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Liverpool are currently in second place in the Premier League having topped their Europa League group and advanced to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, of which they are ostensible favourites in both cup competitions.

Table-toppers Arsenal are imminently making the trip to Merseyside to face Jurgen Klopp's side in a pivotal league clash, which will determine whether the Reds spend Christmas Day in pole position.

Klopp could land Luis Diaz upgrade in Liverpool swoop for £51m "architect"

The Reds are reportedly interested in the talented whiz ahead of January.

By
Dan Emery

Dec 22, 2023

All this paints a brilliant picture of promise, but further work is needed to ensure that Liverpool succeed in their ambitious endeavours.

The midfield welcomed four new additions in the summer to combat the mass exodus after a dismal year, and now, reports from the continent suggest that Klopp is eager to add another to the engine room…

Liverpool transfer news – Nicolo Barella

According to Spanish sources, Liverpool are among the English clubs to be in contention to sign Inter Milan maestro Nicolo Barella, with Arsenal and Newcastle United also registering an interest.

In June, reliable reports surfaced that Newcastle were closing in on a sensational £50m deal for the Italian, though ultimately his Serie A outfit refused to advance negotiations to the conclusive stage.

Barella – who could command a fee of around £70m-£80m – is contracted to the San Siro until 2026 and has proved his worth as one of Europe's elite midfielders over the past several seasons, but is he the signing that the Reds need?

Nicolo Barella's style of play

Barella is a midfielder of supreme technicality, first-class ball-playing ability and an all-action approach that has led sports editor Mike Piellucci to describe him as a "genius" for his work.

As per FBref, the £153k-per-week machine ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for progressive passes and the top 12% for progressive carries per 90.

Likened to many of Europe's most guileful and inventive midfielders, Barella was "appreciated" by Liverpool in the summer, according to Fabrizio Romano, but no deal materialised as Klopp moved for other options.

It's clear to see why; having chalked up 210 appearances for the Nerazzurri, posting 21 goals and 47 assists and proving instrumental in the winning of the Serie A and two Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana apiece, Barella has been nothing short of an "unbelievable" member of the squad over the past several years, as was noted by one podcast host.

But, crucially, he's not a defensive midfielder, instead finding success as a midfield operator in and around half-spaces, pushing forward with creative intent and contributing effectively in recycling possession.

Understandably, Klopp appreciates his talents, but Barella is not the answer to Liverpool's midfield questions, and signing him would only have a negative effect on Harvey Elliott.

How Nicolo Barella compares to Harvey Elliott

Having played 46 times across all competitions last year, Elliott has established himself as one of the brightest starlets in the Premier League, and despite multiple midfield signings in the summer, remains a coveted asset of Klopp's team.

This season, the "incredible" prospect – as stated by Paul Dalglish – has started all nine of Liverpool's cup fixtures, though only has one Premier League start to his name and has recently admitted that he is disgruntled by a lack of match action in the English top-flight.

Elliott, aged 20, offers many of the tools that Barella brings to the table and is contributing effectively for Klopp's side; frankly, he is a frightening talent and signing the Inter player would not bode well for him.

It's worth noting that several players have been excluded from several columns due to scant match action, thus bloating their metrics; Elliott's rankings are collated with those having played more than 180 minutes of football across all competitions.

To emphasise how effective this young star is, he ranks among the top 11% of midfielders for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for progressive passes, the top 4% for progressive carries, the top 6% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 17% for blocks per 90.

Given the overload of creative and multi-functional midfielders in Liverpool's squad, it's hard to conclude that signing a player such as Barella – who, granted, is fantastic and would be a credit to the Merseyside outfit – would be the best move to continue the resurgence.

It's a bit like saying Thibaut Courtois is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and thus Liverpool must target his signature: with Alisson Becker between the sticks, such an acquisition would be met with incredulity.

Thiago Alcantara is plagued by injury problems and is out of contract at the end of the campaign, while Mac Allister has proved his worth in the deep-lying role and Wataru Endo, aged 30, improves with each passing fixture. All this being said, a specialist No. 6 is a prerequisite for lasting success at the peak of the European pyramid.

