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Loads of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left confused by some exit news that ahs emerged involving Stephen Kelly.

As per the official Twitter page of the Ibrox faithful, the central midfield player has now joined English League Two club Salford City on a loan deal for the rest of the season.

He had only made two senior appearances for the Light Blues all campaign, and so has moved in search of more regular game time.

While a loan move is good for the 21-year-old’s development, a lot of Teddy Bears are confused over his move to Salford, claiming that he can play at a better level.

He has played for Scotland many times at youth level, including nine caps with the U21s, and perhaps a move to another team in the Scottish Premiership would have benefitted him better, if another offer came through.

Rangers fans on Kelly loan

These Gers were confused as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one RFC supporter claiming that they were ‘baffled’, while another even went as far as to say that it was an ‘awful’ move:

“Makes no sense he’s at a miles higher level than that”

Credit: @ggh1992

“Why?”

Credit: @mrmorton_man

“I’m baffled by this”

Credit: @kennyd9

“So much better than the 4th tier of English football.”

Credit: @cccc18721972

“League 2?!!!”

Credit: @WilliamGrimes_

“That’s an absolutely awful loan move for him.”

Credit: @Newcoinvestor

In other news, find out what other club update has Gers buzzing here!

Liverpool could find themselves without Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita for their Premier League clash with Chelsea on 2 January.

That’s if Egyptian club Al Ahly get their wish for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be moved.

The Mirror’s David Lynch reported that Liverpool are ‘confident’ that the trio will be available for the trip to Stamford Bridge, but the African club’s intervention threatens to throw a ‘spanner in the works’.

Al Ahly are lobbying CAF to move the tournament’s start date from 9 January to 3 January. That would ensure they had their key players available for the start of the Club World Cup on 3 February.

However, from a Liverpool perspective, it would rule out Salah, Mane and Keita for the meeting with title rivals Chelsea, currently just one point behind The Reds in the table.

Just how big a blow would this be for Liverpool?

Salah is Liverpool’s runaway top scorer with 21 goals in all competitions, more than twice the tally of his nearest challenger. Mane is joint-second with nine goals, while Keita is a valuable rotation option, having played seven league games so far this season and netted three goals in all competitions.

Fan feed Anfield Edition relayed Lynch’s report on Al Ahly’s wishes, and here’s what some Reds supporters made of it.

Liverpool fans flock to AFCON update

“If AFCON allow this to happen, then this tournament is meaningless, less significant than Club World Cup. Even FA didn’t want to move their FA Cup preliminary rounds for us when we went to Club World Cup.”

Credit: @lfc_eddie

“Against Chelsea without Salah and Mane? We will be in trouble, that’s for sure. Hopefully before that there will be new players signed. Either Raphinha, Bowen or Antony to replace Salah’s position. For Mane’s position maybe Jota can play there.”

Credit: @Anggara16126514

“Jog on la”

Credit: @_DS_LFC

“Just cancel the AFCON altogether and move it to some other time”

Credit: @reeceoliver17

“Void the AFCON, lives are at stake for God’s sake, remember that saying well when LFC were 25 pts clear in 19-20 PL, just void the AFCON as it’s not even started……..”

Credit: @lfcmli4eva

“Wowwww”

Credit: @vadavandijk

In other news, plenty of LFC fans react to the club’s price tag for this player

Following the departure of Everton’s director of football Marcel Brands, it was claimed by Toffees journalist Greg O’Keefe that manager Rafael Benitez “will have greater influence” regarding future transfers as well as club owner Farhad Moshiri and his advisors.

One particular potential transfer swoop that Moshiri could consider which would certainly please Benitez and potentially many Everton fans too would be to swoop for Real Madrid midfielder Isco during the upcoming January transfer window.

With a recent report from Spain suggesting that the La Liga club would be willing to sell the midfielder next month, this could give Everton a great opportunity to secure his signature after being previously linked with him.

Since joining Carlo Ancelotti’s side back in 2013 from fellow Spanish club Malaga, Isco has gone on to make 343 appearances across all competitions, scoring 52 goals and providing 56 assists along the way and winning a plethora of trophies in the process.

So far this season, the 29-year-old has only made seven appearances in La Liga, which shows why the club are reportedly willing to let him leave in January.

During Benitez’s spell in charge of Real Madrid, Isco scored three goals and provided six assists 20 appearances under the current Everton boss, leaving only Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo having appeared more often during the 61-year-old’s brief reign at the Bernabeu in 2015.

