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Rangers pulled off Scott Wright masterclass

In a world away from the multi-millions in TV money you get for playing in the Premier League, Rangers must be creative in the transfer market to build a squad capable of competing domestically and in Europe.

This means that Ross Wilson must work overtime in order to secure the best possible signings, and the club’s title success last season suggests that he done an excellent job so far.

One player with whom he pulled off a masterclass was winger Scott Wright, who he brought in during the January window to bolster Steven Gerrard’s title pursuit.

The Gers pinned him down to a four-and-a-half-year deal, which suggests that they see long-term potential in the forward. They initially agreed to sign him on a pre-contract but were able to snap him up in January for a bargain fee.

Wilson reportedly paid Aberdeen £180k for his services, with Wright playing 13 times before the end of the 2020/21 campaign. He provided one goal and two assists, setting up a goal in the Europa League.

At the time of the signing, Gerrard hailed him as a player he has admired from afar, backing him to be a success at Ibrox. He said: “It is very pleasing to have Scott for the rest of this season. This will give him the opportunity to gain some valuable game time in a blue shirt for the rest of the season.

“Scott is a player that I have admired and I believe that we can utilise his skill set within our system. He will train with his new teammates tomorrow.”

At the time of writing (26/10/21), Wright is valued at £540k by Transfermarkt. He has produced three goals and two assists in 26 appearances for the club, with three starts in the Premiership this term. This shows that Wilson was able to pull off a masterclass with the forward in January.

He was able to sign Wright for just a third of his current market value, whilst the winger still has plenty of time to develop even further at the age of 24. If he continues to be a regular first team option for Rangers, his value could continue to rise and the £180k Rangers paid for him will look all the more like an absolute bargain.

It was a nominal fee to pay for a talented young player in whom Gerrard seemingly sees a great deal of potential.

AND in other news, Fresh twist emerges on big Rangers problem that’ll leave fans buzzing…

Martinez: Wolves’ biggest transfer regret

Wolverhampton Wanderers have gone under the radar when it comes to astute signings in recent times.

It’s easy to overlook the fact that their last five arrivals, including loans, have all been signed for under £10m. It’s even more impressive that four of those are consistent first-team players, with Yerson Mosquera the only exception, although he has made one appearance for Bruno Lage’s first-team and would surely have more were it not for a long-term hamstring injury.

Nevertheless, their business over the past year has been nothing short of sensational, especially in today’s market, which is why it comes as even more of a shock that Wolves once failed to acquire the permanent signing of Emiliano Martinez, who is now a Premier League regular elsewhere in the Midlands at Aston Villa.

Back in the 2015/16 season, the Argentine played for the Old Gold amid a loop of loan moves and fringe appearances, although his initial opening months at Wolverhampton Wanderers sought to end that pattern.

In 2015, Martinez made 13 appearances for Wolves in the Championship and despite only keeping four clean sheets, he conjured up a rather impressive 71% save percentage. For context, in his breakout season for Aston Villa in 2020/21, his save percentage was 77%, so for that time in his career it was a very impressive metric.

Ultimately it was the thigh injury that kept him out of contention for several months which cost both Martinez and Wolves the chance to work together long-term.

On one hand, you can understand the caution that Wolves expressed, as the ‘keeper was unable to regain his starting place after the injury. However, with the underlying stats that he displayed throughout those 13 appearances for the Old Gold, it remains a mystery as to why Martinez was never given the chance to win back his place between the sticks.

Despite finding a gem in former Olympiacos ‘keeper José Sá, the reluctance to sign a goalkeeper dubbed by Dan Rolinson as “unreal” and who would go on to earn the highest of plaudits from Lionel Messi must serve as one of the biggest transfer regrets at Molineux.

To rub salt in the wounds of the Wolves pack, the 29-year-old who has shone for club and country is now worth £28.8m in today’s market. Had the Old Gold pounced for a permanent deal six years ago, they may have got him for as little as £1.35m judging by his Transfermarkt valuation at the time, instead of leaving him return to his then-parent club Arsenal for nothing.

In other news – Lage could finally unearth Wolves’ new Diogo Jota in “unpredictable” £33m creator

Fans Can’t Write Off Coventry City Just Yet and Here’s Why

A new season of the EFL Championship presents new opportunities for either promotion and happiness or relegation and heartbreak. Coming off the back of Fulham’s fall from grace back into the Championship and Brentford’s overdue return to top-flight football, everyone’s wondering what the story of the 2021/2022 campaign will be. Will there be late drama? Will the promoted teams win by a landslide?Betting on the Premier League is one thing, but as teams spend more money on superstars, it almost becomes a given with regards toÂwhich teams will performÂwell. There hasn’t been an underdog story since Leicester’s run in the 2015/2016 season. The Championship draws its fair share of drama,Âas the seasons often pair with intense promotion and relegation battles, and showcase players whose previously unheard of or underappreciated talent shocks the nation.This year, theÂChampionship bettingÂcurrently has Fulham and West Brom withÂodds of 8/13Âand 4/6, respectively, to be promoted. However, bettors can’t ignore the start teams like Coventry City have had so far in this campaign. The 2021/22 Championship betting tipsÂpromisingly have Coventry priced at 12/5 for a top-six finish.

