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According to The72, Glasgow Rangers have entered the race to sign prolific goal machine Jerry Yates this summer, and it’s absolutely a move Ibrox chief Ross Wilson must make.

It’s claimed that the 24-year-old is wanted by at least four clubs ahead of the transfer window, so it is likely that his future lies away from Blackpool, where he has scored an impressive 20 goals in 45 appearances this season.

Back in March, The Sun suggested the League One promotion-chasers valued their 5 foot 9 talisman at around £2m, which on the face of it, seems a bargain.

A new striker could quickly become a top priority for Steven Gerrard at the conclusion of this title-winning campaign. Both Greg Stewart and Jermain Defoe are out of contract, whilst there will be interest expected over leading forward Alfredo Morelos after another goal-laden year.

The 24-year-old very nearly joined Lille last summer after a £16m bid was rejected and Premier League clubs such as Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have been mooted too.

If the Gers are to mount a solid title defence next season, then the addition of Yates could make sense, especially if they keep hold of Ryan Kent, who too has enjoyed a phenomenal campaign.

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The left winger’s 12 goals and 13 assists have played a crucial role towards Gerrard ending Celtic’s dominance, as well as the Scottish giants mounting a serious charge in the Europa League.

Now if you were to pair him up with a goal machine like Yates, then it could well be Rangers’ turn to run the show in Glasgow.

The former Rotherham United youngster has hugely impressed at Bloomfield Road, and earlier this month Richie Wellens waxed lyrical about his ability. He told the EFL on Quest show (via the Blackpool Gazette):

“I love Jerry to bits, absolutely love him to bits. He’s good at everything. He’s got decent pace, he can hold the ball up. He’s a fantastic professional that wants to get everything out of his career.”And after he hit 20 for the season, current boss Neil Critchley couldn’t speak highly enough of Yates.”Considering the start he had to the season, which was similar to the team, the goalscoring record since then has been top drawer,” explained the Seasiders chief. “He’s looking really on form, full of confidence. He’s bang in form.”Just imagine the damage Gerrard’s attack could do next season if Wilson can deliver Yates for just £2m – that would be a worthwhile bargain, even if they do manage to keep hold of Morelos.Kent and Yates would be a frightening frontline at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Signed for nothing, sold for £2.5m: Allen delivered a masterclass with Rangers dud…

Rumoured Leeds United target Michael Olise has hinted at a move away from Reading this summer, following a unique goal celebration spotted by Leeds Live.

The Whites-linked 19-year-old is enjoying an excellent season in the Championship, proving to be one of Reading’s key men in their Premier League promotion push.

Olise has registered 10 league assists to date, with only Norwich City’s Emiliano Buendia having more, as well as scoring six goals for good measure.

His most recent strike came during Monday’s 3-1 win at home to Derby County, as the £10.8million-rated midfielder gave his side the lead on the stroke of half-time.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Olise hints at Reading exit

After scoring, Olise did a ‘signing the deal’ celebration, via Leeds Live, perhaps hinting that he is set to move elsewhere this summer.

As their report points out, the youngster’s contract expires next summer, so it would be in Reading’s best interest to sell up this year rather than lose him for free in 2022.

It may be that he could be on the verge of extending his deal at Reading, of course, although that would be a surprise, given the number of top clubs tipped to be interested in him.

Transfer Tavern take

For Olise to be thriving in the Championship as a teenager says a lot about his potential, considering what a notoriously difficult and physically demanding league it is.

His age also means he could join Leeds as both a current option and a long-term prospect, as Marcelo Bielsa hopefully looks to build a team well into the future.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a summer exit, with two clubs keen on signing him. Find out who it is here.

Everton have landed a huge boost entering the international break after James Rodriguez revealed that he expects to be fit to face Crystal Palace.

That’s according to Caracol, who quoted the Colombian as claiming on his Twitch channel that he intends to make his return from a calf injury on April 5.

Rodriguez has missed the Toffees’ last four Premier League games, plus the FA Cup quarter-final loss to Manchester City, as a result of the issue which developed in February’s meetings with Manchester United and Liverpool.

