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Rangers begin their Champions League qualifying campaign with an away game against Malmo on Tuesday evening, and Steven Gerrard should hand a start Scott Wright.

The Gers travel to Sweden to take on Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side, with just two ties separating the Gers from the Champions League group stage.

It was confirmed earlier this week that the winner of this tie will take on either Ludogorets or  Olympiacos in the play-off round, but Malmo will be far from easy for Gerrard’s side, with the Swedish side responsible for Rangers’ exit the last time they appeared in the Champions League qualifiers in 2011.

Therefore, Rangers will need to be at their best if they are to pick up a positive result at the Eleda Stadium on Tuesday night, and Wright deserves a start after his impressive performance against Livingston at the weekend.

Why should Wright start vs Livingston?

The former Aberdeen man replaced the injury-stricken Ianis Hagi early on and later scored Rangers’ second goal with a superb volleyed finish inside the area. His performance earned him a 7.6 SofaScore rating, the joint-second highest of anyone who featured at Ibrox.

Following the game, Gerrard was full of praise for the 23-year-old’s display and his attitude in pre-season, saying: “Scott could have started today. His performances in pre-season have been outstanding. We’re working on him a lot.

“He’s quick and got his rewards from another strong performance. He’s really in my thinking for Tuesday night.”

The 41-year-old admitted that Hagi might not be fit to start against the Swedish champions, but even if the Romanian does return, Rangers might be best served by starting the Scottish winger on the right-hand side.

The 23-year-old offers the pace and direct running which Hagi doesn’t, and on a night where Rangers might find themselves on the back foot as the away team, speed on the counterattack could be key to Gerrard’s side bringing a positive result back to Ibrox for next week.

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Although Malmo only scraped past HJK Helsinki and Riga to earn their place in this stage of the Champions League qualifiers, they have won their last three league games with a cumulative score of 11-0, so will be in a confident mood as they welcome Rangers. However, if Wright gets a start and produces a similar display to Saturday’s win at Ibrox, then he could prove to be Gerrard’s difference-maker in Sweden tonight.

In other news… Rangers miss out on “fantastic” gem, Gerrard surely gutted

It hasn’t been a great 12 months for Tottenham Hotspur as they failed to qualify for the Europa League, have no manager and could be set to lose Harry Kane, but despite this Peterborough’s Director of Football Barry Fry has claimed that Spurs have everything in place to succeed.

There is no secret in the fact that Spurs have been turned down or failed to offer anyone the manager’s position with the likes of Antonio Conte and Paulo Fonseca all failing to agree on terms and a plan to be at the club.

Their squad is a mixture of top-class players and ones that have failed to live up to expectations over the last 12-18 months, but with arguably the best stadium and training facilities in Europe it is quite bizarre that they have failed to fill the void left by Jose Mourinho earlier this year.

From the outside looking in, it appears that Spurs could be in a bit of trouble this summer if they can’t get a manager in place soon to bring in new players and convince Kane to stay, however Fry believes that they have everything in place and necessary to succeed, as he told Football FanCast exclusively:

“They’ve got the best stadium in the world and one of the best training grounds in the world so they’ve got everything in place but they’re not getting it right on the pitch.”

Spurs appeared to be set for a prolonged period of time challenging at the top of the Premier League after they came close to winning the league in 2016, and then made the Champions League final in 2019, but since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure the club has been spiralling down the league.

Despite having a top stadium and training facilities, they may struggle to attract the best players with the only European football they have to offer is the newly-formed Europa Conference League which does not seem appealing to many clubs or players.

Carlton Palmer believes that it could be worth Leeds exploring the possibility of signing free agent Andre Ayew this summer.

Ayew has been one of the standout strikers in the Championship in recent years, scoring 33 league goals across the last two seasons to help Swansea qualify for the play-offs on both occasions.

However, following their recent play-off final defeat to Brentford, the Ghanaian’s departure was confirmed, meaning he’s available to sign for nothing having run his contract down in South Wales.

Celtic are reportedly keening a close eye on the 31-year-old, but Leeds could hold an advantage due to the fact Ayew has previously played under and scored goals under Marcelo Bielsa during their one season together at Marseille in 2014-15.

Leeds already have two strikers in their ranks in Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo, but Palmer thinks that signing a proven goalscorer like Ayew on a free would be impressive business.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“Swansea have only let him go because they didn’t get promoted and he’s their highest-paid player.

“17 goals in the Championship, 16 goals the season before stands to reason that he will go up and score goals in the Premier League. If he weighs in with 10 or 12 goals for you, and you take him on a free, that could be some good business.”

According to a report by Portuguese newspaper A Bola, via Sport Witness, West Ham United have commenced talks to know the fee needed to sign Boavista forward Alberth Elis this summer.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye attacking options…

It is well documented that manager David Moyes is eager to bring more attacking options to the London Stadium this summer.

As well as a permanent deal for 2020/2021 loan sensation Jesse Lingard, West Ham are said to be on the hunt for a new talismanic striker as they look to shore up a problem position (Claret & Hugh).

Michail Antonio played a starring role at points for the Irons last season but was often ruled out of action through injury.

