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Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has provided an update on the future of Danny Ings at St Mary’s, which will delight the majority of Saints fans.

What’s the word?

Ings has been heavily linked with a move away from Southampton this summer after it was revealed that he had rejected the offer of a new four-year contract with the Saints, due to his aspirations of playing in Europe in the near future.

The likes of Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Chelsea have all been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer, and given that his current contract is set to expire at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, it seemed likely that Southampton would cash in on him.

However, Hasenhuttl has now clarified his future with the Saints and assured fans that he won’t be sold this summer, saying:

“He’s our player for another year, we paid a lot of money for him. When we brought him here, we invested a lot to get him to the highest level and how he is at the moment. We stuck with him with all these injuries he had, gave him the time to recover, gave him the time to perform.

“There’s no reason to sell him, but it’s always a risk for the player when you go into your final year without a contract. That’s why it’s never good for nobody, not for us, not for him, because you never know what can happen in football – injuries can happen, which nobody wants.”

Will Ings stay at Southampton?

From what Hasenhuttl suggests, the 28-year-old will remain at St Mary’s this summer, with the Austrian perhaps still holding out hope that he will sign a new contract in the future rather than potentially losing him for nothing at the end of next season.

Considering he was Southampton’s top scorer last season with 12 goals, despite suffering a number of short-term injury problems, you can see why Hasenhuttl is so keen to keep him at the club. They could seriously struggle if they lose a player of Ings’ goalscoring ability and influence on the pitch.

The “outstanding” forward is a fan favourite at Southampton and Saints fans will be delighted to see him play for another season, even if it does mean potentially losing him for nothing in 2022.

And, in other news… Semmens should seal Saints swoop for PL beast with “a taste for the big games”

Rangers youngster Josh McPake is set to return to Ibrox from his loan spell at Morecambe, ahead of a temporary January exit elsewhere.

The Lowdown: McPake on loan at Morecambe

The 20-year-old moved to Morecambe in the summer transfer window but he has been limited to just five League One appearances, with only three starts coming his way.

The hope was that McPake would pick up some much-needed playing time there but it looks increasingly as though he could be a peripheral figure.

A current report suggests it could be all change for the winger ahead of the upcoming January window.

The Latest: Another temporary move on the cards

According to Football Insider, a Rangers source has confirmed that the club are set to recall McPake from Morecambe, prior to loaning him out elsewhere next month.

Oldham Athletic and Hartlepool United are mentioned as possible suitors for the youngster, who was described as ‘fantastic’ by former Morton manager David Hopkin.

The Verdict: Invaluable experience

It is vital that McPake continues to get minutes away from Rangers, so this is a decision that makes perfect sense.

The hope is that the young wide man has a bright future at Ibrox but he may need to prove that he’s got what it takes during these current loan spells – another 6 months struggling to make an impact at the senior level could seriously damage his chances.

Competition for places is always likely to be strong under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, but an eye-catching second half to the season could make him part of the manager’s plans in 2022/23.

Four goals in 23 appearances in League Two is proof that McPake can shine at a good level – now it’s about making another step up.

In other news, three Rangers players struggled against Rangers. Find out who they are here.

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the West Brom website, Valerien Ismael confirmed that Grady Diangana will not be available for selection for the trip to Swansea City on Wednesday evening, as the winger is yet to recover from a hamstring injury which saw him ruled out of the 1-0 win over Birmingham City last Friday.

Speaking about the current condition of the 23-year-old, Ismael said: “Grady won’t be available for the game because he only had his first session with the group on Tuesday. It’s too close for him to be able to play. If everything goes correctly then hopefully him being available for Saturday won’t be a problem.”

Meanwhile, the Frenchman also revealed that Alex Mowatt, who was brought off midway through the second half of the Birmingham victory due to a toe injury, will be assessed prior to Wednesday’s fixture.

On the central midfielder’s fitness, the 46-year-old said: “We’ll assess Alex before the game at Swansea. We’re going to keep a close eye on things and how he is before we make a decision on him.”

Ismael will be gutted

While it is undeniable that Diangana has not been in the best form of his career this season, having scored no goals and registered just one assist over his 11 Championship appearances, the absence of the winger for the trip to Swansea will nevertheless have left Ismael gutted. The 23-year-old proved in the Baggies’ promotion-winning campaign back in 2019/20 that he undoubtedly possesses the ability to help fire the club back to the Premier League.

Indeed, over his 30 Championship appearances that season, the £9m-rated forward bagged eight goals, provided six assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £36k-per-week man earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as Albion’s third-best performer throughout the campaign in question.

