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An update has emerged on Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas, regarding his future at Parkhead…

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin, the Hoops are poised to cash in on the shot-stopper in January as they plan a future with Tobi Oluwayemi, who recently made the bench.

The report claims the club want to sell Barkas on a permanent deal, but are open to allowing him to leave on loan if all else fails.

Fans will love it

Celtic fans will surely love this update on Barkas’ future as he is now the fourth choice goalkeeper at the club and thus, Ange Postecoglou could save thousands by axing him from the squad in January. He is behind Joe Hart, Scott Bain – who have both played in the Premiership this season –  and now Oluwayemi.

The £9k-per-week dud is seemingly at the club only to train and pick up a wage at the end of the month, which fans will not be best pleased with as he is not making any positive contributions on the pitch.

Paul Robinson previously blasted the Greek international and said that he ‘wasn’t good enough’ for the Hoops last season. He told Football Insider:

“Barkas had a really poor season last year.

“A mistake like that last night and the criticism that has followed, it is going to be difficult for him again. He is already on the back foot going into the season. Barkas wasn’t good enough last year and Bain wasn’t good enough last year. They have not replaced Fraser Forster.

“If they have any chance of winning the title next year they need a new goalkeeper. You need a top goalkeeper to play in big games.”

This was before the signing of Hart, whilst Postecoglou’s unwillingness to utilise Barkas this season suggests that he agrees with Robinson’s assessment. His poor form is also another reason, along with the money his sale would save, the fans will be delighted to read that the club want to sell the 26-year-old.

It is now down to Celtic and Postecoglou to ensure that they can find a buyer for Barkas. His lack of match action could make it difficult to find a team willing to commit to a permanent deal, which could see a loan arrangement being a viable outcome.

Either way, supporters will be incredibly pleased to finally see his error-stricken spell at Parkhead come to a close.

AND in other news, Bitton 2.0: Ange could find Celtic’s new midfield beast in 20 y/o who’s “like Petrov”…

Giovanni van Bronckhorst may need to make do with what he’s got at Rangers until the end of the season, The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell has warned.

The lowdown

The 46-year-old is expected to take the reins on Monday after being appointed as Steven Gerrard’s successor, but he’ll have to pick up the pieces from Sunday’s Scottish League Cup semi-final defeat against Hibernian.

Rangers are faring better in the Premiership, with a four-point lead over their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the table, while victory over Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday could promote them into the Group A qualification spots.

However, the club recently announced a loss of £23.5m over the year, taking the total losses under the current regime to £73.8m since 2015 (via The Athletic).

The latest

During The Athletic’s matchday discussion, Campbell was asked whether there will be funds available in January for reinforcements.

The journalist replied: “Budgets are going to be tight as the club needs £7.5m until the end of the season. Maybe trading out a couple could help if the levels aren’t improved in the next 6 weeks but it does feel like GVB will need to improve what he’s got until there is a freshening up in the summer.”

The verdict

This is a Rangers squad which might be on the verge of needing a rebuild.

Connor Goldson’s deal is up at the end of the season, while Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo and Alfredo Morelos will all be out of contract in 2023 and therefore may have to be sold. Elsewhere, veterans Allan McGregor and Steven Davis may soon retire.

You could argue that Rangers’ January plan needs to be geared towards maximising their budget for that regeneration. That could involve taking some short-term pain and exercising patience with Van Bronckhorst.

However, before taking the job, he apparently sought assurances over the level of backing he’d receive. Could he become frustrated if funds are limited?

In other news, some Gers fans bemoan this coaching development

West Ham have easily exceeded their Premier League expectations so far, currently sitting three points clear in the fourth Champions League spot in the table.

Despite a dodgy loss against Wolves at the weekend, David Moyes will be hoping to continue their outstanding league form and importantly, their form in the Europa League, where they are yet to lose a game.

Moyes has been dealt a few injury issues over the season so far, with Nikola Vlasic and Andriy Yarmolenko still unavailable, but most recently losing Angelo Ogbonna to a devastating ACL injury that was operated on a few days ago.

With the team spreading thin in both the attack and defensive lines, Moyes cannot afford to miss out on reinvestment into new players to add to the team in the upcoming winter transfer window. By not making important signings in key areas, Moyes could send the side into an injury crisis that will burden the Hammers to choose between chasing Europa League success or a top-four finish.

One player that has been on the club’s radar for a while is established Premier League defender, James Tarkowski.