Carlo Ancelotti revealed ahead of this month’s clash with Burnley that Rodriguez had been absent from fixtures with Southampton, West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea after feeling a tightness in his calf that the Italian tactician was reticent to risk worsening.

Rodriguez had registered his first assist in 13 Premier League games when he created Richarlison’s go-ahead goal during the Merseyside derby, while striking his fifth English top-flight goal at Old Trafford two weeks earlier.

The £27m-rated playmaker now intends to add his first minutes since playing the opening hour at Anfield when Everton host Crystal Palace.

“I’ll play again in the next game, April 3, I think [vs the Eagles on April 5]. I’m very well thank God and I want to play again,” Rodriguez said.

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Ancelotti had voiced hope of having Rodriguez back for the Selhurst Park natives’ trip to Goodison Park when addressing the state of his squad for the FA Cup tie with Manchester City.

“James is out but he will start to train with the team next week,” the 61-year-old said on Friday, before adding: “In the international break, we have time to recover some players. James is one of those and maybe Jean-Philippe Gbamin.”

Rodriguez now noting that he expects to be fit to face Crystal Palace at the start of next month will surely excite Ancelotti, having seen the 29-year-old rediscover his wavering form against two of the Premier League’s elite sides in Manchester United and Liverpool.

The Colombian had been struggling to offer anywhere near the same creativity that saw him register three goals and three assists in his first five games in the Premier League, as injuries began to creep in here and there.

A groin issue prevented his involvement against Newcastle United on November 1, while a calf strain kept the £90,000-per-week playmaker out of four games throughout December.

However, Rodriguez had the telling touch to set the tone against Liverpool when playing Richarlison through to score, while finding the back of the net against Manchester United to round out an initial comeback from two goals down before leaving the field through injury.

Ancelotti would have wished he had Rodriguez at least on the bench as Everton lost 2-1 at home to Burnley recently, knowing the game-changing impact he can bring that also broke the deadlock against Leicester City in a 1-1 draw in January.

That impact will have to wait until Crystal Palace’s trip to Merseyside at the earliest, but a refreshed Rodriguez can have a big say in the Toffees’ push for European football.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti has set his eyes on bringing an £18m-rated titan to Everton this summer…

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to the SPFL’s release of fixtures for the remainder of the Premiership campaign.

The Gers have already confirmed their status as champions for the 55th time, but even though the title is wrapped up, there are still five games left to play (BBC). Of course, the league will now be split into the top six and the bottom six, with the teams in each group to play each other once more.

On Monday, the Ibrox outfit discovered when and where they will play their remaining matches. First, they will face Hibernian at home before travelling to St. Johnstone. The final Old Firm derby of the campaign against Celtic will take place at Ibrox on 2nd May with the Gers then facing Livingston on the road. The final match of the team will take place at their home against Aberdeen – on that day, they are likely to finally lift the Premiership trophy.

The fixture list was shared on the Gers’ official Twitter account, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“Beautiful.”

Credit: @Follow_Follow_

“Title party on the Saturday is absolute scenes”

Credit: @KingAribo7

“5 games spread over 6 weeks with last 2 fixtures 3 days apart. 10 days between games 1 & 2, 11 days between games 2 & 3 and 10 days between games 3 & 4. Farcical.”

Credit: @55titles2021

“Sunday old firm, am I a joke to you”

Credit: @staunchdaviderc

“Surprised they didn’t try and fire Hibs or Aberdeen as the additional away trip…shows the nonsense the split is though.”

Credit: @_inexcelsisdeo

“So the previous 3 old firm games were purposely the last in the fixtures but because we are to lift the League Trophy they have changed it to Aberdeen???? Who is this to suit ???”

Credit: @aptrm80

In other news, this man has been tipped to Rangers’ Player of the Year.

MatériaMais Notícias

Atlético Goianiense e Ceará fizeram um jogo bastante disputado na noite desta segunda-feira, no Serra Dourada, e ficaram no empate por 2 a 2. Gilsinho e Romário fizeram para o time da casa, enquanto Bill marcou os dois gols do Vozão, de cabeça. Resultado é bom para o líder Vasco.

