style of player to the 30-year-old and could duly be a big hit at City should he join Guardiola’s side this summer.

Therefore, sporting director Txiki Begiristain should definitely consider bringing the £7.65m-rated midfielder to the Etihad Stadium in the summer, as it could prove to be a repeat of the masterclass which saw them sign Gundogan five years ago.

In other news… Txiki may regret £25m Man City decision with “phenomenal” beast

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer expressed his doubts over Liverpool’s reported interest in Leeds United star Raphinha.

The Brazilian attacker has impressed at Elland Road this season following his £17m move from Rennes in last summer’s transfer window, managing to score five goals and provide five assists in the current Premier League campaign.

Raphinha is now being linked with a move to Jurgen Klopp’s side, with France Football (via MailOnline) previously reporting that the 24-year-old tops the Reds’ shortlist. Palmer, however, thinks it is too soon for that type of talk.

Discussing the speculation in an exclusive interview with FFC, the ex-Leeds player said:

“I think it’s a bit early to say that [Raphinha ready for Liverpool]. I mean, you know, all the media in the UK, all of a sudden, they have a couple of good games, the next minute, they’re Messi or Ronaldo.”

Speaking on the subject further, Palmer later added: “Players have to play consistently, and that’s what the top players do. Top players perform eight out of 10 games well. That’s what they do, and you have to do that over a period of time to be considered a top player, so he has to keep doing what he’s doing.”

Even if Raphinha is ready to make that jump from Leeds to Liverpool, it may not be the best career move in regards to getting minutes on the pitch.

While the former Rennes man has certainly performed well in attack this season, he would be competing against two of the best forwards in world football in Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at Anfield.

The Liverpool duo recorded some brilliant numbers in front of goal on the Merseyside club’s way to the 2019/20 Premier League title, scoring 37 times combined, showing the extent of what Raphinha would be up against.

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Na estreia do técnico Márcio Fernandes sob o comando do Botafogo-SP, a equipe de Ribeirão Preto derrotou o Mogi Mirim por 2 a 0 na tarde deste sábado, jogando em seu estádio Santa Cruz, e subiu aos dez pontos no grupo A.

Após um primeiro tempo fraco, o Botafogo acordou na volta do intervalo e conseguiu os gols do triunfo com Danilo Bueno, aos 14 minutos, e já no finalzinho do jogo, aos 47, com o atacante Diogo Campos, impondo a terceira derrota consecutiva ao Mogi Mirim.

Com os dez pontos na tabela, o Bota é o quarto colocado, atrás de Linense (dez), São Bento (12) e Santos (11), mas com uma partida a mais que os rivais melhores colocados. Já o Mogi Mirim segue na lanterna do grupo D, com sete pontos conquistados.

Na próxima rodada, o Botafogo joga novamente em casa, contra o Corinthians, às 16h do sábado. Já o Mogi recebe a visita do Oeste, às 18h30 de domingo.

Pelo mesmo grupo, o Oeste venceu o Água Santa por 1 a 0. O gol só saiu aos 40 minutos do primeiro tempo, após Ricardo Bueno ser puxado por André Rocha, dentro da área, e o árbitro ter sinalizado penalidade. O próprio atacante cobrou e marcou. No segundo tempo, nenhum lance de mais perigo. O jogo foi claramente prejudicado pelas condições do gramado que não suportou a chuva forte.

Mesmo com o resultado, a equipe de Itápolis permanece na zona de rebaixamento, com oito pontos. Jáo Água Santa, que obteve seu terceiro jogo sem vitória no estadual, estacionou na segunda colocação do Grupo D, com 11 pontos, e pode ter a vice-liderança ameaçada com a sequência da rodada neste domingo.

This has been a testing period for Leeds United.

After being utterly dispatched by Manchester United at Old Trafford, they bounced back brilliantly versus Burnley.

They showed various qualities that were lacking against United, demonstrating desire, togetherness and most importantly, solidity.

Goalkeeper Illan Meslier kept a clean sheet, one they can take immense pride from given Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente were all out injured.