As such, while, as previously mentioned, the former West Ham United winger is yet to hit these heights so far this season, it is abundantly clear that Diangana can win a game in an instant for West Brom, a talent that Ismael will sorely miss on Wednesday night.

In other news: Forget Hugill: Ismael could save WBA millions by placing trust in 20 y/o “star boy”

Leeds United have been tipped to consider moving for Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara this summer, LeedsLive report.

The Lowdown: January interest

Kamara was linked with a move to Elland Road in January, where a fee in the region of £10m would have reportedly been enough due to his contract situation.

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However, as we know, Victor Orta failed to make any senior signings for the club, despite speaking to Kamara’s agent.

The 22-year-old remained with the Ligue 1 side and has continued to be a regular but is set to become a free agent at the end of June.

The Latest: Leeds move?

LeedsLive reporter Danny Bloomer shared a story on Thursday morning, looking at five free agents the Whites could be interested in this summer.

One of those is Kamara, who is described as a perfect partner for Kalvin Phillips.

The report says he definitely won’t be extending his deal with Marseille, with the midfielder possibly a player the Whites could make a huge profit on further down the line.

The Verdict: Get it done

Due to Kamara’s contract situation, Leeds could actually secure a pre-contract agreement right now ahead of a free transfer in the summer.

It appears to be a no-brainer, especially with Jesse Marsch extremely short of midfield options at Elland Road. Andrea Radrizzani wouldn’t need to fork out a fee, which could allow the club to table an extremely tempting offer for Kamara, who is on £46,000-a-week at this moment in time.

He’s already made 161 senior appearances for Marseille at the age of 22 and is valued at £22.5m, so a cut-price move to Yorkshire could prove to be a major coup.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano reveals big transfer blow for Leeds as key 21 y/o target now set to move elsewhere

Having loaned out players such as Wesley, Anwar El Ghazi, Keinan Davis and Jaden Philogene-Bidace this month, Aston Villa have not been shy when it comes to moving players out of the club who they feel would be better off away from Villa Park for the time being.

With 10 days left until the January transfer window closes, it seems as though there could be another Villa player set to leave the club on a temporary basis in an effort to get some regular game-time.

What’s the latest?

In a recent article for the Birmingham Mail from Villa journalist Ashley Preece, comments from Steven Gerrard were relayed regarding Trezeguet’s current situation at the Midlands club.

The Villa manager said: “He could find [game time] challenging here so we’ll be respectful to him and we’ll see what lands from now until the end of the window.”

Preece then added: “There’s every chance now that Trezeguet, once he’s back from the Africa Cup of Nations, will find himself a loan move knowing minutes will be hard to come by in Gerrard’s favoured 4-3-2-1 system.”

Fans will be delighted

Villa signed the Egyptian back in 2019 from Turkish club Kasimpasa in a deal worth a reported fee of £8.75m.

Since then, the 27-year-old has made 64 appearances for the Villans across all competitions, with nine goals and five assists along the way.

After recovering from a knee injury which kept him out of action for almost eight months last year, Trezeguet has only played 10 minutes under Gerrard this season, which came during their 2-1 defeat against Brentford earlier this month.

Given his lack of minutes under the 41-year-old and his lack of regular goals and assists since his arrival at Villa Park, perhaps moving Trezeguet on this month, either on loan or permanently if a suitable offer comes through the door, would be beneficial for all parties.

It could please a lot of Villa fans if the Egyptian left and duly gave some of the squad’s younger talents such as Jacob Ramsey or Carney Chukwuemeka a bigger chance of receiving game-time throughout the remainder of the season.

In other news: Lange could finally replace Grealish with Villa swoop for “unique” £18m-rated beast

Celtic have been dealt a tough hand in Europe with Ange Postecoglou having to withstand the test of some troublesome sides.

The Hoops have already come unstuck against Real Betis and they will desperately need to improve when Bayer Leverkusen arrive at Parkhead.

On the chalkboard

Based on Celtic’s recent form, supporters should be incredibly fearful over what result may occur on Thursday evening.

They have lost to Livingston and drawn with Dundee United during their last two league fixtures so the omens don’t exactly bode well.

Postecoglou’s men did score three times against Betis but it would be a great surprise if the same eventuality occurred tomorrow night.

Celtic will still be missing Kyogo Furuhashi and it’s thought that Callum McGregor will almost certainly be absent again.

He sat out their last Europa League clash with what was thought to be a knock but he hasn’t played since.

Who plays instead of him will be a crucial point of debate for the manager because he simply hasn’t got it right in the last few weeks.

