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Glasgow Rangers must give Borna Barisic a new deal if recent reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Barisic has received praise from former treble-winning Rangers boss Alex McLeish. McLeish admitted that he had doubted him when he first arrived at Ibrox, but believes the “tremendous” defender is now an important part of Steven Gerrard’s side.

He said: “There was talk that he wasn’t quite good enough for the Rangers level, he’d again hit a bit of a patch of bad form and looking a wee bit vulnerable.

“But that’s confidence and you don’t know what a person is like, you’ve never walked in their shoes and it’s difficult to know what he’s feeling in his stomach or what he’s feeling in his head at a certain moment.

“In my days at Aberdeen, I remember losing my form and Sir Alex dropped me and I was humiliated.

“Then I played in a game and I thought I did pretty well but we got battered 3-0 by Dundee United, 3-0 at home. I thought, ‘that’s it, I’ll be dropped again’ but he said to me: ‘That was more like yourself tonight,’ and all of a sudden my mentality came back strong again and my confidence was there.

“They’re only human so I think Barisic has actually exceeded expectations now such is his tremendous form.”

Barisic was part of the back four alongside Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and James Tavernier that prevented Celtic from taking a single shot on target during the first Old Firm derby of the season. It’s now up to Ross Wilson to convince the left-back to sign a new deal after he attracted interest from elite clubs in the summer.

Deserves new deal

Alright, we get it – the Croatia international recently signed a contract extension at the start of the year, whilst his wages have increased to £18,000-per-week, which is more than what club captain James Tavernier currently earns.

Rangers slapped an £8m price tag on his head, although that may not be enough to deter potential suitors if Premier League clubs like Leeds United rear their ugly heads in January. In fact, Leeds were willing to pay £13m to prise Robin Koch away from Freiburg, who now earns £50,000-per-week at Elland Road, which just goes to show the amount of money they are willing to throw at their defence.

However, Gerrard once again insisted the Croatian is not for sale, saying: “We’re not surprised if there is any interest in Borna.

“Of course we’re not because he has been a consistent performer for us for some time now and he has started the season so brightly again.

“But he has signed a long-term deal here, everyone loves him, the fans like him and he was in the running for Player of the Year.”

Even so, the 27-year-old may be unable to resist such a tempting lucrative offer in the future. As we all know, money talks.

Whilst Barisic may not be going anywhere anytime soon at the very least, a hike in wages should be more than enough to fend off any lingering interest from elsewhere in the winter transfer window for the time being.

SofaScore gave him a high grade of 7.4 for his performance at Parkhead – he completed one interception and two clearances, whilst he made one key pass, two crosses, created one big chance, and won three out of six ground duels, as well as five out of seven aerial duels.

He received a rating of 7/10 from Sky Sports, whilst The Daily Record gave him the same score, claiming he “was able to match the attacking runs of Frimpong down his side with good positional sense and one brilliant ball almost volleyed home by Kent.”

If the Gers are to regain their title, we suspect that he may have a part to play bombing up and down the flanks. That’s if he stays until the end of the season, of course.

AND in other news, Rangers must watch out for Standard Liege’s Mehdi Carcela in Europa League…

Aston Villa must be kicking themselves for missing out on Scotland U19 international Aaron Hickey in the summer.

What was the story?

The versatile defender enjoyed a breakthrough season with Scottish side Hearts last season, making 22 appearances in the league, scoring once and providing one assist too.

His emergence onto the scene saw numerous clubs register their interest in the 18-year-old, with BBC Sport claiming that along with Villa, the likes of Bayern Munich, Bologna and Sheffield Wednesday were all keen on luring him away from Scotland.

In the end, Hickey joined Serie A side Bologna for just £1.5m.

Lange’s big mistake

Able to play anywhere across the back-line at just 18, Hickey has already shown incredible versatility, and it’s something Villa could have made the most out of.

The man who gave him his first-team debut, Craig Levein, pointed out: “He’s got really good defensive qualities but I don’t know if he’ll end up being a full-back, he might end up going back into midfield. He could be a fantastic holding midfielder with his great awareness of danger and his ability to get out of tight situations with the ball at his feet.”

