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Rangers legend Derek Johnstone is hoping to see some young players stake a claim to be members of Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad next season, speaking to The Evening Times.

What’s he said?

Rangers will soon be heading off for a ten day pre-season training camp in Portugal and if last year’s similar trip is anything to go by, plenty of youngsters will be making the trip too, to train alongside established first-team members.

Johnstone believes it’s the perfect chance for them to show the progress they have made in the club’s reserve and youth sides.

The fans in the video below had some very strong words for Michael Platini who was detained over alleged corruption this week…

As quoted by The Evening Times, he said:

“Steven Gerrard has always said that he will give his young players a game at Rangers if they can prove that they are good enough. That is the chance a few of them have at the training camp in Portugal and in the friendly fixtures we’ve got this summer.

The manager played down the importance of the kids winning the leagues and cups that they won last season, saying it was more about players coming through the ranks.

That is true. It won’t do the youngsters any harm having that mentality, though, because when you get to that first team you have to be a winner.It is a wonderful feeling when you are that age and you are winning for Rangers but the players want to do it up a level and they need to catch Steven’s eye this summer.”

Who’s closest to getting a chance?

Gerrard has already shown that youngsters like Glenn Middleton will get a first-team opportunity if they impress enough of the training pitch. The winger got plenty of game time in the first half of last season before falling out of favour at senior level.

The former Norwich player will be hoping he can impress again over the next few weeks, having looked back to his exciting best for the reserve side in the closing stages of last term.

Another out to impress will be striker Zak Rudden, who scored 12 goals in the Scottish Championship last term on loan at Falkirk and on Friday signed a new contract.

With others, such as Scottish Youth Cup final man of the match Josh McPake and reserves team captain Cammy Palmer, also showing good progress, Gerrard will have plenty of options to turn to in upcoming friendlies.

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Jonathan Kodjia scored the only goal of the match as Ivory Coast recorded a 1-0 win over South Africa in their Africa Cup of Nations Group D opener on Monday.

Indeed, the Aston Villa forward struck in the 64th minute of the contest – collecting a pass from former Leeds United attacker Max Gradel before managing to squeeze the ball into the back of the net.

Kodjia only managed nine goals in 39 Championship appearances for Villa last term, with Tammy Abraham very much the first choice in the final third of the field.

The 29-year-old will be hoping to be given the chance to prove his worth in the Premier League.

However, it would not be a surprise to see him leave Villa Park this summer following the arrival of Wesley Moraes from Club Brugge.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Villa fans have been on social media reacting to Kodjia’s strike for the Ivory Coast – and indeed his future – with a selection of the responses available to view below:

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Matt Targett is finally an Aston Villa player, both the club and the Targett himself have officially confirmed.

The 23-year-old left-back is now set to join up with Dean Smith’s team for the 2018/19 Premier League season after being a big part of Southampton’s previous campaign.

He made 21 appearances in all competitions last year and 63 in total during his time with the Saints, scoring once and assisting six goals in the process. Targett is also a graduate of St Mary’s academy and he made his senior team debut in 2014.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

After penning this new contract with Aston Villa, he took to

/BzYSQMoHnnd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to show it off. Naturally, many of the stars were quick to congratulate him on this new move.

Ryan Sessegnon was among the players who sent their good luck messages to the youngster as he congratulated Targett and followed it up with some emojis.

James Maddison did the same, as did many others before and after him.

The Premier League new boys open up their campaign at Tottenham on the 10th of August.

[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…According to RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi, Everton will send an offer in excess of €35m (£31.4m) to Barcelona in a bid to bring Malcom to the club.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the tweet from Bouhafsi states that Toffees boss Marco Silva sees the Brazilian winger as a ‘priority’ signing this summer.

Arsenal have also been linked with the former Bordeaux forward, and have been in discussions with the player’s entourage – no official offer has been submitted by the Gunners as of yet.

The 22-year-old didn’t feature much for Barcelona last season, making just 15 La Liga appearances whilst scoring one goal and recording two assists.

Thogden challenged himself to DM 100 footballers on Instagram. Find out who replied in the video below…

He has endured something of a nightmare spell at the Camp Nou since arriving last summer, struggling for game time – Malcom has made just 24 appearances in total.

Better than David Neres when given the chance

Everton have also been linked with a move for Ajax sensation David Neres.

Judging by Malcom’s stats last season for Barcelona in comparison to Neres’ for Ajax, you could argue that the latter is far better.

Eight goals and eight assists in the league compared to Malcom’s one goal and two assists doesn’t bode well for the Barcelona No.14, but that was whilst he was struggling for game-time.

In his last season at Bordeaux, Malcom shone and outperformed Neres’ fantastic campaign last term by some distance.