James McCarthy has been abject to say the least, being terrorised for his performances since a first start in the defeat at Livi. During that clash, the Irishman attempted no attacking actions and lost the ball on 15 occasions.

Sadly, the midfielder was average against Dundee United too, winning just 33.3% of his defensive duels last weekend.

The solution

With that in mind, Postecoglou should consider turning to Ismaila Soro on Thursday, especially in a game where the Bhoys are expected to do more work off the ball.

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Like McCarthy, Soro hasn’t been at his best this term and he was fortunate not to be sent off against Betis.

The Ivorian was keen to get stuck in and did make a number of impressive robust tackles. However, he is often caught out with his lack of discipline causing him to throw in challenges even when he’s already been booked.

That being said, the Celtic brute is clearly more dynamic and mean-mannered than McCarthy.

Described as a player with “explosive power” by former coach Ori Guttman, he has been compared to N’Golo Kante and it’s clear to see why.

Soro occupies little pockets of space that enables him to sweep up the play. He reads the game well and is traditionally in the right place at the right time.

The 23-year-old knows what it takes to put in a defensive masterclass in Europe too. When they beat Lille 3-2 last term, he made a mind-boggling ten successful tackles.

The midfielder has failed to replicate that sort of display since but he simply has to step up with McGregor still on the sidelines.

Now feels like his time to really make a name for himself in Glasgow.

AND in other news, Ange may fix one of Celtic’s biggest problems by signing “lightning-quick” 43-cap ace…

Celtic have had a mixed start to life under Ange Postecoglou but they are beginning to make some impressive strides in the transfer market.

Next on the agenda for the Hoops boss is signing a right-back but there are still other important areas to address.

What’s the word?

One player who has consistently been on Celtic’s radar is St Johnstone midfielder Ali McCann.

The Bhoys have sent scouts to watch him on numerous occasions but they have never made a concrete offer to lure him to Parkhead.

With just a couple of weeks left in the window, time will tell whether they do explore a move.

However, they’ve just been told how much he may cost this summer.

That’s according to Alan Nixon who in the process of revealing Stoke’s interest, claimed McCann would cost £3m.

Must sign him

If Celtic can find space in their squad for another midfielder then McCann would be an exceptional signing, someone who could become a prized asset in their squad very quickly.

The 21-year-old is one of the most vibrant up and coming players in the country and was named alongside David Turnbull on the shortlist to win the PFA Young Player of the Year last term.

It’s evident to see why too. McCann contributed four goals last term on his way to becoming a defensive force for St Johnstone.

He won a whopping 2.7 tackles per game last term and registered 1.5 interceptions a match.

With that in mind, he was described as “undroppable” by former teammate Jason Holt.

He’s started the new campaign in similar form, winning a mighty four tackles on average across his two opening Premiership matches.

McCann has also starred against Champions League regulars Galatasaray. During St Johnstone’s Europa League qualifying clashes with the Turkish giants, he won 20 defensive duels in the two legs according to Wyscout.

As a result, he could be an upgrade on Ismaila Soro. The Ivorian has been tipped to become Scott Brown’s heir at Parkhead but won 1.9 tackles per outing in comparison last season.

Soro hasn’t endured the brightest starts to the new campaign either. He came out on top in just four defensive duels during Celtic’s two-legged tie with Midtjylland for instance.

Lacking discipline in the early months of the season, Soro could be immediately ousted if McCann signs.

AND in other news, Celtic may find their new Chris Sutton by signing 45-goal brute who can “cause havoc”…

A number of Manchester United fans have been left buzzing over some managerial news on Zinedine Zidane.

Writing in his latest piece for The Times, Duncan Castles has revealed that the Red Devils are ‘stepping up’ their bid to try and lure the Frenchman to Old Trafford, in the hope that he will take over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

They are ‘working to persuade’ Zizou join, but he himself is ‘unsure’ of the proposal at this moment in time. However, the Red Devils hierarchy are ‘hopeful’ that his close relationships with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane can help to convince him to join.

Solskjaer is now under pressure as his team sit outside of the Champions League qualification spots in sixth place, after 5-0 and 2-0 defeats at home to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City respectively in the last month.

There is a worry that he is not getting the best out of the star players in the squad, whereas Zidane of course has worked with the likes of Ronaldo and Varane before at Real Madrid, winning a very impressive three Champions League titles in a row at the Bernabeu.

He is certainly a star name who knows how to win, and he would surely get the United supporters bouncing again.

Man Utd fans on Zidane manager news

These Red Devils fans buzzed as the Zidane news was shared on Twitter, with one supporter hailing it as ‘one last Woodward masterclass’ from the club’s departing executive vice-chairman:

“Yessssssss!”

