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Journalist Stuart Hodge has dropped a major claim on Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, regarding his future at Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

The Scottish reporter has claimed that the 2021/22 campaign could be the head coach’s last season in Glasgow as he attracts admirers from elsewhere unless the Gers fail to win the Scottish Premiership title.

Newcastle were recently touted with interest in Gerrard, but appear to have moved their attention towards Portuguese manager Paulo Fonseca.

Hodge told GIVEMESPORT:

“I think this will be his last season at Rangers.

“The only way I think it might not be is if they didn’t win the title. If that were the case, it could be a case of where he wants to win it back.”

Worries

These comments will surely frustrate Rangers fans as there appears to be a growing belief that this could be his final campaign at the club.

The speculation surrounding the Newcastle job and now this claim from Hodge plays into the narrative that Gerrard could take the next step in his managerial career within the next 12 months and that could be a horrible thought if you are of a Gers persuasion.

Gerrard is a key figure for the club and has achieved great success since his move to Ibrox in 2018. He ended Celtic’s domination of Scottish football by leading Rangers to the title last season and that, on its own, is surely enough to be deserving of immense admiration from the fanbase.

After years of the Hoops being the most successful side in the country, the Gers have been able to seize back control of Glasgow and the Liverpudlian has played a major role in that.

In 114 Premiership matches in charge of Rangers, the ex-Liverpool man has led his side to 82 wins and 267 points – averaging 2.33 points per game. They won the title last term and are currently sat top of the table on 23 points after winning seven of their opening ten matches.

This illustrates just how important Gerrard is to Rangers, with the retired England international re-installing a winning mentality at Ibrox and piecing together a side capable of winning trophies. His impressive management is exactly why supporters will be worried by the speculation over his future.

AND in other news, Possession lost 20x: Rangers lightweight with 75% duels lost let Gerrard down badly…

Everton have comfortably progressed in the FA Cup, beating Brentford 4-1 at Goodison Park in Frank Lampard’s first game as manager, in a team performance the Toffees haven’t enjoyed for a while.

Yerry Mina, Richarlison, Mason Holgate and Andros Townsend all found the net in an attacking masterclass from Lampard’s team which saw them play much more offensively than they ever did under Rafael Benitez.

Brentford were incapable of breaking down the Toffees, with only two shots on target throughout the game, but were gifted a penalty by Jordan Pickford when the goalkeeper made a late challenge on Ivan Toney.

The former Chelsea boss set up his team with a back three, playing a 3-4-3 formation, and early in the first half there was another blow to the injury-ridden squad with Ben Godfrey sustaining what looked to be a calf injury in the first 12 minutes, so Lampard was duly forced to replace the defender with Mina.

The £120k-p/w machine missed out on the starting line-up, but he made sure he would use his opportunity to prove his new manager wrong on that decision by becoming an absolute force throughout the game both offensively and defensively in his position.

Mina opened the scoring for Everton. rising the highest when the ball was whipped in from the corner to find the back of the net just 16 minutes after he came off the bench, and he delivered a man of the match performance in his defensive position in the back three.

According to SofaScore, the 27 year old was the highest-rated player on the pitch this afternoon (7.70), winning 86% of his duels and completing 91% of his passes despite having fewer touches than his fellow defenders, proving that Lampard should think twice about leaving him on the bench in the future.

The 43-year-old will have plenty to take away from that performance, and Everton fans will surely be delighted that they got to watch an enjoyable game after a series of poor performances and protests throughout the season so far. Mina today went a long way towards proving a point to his manager and putting a smile back on Evertonian faces.

In other news: Everton suffered an injury blow prior to today’s match

Former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has said that Liverpool’s squad depth is a major concern. 

Writing in his talkSPORT column, the 34-year-old described the Reds as a ‘top team’ but said that injuries would leave them in ‘big trouble’ because they have the bench of a ’10th-place team’.

Do Liverpool find themselves light on options?

Liverpool made only one signing ahead of the 2021/22 season, bringing in central defender Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig for £36m. In fact, only six Premier League clubs spent less than the Reds over the course of the summer transfer window (via Football Transfers).