Com o empate, as equipes mantiveram suas posições na tabela da Série B. O Atlético-GO é vice-líder com 38 pontos conquistados, enquanto o Ceará é terceiro, com um ponto a menos. O Dragão encara agora o Vila Nova, no próximo sábado, às 16h, novamente no Serra Dourada. No dia seguinte, o Vozão recebe o Avaí, no Castelão, às 18h30.

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O JOGO

A partida no Serra Dourada começou com tudo e o time da casa chegou com perigo e quase abriu o placar com Michel aos oito minutos, batendo de fora da área. O Vozão respondeu três minutos depois com Bill, porém Kléver estava atento e saiu bem nos pés do atacante. Aos 22, o centroavante do alvinegro teve outra chance e dessa vez balançou as redes de cabeça.

Os visitantes tomavam conta da partida e quase ampliaram em duas oportunidades. Primeiro com Felipe e depois com Charles. O Dragão respondeu com Gilsinho. Atacante girou bem e marcou o gol de empate. Quando parecia que os times iriam para os vestiários com o empate no placar, Valdo tocou com a mão na bola e o juiz deu pênalti para o Atlético. Na cobrança, Romário deslocou o goleio e virou o placar.

A segunda etapa não poderia começar melhor para o Ceará. Aos dois, Bill marcou o seu segundo gol de cabeça para empatar o jogo novamente e pouco tempo depois, o atacante Alison, do Dragão, entrou solando e foi expulso pelo árbitro. Mesmo com um homem a menos, Magno Cruz quase colocou o time da casa novamente na frente do placar em linda jogada individual, mas Éverson fez boa defesa.

A new day represents a new story in the hunt for Celtic’s next manager. Neil Lennon left three weeks ago and the Bhoys are still yet to find a successor.

What’s the word?

One of the managers linked with the vacant hot seat is American Jesse Marsch.

The 47-year-old is currently in charge of Red Bull Salzburg in Austria but in a fresh twist, has recently opened up on the idea of taking charge of the Hoops.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Marsch said: “I’ve heard [about the links]. It’s an honour for me.

“Three or four years ago, being linked with a club like Celtic would literally be an impossibility for me. And now that this is where I am, I always just try to look at it in terms of, ‘what would the project look like?”

Marsch continued: “Would we have similar ideas in how to build it the right way, invest in the academy, invest in young players and create this development process that I’m talking about? And not just focus on winning.

“Obviously I know that when you’re the coach of Celtic, winning is the most important thing,” he concluded.

Desmond must be buzzing

News that Marsch is appealed by the Hoops vacancy should be music to the ears of majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and the club’s supporters.

The Salzburg boss is far from a household name but he’s achieved incredible things in his short coaching career to date.

The American was formerly Leipzig’s assistant and has now swapped German shores for Austrian ones. He has played a leading role in Erling Haaland’s progression and as manager of Salzburg, gave Liverpool a run for their money in the Champions League, suffering a 4-3 defeat at Anfield.

Marsch has lost just 16 of his 82 matches as Salzburg manager; a win success of 65%. With that in mind, it’s hard to ignore these quotes.

He’s already been talked up for the manager’s job, specifically by Packie Bonner, someone who claimed Marsch was in the mould of a certain Brendan Rodgers.

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The 47-year-old is a manager who thinks outside the box, and regularly gets his teams to play with a relentless press. He is very much a person bred from the Ralf Rangnick school of how to coach football.

Unique in his approach, he’d certainly bring a different type of style and thought process to Parkhead than Lennon.

This can only be a good thing; he’d be an astute capture if Celtic can capitalise on his interest. Hoops fans should have every reason to be excited.

AND in other news, Celtic must ruthlessly axe £15k-p/w flop this summer, Lennon once called him “stupid”…

Just when Leeds thought there was more positivity engulfing the club, they were rocked by yet another injury setback.

It’s been the story of their season, particularly from a defensive standpoint.

On the chalkboard

Leeds may have defeated Newcastle on Tuesday evening but after ten minutes they were dealt a crushing blow.

Despite coming through two sessions of murderball last week, Diego Llorente had to be substituted with an injury early on.

Phil Hay has since revealed that the Spaniard could miss up to a month of action after heading for scans on Wednesday.

As a result, Bielsa will have to scramble around to patch his defence together again.