The Perfect Start

When theÂfailed Super LeagueÂwas announced, football fans were enraged. Not only was it a money-grabber, but the entire premise would have removed a crucial element of the game that fans love:Âthe romance.

There’s something special aboutÂunderdog stories, which is probably why the nation came together after Brentford’s shock win against Arsenal in August; as the Championship season kicks off, it looks like we could potentiallyÂhave another underdog story on our hands.

Coventry City, notorious for being slowÂin previous campaigns, has started the 2021/2022 season better than expected, with four wins out of their first six games.ÂOf course, it’s still early, and the run may not last. However, it’s evident the Sky Blues underdogs have clicked this season as established players like Jamie Allen and their summer signings such as Todd Kane and Simon Moore are all contributing.

New Players Making A Mark

Moore, especially, could prove vital to the success of Coventry City this season. After moving from Sheffield United, the 31-year-old goalkeeper has impressed City fans with his performances, particularly after his heroics in his sides’ 2-0 win against Middlesborough on September 11th. Moore was commanding in goal and pulled off an unbelievable triple save that earned him a spot in the EFL Championship Team of the Week.

There’s no doubt Moore has played a massive role in Coventry’s encouraging start to the season. Having a goalkeeper that’s both commanding and focused is crucial, especially when facing strikers like Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has odds of 2/1 to be the top goalscorer this season.

There will always be favourites amongst bettors and the 2021/2022 Championship season is no different. Justifiably, eyes are on Fulham and West Brom, two teams who were in the Premier League in the 2020/2021 season. As we saw with Norwich’s return this year, the teams that go down are often the ones that bounce back up. However, the Championship season has demonstrated that nothing is a guarantee and based on Coventry’s performance so far, there are more reasons to fear them than belittle them.

Fulham set to lose Andre Zambo Anguissa

Fulham central midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa is set to leave Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Fabrizio Romano, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that the 25-year-old looks on course to join Serie A side Napoli, with a deal expected to be announced in the coming hours.

Romano continued by stating that an agreement between the Cottagers and Napoli has been reached, with the move thought to initially be a season-long loan deal, with the Italian side having an option to buy the Cameroon international next summer.

Finally, the journalist claimed that the midfielder is due to have a medical in Italy today, and, all being well, will become a Gli Azzurri player shortly afterwards.

In his tweet, Romano said: “Fulham midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa is set to join Napoli, done deal. The agreement has been reached on loan with buy option – deal to be announced in the next hours. Medical today in Italy, Anguissa will play for Napoli.”

Silva will be gutted

With Marco Silva having publically stated his desire to retain the services of Anguissa beyond the closure of the summer transfer window on Tuesday, the fact that the club look to have sanctioned the 25-year-old’s departure is sure to have left the Cottagers manager gutted.

It is clear to see why the 44-year-old had hoped to keep the midfielder in west London this season, as the £22.5m-rated man demonstrated his importance within the Fulham side in the club’s Premier League campaign last term.

Indeed, over his 36 Premier League appearances last season, Angussia made an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.2 tackles, 0.4 clearances and won a whopping 7.3 duels per game.

The £70k-per-week midfielder also impressed in a creative capacity, providing three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, along with making an average of 0.8 key passes per league fixture.

These metrics saw the Cameroonian earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as the Cottagers’ 10th-best performer in the top flight of English football.

Angussia has continued this fine form into the club’s Championship campaign this time out, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.87 over his three substitute appearances for Silva’s side this season.

As such, the departure of the midfielder is sure to come as a blow to the Portuguese manager, who will now undoubtedly be frantically searching for a replacement for the 25-year-old over what remains of the summer transfer window.

In other news: Get him gone: Silva must ruthlessly axe Fulham’s “valuable” £24k-p/w Jokanovic flop

West Ham fans change their tunes about Ogbonna

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Loads of West Ham fans have been running the rule over the week’s action, and they’re very happy with the resurgence of Angelo Ogbonna.

West Ham were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City on Wednesday, but the Hammers did themselves justice with a stern defensive performance.