This suggests that Benitez would presumably be very happy to reunite with Isco, who is currently picking up a wage of £211k-per-week according to Salary Sport, if he were to make the move to Everton next month.

Labelled previously as a “fantastic player with an incredible talent” by former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta, Moshiri could deliver Benitez’s dream transfer at Goodison Park in January by securing Isco’s signature in the coming weeks.

In addition, if the 29-year-old were guaranteed regular game-time in the Premier League, this could be very tempting for the player rather than being a sporadic option for Ancelotti in Madrid.

Looking ahead to January, Moshiri and Benitez should definitely explore the possibility of signing Isco in January to try bring him to Everton and see if he can inject a bit of life back into the squad.

In other news: Benitez must finally axe £92k-p/w Everton flop, he’s stealing a living

Celtic journalist Kieran Devlin has expressed uncertainty about the return date of centre-back Christopher Jullien. 

The lowdown

The Frenchman hasn’t played for the Hoops since their 3-0 win over Dundee United at the end of December 2020. He was forced off in that game after injuring his knee when colliding with the post (via BBC Sport).

Former Scotland boss Alex McLeish has said it will be a ‘massive’ boost for Celtic whenever Jullien, a treble winner in 2019/20, eventually makes his comeback.

Ange Postecoglou said in late October that the 28-year-old would be back after the November international break, but there’s no sign of him as yet.

The latest

In The Athletic’s matchday discussion surrounding Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Bayer Leverkusen, a supporter asked Devlin if there was ‘any indication when/if’ the defender would be back.

The fan ‘thought by now we would have seen something of Jullien in training’ or in a youth team game.

Devlin replied: “It just keeps being pushed back. Briefed multiple times this season that he’d be back within a few weeks and it just hasn’t happened. Not sure what the new estimated date is.”

The verdict

Celtic initially expected to be without Jullien for a period of four months, but we’re now approaching a full calendar year of him being sidelined.

Devlin’s latest claim is worrying because it suggests that there may have been a setback, with the 28-year-old not able to meet the club’s revised timeline.

They were knocked out of the Europa League this week after a 3-2 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen, with Chris Sutton acknowledging that ‘defensively, Celtic have come up well short in Europe’.

It’s tempting to wonder whether they would have had enough to progress from their group with a fully fit Jullien, who was included in their squad for the competition – a sure sign that the Hoops had banked on him returning to action by now.

In other news, this defender is open to signing for Celtic

Gio van Bronckhorst has had a near-on perfect start to life at Ibrox with four wins out of four since his arrival at Rangers.

The Gers have beaten Sparta Prague, Livingston, Hibernian and Dundee FC in his four matches, scoring nine goals and conceding once in that time.

One player who has stepped up and quickly asserted himself as a key player for the Dutchman is ex-Leicester defender Calvin Bassey.

Save millions

Towards the end of last month, FFC published an article outlining his impressive start under the former Feyenoord boss as a central defender, having been mainly used at left-back previously.

Since publication, he has started both of Rangers’ Premiership games as a centre-back and helped the side to keep back-to-back clean sheets against Hibernian and Dundee. This impressive form could now end up saving van Bronckhorst millions ahead of the January transfer window.

Connor Goldson is out of contract at the end of the season and it remains to be seen whether or not the club will opt to cash in on him in the winter window to avoid losing him for nothing. If they do decide to sell him then they will need a replacement to come in and Bassey’s recent form suggests that he could be that player.

Van Bronckhorst recently lauded the defender’s performances and claimed that he is ‘full of energy’. He said:

“I’ve been really impressed with Calvin [Bassey] as he does not have a lot of experience in the central positions. He has a lot of physical strength and we will help him to develop and grow. He is very open to learning and is full of energy.

“I think he has the physical ability to play there and we’re helping him a lot in that position when he has to pass when he has to dribble, the position he has to take when the other defenders got the ball.

“He’s a player who’s very open in learning and he gives a lot of energy into the team. The last two games I’m really happy with the way he played.”

At the age of 21, the £6.4k-per-week gem has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop further under van Bronckhorst’s coaching in Glasgow.

He could be tutored into becoming a top-quality centre-back for Rangers, with three clean sheets in the last four games and a SofaScore rating of 7.00 or higher in every match. This shows that he has the potential to be a solid operator at centre-back moving forward for the Gers and could alleviate the need for a new signing.

