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Rangers’ signing of Joe Aribo from Charlton Athletic in 2019 looks to have been a masterstroke by the Ibrox outfit, with the Nigerian international’s market value having gone through the roof in his two years working under Steven Gerrard.

The midfielder joined on a free transfer from the Addicks in July 2019 and has been a regular with the Light Blues in the two years since, making 84 appearances for Gerrard’s side, in which he has contributed 16 goals and 12 assists.

Rangers did superbly well to sign Aribo for nothing when they did, as he had just played a huge part in Charlton’s promotion to the Championship through the League One playoffs, weighing in with 10 goals and five assists across the season.

At the time of his signing, Gerrard confirmed that there were plenty of clubs in the Premier League and Championship, as well as some across Europe, who were interested in signing the young midfielder, which emphasises just how well Rangers did to bring him to Ibrox.

This season in particular has seen Aribo impress for the Gers, as he has contributed six goals and four assists in 26 Premiership appearances so far in 2020/21, resulting in a superb 7.40/10 average rating from WhoScored.

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This rates him as the joint-second best performer for Gerrard’s side in the league so far this term, which emphasises just how important he has been to Rangers’ title success.

It is no surprise, therefore, that his market value on Transfermarkt has significantly increased as a result of his performances this season, as he is now rated at £3.15m, which is the highest value of his career.

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Considering that Aribo was valued at just £450,000 when he joined the club, it is excellent to see how his impressive performances on the pitch are being recognised by a significant increase in market value, and it would not be a surprise if we see the 24-year-old’s value continue to rise in the future.

Last season, Gerrard labelled the Nigerian international “outstanding” after an impressive performance against Braga, and it seems clear that the midfielder has now established himself as a key player under the former Liverpool captain.

In other news… Gerrard suffers potentially huge Rangers transfer blow with “outstanding talent”

Graham Spiers has teared into Glasgow Rangers fans for their celebrations after the Gers’ status as Scottish champions was confirmed on Sunday.

Spiers hammers fans

The Gers were crowned champions after Celtic could only manage a 0-0 draw with Dundee United – Steven Gerrard’s side beat St. Mirren 3-0 the day before.

As such, thousands of fans took to the streets of Glasgow to celebrate. Unfortunately, there were reports of vandalised public property and some inappropriate behaviour (Sky News). The Times journalist Spiers was clearly unimpressed, and he took to Twitter to share his thoughts. He said:

“I’ve gone out my way to cut Rangers fans some slack this weekend: years of pent-up anger and bitterness being released following a title win. But these reports of loutish behaviour in Glasgow last night are beyond defending. A thorough embarrassment.”

Rangers fans have had a number of issues with Spiers in the past, and have not been scared to share their frustration with him.

No excuse

While the outpouring of joy and thousands of fans taking to the streets was most likely expected, it is impossible to condone the actions of the supporters in question. There is no reason why they should have to destroy public property – they had every opportunity to celebrate in a respectful way.

However, it is important to remember that the culprits represent a minority of the club’s supporters. All of the fans must not be tarred with the same brush – they do not deserve it. Those who are guilty must face the consequences of their actions, though. That much is certain.

In other news, Rangers fans slam comments from this politician.

David Moyes should have no regrets over West Ham United selling Josh Cullen amid claims the midfielder is now worth three-times what RSC Anderlecht paid only last year.

What’s the word?

According to Sport/Foot Magazine, via Sport Witness, Cullen’s sensational start to life in Belgium has seen his market value skyrocket in the five months since his West Ham exit.

The Hammers allowed the 24-year-old to move to Lotto Park on Deadline Day in October for around £500,000, as he’d failed to earn a place in Moyes’ plans.

Cullen was on the books at the London Stadium for 15 years before joining Vincent Kompany’s Pro League outfit, yet only ever made 10 first-team appearances of which just one came during his final three seasons with the club.

Kompany has been vastly more forthcoming with senior minutes for the Republic of Ireland international, with Cullen starting 18 of his 21 outings in all competitions to date, but he is yet to register a single goal or assist.