The hosts at the Etihad had 76 per cent of the possession and 20 shots to just two for their visitors, so the Hammers’ defence had to be at their very best to keep the score down.

Ogbonna was certainly at his best, dominating physically with seven interceptions and four clearances, while his partner Issa Diop also pitched in with three interceptions and five clearances.

Diop though has had the backing of the fans in East London since the day he arrived, while Ogbonna has been the subject of loads of criticism this season.

The 30 year-old had a nightmare in the FA Cup defeat to Wimbledon, and fans were crucifying him after a shocking display in a 3-0 defeat to Wolves.

The support has now done a complete U-turn though, heaping praise on the ex-Juve man for his impressive turnaround in form.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Wolves fans hail Neves display vs Everton

A number Wolves fans have hailed Ruben Neves’ ‘superb’ performance as they took on Everton at Molineux on Monday night.

Bruno Lage’s side have had a nine-day break from action following their 1-1 draw away to Leeds United towards the end of October.

Wolves faced a potentially tough Premier League clash with Everton at Molineux but took a 2-0 lead into half-time, with Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez on the scoresheet, while Hwang Hee-chan also had a goal ruled out by VAR.

Alex Iwobi halved the deficit on 66 minutes as the Toffees improved during the second half, but Neves nonetheless stood out among many of his club’s supporters.

As per Sky Sports, he tested Jordan Pickford with a first half volley and also got in a crucial block to deny Ben Godfrey after Everton had pulled it back to 2-1. The 24-year-old midfielder had one of the highest passing accuracy rates in Lage’s side and also made a couple of important interceptions, as per SofaScore.

Wolves fans react to Neves’ display

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to hail Neves’ performance, which one supporter described as “outstanding”.

“Neves has been 10/10, as has Coady as well, from them breaking on us and shut them down every time”

Credit: @Treborm44

“Neves is one of the best b2b midfielders in the Prem, the man can defend and score very well”

Credit: @wwfc_dg

“Everton playing with more purpose this half. Gray sprints into the box….but Neves tracks him and slides in with an excellent tackle. Having a great game.”

Credit: @TimSpiers

“Well said. Outstanding”

Credit: @robbiepthewolf

“So that was as close to perfect as you could get really. Last 10 mins a bit more twitchy but the movement is fantastic. Neves playing like an absolute beast and Trincao having them in circles. Next goal massive but so far so brilliant”

Credit: @WV1Wolf

“Neves the best player on the pitch by a country mile”

Credit: @Stringers76

In other news, some Wolves fans are excited by one transfer rumour that has emerged. Read more here.

Journo makes new claim on Nketiah to CPFC

Crystal Palace are having a quiet transfer window so far, as Patrick Vieira’s side have enjoyed a comfortable start to their season, currently 11th in the Premier League, but with three weeks to go there is one player that has been repeatedly linked to signing for the side in January.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Pete O’Rourke, added new claims to the ongoing speculation surrounding the potential signing of Eddie Nketiah, confirming that other clubs are interested in the Gunners forward.

O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT:

“There’s other clubs interested in Nketiah,” he began.

“The likes of Brighton have been mentioned but Crystal Palace have held a long-term interest in Nketiah. They tried to get him in the summer but it didn’t happen in the end.”

With Brighton speculated to be in hot pursuit of the 22-year-old too, Vieira will need to make a decision on whether he wants to sign the player or not, as he could be beaten to securing his signature by another Premier League club, especially now that he is in the final six months of his contract with Arsenal.

Fans will be buzzing

Nketiah would be a great addition to the youth revolution that Patrick Vieira has imposed since being appointed by the London club in summer last year, and has the potential to become a fantastic player if his current form is anything to go by.

As a result, fans will surely be elated to see another young player in Nketiah becoming part of the future that the Palace manager is already building, with many taking to social media to discuss the potential signing.

One fan Tweeted: “Palace need to bag Nketiah, imagine the front 4 of Nketiah, Olise, Eze and Gallagher.”

The Arsenal striker has not been in Mikel Arteta’s favour for too many Premier League starts, with just three appearances so far, but has been able to prove his worth and showcase his talents in the EFL Cup.

In that competition, he has scored five goals in three games, leading the Gunners to a semi final that is important for the club this season, as they can only compete in domestic competitions due to failing to qualify for European football for the first time since 1995.

Crystal Palace could lose one of their strikers this January, as Jean-Philippe Mateta is strongly linked to a move away from the club, ending his loan and joining Saint Etienne, and if this was the case, Vieira could swoop to secure the signing of Nketiah in the next few weeks to fill the hole that his current striker would leave.