The solution

The obvious answer to this conundrum would be to put Pascal Struijk at centre-back. The Dutchman came on during their win over the Magpies and performed well, standing out above a host of Leeds’ other players by winning 100% of his defensive duels.

That being said, this injury blow could open up the opportunity of first-team minutes for Charlie Cresswell.

It was revealed this week that fellow defender Oli Casey was set to go out on loan and with that in mind it appears Cresswell is next in the pecking order in terms of seniority to Struijk.

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The 18-year-old has played just once under Bielsa, a defeat to Hull in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, but he’s highly thought of and there is surely no better time than now to hand him some sort of role in the senior set-up.

Speaking about the centre-back earlier this season after he signed a new contract, Noel Whelan only had praise for him. He told Football Insider: “His debut was fantastic against Hull, in my opinion, I thought he was one of the standout players even though we played so poorly on the night.

“He is the future, he’s one for the future. At that centre-half position he’s got great attributes, he’s very calm on the ball, a great size to him, he’s quick, he can head, he can pass. He’s the modern-day, young-centre half.”

Considering some of the defending we’ve seen from Leeds this term, being of a good size would be incredibly useful. The Whites have shipped the most goals from set-plays (10) this term of anyone in the Premier League and thus, his 6-foot frame could be used to good effect in that department.

Though, it’s his calm nature on the ball that’ll please Bielsa the most. He prefers his defenders to play out from the back and judging by his pass success rate of 81% in the Papa John’s Trophy this term, Cresswell is highly capable.

The teenager’s not been in the first team very often so now is the time to give him a chance to show what he’s capable of. After all, had Struijk not been afforded a rare chance at the beginning of the season with Liam Cooper’s absent through injury, we’d never have known how good he was.

AND in other news, Get rid: Leeds must wield axe on 6 ft 4 flop after just 22 apps, Radz can’t be happy…

Manchester City travel to League Two side Cheltenham Town on Saturday afternoon in the FA Cup and it could be the perfect opportunity for Pep Guardiola to start Liam Delap.

The 17-year-old made his first start for the Citizens earlier in the season and marked it with a goal in the 2-1 Carabao Cup win against Bournemouth, but has been limited to just two substitute appearances since then, per Transfermarkt.

Delap has been prolific with the U23 side this season, despite being so young, as he has managed nine goals in just nine games in the Premier League 2.

His last appearance saw him notch a hat-trick in the 4-0 win against Derby County, so he is clearly in confident form, and therefore Guardiola should consider handing him a start against Cheltenham on Saturday.

Gabriel Jesus has struggled for goals this season – he has four in 15 matches in all competitions – and whilst Delap is unlikely to be a regular in the first-team in the Premier League any time soon, he certainly has an eye for goal so should be utilised whilst the Brazilian is out of form.

Sergio Aguero will also miss the trip to Whaddon Road after testing positive for the current viral outbreak, meaning Guardiola is low on striking options.

After Delap’s goal against Bournemouth, the Spanish manager was full of praise for the teenager, saying:

“He’s a different striker to what we have in terms of physicality.

“We see in training how good a finisher he is. Now he has to be calm and keep working.”

Therefore, he clearly has confidence in Delap’s ability in front of goal, and for a game in which you would expect City to create plenty of chances, he could prove to be the difference between this being a nervy and a comfortable cup tie for the Citizens, so he should unleash Delap on Saturday.

And, in other news… Txiki must seal MCFC swoop for £80m-rated “top goalscorer” better than Gabriel Jesus

Newcastle United’s FA Cup third round exit at Arsenal exposed Steve Bruce for shamefully wasting Andy Carroll in the absence of Callum Wilson on Saturday.

Bruce took the precautionary decision to omit Wilson and Jonjo Shelvey from his matchday squad in order to prevent either sustaining an injury at the Emirates Stadium, but he expects both to be involved in Tuesday night’s Premier League trip to Sheffield United.

Carroll was given only his fourth start of the season as he was picked to lead the line in north London, and he came close to sending the Toon through to the next round too, but he squandered two glorious chances in closing stages as the tie went to extra time.