Jurgen Klopp’s side lost Georginio Wijnaldum to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after the Dutchman reached the end of his contract and also sold Xherdan Shaqiri to Lyon.

Klopp appears to have little faith in his attacking reserves in particular, with neither Takumi Minamino nor Divock Origi seeing a minute of action across the first three games of the season.

Liverpool fans hit back at Agbonlahor comments

Twitter an feed Anfield Edition relayed Agbonlahor’s warning, and here’s what some Liverpool supporters made of his verdict on the Reds’ squad depth.

“Liverpool bench in last game: Konate, Thiago, Keita, Gomez, Ox, Minamino, Jota, Tsimikas and Kelleher. Go back to bed Gabby”

Credit: @CannonChico

“Another ex footballer making a silly statement, they’ll say anything to keep their seat as a pundit”

Credit: @ramzanamin

“We’ve actually let these people disrespect us. Our squad is poor, yes but are there 9 teams that can boast of having better than Konate, Jota, Keita, Chamberlain, Gomez, Tsimikas, and Thiago on their bench? I think not.”

Credit: @Shuaibu_Mk

“Some of that 10th place bench were directly involved in winning Champions League”

Credit: @MICKDARKVOICE

“Well that’s funny because that bench got 3rd last season”

Credit: @Johnb2005

“Someone should show him last season’s league table with our 7th/8th choice centre halves.”

Credit: @lfc_mnm

In other news, fans react to Liverpool’s reported interest in this midfielder.

Ralph Hasenhuttl made it clear during the summer that Southampton would stick with Alex McCarthy and Fraser Forster as his goalkeepers this season, but the former’s performances thus far suggest that this was the wrong call.

The Austrian manager confirmed earlier in the summer, when Southampton were being linked with a move for various goalkeepers, that McCarthy and Forster would remain as his main options in between the sticks this season after they rotated on a regular basis in the 2020/21 campaign.

Despite the regular changes in goal, Southampton still conceded 68 goals in the top-flight, which was the second-most of any side, which suggests that getting a new goalkeeper might have been a good idea.

Given that Southampton were expected to concede just 58.55 goals according to Understat, fingers must be pointed at the goalkeepers, who certainly underperformed for the Saints in the second half of the campaign.

Strangely, it has been reported that Southampton will be in the market for a long-term option in goal next summer, which is hardly going to do Hasenhuttl’s current options’ confidence any good.

Considering the way McCarthy – whose manager called him ‘fantastic’ not so long ago – has started the new season, you could already argue that the Austrian manager has made a mistake in not pursuing a new goalkeeper for this season.

The former QPR man was slow to come off his line for Richarlison’s equaliser against Everton in the opening day, before being beaten to the ball by Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the Blues’ third.

He also looked anxious against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon and flapped at a number of crosses, before eventually being beaten by one of the visitors’ first real attempts on goal, a tame shot from Mason Greenwood that squirmed under the ‘keeper, despite it being hit straight at him with very little power.

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Therefore, it is already time to give Forster an opportunity to start in goal, which Hasenhuttl may well do against Newport County in midweek, but in reality, a new goalkeeper should’ve been brought in this summer.

And, in other news… Southampton should reignite interest in “powerful” beast after transfer news emerges

Liverpool have come a long way since solely relying on Mo Salah last year and their development in every department has been telling of Jurgen Klopp’s admirable work.

Not only has he improved his side’s defensive state exponentially, but he’s also helped his attackers take things up a notch as a collective unit.

Sadio Mane (who now has a Transfermarkt rating of £67.5m), for one, has capitalized from this change in tact impressively. After scoring a fantastic brace against Watford, which included an outrageous back-heel finish to send the Kop into raptures, he put an end to their goal drought. While Mohamed Salah is struggling to keep up the heat, Mane’s continued to be Liverpool’s torch-bearer in the attack and looks every inch a title-winning attacker.

The Senegalese winger’s style is different from Salah, but he’s also brought similar lethality into his game-play. Despite his ability, Mane’s talents have sometimes been undermined because of Salah’s incredible goal-scoring run, acting as more of a foil for the Egyptian.