The Latest: West Ham enter Elis talks…

Now, as per A Bola (via Sport Witness), West Ham have commenced talks to find out the fee needed to sign Boavista forward Elis.

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As well as the Hammers, Premier League rivals Southampton are said to have done the same – with Brighton and Watford also closely following him back in April.

It is claimed by this report that the 25-year-old is ‘likely to leave’ the Estádio do Bessa this summer in what could be a boost for West Ham in their pursuit.

Elis completed his first full season in Europe’s top five divisions over 2020/2021 and finished it with a notable eight goals and seven assists over the Liga NOS campaign (Sport Witness).

Boavista have told West Ham what they need to pay for his signature, around €10 million (£8.5m).

The Verdict: Not a priority…

Despite being only 25, Elis already has much experience on the international stage – earning 42 caps for his native Honduras (Transfermarkt).

He has also earned praise form ex-Celtic defender and compatriot Emilio Izaguirre, who told the Herald Times and Sport he is ‘very fast and strong’ (via Glasgow Times).

However, given his lack of experience at the top level, it could in fact be a gamble – with the likes of Tammy Abraham and Youssef En-Nesyri, who have been linked (ExWHUemployee), potentially better options.

In other news: ‘Incredible’…Sky Sports pundit raves as West Ham allegedly eye ‘fantastic signing’, find out more here.

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he can see Manchester United’s Anthony Martial joining Tottenham this summer.

Martial’s game time is in danger following the arrival of another attacker in Jadon Sancho, with United confirming on Thursday that they had reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund to sign the England star.

It leaves someone like Martial, who was not always an automatic starter under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season, sweating on his place. And Windass can now imagine the Frenchman at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about the possibility of Martial joining Spurs this summer, the ex-Hull City forward said:

“I could see that happening. They probably know [Harry] Kane’s gone now anyway. That’s probably a done deal with whoever it’s with.

“Martial will be a great fit, bit less pressure on Martial I think. Listen, great player, by the way. I just think his days are numbered at Man United.

“I think he’d be a great fit for Tottenham – bit less pressure on the kid. He’ll probably want to go and enjoy his football.”

Last season was not Martial’s best in front of goal, with the 25-year-old scoring just four times in the Premier League.

But in the words of compatriot Kylian Mbappe, he is still a “talented” player. The France international averaged 1.6 dribbles per league game in the 2020/21 campaign, one of the highest averages in United’s squad (via WhoScored).

When Frank Lampard was appointed Derby manager, a couple of Chelsea’s youngsters followed him to Pride Park.

And former Crystal Palace striker Marcus Bent believes that if Lampard becomes the new Crystal Palace boss, a similar situation could occur.

On that occasion, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount, two players have gone on to become England internationals, joined Lampard at Derby and both played a key role in the Rams reaching the play-offs.

Lampard hadn’t managed Chelsea at that time but having spent 18 months in the dugout in west London, there’s every chance some out of favour players could link-up with him at Selhurst Park, should Steve Parrish decide to hire him.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham are two of those out of favour at Stamford Bridge and would appear, whilst highly rated midfielder Billy Gilmour is in desperate need of regular first-team football having been handed his senior Blues debut by Lampard.

Bent exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Going to Crystal Palace, because of the finances, there is always a lot of loan deals because there isn’t a lot of finances to go out and buy players.

“If Frank was in there, he would probably bring some young players in on loan, show what they’re about, give them that experience.

“I think that Frank probably has a few things up his sleeve, he could probably talk to Chelsea.”

Former West Ham striker Brian Deane has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that £40m is a cheap price for Issa Diop.

According to Claret and Hugh, West Ham are not looking to sell Diop this summer. However, should a £40m bid come in for the 24-year-old central defender, the Hammers could reconsider their stance.

Having been on the fringes earlier this season, Diop has become a mainstay in West Ham’s defence, so he is a player that David Moyes will probably be wanting to keep hold of going into the 2021/22 campaign.

At that reported £40m valuation, though, Deane believes that could be tricky. Speaking exclusively to FFC on the subject, the retired Premier League footballer said:

“It’s cheap money. So if I was a club, I’d be looking to snap him up, personally. But it just depends on what West Ham want to do. If they’re saying that ‘we don’t want him to leave but it will cost £40m’ then that’s not really saying [he’s not for sale].

“So I don’t know the dynamics of what’s going on, but he’s well within reach of a lot of teams at that money.”

Manchester United have been credited with an interest in the player before, so if David Gold and David Sullivan do decide to sell for £40m, perhaps the Red Devils will make a move given that they are a club that could easily pay that fee.

Celtic have been warned to move quickly or risk losing out on Peterborough United striker Siriki Dembele.

Noel Whelan, formerly of Aberdeen, discussed the potential transfer with Football Insider.

The lowdown

24-year-old Dembele scored 11 goals and provided 12 assists in 45 appearances for Peterborough as they secured automatic promotion from League One.

Overall, the striker has netted 25 times and set up a further 28 goals in 122 outings for The Posh.