Arsenal would have had little time to recover had Carroll sent Newcastle into the lead inside the final minute of the second-half, yet the former England international saw Bernd Leno react quickly to smother his shot.

The forward had already been made to rue his wasteful shooting moments earlier, with Carroll timing his run to perfection to stay onside only to side-foot wide an effort that Alan Shearer would later claim “can only be defined as an absolute sitter”.

Despite his shooting proving costly for Newcastle, who failed to match last season’s FA Cup campaign that saw the Magpies reach the quarter-final, Bruce was pleased with Carroll’s overall performance at Arsenal.

“I thought Andy did fantastically well. If he had topped it off by scoring a goal, it would have been good for him. There were a lot of pleasing things,” Bruce said, via quotes by The Shields Gazette.

In truth, however, Bruce wasted Carroll at Arsenal and the Newcastle United boss’ defensive tactics proved costly against a Mikel Arteta side that is often unable to present any forward threat.

Too often throughout the north London affair, Carroll was forced to drop deeper and deeper in search of possession or to help United defend, capped off by a first-half charge that saw the 32-year-old target man aid Emil Krafth at right-back.

Bruce and Newcastle eventually saw the best of what Carroll can bring to the table in the closing stages of the second period when he was presented with chances to seal a rare win over Arsenal, who have now beaten the Toon in 15 of their last 16 meetings.

If United are to retain Carroll against interest from West Bromwich Albion in the January transfer window, Bruce must act now and deliver a drastic change to his system by pairing the £75,000-per-week gem, who Kevin Phillips feels “can be unplayable”, with another striker.

Bruce often favours a one-striker system but he will struggle to see the best of Carroll over a full 90 minutes if he continues to focus on defensive stability over an attacking threat, and he must pair the 6 ft 4 target man with Wilson to lay claim to a better forward balance that may finally see Newcastle snap their seven-game winless streak across all competitions.

Bruce is setting the Magpies up defensively, but the fact is, they aren’t winning games in this set-up, so a change is needed.

AND in other news, a Newcastle gem embarrassed his teammates as Steve Bruce’s only positive at Arsenal.

Anthony Gordon betrayed Carlo Ancelotti with a horror show performance as Everton beat Championship strugglers Rotherham United in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

Goals from Cenk Tosun and Abdoulaye Doucoure ensured the Toffees’ name enters the hat for the next round, despite the Blues often being at sixes and sevens with no clear cohesion between the heavily changed line-up.

Gordon started well with a promising presence on the left-wing to play Tosun through with a perfectly weighted pass for the Turkey international’s first goal of the season, turning Rotherham’s Michael Ihiekwe inside out on the half-way line to create space for himself.

The talented Toffees product had almost struck his first goal in senior football not long before feeding Tosun after an excellent driven run through the centre, and later baffled the visiting backline with a cleverly disguised pass down the line.

Unfortunately, though, Gordon’s day took on a downward spiral thereafter, with the Liverpool Echo’s Phil Kirkbride noting on Twitter how the 19-year-old displayed poor body language after the break.

Ancelotti did not wait long before hauling Gordon off as the first of his second-half changes to introduce Bernard, and cap off what turned out to be a miserable afternoon for the £4.5m-rated youngster despite the early promise.

Gordon departed the field in the 61st-minute having lost four of his seven ground duels and possession six times, while failing to attempt a single cross or long ball despite recording 22 touches, per SofaScore.

The Liverpool-born talent often registered his touches on the cusp of the half-way line and almost shared as much time spent in the Rotherham penalty area as he did on the edge of Robin Olsen’s box.

Yet despite that, he attempted two shots on goal with one blocked and sending the other off-target, while emerging successful with just one of his two dribbles and playing one key pass from a mere nine successful attempts.

No Everton player attempted fewer passes in total than Gordon (11) during the opening hour of the match, with Olsen even registering 22 efforts in goal for the third-lowest tally ahead of Tosun (12), per WhoScored.

It was a display that will see Ancelotti look fondly on other players should he need replacements for Richarlison anytime soon in the Premier League, even with Andre Gomes often proving an easy target for Rotherham to circumnavigate in the engine room in a disappointing display from the Portuguese.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands must sign “quick” Everton target who “makes football look easy”…