In other news: Mateta likely to leave the club in January

Rangers summer transfer news

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now dropped some big news with regards to summer plans at Glasgow Rangers.

The Lowdown: Targets lined up

The Ibrox faithful are reportedly now considering moves for both Ross Stewart and Gareth Bale in the summer, so they are clearly already eyeing up ways to strengthen with the current season drawing closer to an end.

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They find themselves six points behind leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, but are in the UEFA Europa League semi-final after they knocked out Braga over two legs – if they can win the competition and secure Champions League football, new quality and depth in the market will be a necessity.

The Latest: Planning already

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has shared that the hierarchy at the Teddy Bears have ‘already been speaking’ about possible transfer targets for the summer, while other clubs have not got that far yet:

“I know they’ve already been speaking about potential targets for the window, which is quite interesting given we’re still only halfway through April.

“A lot of clubs aren’t that far down the road in terms of defining where they want to head.”

The Verdict: Big

The fact that the Light Blues are planning ahead already is big for their ambitions for next season.

It looks as if they are going to miss out on the SPFL title, but should they end up winning the Europa League, then they would automatically qualify for the Champions League group stages.

Thus, they could potentially attract big names like Bale to the football club, and so deals will need to be in place in order to fight off the likely competition.

Nonetheless, it is always better to get your business done early in the window, so that everything is prepared in time for the start of the new campaign.

In other news, find out who Gers’ three worst performers were against Braga here!

Conor Gallagher shone for England

England eased past San Marino with ease on Monday night, securing their place in the 2022 World Cup after seeing off the minnows 10-0.

It was the first time the Three Lions has ever hit double figures in a competitive fixture, and the first they’d done so on any occasion since they beat the USA 10-0 in New York back in 1964.

There were first international goals for Arsenal youngster Emile Smith Rowe and Aston Villa captain Tyrone Mings, while Harry Kane sent a number of records tumbling.

He became the third-highest England scorer after bagging four strikes in the first half, set a new high of 13 for his country in a calendar year, and also became just the fourth player to score a hat-trick in consecutive Three Lions’ games.

But it was a debutant who was introduced at half-time who really caught the eye from a Crystal Palace perspective.

Conor Gallagher was rewarded for his impressive start to the season with a late call-up to the senior squad, and Palace podcaster HLTCO expressed his delight at the news.

He wrote on Twitter: “Conor Gallagher has been a truly transformative force in the Palace midfield since joining the club. I’m over the moon for him, it’s a richly deserved call-up for one of the most energetic footballers I’ve ever had the joy of watching.”

And the 21-year-old certainly took his chance with an eye-catching 45-minute runout at the Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle, showing no signs of nerves on the night.

As per SofaScore, Gallagher achieved a remarkable passing accuracy of 98%, had 55 touches and successfully picked out a teammate with both of his attempted long balls.

The Eagles loanee also completed both his dribbles, found a colleague with two of his three crosses and won four of his six duels, highlighting his efficient display for Southgate’s charges.

It’s now a long wait until the next international break in March, but Gallagher will be hoping to carry on his good form until then, earning another chance to impress on the big stage.

And, in other news…“I don’t think”: Sky Sports journalist shares Palace update that’ll leave fans gutted 

West Ham: Hammers still in Jesse Lingard hunt

West Ham are still interested in completing the signing of Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Lingard excels at West Ham

The 29-year-old spent half of last season on loan at the London Stadium, becoming a hero in no time and spearheading the Hammers’ European challenge.

Lingard scored nine goals and registered four assists in just 16 Premier League appearances for West Ham, prior to returning to the northwest.

He has again struggled for playing time at Old Trafford this season, however, and the Hammers have been tipped to re-sign him in the near future.

The Latest: Hammers still in the fight

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed Lingard remains on David Moyes’ radar, with their interest never going away:

“He has been on West Ham’s list since last summer when he had that great loan spell at the London Stadium last season. He doesn’t figure in Manchester United’s plans going forward.”

Newcastle are now strongly linked with the 32-cap England international, so it appears Rob Newman could have a fight on his hands for his signature in the next ten days.

The Verdict: Newcastle favourites

While it would be great to see Lingard back in east London, it does look increasingly as though he could be part of the Tyneside revolution, following their recent big-money takeover.

The Magpies have made a second loan bid for the England international and their newfound financial power could give them the edge over West Ham, in terms of wages.

Should the player opt for London living and a club currently thriving instead of fighting relegation however, Lingard would be a fantastic addition to Moyes’ squad this month. He has been hailed as ‘exceptional’ by the Hammers boss in the past and showed in his temporary stint last term just how much he can inject into the Irons’ attack.

In other news, some West Ham fans are excited after an update on one target. Find out who it is here.

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