However, now that his team-mate is somewhat struggling at the moment, people are finally recognizing his importance.

Largely known for being the tricky winger at Southampton, Mane’s grown into a much more clinical, decisive player. He’s already scored 14 league goals this season, four more than last campaign. Indeed, he’s scored only three goals less than Salah, despite having played almost 200 minutes less than him and has emerged as Liverpool’s go-to man over the course of his side’s excellent campaign.

He’s blossomed from being an inconsistent winger into a nightmare to defend against. Mane’s not only a pacy, skilful player capable of dazzling fans with his footwork, but the unpredictability he’s inherited to produce brilliant goal-scoring moments is making everyone realize his talent being on par with the mighty Egyptian’s.

Some Liverpool supporters are willing to see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leave the club following an update regarding his Reds future.

The 28-year-old has slowly fallen out of favour at Anfield as the years have passed, becoming an increasingly peripheral figure despite previously being called ‘outstanding’ by Jurgen Klopp.

It could be argued that Oxlade-Chamberlain has never fully recovered from the cruciate ligament injury he suffered back in 2018, with other midfielders at the club seen as more influential these days.

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The Englishman has only managed one start in the Premier League so far this season, as well as making just two in the top flight in the whole of 2020/21.

According to The Mirror [via Anfield Watch on Twitter], Oxlade-Chamberlain believes he may have to leave Liverpool in order to get more playing time elsewhere.

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Liverpool fans react to Oxlade-Chamberlain update

These Reds fans have taken to Twitter to react to the news, admitting they would be happy to see the midfielder move on given his unenviable injury record and lack of impact in recent years.

“He had his period in 2018 where he was so good but that’s it really”

Credit: @thanospv

“Yessss”

Credit: @CliffordEweka

“Omw to take him to wherever he wants”

Credit: @Dan_Davo5

“Another step closer to a proper midfield signing”

Credit: @ABxLFC

“Let’s sell him for a good price to Newcastle then”

Credit: @Seyjith

“Cool. Later Ox”

Credit: @kian_malone

In other news, some Liverpool fans are against the idea of the Reds signing one player. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United have been fit with a £20,000 fine for failing to control their players against Chelsea, with journalist Phil Hay relaying the news.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ late heartbreak at Chelsea

The Whites suffered an agonising 3-2 defeat away to the Blues earlier this month, losing in stoppage time after a Jorginho penalty. It was a hugely spirited performance from Marcelo Bielsa’s side, but as has been the case too often this season, they came away with nothing.

Tempers flared with Leeds players after the award of the late spot-kick, with numerous individuals surrounding referee Chris Kavanagh.

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The Latest: Leeds hit with £20k fine

The behaviour of the Whites players has seen them receive a hefty five-figure punishment, with The Athletic’s Hay confirming the news on Twitter on Monday as he simply relayed: “Leeds hit with £20,000 fine.”

In the report, it is stated that the Whites have been punished for ‘failing to ensure that its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion when they surrounded the match referee.’

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The Verdict: Another blow

Not much appears to be going right for Leeds at the moment, with Bielsa’s men sliding ominously down the Premier League table after some heavy defeats and suffering a host of injuries to key players.

This fine is a further blow for the club at a time when money is needed for signings in the January transfer window, although the amount paid shouldn’t affect their budget too much.

In truth, it was nice to see the passion shown by Leeds players on that painful afternoon at Chelsea, showing that they truly care about results and the fate of the club.

In other news, Leeds have received a potential transfer boost. Read more here.

According to a report from The Daily Mail, Aston Villa are interested in signing Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin. 

The lowdown: Explosive start

The 25-year-old has been a revelation since arriving in England from Ligue 1 club Nice and is a fan favourite at St James’ Park.

Since making the £16.5m switch (BBC), the mercurial Frenchman has scored 12 times and provided 14 assists in 85 appearances for the Tyneside club. However, the Magpies could be ready to sell their prized asset, and Villa are watching on with intent…

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The latest: Villa interest

As per the Daily Mail, the Villans are believed to be ‘monitoring developments’ surrounding the skilful left winger.

