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Scotland ended 22 years of pain for the Tartan Army by qualifying for their first major tournament since 1998 after a dramatic shootout victory over Serbia in the play-off final sent them through to Euro 2020.

Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson was magnificent, Lyndon Dykes was impressive, but Glasgow Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack was the standout from the rest of the pack, which should give Steven Gerrard a huge boost.

Jack would have been forgiven for feeling a little bit threatened after the Gers brought in Bongani Zungu from Amiens on an initial loan deal with the option to buy. But the 28-year-old sent Gerrard a timely reminder with his midfield masterclass against Serbia.

He received a solid rating of 6.9 from SofaScore, although this perhaps isn’t truly representative of his overall performance – he won four out of his six ground duels, made two tackles, two interceptions and one clearance, whilst he completed 36 out of 43 passes at a pass accuracy rating of 84%, took 58 touches of the ball and produced three accurate long balls over the top.

A look at his heatmap reveals a hub of activity in his own half, predominantly in the middle of the pitch, which coupled with the statistics shows that Jack was an important part of the supply chain for Dykes, John McGinn and Ryan Christie as well.

Sky Sports gave him a high grade of 7/10 for his efforts, whilst The Daily Record gave him a similar score, claiming he was ‘a class act and a cool presence in the middle of the pitch’, adding his ‘work sometimes goes unnoticed as it might not be flashy, but it’s brilliantly effective’, as ‘he was brave, he broke up play, built possession and generally bossed it.’ The Sun went even further, handing him an ‘outstanding’ rating of 10/10, saying he had ‘passing conviction’, ‘won his tackles’ and ‘read game typically well.’

Once hailed as an “incredible” dynamo by the Ibrox boss, Jack has made over 100 appearances for the Gers, scoring nine goals and supplying 11 assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

He has been an ever-present in Gerrard’s side ever since he first took charge of the Ibrox outfit, as his presence in the midfield has played a major part in their success in recent years. The 9-cap Scotland international will now be hoping he can continue his fine form when he returns to the club after the international break.

Whilst most of the focus has been on Zungu’s arrival, that doesn’t mean that fans should forget about the ever-reliable centre-midfielder who is comfortable on the ball and confident in possession.

AND in other news, Rangers have discovered true gem in James Tavernier, who has drawn comparisons with Steven Gerrard…

Lille president Gerard Lopez has confirmed that the French side have made a £16m bid for Glasgow Rangers’ Alfredo Morelos.

The speculation surrounding the future of the Colombia international has been intense, and the Ligue 1 side appear to have been in pole position to sign the 24-year-old – Morelos was even said to have agreed personal terms with Les Dogues. However, the signing of Jonathan David looks to have cooled Lille’s interest.

Lopez has been speaking to talkSPORT, and he has admitted that his side have already tabled an offer for Morelos. He explained:

“We have (bid £16m). He’s obviously a good player.

“We had a primary target who was Jonathan David and who we got. He’s locked into a certain system with a number of players already around him.

“We obviously are entering a transfer window that is longer than usual.

“The key thing for us is to analyse how what we have already comes together and that is something the coach is looking at before we make any other additions.

“He’s a great player, we’ve bid for him and we like him but at this stage we are in a situation where we want to understand… we haven’t had time to prepare at all. It’s been a really odd preparation.

“We know we have a lot of talent. We have lots of offensive material and we’ve hit the pause button at this stage.

“We will wait it out a couple of weeks and see where we are. Then make a final decision on if we need someone else in the transfer market.”

After 79 goals in 142 matches for the Gers, it is no surprise to see that a side would make such a substantial offer for the striker – clearly, though, it wasn’t good enough for the the 54-time Scottish champions, and there have been reports that they want £20m for their star asset.

Whilst Lopez has not shut the door on another move for the forward, it does now look less likely. That leaves the likes of Marseille and AC Milan, both of whom have been linked, to make their move.

Let us know what you think below!

Plenty of Everton fans have been slamming a piece of transfer news coming from Tuttosport as the Italian outlet have claimed that Moise Kean could well return back to his old club Juventus on loan in time for the new 2020/21 season.