Dembele is about to enter the final year of his contract at the Weston Homes Stadium, and the club’s Director of Football Barry Fry doesn’t currently expect him to commit to a new deal.

According to Football Insider, Celtic are one of many clubs eyeing him.

His younger brother, Karamoko, already plays for the Hoops, but arch-rivals Rangers are said to be in the hunt, along with Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Dembele is a supremely versatile forward. He’s just about played the majority of his games as a centre-forward, but has also notched 26 combined appearances as a left-winger and attacking midfielder.

The latest

Whelan reckons it would be good business for Celtic but cautioned that ‘goalscorers don’t hang around’.

“There’s no doubt they need new strikers in there,” he said.

“If you can get a player on the cheap who is a good standard and will do very well in the Scottish Premiership, it’s a no-brainer.

“But they have to get a manager in there to get a deal done as quickly as possible.

“Goalscorers don’t hang around too long and god forbid you don’t want Rangers swooping in there and beating you.

“They need to get things in place before you start buying players. The manager is the priority.

“He can bring his players, you can’t judge him if he fails with someone else’s players.”

The verdict

Dembele probably shouldn’t be viewed as a replacement for Odsonne Edouard, were the Frenchman to leave, because he’s not really an out-and-out number nine.

But his versatility would make him a valuable asset to any of his suitors and he’ll surely be available for a relatively small fee given Fry’s public admission over his contract.

Clubs are bound to pounce on bargains of this nature, but Celtic feel like a club in limbo at the moment, almost paralysed until they finally resolve this managerial uncertainty.

In other news, Danny Mills made this claim about John Kennedy.

Southampton have been linked with Adam Armstrong recently, and the Blackburn Rovers man could be the ideal heir to Danny Ings in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

According to the Daily Express, the Saints are readying a bid for the former Newcastle United man this summer after his hugely impressive season in the Championship with Tony Mowbray’s side.

The 24-year-old contributed 28 goals and five assists in just 40 Championship appearances, averaging a superb 7.15 rating from WhoScored for his performances, so he certainly seems ready for the step up to the Premier League.

Although previous reports have suggested that Blackburn could demand up to £20m, a recent report from The Telegraph suggests that he would cost just £10m this summer as he is set to enter the final year of his contract at Ewood Park, which makes him a much more realistic option for the Saints as he now fits into Hasenhuttl’s price range.

It also seems likely that he would fit into the Austrian’s style of play should he make the switch to St Mary’s this summer, as he is a quick striker who loves to make runs in behind – similar to the styles of both Che Adams and Ings, who have formed an effective partnership since the Scotland international arrived at the club from Birmingham City.

Ings has been heavily linked with a move away from Southampton ahead of the summer transfer window and has just one year left on his deal at St Mary’s, so an exit certainly seems to be on the cards in the near future for the former Liverpool man.

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If Southampton are looking for a long-term heir to the 28-year-old, the Blackburn Rovers star could be the perfect man, with WhoScored suggesting that both Ings and Armstrong’s strengths include their finishing ability, long shots and dribbling.

Mowbray was full of praise for Armstrong earlier in the season, saying: “His explosive pace at the top end of the pitch allows you to play both ways, to not be overly concerned if you’re pinned back around the edge of your box because one pass releases pressure to someone like (Harvey) Elliott to play the pass that he can hit, just leaving it in the space for the speed and dynamic movement of Armstrong — it’s a devastating effect for the team.”

There certainly seems to be a lot of similarities between Ings and Armstrong, and therefore Martin Semmens should definitely try and bring the Blackburn marksman to St Mary’s this summer.

In other news… Southampton could sign their next Pelle in £6.3m-rated beast

Sunderland fans were far from happy with the showing of Josh Scowen during their match against Blackpool in League One on Saturday.

The Black Cats hopes of automatic promotion to the Championship lay in tatters. 2-1 defeats to Charlton Athletic and Wigan Athletic already put them on the back foot, but the 1-0 loss to the Seasiders means they are now eight points behind Peterborough in second with five games left to play (BBC).

The display of Scowen was particularly disappointing for the Black Cats supporters. He has come under fire in the past for his showings, and it was the same again here against Blackpool as he struggled to give his side the upper hand in the middle of the park. His passing, in particular, was criticised by the fans, as he lost possession 15 times, per Sofascore.

The Stadium of Light faithful were far from happy with that they saw, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the showing.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Scowen below

“I feel qualified to speak on this as I’ve watched so many bad players for Sunderland: Josh Scowen is one of the worst players I’ve ever seen, and Lee Burge is an atrocious goalkeeper.”

Credit: @AnthonyMorrow83

“Scowen is a horrendous footballer”

Credit: @15jgilmore

“Scowen couldn’t pass water so far today”

Credit: @76skelly

“He’s rancid scowen like”

Credit: @liammcm5499114

“Scowen – Can’t pass. Can’t shoot. Doesn’t create. Doesn’t get into the box. Does give away possession. Does give away needless free kicks. #safc SIMPLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH.”

Credit: @W24Holden

“He’s been needing to come off for about 2 hours we’ve only played 94 minutes”

Credit: @AshmanJase

In other news, Sunderland fans are delighted with news on this man.