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And after he made his debut for Bologna late last month, manager Sinisa Mihajlovic, said: “He doesn’t speak Italian yet and he has to improve a few things but he’s a lad with quality and personality who did well today. Right up to the end I wasn’t sure whether to play him, because I had other players who have already started in that role, but I like to take risks.”

For just £1.5m, Johan Lange should have taken a “risk” himself, and landed Villa a player who could have gone on to establish himself as a first-team star in any number of different positions for the club.

Celtic must be kicking themselves as they watch 24-year-old transfer target Ivan Toney lighting up the Championship this season. The striker attracted a lot of attention during his time with Peterborough and eventually went on to sign for Brentford for a reported £5million fee.

He hasn’t hesitated in rolling up his sleeves and getting stuck into life at his new club. In 11 appearances, Toney has netted an astonishing ten goals and one assist for the Bees. He is behind only Blackburn’s Adam Armstrong as the Championship’s highest scorers, already making his mark and showcasing his threat in front of goal (via BBC Sport).

Last season, Toney netted 24 goals in 32 League One appearances for his former club (via Transfermarkt).

These numbers will be everything Nick Hammond and co didn’t want to see. According to the Daily Record, Celtic tabled a £5million offer for Toney, but Peterborough knocked it back. Only to accept a similar offer from Brentford not long after. The Hoops should have pushed a little harder to make the officials at the Posh crumble – they would certainly be reaping the benefits from signing the Englishman if they had.

Celtic missed a trick not signing Toney

Neil Lennon’s attack is currently struggling with consistency. Other than Mohamed Elyounoussi, Celtic’s frontmen have been irregular in their performances. Odsonne Edouard has managed to net just once in the last nine games and has proven to be out of sorts since he returned from his self-isolation period.

Leigh Griffiths appears to have lost the faith of the manager, being subject to only appearances off the bench so far. Albian Ajeti has also been an inconsistent player and it’s left Lennon with a lot of thinking to do.

Unless his deal is made permanent, Elyounoussi will be leaving Parkhead at the end of the season. Similarly, Edouard’s time looks like it’s drawing near as well. More and more clubs are showing interest in him, including the likes of Arsenal. It’s more than likely that the Frenchman will succumb to the temptation of Premier League football, leaving Lennon with an extremely bare attacking roster.

Someone like Toney would have been the perfect signing. His eye for a goal is incredible and wouldn’t have cost the earth to bring to Celtic Park. At 24, he still has a lot of years left in him to develop as well. Hammond and Lennon will be furious they missed out on bringing him in.

In other news, Controversial Celtic figure Leigh Griffiths set for substitute life under Lennon…

When Tim Sherwood brought Jordan Veretout to Aston Villa back in the summer of 2015, he made it very clear just how big of a coup it had been for the club.

He said: “He has played over 140 games in Ligue 1 and is a really exciting young player. I know Veretout is very highly rated over in France, so we are delighted to get this deal over the line.”

Fast forward a year later, and things had turned upside down at Villa Park, with the club going through a tumultuous period of managerial changes and relegation from the Premier League to boot.

In the end, Veretout was sent out on loan, before sealing a more permanent move away from the club when he joined Serie A side Fiorentina for around £6.25m.

And since then, he has been nothing short of incredible, enjoying a remarkable rise that is now seeing him shine for one of Italian football’s biggest clubs, AS Roma.

This season has seen the £25.2m-rated central midfielder add a bit of a goal-scoring touch to his game, bagging four goals and providing another assist in just eight league games, including netting a brace in a 2-2 draw with Juventus.

The fact is however, that there were those within the inner circle at Villa who valued him very highly indeed. During his lone playing season at the club, caretaker manager Kevin McDonald hailed him, saying: “Jordan is a wonderful passer of the ball. He will get better. And he is looking to impose himself in training games. Now he has to do that over a period of time. If he does that, he will be a very, very good player.

“Glenn Hoddle didn’t have to run up and down the pitch. But he was the most wonderful passer this country had in a long, long time. It’s not about being a holding midfielder or an attacking midfielder – Jordan needs to be a midfielder who gets on the ball more than anybody else in the team.”