As per the publication, Kean moved to Goodison Park in a total package summing up to 30 million euros, which is the equivalent of around £27.1 million.

However, his time in England thus far has been far from successful as he has failed to live up to his price tag.

In his debut season, Kean only managed to score a mere two goals and make just two assists in 33 games in all competitions for the Toffees, according to Transfermarkt.

This has seen the 20-year old fall down the pecking order to fellow strikers Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, of whom both scored far more goals for the Blues and also averaged more shots and key passes than Kean per match in the Premier League in the 2019/20 term (via Whoscored).

However, he is still young and has bags of potential, and so perhaps his first campaign in a new country has helped him in settle in ahead of the next one.

These EFC supporters slammed the claim on Twitter that Kean would be loaned out after just one season, as they perhaps think that he will be part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans for the upcoming campaign:

Evertonians, would you keep Kean? Comment below!

Paul Robinson claims that Toby Alderweireld is being frozen out of the Tottenham first team because Jose Mourinho has given up his hopes of finishing in the top four. 

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs star insisted that Mourinho is already planning for next season which explains why Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez are his preferred pairing in the centre of the defence.

Mourinho stuck with the same back four that faced Manchester United in the 2-0 win over West Ham. Veteran defenders Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, who were favourites of Mauricio Pochettino, watched from the sidelines as the Lilywhites secured their first clean sheet in 10 games.

The pundit believes that Mourinho has made up his mind before the start of next season. Robinson told Football Insider’s Dylan Childs: “It would appear that is what he wants to go with.  He has had a fully fit squad to choose from and he has left Vertonghen and Alderweireld on the bench for both games and Alderweireld is the best defender at the club.

“Sanchez and Eric Dier is a pairing he is giving time to ahead of next season. Mourinho has been brought in to build a winning team and squad and he needs to be given time to do that. Fourth-place is out of the question for them so he is building towards next season which will come very quickly.

“It is clear that Sanchez and Dier are his preferred two.”

It is hard to argue with Robinson here, as Dier and Sanchez have started both games since the Premier League restart.

Mourinho has been looking to plug the gap in a leaky defence ever since he took charge of Spurs and it seems he has finally settled on his new partnership at the back. The 57-year-old has made it clear he wants to win trophies at Tottenham and he must be given the opportunity to revamp his squad and plan for the future.

After a shaky start, Sanchez has benefited from Dier’s leadership, as he is one of the most vocal players in the team.

Alderweireld has actually received a higher WhoScored rating than Dier for his performances this season, although there isn’t much between them. As Alasdair Gold points out, while that’s not to say the Belgian doesn’t communicate with Sanchez, he does all of his talking on the pitch.

While Vertonghen is on his way out the door, Alderweireld signed a contract extension in December, which will keep him at the club until June 2023. He recently revealed that Mourinho’s appointment played an important role in convincing him to sign a new deal.

However, the manager will be strapped for cash in the summer and he may be tempted sell the £21.6m-valued veteran if an offer arrives to spend the profits elsewhere.

Tottenham fans, do you think Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will leave the Lilywhites in the near future? Let us know by commenting below!

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is keen for additions to bolster their chances at a genuine run at the title and this week, he’s been linked with a move for a former Ibrox star.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Scottish giants have joined the race to clinch Josh Windass from Wigan Athletic this summer with his loan club Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough also in the hunt.

It’s claimed that the Gers are keen to bring him back to Glasgow just two years after he was sold on deadline day for £2.5m.

Meanwhile, leading talisman Alfredo Morelos is edging ever closer to an exit after Lille opened negotiations with Rangers over a record-breaking £17m deal, so a new threat is certainly going to be required in the attack.

Smart call?

Windass’ time in Scotland was pretty decent overall, providing 19 goals and 13 assists in 73 appearances, via Transfermarkt, and ultimately, he was a player that Gerrard didn’t want to let go in the first place.

The 26-year-old revealed in an interview with Open Goal, via the Scotsman, that the Rangers boss was keen to keep hold of him – “He basically said, ‘you’ve got a decision to make. The board have accepted this offer, I don’t want you to go but obviously it’s down to you’.”