In Ligue 1, a division that UEFA’s European league coefficient rankings suggests is a higher standard than the Eredivisie, Malcom hit 12 goals and seven assists in his breakthrough year, whilst having 2.1 shots per game, making 2.5 key passes per game, 2.7 dribbles per game and winning a huge 2.6 fouls per game from 35 appearances.

To compare that with Neres’ 2018/19 campaign – his own breakout year – the 22-year-old hit eight goals and eight assists, had 1.7 shots per game, made 1.1 key passes per game, 1.8 dribbles per game and was fouled once per game on average in 29 appearances.

These numbers show that Malcom can perform much better when given a consistent run of game time in a league that is supposedly tougher than the Dutch top-flight, and reinforces the fact that Malcom may be a better option in the market for Everton instead of Neres.

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Thursday’s West Brom transfer roundup touched upon interest in a League One midfielder, news on a 16-year-old prodigy and an update on an Egyptian international. Today’s edition consists of the Baggies entering the race for a French striker, an approach from a Chinese club for a 29-year-old forward and a knockback in the race for an Irish forward.

West Brom interested in Maupay

According to The Express and Star, West Brom have joined the race to sign Brentford’s Neal Maupay, but are currently behind Sheffield United and Aston Villa. Albion will be able to raise the 22-year-old’s wages, but cannot compete with the Premier League clubs on that front. Maupay scored 25 goals in the Championship for the Bees last season.

Benitez makes Rondon approach

West Brom have received an approach from a Chinese club in regards to Salomon Rondon The Express and Star is also reporting. The interested party is Rafa Benitez’s Dalian Yifang. Although it is not known whether they have matched the Venezuelan’s £16.5m release clause, they have offered more than any English club so far.

Sheffield United beat Baggies to Robinson

The Baggies made an attempt to sign Preston’s Callum Robinson according to journalist Laurie Whitwell. Slaven Bilic and co had been willing to “go all the way” for the 24-year-old Republic of Ireland international, but the forward chose Premier League side Sheffield United instead. Robinson has now been confirmed as the Blades’ new record signing.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Roma want to sign Toby Alderweireld this summer, per Gazzetta dello Sport.

What’s the word?

The Tottenham Hotspur centre-back has a release clause in his contract of €30m (£26.9m), per the aforementioned report.

But, while Roma are interested in acquiring the Belgium international, the club are not minded to pay such a fee for the 30-year-old.

Gazzetta claims that the clause expires on July 25th and Roma will not table a bid until after that date, when they will attempt to negotiate a deal worth around €12m (£10.7m).

The offer of a three-year contract could convince him to take a hit on his current wages of €4m (£3.5m) annually.

Gazzetta also reports that midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo could be included in any deal as a sweetener.

A joke

Roma making a bid worth £10.7m in straight cash is a slap in the face to Tottenham.

Alderweireld has been one of the most consistent defenders in the Premier League in recent seasons and made a total of 50 appearances last season as Spurs reached the Champions League final and finished fourth domestically.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Bear in mind, too, that the clause that he does have is still remarkably cheap in this transfer window, particularly when it is compared with a player like Harry Maguire, who has been valued at around £90m by Leicester City.

Admittedly, Alderweireld’s contract does expire next summer, leading to the potential of him departing on a free, but one cannot foresee chairman Daniel Levy accepting any bids below the player’s release clause in this transfer window.

He is worth so much more.

Aston Villa are preparing a fresh bid for Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton, according to Football Insider.

Villa previously had a bid of £4 million rejected and were told they would need to pay £12 million if they wanted to sign the ‘keeper, who has represented the England national team three times.

While they are not willing to meet the price tag set by Burnley, with the 33-year-old’s contract coming to an end next summer, the Villans are going to “significantly increase their bid”.

Stoke City’s Jack Butland is another goalkeeper Villa have been linked with, though they would need to pay around £30 million to get him, as reported by The Daily Star.

Having returned from injury and reclaimed his spot in the Burnley team, Heaton made 19 Premier League appearances last season, keeping four clean sheets and conceding 27 goals.

On the other hand, Jack Butland played 45 Championship games for Stoke last season, keeping 18 clean sheets and conceding 51 goals.

Both goalkeepers were included in the England squad for their UEFA Nations League finals fixtures, though neither got onto the pitch – it is Butland who featured most recently, playing the entire 90 minutes in a 1-0 friendly win against Switzerland in September 2018.

Heaton was the Premier League goalkeeper last season, though Butland arguably had the better season – partly down to the Burnley man’s injury the campaign before – as the 26-year-old featured across the entire season and played for England.