Sadly, not everyone seemed to echo those sentiments. A case of niggling injuries didn’t help his cause one bit, but he didn’t even take to the pitch for any of Villa’s last seven Premier League games of the 2015/2016 season, including not even making the match-day squad in four of them.

But the way he is shining now, there must surely be a tinge of regret that they couldn’t keep hold of Veretout or even get to see the best of him at Villa Park.

Phil Hay has reported that Leeds United will be without both Robin Koch and Diego Llorente on Friday when they host West Ham at Elland Road. The former is confirmed to need surgery on his knee and will be out for up to three months, whilst his expected replacement is also injured with a muscle problem.

Whilst this is a huge blow for the Whites, their manager may have just dunked them into even hotter water.

In his latest press conference, Marcelo Bielsa was asked about his centre-back options, to which he responded with his full planned line-up.

A disaster waiting to happen for Leeds

The Argentinian is known for revealing his team plans ahead of upcoming fixtures, but it’s a habit he simply must snap out of. Bielsa was famous for doing this during his time in the Championship, but Leeds were so dominant that they were confident enough to counteract any plans the opposition had for them.

However, as they have already realised, the Premier League is more demanding a lot more unpredictable and is a completely different ball game, making moves like this even more risky. The Whites recently suffered back-to-back 4-1 defeats to Leicester and Crystal Palace, which only further highlights how ruthless England’s top flight can be.

Leeds are currently 14th in the table and have won just one of their last five games. It’s important that they restore their winning form and give themselves the best chance of surviving a drop back down to the Championship. However, this will not be an easy target to meet if Bielsa continues to give his rivals insight into his match day plans.

With Michail Antonio out of action, David Moyes will need to change up his tactics. But the added boost of knowing Bielsa’s plans could hand West Ham the win on Friday.

In other news, Alfie McCalmont could be coming for Mateusz Klich…

David Moyes must unleash Manuel Lanzini over West Ham United’s hectic festive schedule to afford the Argentine midfielder one final chance to save his London Stadium career.

What’s the word?

According to Claret and Hugh, the Hammers are yet to receive any offers for Lanzini ahead of the January transfer window despite putting the 27-year-old up for sale.

Lanzini is among an array of unwanted players the Irons are looking to move on in the winter market as they look to raise funds for a pursuit of AFC Bournemouth striker Joshua King.

West Ham had hoped to offload Lanzini in the summer but also received no offers for the £70,000-per-week playmaker, who has found himself shunned to the fringes thus far this term.

Moyes has afforded the five-cap international just 332 minutes of game time across all competitions and is yet to hand Lanzini a start outside of the Carabao Cup, with his longest Premier League appearance of the campaign lasting only 18 minutes.

The Irons boss had backed Lanzini to re-establish himself at the London Stadium earlier in the year, noting how the serious knee injury that ruled the £12.6m-rated maestro out of the 2018 World Cup could be seen as nothing but a blip in his career.

“When I had him the first time, he was terrific. No doubt, the injury has had an impact on where he is in different ways, but I don’t see it as a reason for him not to get back to those levels. His training has been improving and he’s got competition and he realises that. He’s not the number-one pick,” Moyes said in October.

Last chance saloon

While Moyes was echoing belief in Lanzini only two months ago, the midfielder remains no closer to re-establishing himself in the first-team with the 27-year-old’s game-saving wonder goal against Tottenham Hotspur the only highlight he can recall.

Moyes stated West Ham were “really crying out for Manuel Lanzini” back in January, but that is far from the case now with the Scottish coach overlooking the Argentine for any involvement in seven Premier League fixtures including last Friday’s win at Leeds United.

Instead, Said Benrahma was drafted in to play in behind striker Sebastien Haller after a late injury for Arthur Masuaku forced Moyes to deviate away from the five-man defence West Ham had begun to favour.

Lanzini would have seen his hopes of featuring smashed with Benrahma excelling at Elland Road, but Moyes must look fondly on the Argentine in the coming weeks with West Ham set to play five games in the next 18 days, including London Derbies with Crystal Palace and Chelsea plus a trip to Everton.

It will prove to be Lanzini’s final window to impress Moyes and verify why he still deserves a future in claret and blue, while even mediocre displays will put him firmly in the shop window ahead of the winter market.