When partnering Liverpool's need for a natural Fabinho replacement – the Brazilian was sold to Al-Ittihad in the summer after declining – with the ongoing requirement for defensive reinforcements, exacerbated by Joel Matip's season-ending ACL injury, Barella is just not the answer.

Such a transfer could force Ryan Gravenberch into a deeper role, which is clearly not his best position, while precluding Elliott's chances of cementing a starting berth with regularity.

Intangibles such as confidence and guile form the base of Elliott's creative repertoire, and at a time when he is on the cusp of a level-up, it would be ludicrous to sign a player that would inhibit his prospects of success.

The Norwegian is set to win this season's Golden Boot, but there is no room for him in our all-star line-up

And so, the end is near, with the final curtain set to come down on the 2023-24 Premier League campaign on Sunday. We don't yet know the identity of the champions, of course, with Manchester City and Arsenal still locked in a titanic title tussle. And while Luton are effectively doomed to relegation, along with Burnley and Sheffield United, there are also European places still up for grabs.

However, GOAL's Premier League Team of the Season is already decided – and there are a few selections that are bound to cause controversy. For starters, there's no room for either Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne, while City only have half as many representatives as Arsenal. We've also included a couple of players from teams in the bottom half of the table.

So, check out our line-up below and be sure to tell us what you think in the comments section!

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  GK: Jordan Pickford (Everton)

  David Raya has already won this season's Golden Glove, having kept 16 clean sheets thus far, but Jordan Pickford managing just three shut-outs fewer is an even more impressive achievement, given Everton were locked in a relegation battle up until a few weeks ago.

  The England international has had a couple of dodgy games (which keeper hasn't this season?!) and has been helped out by the sterling efforts of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Brantwaithe in front of him, but Pickford continually came to his team's rescue when they needed him most.

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  RB: Ben White (Arsenal)

  Is Ben White's fine form down to his decision to make himself unavailable for international duty? Hard to say. All we know for sure is that the versatile defender has played a pivotal role in Arsenal's title challenge, scoring four goals, and registering as many assists.

  It's a real shame for England's Euro 2024 campaign that Gareth Southgate won't have the option of pairing him on the right flank with Bukayo Saka this summer.

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  CB: William Saliba (Arsenal)

  Anyone else get the feeling that Arsenal might have won the league last season had they not lost their fantastic Frenchman to injury?!

  William Saliba has been utterly integral to the Gunners maintaining this year's title challenge. No other player in the Premier League has been involved in as many clean sheets (16), while the ridiculously composed centre-back also ranks second among defenders for possession won. In short, a class act.

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  CB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)

  The Dutchman's reign as Liverpool captain didn't get off to the best of starts, with Van Dijk dismissed for a clumsy foul in the come-from-behind win over Newcastle back in August. However, the veteran centre-back recovered wonderfully well from that setback and dismissed all suggestions that he was past his best by producing a string of almost-flawless displays for Liverpool that earned him a deserved nomination for Player of the Season.

  The Reds' backline still has plenty of problems but Van Dijk, as it turns out, is far from "finished".

Rangers have got things back on track with the Scottish Premiership title very much in their sights, with two games in hand on the leaders and just five points between them and the summit.

With that being said, the January transfer window is almost upon us. The likes of Danilo, Cyriel Dessers and Jose Cifuentes have all settled in pretty nicely at Ibrox, with their impact already evident this season, so the Gers board surely might not have any issues with getting their wallet out next month if they feel the need to.

Football FanCast has taken a look at their previous ten January signings and how they have fared since signing on in Glasgow…

Nicolas Raskin – 31st January 2023

From Standard Liege – Undisclosed

Nicolas Raskin has already made 30 appearances since joining Rangers back in January 2023. During that time, he's scored one goal and laid on three assists, and he's still only 22 years of age.

However, one issue that is already plaguing his time at Rangers this season is injuries, with 20 games already being missed this term.

But the early signs are certainly promising – and there's plenty of development still to be had.

Todd Cantwell – 23rd January 2023

From Norwich City – Undisclosed

Todd Cantwell joined Rangers back in January 2023 for an undisclosed fee after making a name for himself at Norwich City.