The £22.5m-rated titan already plays in the league with Burnley, but with the opportunity to escape constant relegation battles with his current club to get a move to a club with big chances in European football and top half league domination, it should be a no brainer for the defender to join West Ham.

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The Hammers were said to be interested in the Burnley defender back in the summer but decided against the signing. However, thanks to Moyes’ impressive management of the West Ham side as it stands, he can now offer a more attractive position to the 26-year-old, especially with the recent horrific injury to Ogbonna.

If Tarkowski did join the East London club, he would have the opportunity to form a centre back partnership with fan favourite, Kurt Zouma, who has had a fantastic impact on the team since joining the side in the summer from Chelsea.

Zouma has made his presence known quickly in the West Ham side with nine appearances, and even scored his first goal for the side against title-challenging giants, Liverpool, a few weeks ago, and will now look to lead the defensive line in the absence of their Italian colossus.

West Ham will need to make sure they are fully covered going into the second half of the season, and cannot afford to lose anymore key players in positions of importance going into their Europa League challenge and their fourth-place battle with the likes of Arsenal.

Signing Tarkowski or someone of his calibre, therefore, is hugely important. His Premier League experience, something Craig Dawson has proven, would be key to the Irons’ chances for the rest of the campaign.

In other news: Jesse Lingard requests West Ham return this January

Aston Villa have been dealt a huge injury setback ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Steven Gerrard revealed that Danny Ings, who has played just 66 minutes of Premier League football over Villa’s last four fixtures due to a hamstring strain, will once again be unavailable for selection for the visit of Manchester City on Wednesday evening.

Speaking about the current condition of the centre-forward, the 41-year-old said: “Danny Ings unfortunately won’t make tomorrow – he’s had a setback.”

Gerrard will be gutted

Considering that Aston Villa spent a substantial £25m on bringing Danny Ings to Villa Park this summer, the fact that the striker will have hardly featured over Steven Gerrard’s first three games in charge of the club will undoubtedly leave fans gutted.

Indeed, while the 29-year-old is undoubtedly yet to truly find his feet for his new side, he has nevertheless impressed over his 10 Premier League appearances for Villa, scoring three goals and providing his teammates with two assists, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 0.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £120k-per-week England international average a SofaScore match rating of 6.82, ranking him as Aston Villa’s joint 10th-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, being without Ings – who has scored one goal and registered two assists over his seven fixtures against City – for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s side on Wednesday will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Gerrard’s chances of continuing his 100% record as Aston Villa manager – with the breaking of this record being something that would leave the 41-year-old gutted.

In other news: “I’m sure”: Journo drops Jan update on 24 G/A “phenomenon”, Villa fans will be buzzing

Newcastle United are among four Premier League sides keen on SL Benfica’s Darwin Nunez, according to Portuguese publication Record (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Intriguingly, a Newcastle representative was in attendance at the Estadio da Luz on Friday night as Benfica took on Sporting Lisbon.

Nunez didn’t manage to find the net in that fixture, but he has scored 11 goals in 17 appearances so far this term, so it’s no surprise if Magpies scouts are impressed. Two of those goals came in a 3-0 Champions League group stage victory over Barcelona at the end of September.

Brighton and Hove Albion tried unsuccessfully to sign the £18million-rated Uruguayan last summer.

The latest

Newcastle, Manchester City, Manchester United and West Ham United are named as the PL clubs who are determined to sign Nunez, via Sport Witness.

The player’s agent is currently holding talks with Benfica’s president Rui Costa regarding his future.

Nunez has a release clause of €150million (£127.6million), and it remains to be seen what kind of offer below that might bring Benfica to the table.

The verdict

What kind of forward would Newcastle be getting? Well, according to WhoScored, Nunez excels at creating chances for team-mates, dribbling (he has a particular penchant for cutting inside onto his right foot) and shooting from range.

He’s been described as an ‘incredible talent’ by sports journalist Maxi Angelo and could be a long-term source of goals for the Magpies, perhaps even the perfect depth to rotate in alongside Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson and Joelinton.

He should be affordable for Newcastle, but the challenge will be convincing him to join if the two Manchester clubs are also in pursuit, given their status as elite Champions League level clubs.

In other news, this trio struggled in the victory over Burnley.

Following on from their crushing 7-0 defeat against Manchester City in midweek, Leeds United are back at Elland Road this evening for their latest Premier League fixture. They face Arsenal, who have won their two previous league games, scoring five and keeping two clean sheets in the process. 