AND in other news, West Ham have been dealt a massive blow in pursuit of the January answer to David Moyes’ “worst nightmare”.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt has been left blown away by teenage record-breaker Dane Scarlett’s progress.

The 16-year-old became the youngest-ever player to feature for Spurs after Jose Mourinho brought him on as a second-half substitute in their 4-0 win over Ludogorets in the Europa League last month, surpassing John Bostock’s 11-year record.

Scarlett has been in fine form for the academy set-up this season having scored 13 goals in 10 matches in the U18 Premier League, and his form has earned him a call-up to the U23 squad, where he has scored in his only appearance, which came just two weeks ago, as per Transfermarkt.

On Saturday afternoon, the teen prodigy was omitted from the youth squad entirely, which could signal Mourinho’s intention to play him this evening as they head to Stoke City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

He may not start with Carlos Vinicius and Gareth Bale both pushing for minutes, but he may well feature from the bench should things go to plan against the Championship outfit.

And Mabbutt has been taken aback by his rapid progression…

Speaking to FFC, he said:

“Of course, I mean, 16 years of age and he’s playing in the Spurs first team!

“That must have given him so much confidence and proof to him of what he can achieve.

“He’s been doing fantastically in the U18s, and yes, the manager is prepared to give youngsters a chance if you prove yourself. As I said, it is all about proving yourself and having that desire to be the best.

“It’s [a] competition. It is a constant competition. Every single day of your life as a player, you are proving yourself and that you are worthy of being in the first XI.”

Indeed, when you are sticking three or four goals past some top academies at youth level, you’re going to get noticed, and after the ‘Special One’ took a keen look at him in pre-season, it’s obvious that he’s seen something in the young gem.

There now won’t be a better chance to see Spurs’ future in action than in this very competition with the side advancing through into the Europa League knockout stages and battling for a place in the Premier League’s top four.

AND in other news, Forget Aurier: £85k-p/w Spurs star who lost possession 24 TIMES vs Leicester let Mourinho down abysmally…

Steve Bruce must recall Jeff Hendrick to the Newcastle United starting line-up for their FA Cup third round trip to Arsenal on Saturday in order to give Mikel Arteta a scare.

Hendrick has not featured for the Magpies in any of their last five fixtures across all competitions, with Bruce opting against fielding the Republic of Ireland international from the bench for even a second.

Newcastle failed to win any of the matches in which Hendrick did not play a role in the action, despite the 28-year-old providing one of United’s two goals during their 5-2 mauling at Leeds United last month whilst earning his 10th and most recent start of the season so far.

Hendrick had been one of Bruce’s favoured midfield options over the opening months of the Premier League campaign with minutes in 10 of their 12 matches, but now finds himself with a point to prove all over again following his summer arrival as a free agent.

Former Burnley captain Frank Sinclair firmly believed Hendrick would prove to be a player Sean Dyche would miss at Turf Moor following his exit, feeling the £8m-rated ace had been “terrific” during his four-year spell in Lancashire.

Bruce, too, expected big things from Hendrick and described the midfielder as a “big asset” who is entering his peak, and must now turn to him once again to best-place Newcastle ahead of their FA Cup trip to Arsenal.

Arteta will not be scared of facing the Magpies should Bruce opt to name the same central midfield pairing which lost at home to Leicester City last time out, as a dual-axis pivot of Sean and Matty Longstaff was as far from ideal as it possibly could have been.

Sean Longstaff endured a horror show as he was overrun in the engine room against the Foxes, and even the second-half introduction of the experienced Jonjo Shelvey failed to turn the tide as he allowed Youri Tielemans to drift through unchallenged to score his side’s second of the day.

Bruce would risk Newcastle’s position in the FA Cup by keeping his faith in those who were exposed by Brendan Rodgers’ side last week, so must turn to Hendrick and offer the 60-cap international a recall at the Emirates Stadium.

Hendrick had been a creative and combative presence in Bruce’s plans when fielded in the Premier League prior to his festive omission, with the Derby County product providing 0.8 shots, 0.6 dribbles, 1.6 tackles and 1.0 interceptions a game, per WhoScored.