Making the transition to Scottish football has been pretty seamless for Cantwell. He perhaps hasn't contributed as much as he would have hoped, but seven goals and nine assists in 41 games is still a very respectable return.

This season, Cantwell has featured in five different positions, which has made it hard for him to find proper form, but he still has one goal and four assists to his name as a regular in the Gers side.

Aaron Ramsey – 31st January 2022

From Juventus – Loan

Aaron Ramsey joined Rangers on loan after failing to adjust to the demands of Italian football with Juventus.

But the move didn't really end up working out for him. He ended up winning the Scottish Cup with the Gers, but also faced the heartbreak of missing the crucial penalty in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Since leaving Ibrox, he left Juventus on a free, joined OGC Nice for the 2022/23 season and then joined boyhood club Cardiff City, where he seems to have rediscovered his form with three goals in six games.

Mateusz Zukowski – 31st January 2022

From Lechia Gdansk – Undisclosed

Some Rangers fans may not even remember Mateusz Zukowski. That's how invisible he was during his time at Ibrox.

After joining back in January 2022, he only made one appearance for the Gers and spent the following season on loan at Lech Poznan.

Now, he finds himself not even at Rangers, after sealing an exit back in July after leaving on a free transfer.

Amad Diallo – 28th January 2022

From Manchester United – Loan

Amad Diallo joined Rangers on loan with plenty of hype behind him and the hope of really kicking on in what was one of his first true challenges in professional football.

However, he struggled to make an impact under Giovanni van Bronckhorst. He netted three goals for Rangers and rounded off his spell with a Scottish Cup winners' medal, but never hit the heights expected.

Since leaving Rangers, he is yet to have been given a further chance at Manchester United, despite setting things alight in the English Championship last season at Sunderland during his loan spell. Although, he is currently suffering from a knee injury which has hampered his chances.

James Sands – 5th January 2022

From New York City FC – Loan

Rangers allowed the midfielder to return to his parent club early ahead of the start of the new MLS season, despite Sands penning an 18-month loan.

The United States international made 41 appearances for the Gers, including matches in the Europa League and Champions League. He featured in the heartbreaking defeat in Seville to Frankfurt while he also helped the Ibrox men lift the Scottish Cup.

He still finds himself in the Big Apple playing for New York City to this day.

Scott Wright – 1st February 2021

From Aberdeen – £200k

Scott Wright made the move from Aberdeen back in January 2021 after an impressive 79 appearances at Aberdeen.

Since arriving at Ibrox, he's been one of those players that has been a bit hit-and-miss. In 95 appearances to date, he has scored seven goals and laid on 11 assists, which isn't an amazing return for a winger.

To this day, he's still at Rangers, but has only 435 minutes to his name so far this season.

Jack Simpson – 1st February 2021

From Bournemouth – Undisclosed

Jack Simpson had joined the Ibrox club from Bournemouth in February 2021 but failed to nail down a spot in Giovanni van Bronckhorst's squad.

Simpson played just 14 times for Rangers in his short stint in Glasgow before returning to England.

And things haven't got much better for him since leaving Glasgow as he ended up joining Cardiff City on a free transfer, but didn't do enough to impress in Wales and now finds himself as a free agent.

Florian Kamberi – 1st February 2020

From Hibernian – Loan

Kamberi attracted criticism from fans of Hibernian over comments he made referring to his temporary switch to Rangers as a "dream move".

And in reality, it was anything but a dream move, as the striker made just nine appearances at Ibrox. He only scored once and produced two assists before returning to Hibernian after Cedric Itten's arrival at the club.

Since then, he has played for four different sides, with Croatian outfit Slaven Belupo his current club.

Ianis Hagi – 31st January 2020

From KRC Genk – Loan

Romanian Ianis Hagi joined Rangers on a loan deal back in January 2020, with a lot of hype behind him as an up-and-coming youngster. And it didn't take long for him to establish himself in Glasgow as he ended up joining permanently just a few months later.

Hagi is now sitting on 99 appearances for the Ibrox club and has a goals & assists return that even father Gheorghe would be proud of, with 16 and 21 respectively. And the most exciting thing for Rangers fans is that he may not have even reached his peak at just 25.