While Butland would be a brilliant signing for Aston Villa, when the amount they have already spent is considered, they should look to take the cost of the deal into account.

By going for Heaton as opposed to Butland, Villa could save themselves money while still getting an experienced and reliable goalkeeper – therefore going for Heaton is a sensible decision from the Villans.

Aston Villa fans, who would you prefer to see between the sticks at Villa Park? Let us know by sharing your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Arsenal finally confirmed their first major signings of the summer when they announced deals to bring Dani Ceballos and William Saliba to the Emirates.

The two represent the club’s second and third signings of the window following the arrival of Gabriel Martinelli, the young Brazilian talent from Ituano.

Saliba’s transfer saga went on for most of the transfer window and their was reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur, who tried to lure the French centre-back to the white half of North London, but any advances were rejected for the proposal of joining Arsenal.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Ceballos himself was also subject to Spurs interest, and it looked at one point like the deal would go ahead, but late interest from the Gunners and Emery, according to the player himself, sealed his loan move from Real Madrid.

The club’s signings were presented to fans via social media with their own announcement videos, but the two player’s posted their own unveilings as well, with Ceballos’ video in particular putting a smile on the faces of the Arsenal faithful.

The video shows a silhouette of Ceballos trying on a shirt, thought to be symbolising Tottenham’s, before taking it off and unveiling himself in a red and white top instead. As you can imagine, Arsenal fans were loving the announcement on Twitter…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

West Ham United are in talks to sign Albian Ajeti from FC Basel prior to Thursday’s transfer deadline, per The London Evening Standard.

What’s the word?

The Hammers have already strengthened their attack this summer, acquiring Sebastian Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt for a club-record fee.

And they are now said to have entered into talks with the Swiss club over a deal to sign the 22-year-old.

The Standard reports that Basel value Ajeti at £8m and there is not yet said to be an agreement in place between the two clubs.

West Ham currently have Haller and Javier Hernandez as their out-and-out striking options, though Michail Antonio can play up front.

Break the bank

Sources at the club have confirmed that the Hammers have a remarkably limited transfer budget with which to work in the last week of the transfer window.

A deal at £8m would actually smash the current amount set aside for deals.

Thus, a decision needs to be made: Is Ajeti worth the investment?

First of all, the club need bodies up front, with only Haller and Hernandez as their out-and-out forwards. That feels like a recipe for disaster, particularly if the club-record buy picks up an injury.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Secondly, the numbers strengthen Ajeti’s case. He scored 21 goals in 43 outings last season, having netted 17 in 37 in 2017/18. He has already kicked off this season with two goals in three games.

He would be a solid, reliable hand who could offer some support whenever was needed.

It remains to be seen, however, if the Irons will feel inclined to break the bank.

They should, particularly with the big kick-off less than a week away.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

West Brom were one of the busiest clubs around on transfer deadline day last Thursday as they welcomed four new faces through the door of the Hawthorns.

Charlie Austin added a much-needed striker to their ranks but there were also deals for three wingers. Albion brought in Chris Willock and Grady Diangana whilst Matheus Pereira finally arrived after a large amount of hard work.

Luke Dowling confirmed negotiations had been ongoing with Sporting for four weeks before a season-long loan deal was finally agreed.

The Baggies have an option to buy the player for £9m next summer.

However, what needs to happen in order for him to hit the ground running?

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the chalkboard

West Brom now have a host of wingers available to them as they continue their second season in the Championship.

Kyle Edwards was particularly impressive on the opening weekend, scoring a goal, whilst they also have the likes of Matt Phillips and Oliver Burke available in those areas of the pitch.

Yet, adding a further three options has given their attack added flair and extra dimensions.

Pereira enjoyed a productive loan spell with Nurnburg in the Bundesliga last term, scoring three times and claiming two assists but there’s a key part of his game he needs to eradicate.

Based on Understat, it appears as though the 23-year-old likes to shoot from distance. From positions outside of the box in 2018/19, he had 20 of his 29 attempts on goal from range.

Those areas can be seen below.

As demonstrated, only one of those shots resulted in a goal, something that’s a pretty disappointing return given the sheer volume of balls that left his foot.

Only three of them were saved whilst the remaining shots were either missed entirely or blocked.

Thogden ranks all 24 Championship away kits in the video below…

Per Whoscored, Pereira is a fantastic dribbler of the ball, completing 2.1 per game last season.

That will be a huge plus point to West Brom but he could fail to hit the ground running unless he becomes far more intelligent with the ball.

The shot map above shows he regularly wastes possession when in central areas and that’s something that will simply have to stop.

Considering the options Slaven Bilic has at his disposal, it could be the difference between whether he starts or not.

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