His long-range passing had also been at a higher level than seen from the likes of Isaac Hayden (1.7), Miguel Almiron (0.7) and Matty Longstaff (0.5) with 1.8 accurate attempts a game, and is the only Toon player other than Callum Wilson to have scored more than once in the top-flight this term.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce has no alternative but to perform a U-turn and tie a £4.5m-rated Newcastle star down with a new deal now…

Crystal Palace return to Premier League action this evening as they travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on local rivals Arsenal.

Roy Hodgson has hinted that Palace will ring the changes for tonight’s short trip across the capital in what will be another big game for the Eagles.

Palace defender Mamadou Sakho has a ‘significant’ injury that is expected to sideline him for the foreseeable future, per The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam, so he won’t be featuring.

Despite this setback, Gary Cahill is close to making his return to first-team action in what will be a huge boost for Hodgson and Palace during the busy schedule.

With that in mind, here is Football FanCast’s predicted line-up for tonight’s action, which sees Hodgson make seven changes to the team he selected foe the defeat to Wolves in the FA Cup.

Jack Butland may be chomping at the bit, but we’re backing Vicente Guaita to keep the gloves for Palace this evening, as he has been trusted in goal for every Premier League game this season.

This game may come too soon for Cahill, so we think Cheikhou Kouyate will be given another chance at centre-back; Patrick van Aanholt is a mainstay of Hodgson’s side, with eleven appearances across all competitions this season, and we don’t think Nathaniel Clyne will be risked. It’s likely James Tomkins will also get the nod alongside Kouyate to complete the back four.

In midfield, maybe Jairo Riedewald could have kept his place, but James McArthur has been such a reliable asset for Hodgson, having made 15 top-flight appearances this term, so we reckon the Palace boss will stick with his trusted midfield enforcer.

James McCarthy seems destined for the Selhurst Park exit, so bringing Luka Milivojevic into midfield to join McArthur makes most sense. This means that there will be no room for Riedewald, we think will be forced to settle for a place on the bench instead.

Elsewhere, Eberechi Eze will likely start on the left wing, with Andros Townsend taking up position on the opposite flank as Jeffrey Schlupp remains on the sidelines.

Having been rested for the game against Wolves, Wilfried Zaha is set for a start upfront, with support from Christian Benteke alongside him.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace must avoid signing Fiorentina striker Christian Kouame in January…

It’s safe to say that the January transfer window has been a rather drab affair for Celtic.

Considering they’re such a distance behind Rangers in their quest for ten in a row, you’d have expected them to be a bit more active in the market.

That being said, they have left all of their business until the very last minute.

Neil Lennon admitted before their clash with Hamilton this week that the club were on the verge of signing two new players.

The names of which haven’t been revealed but despite that, we’ve put together a predicted XI of how their starting XI could look once deadline day is done and dusted.

We’re tipping the Bhoys to make as many as three new signings in the remaining days of the window.

Two of those additions come at the back where recruitments have been needed all season long. The Hoops shipped 19 strikes in just six Europa League outings which tells you all you need to know of their plight defensively.

With that in mind, we reckon they’ll add to their ranks at left-back where Josh Doig is being tracked by the Hoops. Celtic, Leicester and Manchester City are all eyeing a move for the Hibernian youngster and if Lennon wins the race, he should slot straight in on the left-hand side.

Another transfer is in the middle of the back four. Motherwell’s Declan Gallagher has been interesting the Glaswegians this month and dreams of a move to Celtic. If he was signed, it would be unsurprising if he replaced the error-prone Shane Duffy instantly.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-celtic-manager-stories” title=”Read this week’s latest Celtic news!”]

A final change to Celtic’s XI sees Giannelli Imbula slot into their midfield next to Ismaila Soro. It’s been suggested in recent days that the former Stoke man has been offered to the Hoops on a free transfer.

He’s out of contract at the moment so could be a straightforward signing to wrap up in the coming days. That being said, if he did come to Glasgow, it would surely be the end of the road for Lennon favourite Scott Brown.

Crucially, however, is that Odsonne Edouard leads the line still. He has been one of the strikers targeted by West Ham United over the last week or so but we think he’ll remain with Celtic at least until the end of the season.

AND in other news, Celtic struck genius deal with £10k-p/w titan who’s “grabbing the bull by the horns”…