But the attacking midfielder had found game time difficult to come by since returning from a year on the sidelines through injury, and now finds himself out on loan at Spanish side Alaves in La Liga.

Although, there is still the potential for him to gain a permanent place at Ibrox, should he get back up to speed and catch the eye of Philippe Clement, who will no doubt be tracking his progress.

Marc Skinner's side ran riot to secure their maiden piece of silverware, led by their Lionesses midfielder's wonder-strike

Manchester United won the first major honour in the short history of their women's team by claiming the Women's FA Cup on Sunday, with goals from Ella Toone, Rachel Williams and a brace from Lucia Garcia securing a comfortable 4-0 win over Tottenham at Wembley. It made the Red Devils the first new winners of the competition since 2005, and allowed them to avenge last year's defeat in the final to Chelsea.

The game itself might not be too memorable for anyone not associated with the two teams, with it scrappy and lacking real quality, that was until Toone stepped up in first-half stoppage-time and sent the red half of Wembley into raptures with her wonderful strike that flew into the top corner.

It was a tough time for Spurs to concede, with the first 45 minutes having been close and competitive, and even tougher was the fact they conceded two goals in quick succession just before the hour to really take the game away from them. Williams' header from Katie Zelem's free-kick had been coming, as the United captain's set-pieces had been excellent all game, and then Garcia was in the right place at the right time to pounce on an error from Becky Spencer.

Garcia wrapped things up in the final stages to really put the cherry on the cake and deliver a highly-anticipated first major trophy for United, just six years after they returned to the women's game. It was a positive way to end an otherwise disappointing season for the Red Devils, who have struggled to keep up in the Women's Super League title race and cannot secure European football for next season, either.

For Spurs, it was quite the opposite. It was a deflating afternoon for them at Wembley, but it shouldn't overshadow an excellent campaign, with head coach Robert Vilahamn admitting that his team were perhaps ahead of schedule to have reached this occasion in her first year in charge.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Wembley Stadium…

• WINNER: Ella Toone

  This wasn't a great game ,and it needed a moment of magic to get it going when Toone picked the ball up in the Spurs half, skipped past the sliding challenge of Eveliina Summanen and unleashed a beautiful strike from 20 yards that absolutely flew into the top corner.

  It always felt like United's No.7 could make the decisive contribution in a final that was difficult to call in the build-up, and while the Red Devils did run away with it in the end, it was Toone's effort that got it all started.

  That's now four goals in seven appearances for her at Wembley, and three trophies lifted out of an available four. It's not a bad record to have at one of football's most iconic grounds.

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  LOSER: Bethany England

  Bethany England came into this game with four goals in her last four games, having missed of the first half of the season due to hip surgery she had in the summer. It's understandably taken the Tottenham striker time to get back to her best levels after so long out, but it looked like she was nearing them just in time for this occasion.

  However, England didn't get any real service in the game until Spurs were already 3-0 down. She had a shot from range that flew over the bar, when she should've passed to Celin Bizet in truth, and was unlucky to see a brilliant header crash off the bar. Those two moments came when the game was already done, though.

  Tottenham couldn't afford not to get a player of her calibre and with her momentum involved if they wanted to win this final, but they struggled massively to create.

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  WINNER: Katie Zelem

  Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman was in attendance at Wembley on Sunday, and she will have surely been impressed by what she saw from Toone, but her eye will have also been caught by the efforts of Katie Zelem.

  The United skipper hasn't been part of either of the Lionesses' squads in 2024, her last call-up coming in December last year. She reminded Wiegman what she can bring to the table in this final, though, as her consistently brilliant set-pieces caused Spurs so many problems. Whether it leads to a recall or not, only time will tell, but Zelem will not have harmed her chances with this display.

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• LOSER: Leah Galton

  Leah Galton is a fantastic footballer, an electric winger who can light up any game. Sadly, though, she didn't get the opportunity to do so on Sunday owing to an injury picked up in the first few minutes. The 29-year-old was slipped in by Toone in the opening moments and had the opportunity to break the deadlock early on, but saw her shot blocked by goalkeeper Becky Spencer before she then collided with her opponent and spent a few minutes receiving treatment.