Whilst the former Reds midfielder labelled Windass a “good boy” but claimed that he couldn’t guarantee him starts as a number nine, and now it appears that time may have arrived.

This season, the attacking maestro has split time between Wigan and the Owls, where he has netted seven goals from 25 matches whilst averaging 2 shots, 0.9 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per game playing predominantly through the middle, via WhoScored.

Those at Ibrox know Windass all too well and given the uncertain future of Morelos, bringing back the former midfielder could be a wise decision for Ross Wilson to make.

AND in other news, Rangers should dump Bongani Zungu move in favour of long-term Gerrard target…

Jose Mourinho took over at Tottenham Hotspur during one of the club’s shakiest periods.

Mauricio Pochettino’s mojo was slowly but surely fading and even though the team still had some stars in their ranks, they were simply not clicking anymore.

But not even a full month since his arrival and the Special One is already doing what he does best and is pushing Spurs forward.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

As a result, some of the players are already on a steady course towards improvement with one such player being their full-back Serge Aurier.

Not only that but Foot Mercato have recently stated that Mourinho has personally told his defender that he can become one of the best right-backs in the whole of world football.

Upon seeing that verdict, many Spurs fans felt that there was something to that statement and were actually supportive of their player, but they also noted it will take a great effort from the coach to actually accomplish that.

It seems that they were not immediately sold on the idea but can see his improvement since Mourinho’s arrival nonetheless.

Calling all Tottenham fans: How much do you really know about Spurs’ new hero? Find out below…

Some of them still believe Aurier has to fix a thing or two about his game but he’s on the right course and could become their coach’s masterpiece when everything is said and done.

Of course, football is all about consistency and even though Aurier seems to be going forward at the moment, the key will be to maintain that good trend in the future as well.

After all, there’s only so much the coach can do for a player and whether he can cross the finish line or not won’t depend entirely on him.

In other news, many Spurs fans were absolutely in awe of an incredible video on Twitter featuring one of their stars…

A fresh transfer claim has led to many Newcastle United fans slamming a Premier League star this week.

Former Magpies defender Peter Ramage has called on Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha to avoid making a move to St James’ Park this summer, claiming it “wouldn’t be a good move for him” because they are not a ‘top’ club.

It comes a few weeks after The Sun linked the enigmatic forward with a switch to the northeast if their prospective £300m takeover is given the go-ahead.

They claim that the Eagles value him at more than £60m.

However, the Magpies faithful have slammed Zaha following these reports, clearly stated that he’s not wanted at the club.

Supporters blasted him for being “overrated,” “shocking,” and “average at best” whilst the 28-year-old has provided three goals and five assists in 30 appearances this term, via Transfermarkt.

Which is why a couple of fans would rather have Allan Saint-Maximin as their number one choice out wide. The Frenchman, who is five years younger, has enjoyed similar returns to Zaha, scoring three times as well as laying on four assists but in just 21 appearances.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

In terms of figures, the 23-year-old outweighs the Palace star for key passes (1.3) and shots (1.7) per game, as per WhoScored.

So it’s easy to see why they’d rather their summer signing.

There was even a comparison made to former Magpies striker Michael Owen, who divides opinion at the club. One member of the United faithful claimed that it would be purely a financial move on Zaha’s part and that’s why he wouldn’t be welcome.

Zaha has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Everton in recent transfer windows, two clubs that are arguably the next target for a club like Newcastle post-takeover. That’s the sort of level they can springboard themselves onto as they gradually become a heavyweight in the English top-flight.

However, as much as Steve Bruce needs another wide option, this final fan may be right. Newcastle must avoid those mercenaries looking for a pay packet rather than to play for a side with rich history.

AND in other news, Paul Smith delivers PL update over Newcastle takeover…

West Ham’s performance in their 3-2 loss against Spurs on Saturday was described as a “disgrace” by Roy Keane on Sky Sports, and many fans must be thinking the same thing. The two Hammers’ goals that came when Spurs were 3-0 up papered over the cracks in a showing that won’t do Manuel Pellegrini any favours.