In terms of which players Marcelo Bielsa could pick in his starting XI, one man who didn’t start against City but should be in the team to face the Gunners is Mateusz Klich, who is currently earning £34k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

Klich must start

Despite not starting in midweek, the midfielder still got a significant number of minutes under his belt after coming on for the injured Jamie Shackleton shortly before half-time and seeing out the remainder of the match.

Even though the Poland international only had 32 touches of the ball, he still did his best to try and drive Leeds forward, and he contributed defensively as well. As well as completing 19 of his 23 passes, the 31-year-old also had one shot at goal whilst winning three duels and making two successful tackles and one interception.

This performance ultimately earned the midfielder an overall match rating of 6.4/10, higher than many Leeds players who started the game, according to SofaScore.

With this in mind, if Klich does start today and is given the freedom to roam forward and cause problems for Arsenal’s defence whilst helping out at the back for Leeds, he could be a frightening prospect for Mikel Arteta’s players to come up against.

Described as a player “who runs more, more intense movements and makes more movements at maximal speed” according to Bielsa, the 31-year-old has made 12 league appearances for the Whites so far this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.

As well as Shackleton, Leeds have  Kalvin Phillips out injured, so Bielsa may have little choice but to play Klich this evening. However, with an average of 1.1 key passes and 1.6 shots at goal per game in the league so far this season, the Polish beast could be just what the Whites need to secure a result after their two defeats over the past week.

In other news: Leeds handed much-needed injury boost ahead of Arsenal clash which will leave fans delighted

Leeds United are stuck in a horrendous rut right now and if they don’t improve in the January transfer window, Marcelo Bielsa could lose his job with the Whites staring down the barrel of a potential relegation from the top-flight.

An added problem for Victor Orta and co is that the winter market is usually a tough one for Leeds to negotiate in with the famed Jean-Kevin Augustin move the nadir of the Spaniard’s work since arriving in Yorkshire.

What’s the word?

One area that Leeds desperately need to improve in heading into the New Year is in the middle of the park.

Kalvin Phillips enters 2022 injured while Mateusz Klich is desperately out of form too.

One player that they could sign is Macedonia international Ejif Elmas. That’s according to Talha Arslan via The Express who claim that Leeds are prepared to bid £15.3m for the Napoli midfielder.

However, that may fall some way short of the Italian club’s estimation of the 22-year-old with CIES valuing him at a mighty £59.2m.

The new Alioski

The comparisons with livewire and former Leeds player, Gjanni Alioski, are all too obvious.

For starters, they both hail from Macedonia, and secondly, they are both goal scoring wide players.

Although Elmas is capable of playing in the middle of the park too, he is a rampant threat when afforded the opportunity to play down the left flank, an area of the pitch that Alioski thrived in for Leeds.

The 29-year-old scored 22 goals and registered 19 assists while in Yorkshire but was never the most consistent of players.

That being said, he was a mainstay under Bielsa for years and developed nicely from an attacking winger into a full-back.

Elmas wouldn’t necessarily make the same transition but his ability to play in a multitude of positions, specifically in the centre of midfield, makes him an appealing proposition this winter.

However, his ability to score goals, like Alioski, is also a major plus point.

The North Macedonia international has bagged six times for Napoli this term while creating three goals for his teammates too.

Speaking about him in April, his agent commented: “I think Napoli have a jewel. A young footballer, a leader of his national team who often scores goals.”

With that sort of attacking threat in mind, he’d be a wise addition from the Leeds hierarchy this term and in the process, Bielsa could just discover his next Alioski; a vibrant and versatile attacking threat from Macedonia.

AND in other news, Orta can finally axe Leeds flop who left Bielsa “furious” by signing 28-goal “rocket”…

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that defender Filip Helander should be able to return to training after the winter break.

What’s the story?

Helander has been sidelined since early September after suffering a knee injury against St. Johnstone earlier in the season, but could return to training after the winter break, according to the Gers manager

On the 28-year-old’s status, van Bronckhorst said: “Filip has been out on the pitch for a couple of weeks individually so hopefully, he can join us after the break in training sessions.

“We have to build up his stamina and his training time with the team so hopefully, he will be able to join the team as normal, I don’t think straight after the winter break but hopefully soon.”