  Galton struggled to get into the game after that and was visibly devastated when she had to leave the pitch just after half-time, having tried to continue. It was a shame to see such a talented player in that moment, after she was unable to show what she was about on big stage.

Manchester United could be given a chance to offload one of their first-team men in January after it emerged that a club has already been making tracks to try and secure his signature, according to a report.

Manchester United crash out of Champions League

On Wednesday, Manchester United suffered the fate of being knocked out of the Champions League after coming unstuck against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford, with a solitary goal from Kingsley Coman enough to ensure Erik Ten Hag's men departed the competition.

The surprise package of the group Copenhagen were able to see off Galatasaray in Group A's other fixture on the night, meaning that the Danes qualified for the Round of 16. At the same time, their Turkish opponents progressed to the Europa League's next phase at the expense of the Red Devils, capping an extremely disappointing European campaign for the Premier League giants.

As per TNT Sports via The Guardian, Ten Hag urged his squad to use the experience as a platform to learn from heading into future continental campaigns, as he said post-match: "Not regret, no. We didn’t make it, but we have to accept it. We have to learn from it. We played some good football in the Champions League. We have to take belief into the Premier League because we want to qualify again for the Champions League."

Now, focus at Old Trafford will turn to fixing their erratic form in the Premier League alongside planning potential incomings and outgoings to take place in the January transfer window. According to a fresh report, one Red Devils man could be offered a route out of the North West, which could potentially clear the way for arrivals to come in and revitalise Ten Hag's squad.

Eintracht Frankfurt make move for Donny van de Beek

According to 90min, Eintracht Frankfurt have moved early to try and sign Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek, who is free to leave Old Trafford after being deemed surplus to requirements by Ten Hag. The outlet claim that the Bundesliga outfit would be willing to take the Netherlands international on a loan basis; meanwhile, further interest in his services is also present from Real Sociedad, Girona, Ajax, Crystal Palace and Fulham.

In any temporary loan deal, the Red Devils would be keen to include an obligatory purchase option as they look to get the 26-year-old off the books; nevertheless, he is likely to complete a move away in January after a frustrating spell in England.

Since arriving in Manchester, Van de Beek, who has previously been hailed a "top-level player" while at Everton under Frank Lampard, has been a fringe player under Ole Gunner Solskjaer and now Ten Hag, making 62 appearances in all competitions for his current employers, registering just two goals and two assists (Van de Beek statistics – Transfermarkt).

Frequent injury issues have been a major thorn in Van de Beek's quest to become an important player at Manchester United and it comes as no surprise that both parties are now seemingly in the process of cutting ties.

Erik ten Hag admits that Manchester United did want to sign Harry Kane in 2023, but is backing Rasmus Hojlund to become a 30-goal striker.

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• England captain left Spurs in 2023
• Headed for Munich over Old Trafford
• Danish striker remains work in progress

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Devils made the acquisition of another frontman their top priority in the last summer transfer window, with questions being asked of whether Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford could lead the line. Danish star Hojlund was eventually snapped up from Atalanta for £72 million ($90m), with United opting to spend big on potential rather than pedigree.

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• WHAT TEN HAG SAID

  Ten Hag has told of that decision, with the club’s No.1 target slipping the net: “This club can only have outstanding players because the expectations are so high. Manchester United is the biggest, or maybe second or third, biggest club in the world, the highest fanbase so expectations will always be there. Everyone has an opinion about Manchester United and it can only be outstanding players. That's players who have all the skillset, that is the physical and especially the mental skillset they need to perform and contribute because we have to win every game. There's an expectation around every game from us so you can only fulfil that expectation when you have those outstanding players. But in the last decade and in this period, we couldn't always get the players we wanted. But then you have to build and you have to accept that you get talent in instead of players who already proved it in the past. We have had some choices made with talents like Rasmus Hojlund. I can see a striker who already proved it, who we want to sign and we couldn't get him. And then we went to Rasmus because he's a talent.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Quizzed on whether former Tottenham star Kane – who is now at Bayern Munich – was the one that got away, Ten Hag added: “Yes, and you know Harry Kane will get you 30 goals. I think Rasmus will get there, but he needs time. It's not fair to assess him the same as Harry Kane. I would never compare two players because they are very different. But with Hojlund, I think we had the biggest potential in the striker position last summer and we are very happy with him. But he also needs time to adapt and we are very pleased he showed his assets in scoring goals. He had a very good period where he scored many games after he showed it, but before and after, he had some physical issues, which is normal for a young player coming up. But it has a negative impact on the team result and that's what you have to accept. Then you go back to the fans and the opinion makers, and they don't understand or they don't want to understand this. It is how Man United gets judged, they only see the result, but we need time. You have to accept the process is going slower and you can't then expect to straight [away] compete for titles in the Champions League and Premier League.”