Credit: @jahmikes7

“God I hope this is true”

Credit: @UtdA5h

“ZIZOUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @mackutdd

“Get in”

Credit: @haddin7

“One last Woodward masterclass”

Credit: @Pinkmanhart

“DUNCANNN”

Credit: @mufcLT

In other news, find out what Mauricio Pochettino update has had these United fans talking

Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara is the player ‘most likely’ to follow Steven Gerrard and join Aston Villa, according to Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Kamara links

Gerrard made the move to the Midlands last Thursday to replace Dean Smith and is hard at work ahead of his first game in charge against Brighton this weekend.

As to be expected, links to his former players have already emerged, with Kamara thought to be one of his top Ibrox targets along with full-back Nathan Patterson.

Gerrard has urged Villa chiefs not to miss out on either player as he feels they could be signed in January in a double deal worth over £30m. [90min]

The Latest: Preece’s comments

Preece ran a Q&A on Birmingham Live on Tuesday, discussing multiple Villa-related topics.

One supporter asked if the links to Kamara are serious and also wanted to know about a pundit linking Joe Aribo with a move to Villa Park.

This is what Preece had to say in reply, believing Kamara is the ‘most likely’ to move south.

“Hi Dyl, yeah, that’s the one that appears most-likely from Gerrard’s Rangers links. We’ll see what materialises. Aribo, or the left-footed Yaya Toure as he’s been labelled, has been on Villa’s radar before like you say. Can he cut it in the Premier League, that’s the question… Kamara most-likely out of them but Gerrard will have his own players he likes knowing Villa’s budget blows Rangers’ out of the water. Intrigued to see how Gerrard will work with Johan Lange. Ross Wilson was Gerrard’s sporting director at Gers.”

The Verdict: A midfielder a priority?

Gerrard likes to play an attacking 4-3-3 system and seems to be fairly well stocked in most areas of the pitch.

A new midfielder could be handy, though, with Villa’s only attacking midfielder on the books being youngster Jacob Ramsey.

He has two defensive options in Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba, while John McGinn, youngster Carney Chukwuemeka and out of favour Morgan Sanson are the three remaining options. [Transfermarkt]

Kamara can play as a central or defensive midfielder and his eye for a key pass has also improved year on year since working with Gerrard.

On that basis, the Finland international could be a solid first signing of Gerrard’s era as Villa boss, so it’ll be interesting to see if the club decide to make their move in the New Year.

In other news: ‘Excited’ – Many Villa fans rejoice as Gerrard reveals ‘one thing’ he wants. 

Many Everton fans have been reacting to a tweet from Dominic King, who shared an image of a banner which was erected outside Rafael Benitez’s house in England.

As we approach pre-season, the Toffees remain without a permanent manager after Carlo Ancelotti left the club to return to Real Madrid (Sky Sports). At the moment, it appears that Benitez is set to be his replacement (The Telegraph), but this is a potential appointment which does not appear to have gone well with many Everton supporters – after all, he used to be the manager of their fierce city rivals Liverpool.

Still, that is no excuse for the banner which was put outside his family home, with the message reading: “We know where you live, don’t sign”. That is an appalling threat to make to someone just because they might become the manager of a football club.

A photo of the banner was shared on Twitter by journalist King, who fumed: “This banner is online. It has been posted not far from where Rafa Benitez lives with his wife and his daughters. It’s sinister, it’s reprehensible and the people responsible for it should be ashamed. They are a disgrace.”

The image duly attracted the disgust of many Everton supporters who took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on what one Toffees fan understandably called a “despicable” act.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the tweet from King below

“It’s hard enough being an #Everton fan without suffering the despicable element of a minority of so called fans. Totally ashamed!”

Credit: @Holdtight_TV

“It’s utterly shameful & embarrassing. It’s criminal behaviour & should be treated as such.”

Credit: @EFCMatt1

“100% not what our football club is about utterly embarrassing. Forget about football, in this instance I feel for his family and Benitez himself.”

Credit: @notsimon1878

“Disgusting, too far. The person(s) who have put this up don’t represent me as a fan! That goes for the banners outside Goodison too. I don’t want Benitez at all but this is too much!”

Credit: @Pistolpov

“Ashamed and embarrassed”

Credit: @EvertonNewsFeed

“Utterly embarrassing for us Blues. I didn’t want Rafa as manager but now more than ever I will support him. If he wants to manage us with all this going on deserves our support.”

Credit: @bluedoc999

In other news, Everton are believed to be interested in this Juventus ace.