After winning, will Marcelo Bielsa make any changes? Given how much football they’re having to play at the moment it could be a distinct possibility. Here’s how we reckon Leeds should line-up when they face West Brom on Tuesday evening.

The first thing to note is that Leeds are likely to play a similar sort of formation to the one we saw at Elland Road a matter of days ago.

That means that Pascal Struijk, Kalvin Phillips and Luke Ayling make up a three-man backline once again. Llorente picked up an injury setback after returning to training last week and consequently, will miss this game.

That being said, we think that Bielsa should make as many as three changes for the clash with the Baggies. The first one to note is the return of Pablo Hernandez. Mateusz Klich was a source of frustration against the Clarets, hitting a number of attempts at goal off target. We know Hernandez can dominate against this type of opposition so he deserves a rare start.

We also think that Jack Harrison needs a rest. The Manchester City loanee has been playing at full throttle this term and after his poor day in front of goal a few days ago, needs to be taken out of the team in favour of Helder Costa.

The final change we’re tipping might be a bit of a stretch but we’ve been crying out for Leif Davis to play on the left-hand side for a few weeks. Against weaker opposition, now seems like the ideal chance to give him his first Premier League start.

Only time will tell whether Bielsa does opt for this XI.

AND in other news, Forget Traore: Leeds must swoop for “explosive” outcast who BULLIED Alioski this year…

Maximilian Wober is one of the latest centre-backs to be linked with a move to Liverpool as the Reds potentially look to add defensive reinforcements during the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, Wober has emerged as a potential option for the Reds to pursue in the winter transfer window.

Jurgen Klopp is currently without Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip who are all sidelined through injury, so it would be somewhat of a surprise if they didn’t add a centre-back to their ranks in the current window, considering their most recent fixture saw the German manager select midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as centre-backs.

Imagine him and Fabinho

Wober has impressed with RB Salzburg since joining from Sevilla in the summer of 2019, averaging a superb 7.09 rating for his performances in the Champions League with the Austrian side last season.

The 22-year-old is well-travelled despite being so young, having already featured for Rapid Vienna, Ajax, Sevilla and RB Salzburg in his career thus far, so he would bring plenty of experience with him if he were to make the move to Anfield.

Considering Klopp has been forced to select one of the inexperienced duo of Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips on numerous occasions so far this season, he would no doubt be grateful to sign someone such as Wober, who has experience playing in La Liga, the Eredivisie and the Champions League.

The 6 foot 2 defender could prove to be a great partner for Fabinho at the heart of Liverpool’s defence in the short-term, with WhoScored listing his strengths as passing and aerial duels, suggesting he could fit in well with the Reds’ defensive philosophy.

Wober is currently valued at just £8.1 million, suggesting that he could represent a fairly cheap alternative for Michael Edwards in the January transfer window and at just 22-years-old, there is still plenty of time for him to improve and adapt to Liverpool’s style of play.

Therefore, the Austrian U21 international certainly seems an option that Liverpool should consider as they look to find a solution to their current defensive injury crisis.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Phillips: Edwards must seal swoop for £16.5m “leader” likened to Vidic

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A saída de André do Atlético-MG parece cada vez mais próxima de ocorrer. A diretoria do clube divulgou na tarde desta quinta-feira que o atacante foi afastado do restante do elenco, e passará a treinar em horários alternativos na Cidade do Galo.

O clube esclareceu que a atitude não foi tomada em decorrência do episódio no qual o atacante postou uma foto em seu Instagram na qual aparece com uma camisa de treino do Galo, mas com o escudo apagado. O afastamento de André foi acatado normalmente pela comissão técnica.

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O jogador de 25 anos, que voltou ao Atlético-MG após se destacar no Brasileirão pelo Sport, foi especulado por Grêmio, Internacional e, segundo o LANCE! apurou, assinou um pré-contrato com o Corinthians. A assessoria de comunicação do Galo negou que recebeu qualquer proposta oficial do Timão.

Além de André, treinam em separado no Atlético-MG os laterais Pedro Botelho e Emerson Conceição, e o volanteFillipe Soutto.