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Kane has broken the 40-goal barrier during his debut campaign at Bayern, as he puts them in contention for Champions League glory, while Hojlund – who only opened his Premier League account on December 26 before enjoying a remarkable run of form – has found the target on 14 occasions through 38 appearances.

Glasgow Rangers will be looking to make it three Scottish Premiership wins in a row as they return to Ibrox on Saturday afternoon.

Dundee are the visitors, and they will have the recent 5-0 drubbing from last month fresh in their minds and Philippe Clement will be hoping for another five-star showing.

The 1-0 win against Hearts in midweek could easily have been by a more comfortable margin, yet the Gers were extremely wasteful in front of goal.

Rangers' 6/10 star who lost possession 11x was as good as Sima vs Hearts

Rangers secured a vital three points against Hearts

By
Ross Kilvington

Dec 7, 2023

Danilo missed two big chances, while several others missed opportunities to extend the narrow one-goal advantage and Clement could count himself lucky the Jambos did not score a late equaliser and steal a share of the spoils.

With games coming thick and fast as the festive season steadily approaches, the Belgian may be keen on making a few changes to his starting XI for the visit of Dundee to Glasgow.

We at Football FanCast predict that the manager will make three changes to the team that took to the field at Tynecastle in midweek, as there could be a surprise option unleashed up front.

1

GK – Jack Butland

The goalkeeper is the only player to have played every single minute of the current campaign, and he has arguably been the signing of the summer.

Michael Beale secured his services on a free transfer and the Englishman has been impressive throughout.

Across 27 matches during 2023/24, Butland has kept 13 clean sheets while conceding 22 goals, with just seven of those coming in the Premiership.

2

RB – James Tavernier

Against Hearts, Tavernier grabbed yet another assist, taking his tally to four for the season as he played in a lovely ball for Abdallah Sima to score the only goal of the game.

The captain will need to inspire those around him to raise their games over the next few weeks, especially with a League Cup final and Old Firm clash coming up before the end of December.

If Tavernier can lead the Gers to victory against Aberdeen at Hampden next week while winning at Celtic Park for the first time since 2020, the Light Blues will head into 2024 full of confidence.

3

CB – Connor Goldson

The centre-back has missed just two matches this season and his most recent absence was due to suspension, meaning he got a well-deserved rest as the Gers took on Aris Limassol in the Europa League.

Across his 15 league matches so far this season, Goldson has helped his side concede just seven goals and kept ten clean sheets in the process.

4

CB – John Souttar

Leon Balogun has been impressive since rejoining the club during the summer, yet with important matches to come before Christmas, Clement will rest him against Dundee and preserve his legs.

This means Souttar could come back into the starting XI, and he would make his first league start since a 4-0 win over Hibs in what was Clement’s first match in charge.

It makes sense to rotate in defence and Souttar should be ready to go against Dundee.

5

LB – Ridvan Yilmaz

Borna Barisic missed the trip to Edinburgh in midweek and Yilmaz was the one to replace him at left back.

The Turkish defender was solid, winning seven of his nine total duels along with making three key passes and even missing a big chance, as he had the chance to score the second goal on the evening.

The tie against the Dens Park outfit is a chance for the former Bestikas star to cement his place in the starting XI.

6

CM – John Lundstram

Lundstram has been ever-present in the heart of the midfield since Clement arrived at Ibrox in October and expect him to start once again.

With so many midfielders getting injured this term, the former Sheffield United man has remained fit and this could be what secures him an extended contract.