Though Kompany has been awash with praise for the Hammers product, having helped the Mauves et Blancs to sit fourth in the Pro League standings and contend for a spot in next season’s Champions League.

“He is never called the Man of the Match, but he is the most popular in the squad,” Kompany told DH Les Sports+ last month. “Those who admire him the most for his work are his teammates. He has only one thing in mind: the team. His own person comes after, in the background. If the team wins, it’s because he did a lot of jobs that the others couldn’t do.

“An anecdote: against Genk, he hit his head and they put a bandage on him. As I know he is of Irish descent and tough as iron, I slapped him on his bandage and said with a laugh: ‘Are you okay? Come on, run then, and stop making excuses.’ The same against Charleroi: he took a big tackle on the ankle, but I knew he would continue, even if his leg was cut in half.”

Should West Ham regret selling Cullen?

Kompany clearly thinks highly of Cullen and so do Anderlecht, with the Belgian club said to value him at three-times what they paid West Ham only five months ago.

But Moyes should not have any regrets over Cullen’s departure, as there were no guarantees his move to Belgium would be a success with him having failed to make the grade at the London Stadium between several loan spells away.

Moyes would have received plenty of reports of his progress while with Charlton Athletic for the past two seasons, but the Westcliff-on-Sea-born talent clearly did not impress the Irons enough over his 66 games with the Addicks.

The Hammers boss was not the only one to pass up on his potential, either, as Moyes handed Cullen six of his 10 West Ham appearances, while Manuel Pellegrini never opted to give the four-cap international a single chance.

Cullen took a punt on himself by moving to Belgium last year over the safety of another spell in the Championship, and it is clearly paying off for him. In the long-run, it could pay off for West Ham a bit more, too, having included a sell-on clause in their deal with Anderlecht.

But, right now, West Ham should have no regret over calling time on their investment in a talent failing to breakthrough, and enjoy what success Moyes is delivering on the pitch.

AND in other news, David Moyes has made a £25m forward his top target to fill Seb Haller’s void at West Ham…

With the transfer window ticking ever closer to completion, Neil Lennon and Nick Hammond desperately need to bring a few more bodies to Celtic.

That being said, not even new signings would bridge the colossal gap between Rangers and the Hoops at the top of the SPFL.

What’s the word?

Lennon admitted this week that Celtic were near to signing two new players in the concluding days of the window.

He didn’t open up on who those faces will be but according to the French press, it could be Congolese midfielder Giannelli Imbula.

Le Parisien reports that the midfielder has been offered to the Bhoys who are now weighing up a potential move. Imbula is out of contract after leaving Russian club Sochi and thus, could move to Parkhead on a free transfer.

The 28-year-old was linked with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal earlier in his career in a move that could have cost in the region of £25m according to La Provence (via The Express). His displays, however, has fallen off since that.

Brown’s successor?

Imbula’s career has been a rocky road. Signed by Stoke for £18.3m in 2016, he played just 28 times in four years. Spells with Toulouse, Rayo Vallecano and Lecce followed but unfortunately, he’s not been able to live up to the dizzy heights expected of him when he was younger.

When the midfield general first signed for Stoke, Xherdan Shaqiri suggested that Imbula had unbelievable technique, even comparing him to a certain Patrick Vieira.

With qualities like that, it’s easy to see where he’d fit in. Celtic have preferred Scott Brown for the vast majority of this season but his place in the side has come under considerable threat from Ismaila Soro. The diminutive midfielder has been superb since signing for the club and has made that holding role his own.

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However, with the arrival of Imbula, it could finally give Lennon the ammunition to axe Brown once and for all. The Scotland international is a tenacious individual but at the age of 35 is clearly coming towards the end of his career.

Some of his performance this term would certainly suggest that his displays are dropping off and consequently, moving away from his tired and timid nature would be good news for everyone at Celtic.

He has been at fault time and time again this season, with the latest of his woeful errors coming when he was sent off against Livingston last week.