Rangers fans will be buzzing

The Sweden international was an important player last season as Rangers won their first league title in ten years, making 31 appearances in all competitions, as well as six this season before his injury, so to have him back will be an enormous boost.

With a second consecutive league title in sight, the Gers will require as many options as possible as van Bronckhorst’s side enter the second half of their Scottish Premiership campaign.

Rangers are currently six points clear of their fierce rivals Celtic at the summit of the table and will be looking to extend that advantage in the coming weeks.

The Gers faithful will be particularly fond of the Swede after he scored the winning goal against Celtic in August’s 1-0 Old Firm triumph. However, since then, he’s rarely been seen at Ibrox.

Having started 20 of the Glaswegian club’s 32 league games last year on route to the title, the return of Helander will certainly be welcome and will provide the Dutchman with another option as well as add quality to his squad as Rangers look to further boost their title credentials.

On that evidence, this news should leave supporters and everyone associated with Ibrox buzzing.

AND in other news, Gio can axe £5.6k-p/w Rangers dud with bargain swoop for “technically skilled” beast…

An exciting Rangers transfer update has emerged, regarding a player Giovanni van Bronckhorst is keen on bringing to Ibrox this month…

What’s the talk?

According to Bologna Sports News, via the Daily Record, a decision is imminent from winger Andreas Skov Olsen in regards to where he will be playing his football in the second half of the season.

The report claims that Sampdoria and the Gers are two of his options as he prepares to leave the Serie A side on loan for the next few months, with a final call set to be made in the coming days.

Bologna Sports News have also followed this with another snippet on the Denmark international, claiming that they would also be open to selling him on a permanent basis if the right offer came up. The Italian side would like a fee in the region of £5.8m for his services.

Excited

This update will surely leave Rangers fans feeling excited as it appears as though they will know sooner rather than later whether or not he will be playing in Scotland this season.

The initial report indicates that it may be a straight shoot-out between Sampdoria and van Bronckhorst’s side and the former may have the advantage of being in the Serie A, which means that Olsen would remain in a division he knows well and would not need to move countries for the transfer.

However, he may want to try a new adventure and test his skills in the Premiership with Rangers. Fans would be buzzing if he does decide to make the switch to Glasgow as he’d make be an excellent addition to van Bronckhorst’s playing squad.

The attacker has registered two assists in five Serie A starts this season, whilst right-sided Gers duo Scott Wright and Ianis Hagi are both yet to manage a single assist in the Premiership. This suggests that he would come in and provide an extra level of creativity to the team on the right-wing, handing the likes of Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos more service to thrive off in the coming months.

In ten games for Denmark in this year’s World Cup qualifiers, he has produced five goals and three assists for his country whilst averaging an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.39. He has been able to perform at the top level for the Danes and could, therefore, have the quality required to come in at Ibrox and be a hit out wide, which is why fans will be excited by the prospect of him arriving this month.

AND in other news, “In talks” – Campbell drops crushing Rangers transfer claim, it’s a nightmare for GVB…

Matt Doherty is expected to complete a move back to Wolves in the January transfer window, according to reliable journalist Miguel Delaney.

The Lowdown: Doherty struggles at Spurs

The right-back was a great servant for Wanderers between 2010 and 2020, making a total of 302 appearances for the club.

Doherty traded Wolves for Tottenham a couple of years ago but it hasn’t worked out for him in north London, with only 41 matches and no goals to his name in that time.

A return to Molineux has been mooted this month, and a new update has seemingly increased the likelihood of it happening.

The Latest: Return on the cards for Doherty

Writing for The Independent, Delaney claimed that ‘it is already anticipated’ that Doherty will return to Wolves before the end of the current transfer window.

It is also mentioned that Adama Traore will likely head the other way, joining the Antonio Conte revolution at Spurs.

The Verdict: Instant competition for Semedo

Doherty was a popular player during his time at Wolves, providing plenty of attacking thrust and quality in scoring 28 goals and registering 41 assists for the club.

The 25-cap Republic of Ireland international would provide stiff competition for Nelson Semedo at right wing-back, giving Bruno Lage a healthy selection headache in the process. Indeed, given the Portugal defender’s struggles at times this season, the Irishman may even supplant him straight away in the Old Gold line-up.

At 29, Doherty still has plenty to offer and he will no doubt be desperate to get his career back on track while still in his prime, having been hailed as ‘sensational’ by Jermaine Jenas in the past.

In other news, a current Wolves player could also be retracing his steps to a former club. Find out who it is here.