7

CM – Jose Cifuentes

The £1.2m signing from Los Angeles FC came off the bench and replaced Tom Lawrence in midweek and while it took him a while to get going, the 24-year-old impressed.

Hailed as “very dynamic” by LAFC assistant manager Marc Dos Santos, Cifuentes had more pressures, counter pressures and tackles and interceptions than anyone else on the field against the Jambos and this means Clement will likely unleash him from the start on Saturday.

8

RW – Ross McCausland

The 20-year-old was given yet another start for the club in midweek, and he continues to look like a real menace on the right wing.

Not only did he take one shot on target, but the youngster also made two key passes and succeeded with 50% of his dribble attempts against the Gorgie outfit.

He will be unleashed against Dundee and the Northern Irishman will be looking to score his second goal for the club.

9

AM – Todd Cantwell

It looked as though Cantwell was going to find himself out of the team after being hooked after just 36 minutes against Aris, yet he knuckled down and has impressed while playing in a number ten role during the last two matches.

The Englishman made five key passes combined against St Mirren and Hearts, along with grabbing two assists, and he will be keen to go again this weekend.

10

RW – Abdallah Sima

The 22-year-old has been in splendid form since joining from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion on a season-long loan deal in the summer.

The winger has scored 12 goals in 26 matches for the Ibrox side, and he netted the only goal against Hearts on Wednesday evening, showcasing his talents.

Nottingham Forest will be handed the VAR audio from their controversial clash with Everton but it will not be made public.

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• Forest left furious by defeat to Everton
• Believe they should have won three penalties
• Have asked for VAR audio

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Forest were left furious after their 2-0 Premier League defeat to the Toffees due to three separate incidents which they believe should have led to a penalty being awarded. The club issued an extraordinary statement on social media after the game criticising the "extremely poor decisions" and claiming they had "warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan" ahead of kick-off. Forest also asked for the VAR audio to be released and expect the PGMOL to accept the request but it will not be made public, according to .

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  THE EXPLANATION

  VAR audio was previously made public after Luis Diaz's goal for Liverpool was wrongly disallowed for offside against Tottenham in September. However, in that incident the decision was made due to a "factual communication error" but this has not been the case with Forest and the three penalty calls in question. There is a possibility that the audio could still be made public if it is used in the programme which features Howard Webb reviewing contentious decisions.

• WHAT NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO SAID

  Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo backed the club's decision to issue a statement after the match. He told reporters: "Yes I share the view because I saw the images. When we go back to the dressing room, we have access to the images and you can see it so clearly and you don’t understand why the decisions were against us.

  “I think the situation with Gio Reyna in the first half is a clear one, the handball we can ask if it’s not but the ball goes to Chris Wood and there is another incident with Ashley Young. I share the feeling of the club because it’s not only this game, it’s been a while that we’ve had poor decisions against us. It’s not an excuse but we are not comfortable with the work of the referees.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The Premier League is set to investigate Nottingham Forest's post-match statement and could potentially punish the club. Meanwhile, the Tricky Trees are considering suing Sky Sports and pundit Gary Neville after the former Manchester United star likened the club's response to the controversy to a 'mafia gang'.

After a rocky start to Championship life this season, Southampton are starting to stamp their authority onto the second tier – Russell Martin's Saints unbeaten in their last eight league encounters, with impressive victories over Leeds United and West Brom standout results from this run.

Adam Armstrong has unsurprisingly reverted back to being a prolific striker in the division below the Premier League, Southampton's leading man has already netted nine goals from 16 games to put him very much in the running for the golden boot accolade come the end of the 46-game season.

The Saints could benefit from having another prolific attacker in the ranks to not just overly rely on the ex Newcastle United man, with this former hero who plated on the South Coast excelling ever since leaving Southampton behind as an impactful option up top.

That man was Manolo Gabbiadini, the Italian forward delivering fleeting moments of sublime magic for the Saints to the adoration of the St Mary's masses.

Gabbiadini's statistics for Southampton

Joining from Napoli in 2018 after a frosty relationship with ex-head coach Mauricio Sarri ended his stay in Naples – feeling "immediately at ease" in his new surroundings in contrast as quoted by the Mirror – Gabbiadini started his Southampton career in blistering goalscoring form to firmly put his tumultuous spell with the Blues to one side.