With the Hoops stuck in such a rut, it’s time for fresh faces in Glasgow. Brown has done it all at Celtic but Imbula’s potential arrival must be the end of the road.

After all, he is a tough-tackling midfielder too. He won 2.4 tackles per game for Marseille during the 2014/15 campaign when he was being touted with big-money moves.

Of course, those types of displays have been few and far between over the last few years but he’s certainly in the mould of Brown. On a free transfer, it would be smart work in the transfer market from Celtic.

AND in other news, Celtic struck genius deal with £10k-p/w titan who’s “grabbing the bull by the horns”…

When Steven Gerrard confirmed five players had been removed from the Rangers squad after a Covid breach, there was a collective groan from most supporters.

Rangers are flying right now with the 54-time Scottish champions four wins away from claiming the club’s first league title in a decade.

After finishing second for the second time in as many seasons, there was a sense that the club would have to be brave and daring in the transfer market last summer.

And the Gers did not disappoint, signing the likes of Calvin Bassey, Leon Balogun, Jermain Defoe, Cedric Itten, Jon McLaughlin, Kemar Roofe and Bongani Zungu, before bringing in Nnamdi Ofoborh, Jack Simpson and Scott Wright in the latest transfer window.

With Gerrard’s side 15 points clear of Celtic, the club should be brimming with a sense of belief, yet they have been brought crashing back down to earth after two of the aforementioned players breached coronavirus protocols.

Another one was Nathan Patterson, who has been a fringe player for the Gers this season and was briefly linked with a loan move away from Ibrox in January.

Patterson has shown glimpses of his quality during his limited time with the first team since breaking through the academy ranks.

He played 66′ minutes against Lech Poznan in the Europa League and followed that up with 22′ minutes against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.

And although he has since been relegated to the fringes of Gerrard’s squad this season, his temporary absence will still leave Rangers short at right-back.

James Tavernier is the club’s only other recognised player in that position and at 29, is arguably Gerrard’s most trusted lieutenant, having started every Premiership game so far this season with 11 goals and 10 assists to show for his 29 starts.

Unfortunately for Gerrard, however, Tavernier was forced off in the first half of the 4-3 win over Antwerp and this has posed some awkward questions for Ross Wilson and co, as it has left the right flank looking rather vulnerable. Patterson could still prove to be a fine player, but Rangers clearly need reinforcements in the summer.

And so it is baffling that they didn’t bolster an area where they evidently lack depth, as they failed to add a single player in this position. Beyond Tavernier, Rangers currently do not have another reliable right-back near the peak of their game. Now they will have to cling to the hope that he hasn’t suffered a long-term injury or at the very least one that will have a significant impact on his performance levels between now and the end of the season.

AND in other Rangers news, Rangers receive James Tavernier injury boost before Antwerp Europa League clash…

Glasgow Rangers extended their lead over Celtic at the summit of the Scottish Premiership after beating Aberdeen in their own back yard on Sunday afternoon.

Steven Gerrard named a largely unchanged team from the Old Firm clash for the trip to take on Derek McInnes’ side at Pittodrie, with Ianis Hagi coming in for the injured Kemar Roofe.

And his change almost paid off almost immediately after the Romania international lashed a shot over the bar from 25 yards out.

Ryan Kent turned up the heat in the second half, but it would be remiss to ignore Alfredo Morelos, as the striker was back to his very best against Aberdeen.

The Dons were reduced to ten men after Morelos was fouled by right winger Ryan Hedges inside the box but it was his overall work rate which will have impressed the Ibrox boss the most.

After some early pressure from Rangers, Aberdeen’s resolve finally crumbled when Morelos fired home past helpless goalkeeper Joe Lewis.

As former Hearts and Rangers winger Neil McCann said at the time on BBC Sportsound, “It was a great, great finish from Alfredo Morelos.”

The Colombian striker combined again with Kent to double their advantage shortly after half-time as he took a touch to fire low past Lewis again.