Despite only signing an improved six-year deal at Newcastle in October 2020, it is claimed that the Magpies are ‘willing to cash in’ on Saint-Maximin in order to boost their own transfer budget.

The report stated that Newcastle will ‘listen to offers’ of £50m for the former seven-cap France under-21 ace.

The verdict: Money well spent?

As Steven Gerrard attempts to put his own stamp on the Villa squad, adding a player with the flair and natural ability of Saint-Maximin would be a superb piece of business.

Albeit often flattering to deceive when it comes to end product, as borne out by providing just eight direct goal contributions this season having completed the most successful dribbles per game (4.3) in the entire top-flight (Sofascore), the dazzling Frenchman would be a welcome addition to the Villa ranks.

Predominantly a left winger, the man once hailed as ‘unplayable’ by Rob Lee would likely act as an alternative option to Leon Bailey, who has endured an injury-ravaged first campaign in the Midlands.

In other news: Journalist drops updates on the pursuit of multiple summer deals. Read more here!

Crystal Palace are set to reward winger Wilfried Zaha with a new Selhurst Park contract.

That’s according to Eurosport, and the update has had a number of Palace supporters talking on social media.

Zaha, who has now made more than 400 appearances for the club across two spells, is currently on £130,000 per week. His contract is set to expire in 18 months’ time, and it seems as if Steve Parish and co want to tie down the speedster to new terms following his solid start to the season.

The 29-year-old has started in 11 of Palace’s 13 Premier League games this season, contributing to five goals under Patrick Vieira.

According to Eurosport, the Eagles want to reward Zaha with a new deal amid fears that he could be on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. The report namechecks the likes of AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund with an interest over the past 12 months, with the Ivorian thought to be keen on remaining with Palace.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared the news regarding Zaha on Twitter on Saturday morning. Here is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply, with a few excited and one labelling his current deal, which is close to £7m per year, as ‘obscene’.

“Oh my”

Credit: @CPFCtomm

“give him a blank cheque”

Credit: @localpla6tic

“Why? Because 7 million a year is not enough?? Obscene already!”

Credit: @pete_algar

“Give him the whole club”

Credit: @christylord7

“YESSS”

Credit: @Sumo08112

“omg”

Credit: @CPFC_Ollie_

In other news: ‘Shadow of his former self’ – Many Palace fans slate ‘shaky’ ace in defeat to Villa

Fabio Paratici is reportedly now ‘incredibly keen’ to sign Paulo Dybala for Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Showing what he can do

The 28-year-old put on a masterclass for Juventus in their 2-0 win at home to Udinese in Serie A on Saturday night, scoring the opening goal and putting in a real captain’s performance.

The Argentina international was rated as the best player on the pitch (7.9) by SofaScore, winning eight of his duels in total while also recording four shots, three successful dribbles and seven accurate long balls.

Nonetheless, with his contract up in the summer, he can now agree a pre-contract agreement with a club outside of Italy…

The Latest: Paratici keen on Dybala

As per Football Italia, Paratici is now ‘incredibly keen’ to bring Dybala to Tottenham in the summer. The news outlet does not specify whether this would be on a pre-contract agreement, but Antonio Conte ‘would be happy’ to work with him.

However, both Inter Milan and Barcelona are also interested in his signature, so Spurs are likely to face some heavy competition for the player.

The Verdict: No-brainer

If the Lilywhites can sign Dybala on a free transfer, given that he is currently rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, then it is surely a no-brainer.

Described as a ‘formidable talent’ by Inter and Bayern Munich legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge last month, it is hard to believe that the Argentine is still only 28 years of age, as it feels as if he has been around forever.

He has scored 140 goals in total so far over the course of his club and international career and won plenty of trophies along the way.

Former Lilywhites boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is still loved by the Spurs faithful, once called fellow countryman Dybala a ‘wonderful’ player. If he rates the striker that highly, then he is surely who Daniel Levy should be targeting.

In other news, find out what ‘bizarre’ Tottenham transfer update has emerged