The former Southampton number 20 would score an incredible six goals in his first five games, managing to make the tricky transition to the Premier League look easy especially as the Italian was drafted into the first-team set-up mid-way through a season in the January transfer window.

Two of those six goals came at Wembley Stadium, Gabbiadini giving a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-led Manchester United an almighty scare in the 2017 EFL Cup final – the Red Devils reigning supreme on the day despite Gabbiadini's double, winning 3-2 to lift the trophy.

He could've even had a hat-trick on the day, but his third strike was controversially ruled offside.

A Premier League player of the month accolade would come his way as a result of his electric start to life in England, but the much-loved Saints figure couldn't keep this up throughout his time on the South Coast.

The eccentric and unpredictable attacker would leave Southampton with 12 goals to his name from 60 games, leaving a lasting impression on the Saints fanbase before being offloaded by Ralph Hassenhuttl in 2019.

Southampton's former number 20 has remained a feared forward for opposing defenders to contain since departing, especially when featuring for this new club Al-Nasr in the Middle East.

Gabbiadini's statistics since leaving Southampton

Gabbiadini would return back to his native Italy after his stint with the Saints, rejoining previous employers Sampdoria for £10.9m.

He would pick up from where he left off in Serie A , adding 31 more goals to his tally at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris Stadium before moving on to Al-Nasr in the wake of the club's demise to Serie B.

Playing in the UAE Pro League this season, Gabbiadini has scored six goals in all competitions with a further two assists attributed to the 31-year-old from ten outings.

His individual performance versus Hatta in late September showcased the Italian's explosive game still, scoring a brace on the day to steer his new employers towards a 3-0 victory.

Gabbiadini could have easily had more than just his two strikes, terrorising the Hatta defenders and goalkeeper with shot after shot – peppering the opposing goalkeeper non-stop with six efforts on goal as per Sofascore.

Although Armstrong is now the striker at St Mary's receiving all the affection, Southampton fans will vividly remember Gabbiadini as a forward presence who shone in patches when the Saints were still in the top flight.

Dirk Kuyt has thrown his weight behind Feyenoord boss, Arne Slot, and backed him to be the perfect man to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

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• Slot could be the next LFC manager
• Kuyt believes that Slot could lead LFC to glory
• Insisted that the Kop would "love" his style

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After being snubbed by Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso and Sporting CP's Ruben Amorim, the Liverpool board has zeroed in on Slot to fill in the boots of Klopp, who has decided to go on a sabbatical after the season's business is done and dusted. Although Jamie Carragher has voiced his reservations about Slot in unequivocal terms, his former teammate, Kuyt has lavished praise on the Feyenoord manager and insisted that there would be no "language barrier".

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  WHAT KUYT SAID

  In his column for Kuyt wrote: "Following in the footsteps of Jurgen isn’t easy but Arne will do it his own way and give everything to make the club successful. He’s determined and driven with a lot of self-belief. His style of play is exactly what Liverpool supporters love to see at Anfield. He’s also good with the media because he explains himself very clearly. As Feyenoord have so many foreign players, he conducts his meetings in English so there will be no issues over language."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kyut, who spent a week with Slot at Feyenoord to hone his skills under the more experienced manager, claimed that he is a fantastic man manager and has a distinct style of football which is different from Klopp, Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola.

  "Nowadays managers always get compared," Kuyt wrote. "Is it the Jurgen Klopp style? Is it the Jose Mourinho style? Is it the Pep Guardiola style? The answer is that Slot has his own style. He doesn’t copy anyone. He knows exactly what he wants and he believes in it. It’s attractive, attacking football. He likes to play an aggressive defence, high intensity, with the game played in the opponent’s half, but it’s his way. It’s different from Klopp but a lot of the principles are the same."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Slot has established himself as a dependable name in the Eredivisie as he guided Feyenoord to being the Dutch champions in the 2022-23 season and also bagged the KNVB Cup. Moreover, in his very first season, he led the Rotterdam-based club to a third-place finish in the league and a runners-up spot in the Europa Conference League. It remains to be seen if the 45-year-old can weave the same magic in English football in his first season with the Reds.