If he can continue to match the high standards he has set himself in recent weeks heading into January then it could tempt the 43-year-old boss and Ross Wilson to abort any plans they have to sign a Goldson replacement. Instead, they could use the money to strengthen other areas and have Bassey competing alongside the likes of Jack Simpson and Leon Balogun for a starting berth, with Filip Helander in the mix when he returns from injury.

AND in other news, 180 duels won: Wilson sealed masterclass with “important” £14k-p/w Rangers colossus…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left fuming as some early team news emerged ahead of their game away at Motherwell at Sunday lunchtime.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match in the Scottish Premiership, Steven Gerrard has now revealed that his team will be without Borna Barisic, Ryan Kent and Ryan Jack for the trip.

Jack seems to be suffering setback after setback, and so many members of the Ibrox faithful are desperate to see him back on the pitch again.

Kent has still not recovered from an ongoing hamstring injury, and the Light Blues have only managed to win three of their last six games in the SPFL without him (Transfermarkt).

Barisic has been rated as the Bears’ joint-second best player in the division so far this season with a 7.16 average rating from WhoScored, while he also ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles (1.5), clearances (three), key passes (2.3) and crosses (3.2) per match.

Rangers fans on team news

These Gers fumed as the team news was shared on Twitter, with one RFC supporter claiming that it is a ‘blow’:

“A blow”

Credit: @legendsofibrox

“Hello darkness my old friend”

Credit: @scottfraser1972

“Sigh.”

Credit: @C0nnor1992

“Too soon… He was supposed to be back by Aberdeen.. How much longer 7-10 days?”

Credit: @Rangers4life_

“He told us Kent would be ready for Aberdeen that was 3 weeks ago”

Credit: @JUDSTER53

“You knew that was coming our record at getting players back from injury is nothing short of abysmal”

Credit: @coplandbear1872

In other news, find out what Rangers B update had Gers buzzing here!

A number of Liverpool supporters have been reacting to the news that forgotten centre-back Ben Davies is set to return to the club next summer.

The Reds did superbly to finish third in the Premier League last season, having suffered a crisis in defence throughout the campaign. Jurgen Klopp had to make do without Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez for most of 2020/21 because of serious injuries to the trio.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

Ozan Kabak arrived in January to help alleviate the issue but it is now almost forgotten that Davies also came in from Preston North End. The 26-year-old ended up not playing a single minute for the Reds and he was shipped out on loan to Sheffield United in the summer, where he has started 10 Championship games this season.

Despite featuring regularly under Slavisa Jokanovic at Bramall Lane, The Sheffield Star claimed [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter] claim that the Blades will choose not to sign Davies permanently next summer, which means he is set to return to Merseyside instead.

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Liverpool fans react to Davies latest

These Liverpool fans reacted to the news on Twitter, with many admitting that the defender, who one Reds fan dubbed an “insane signing”, had slipped their minds.

“This signing was so unnecessary. Signed him and then played youth players instead”

Credit: @GQprometheus

“Totally forgot about him”

Credit: @LewYNWA

“Whose idea was it to sign this lad? He’s clearly not good enough for a Championship team let alone Liverpool. Such an odd transfer”

Credit: @emilnikolov_

“OMG I LEGIT FORGOT ABOUT THIS MAN”

Credit: @ZKarimNBK

“How can a player be so bad that even SHEFFIELD UNITED doesn’t want to sign you”

Credit: @aarxnlfc

“Insane signing from us”

Credit: @LFC_YNWA196

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided a key update on one rumoured Liverpool target. Read more here.

Kalvin Phillips is now expected to be fit for Leeds United’s Premier League clash with Southampton on Saturday, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds head to Saints

The Whites return to domestic duties with a trip to St Mary’s this afternoon, looking to build on their 1-0 win at home to Watford before the international break.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men will have to perform well to pick up all three points against Saints, though, with victory taking them further clear of the relegation zone.

Defeat will see Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side overtake Leeds, however, highlighting the importance of the match at the bottom of the table.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Phillips could be available

With kickoff fast approaching, The Athletic‘s Hay has provided a promising injury update regarding Phillips on Saturday morning.

He had stated earlier in the week that the midfielder had a ‘chance’, now upgrading that to a ‘good chance’ of playing at St Mary’s in this 12-word update:

“Kalvin Phillips is in with a good chance after his calf strain.”