Football London didn’t rate a single player over 6/10, and even handed two 2/10s to “nervy” goalkeeper Roberto and “weak” Sebastien Haller. Pellegrini is now without a win in eight games across all competitions, and @ExWHUemployee on Twitter has claimed Sean Dyche has approached the Hammers about becoming their next manager.

West Ham news aggregator West Ham Fan Zone posted the news to their followers on Twitter, and the idea of Dyche taking over seemed to go down really well. The vast majority of fans who replied to the tweet thought it’d be a great appointment for the club, even if he’s not a big name like Manuel Pellegrini was when he joined.

You can see some of their reactions to the tweet below:

West Ham fans, who would you want to replace Manuel Pellegrini?

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

Southampton travel to St James’ Park this Sunday as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side continue their run of fixtures against sides in and around them in the battle for survival.

The Saints took on Watford last week, managing to avoid a seriously detrimental result as they overturned a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 with just 12 minutes left on the clock to do so.

Then, Hasenhuttl’s men faced Norwich, another side who were languishing in the relegation zone before that particular game kicked off on Wednesday evening – fortunately, the Saints picked up three more crucial points with a 2-1 win.

Newcastle have been in decent form of late, winning back-to-back games against West Ham and Bournemouth, before salvaging a point against reigning champions Manchester City and winning away to Sheffield United.

Here are two Magpies stars who could pose Southampton some problems…

Jetro Willems

A left-back? What damage could he cause?

Well, the on-loan Netherlands international has been a real star for the Tynesiders so far this season, netting against Liverpool and Manchester City while also grabbing two assists.

Willems, 25, makes 2.2 tackles per game and 1.9 clearances per game, showcasing his defensive qualities as well as his obvious attacking nous going forward.

Significantly, Southampton have issues down Willems’ flank at right-back, with Hasenhuttl often swapping between Yan Valery and Cedric, while a report from The Mirror (print version, November 12, page 53) stated that the Austrian has prioritised signing a new right-back this January.

Allan Saint-Maximin 

The Magpies’ very own wing wizard looks like he will be an absolute nightmare for the Premier League’s leakiest backline to deal with – the Saints have conceded 33 goals this season.

Saint-Maximin, a £16.5m summer signing from OGC Nice, is yet to assist this season, although he records 4.3 dribbles per game on average and scored his first Magpies goal against Sheffield United last time out – only Lionel Messi, Wilfried Zaha and Eden Hazard have more in Europe’s top-five leagues this term.

The Frenchman is a real handful to deal with, and for a side whose full-back areas are especially weak such as Southampton’s are, he could cause chaos.

In other Southampton news, a report from David Ornstein is further evidence of how much of a shambles the Saints are under Gao Jisheng…

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to continue their rich vein of form under Garry Monk this weekend as they face a trip across the Lancashire border to face Blackburn Rovers.

The Owls have only lost the one match under the 40-year-old since he was appointed at the start of September.

This year’s Championship remains super competitive as just four points separate second-placed Preston North End with Brentford in 12th.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Rovers are still some nine points off Wednesday in 17th, so they’ll be looking for a change in fortunes sometime soon.

Monk was without Julian Borner for their 0-0 stalemate with Leeds United, so will he be forced into any changes this time around?

It remains to be seen whether the impressive German centre-back will be fit enough to play, but given the management staff have taken their time over players with injuries, it would seem plausible that he will have to sit this one out.

Sam Hutchinson deputised so brilliantly last time out so expect him to keep his place alongside Dominic Iorfa as the entire back four plus the goalkeeper should remain exactly the same.

Defensive midfielder Joey Pelupessy was drafted in late for the Leeds draw, but his performance left plenty to be desired. Therefore, the 40-year-old may opt for the experience of Kieran Lee instead as he partners Barry Bannan in the Owls’ engine room.

Massimo Luongo should return from injury which will be a huge boost as he’s bagged two winning goals in their last four matches, he may take up a position as the team’s number ten.

Monk’s usual choices out wide, Adam Reach and Kadeem Harris are likely to continue their run of starts with top goalscorer Steven Fletcher also in attack as a sole striker.