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The Verdict: Potential huge boost

There is a strong argument to say that Phillips is Leeds’ most important player, dominating midfield battles with his tenacity off the ball and quality on it, averaging an 84.6 percent pass completion rate in the league this season.

If the 25-year-old is fit to start, it will be an immediate boost for Bielsa, who will be aware that his team’s season needs to get back on track.

In other news, Leeds could be able to sign one rumoured transfer target in January. Read more here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in a deal to bring Guilherme Arana to Molineux this January.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish media outlet Fichajes (via Birmingham Live), who claim that Bruno Lage has identified the Atletico Mineiro left-back as a transfer target ahead of the winter window, with Wolves believed to have been monitoring the 24-year-old following his highly impressive performances at the Toyko Olympics this summer.

Likened to Sylvinho

While, on the face of it, left-back does not appear to be a position in which Lage is in desperate need of reinforcements this January, upon digging a little deeper, the signing of a new player in the position this winter, particularly one of Arana’s quality, may actually prove to be a very intelligent move by Jeff Shi.

Indeed, with Jonny Otto sidelined until at least 2022 due to injury, Wolves’ current first-choice left-back Marcal celebrating his 33rd birthday later this season and £9.99m summer signing Rayan Ait Nouri having played just six minutes of Premier League football under Lage, it would appear that the possibility of the latter two of this trio being moved on next summer a very real one.

If this is the plan for Wolves, signing a new player in the position in January would be a smart move indeed, allowing the potential signing to bed into the club and learn from those ahead of him in the current pecking order before potentially taking on the position as first-choice next season.

And, considering just how impressive Arana has been for Atletico Mineiro in the current campaign, the 24-year-old would certainly appear to make a fantastic addition to the Wolves squad.

Indeed, over his 16 Brazilian Serie A appearances this term, the £7.2m-rated man has helped his side keep seven clean sheets, registered four assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player Andre Jardine dubbed a “spectacular” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.14, ranking him as his club’s fourth-best performer in the Brazilian top flight.

As such, should an opportunity to sign the man who Breaking The Lines compared to former Arsenal and Barcelona left-back Sylvinho this January, Shi simply must do all he can to land the defender.

In other news: Forget January: 21 y/o “Rolls Royce” could be Lage’s answer to Wolves’ biggest problem

A concerning West Ham transfer claim has emerged that is sure to leave many around the London Stadium absolutely fuming…

What’s the word?

According to journalist Paul Brown, the Irons failed to submit an offer to sign a striker throughout the summer transfer window, despite it being one of their biggest needs.

“They made quite a lot of bids last season for strikers, and none of them came off. I don’t think they actually really bid for a striker properly this time around,” he told GIVEMESPORT.

“I think there were negotiations for quite a few. But they decided ultimately to keep their powder dry because [David] Moyes wanted the money spent in other areas first.”

Foolish mistake

The Hammers’ business during the summer was very close to being perfect, having signed a new marquee centre-back in Champions League winner Kurt Zouma, replaced the presence of Jesse Lingard with Nikola Vlasic and signed back-ups in the goalkeeping and central midfielder department.

But the decision to not try and bolster the frontline could come back to haunt the club.

It means Michail Antonio remains as David Moyes’ only senior option and the 31-year-old has been troubled by injury problems in the past – he has not started over 24 times in the Premier League in four straight seasons.

West Ham got a glimpse of exactly what it’s like to be without him as they lost to Manchester United over the weekend. Antonio missed the game through suspension and his presence up top was sorely missed.

Instead, it was down to Jarrod Bowen to be the leading man but that’s merely dragging another player out of position to make up for their foolish mistake this summer.

Plenty of strikers secured moves during the window, too.

Danny Ings swapped Southampton for Aston Villa, Odsonne Edouard finally left Celtic to join Crystal Palace, whilst Blackburn Rovers goal machine Adam Armstrong replaced the void at St Mary’s Stadium.

Tammy Abraham even departed Chelsea and signed for Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma.

Interestingly, the east Londoners were linked to all four of those names at some point, so it’s not as if any were out of reach, and that makes the call to not sign one of them even more baffling.

The London Stadium faithful will be far from pleased with this development, that’s for sure, especially after they suffered in Antonio’s absence this weekend.

AND in other news, £60k-p/w West Ham beast who made 97% of passes was Moyes’ one shining light vs United…