As per SofaScore, the £13m-rated 24-year-old received a rating of 8.7 out of ten for his efforts, which was the highest out of every player on the pitch, including his teammate Kent.

Gerrard will have been most pleased to see him take two shots on target after he fired a blank against Celtic at Ibrox, whilst he also contributed two key passes as he opened up spaces and brought others into play more often.

Whilst Morelos lost possession 11 times, he was lively throughout the full 90′ minutes as he kept on trying to make something happen.

Having failed to find the back of the net in the Old Firm derby, you would’ve perhaps been forgiven for feeling a little sceptical, but he silenced any lingering doubts about his ability to find the back of the net after he bagged a brace against the Dons.

Given his remarkable record in front of goal, fans may have been expecting to see him feature more regularly for the first team this season, but he has had to compete with new arrivals in the form of Roofe and Cedric Itten for a place in the starting line-up.

However, his latest showing should have done more than enough to justify his position as the club’s first-choice striker, so he should keep his place for the trip to Motherwell next weekend.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Steve Howey urges Glasgow Rangers captain James Tavernier to stay at Ibrox…

Charlie Wyke’s turnaround at Sunderland simply has to be applauded.

After his first two campaigns in the North East, he cut a pillar of frustration. Everyone associated with the Mackems could quite easily be painted with a similar brush, but the way in which the target man has responded has been nothing short of emphatic.

Prior to this season, Wyke had bagged just 11 goals in all competitions across two campaigns for Sunderland.

Yet, in this term alone, the 28-year-old has beaten the opposition goalkeeper on 13 occasions.

The latest of those goals came against Wimbledon, when he notched a quite tremendous hat-trick in a 3-0 win for Lee Johnson’s side.

Though, what if we were to suggest the Black Cats could find their new Wyke? Well, they could certainly find that if they pursue a deal for Preston North End striker Jayden Stockley.

Football League World reported that both Sunderland and Hull were interested in a move for the 27-year-old this week but with him scoring just once this season, there are quite clearly obvious concerns.

To make matters worse, the Preston forward has netted only one goal in 22 League One outings previously. That being said, there is a lot more to the player than just his ability to find the net.

In fact, he offers rather similar traits to Wyke, someone who has become an imperious figure when leading the Sunderland side. For starters, the duo are both 6 foot 2 and both are colossal when it comes to aerial battles.

Wyke has won a massive 4.3 aerial duels per game this season, beating the ‘keeper twice with his head in League One. As for Stockley, he has won 3.8 aerial duels on average per match.

Although, what is the Sunderland target like when it comes to bringing others into play and utilising his strength?

We’ll let Preston teammate Chris Maguire do the talking here. He once waxed lyrical about Stockley, saying: “He’s a fantastic player and has really hit the ground running since he came here. The guy can hold up a house. He’s strong and his hold-up play is one of the best I’ve played with.”

So there you have it. Although the striker might not be the best at finding the net in the Championship, he is superb at doing what Wyke does best – holding things up.

It might not be the best of ideas to have two very similar players in the squad but it proves what he could bring to the Stadium of Light if Kristjaan Speakman signs him.

AND in other news, Drop him: Sunderland ace who lost possession 17x will surely have Johnson seething…

West Brom were condemned to an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace at the Hawthorns this lunchtime.

Slaven Bilic’s men endured a nightmare afternoon as they went behind to an early own goal from Darnell Furlong.

On-loan midfielder Conor Gallagher did tie things up just 20 minutes later, but things went from bad to worse when Matheus Pereira was sent off for an off-the-ball incident with Patrick van Aanholt.

The Eagles then erupted with four more goals throughout the second half – Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke grabbing a pair of braces to leave the Baggies second from bottom on six points.

Although the fault cannot lie with the Brazilian winger despite his controversial episode as there were plenty of other players that simply let Bilic down more.

None more so than Filip Krovinovic, who the Albion boss trusted with changing the game at half-time.

However, his impact was practically non-existent.

The fellow Croatian was rather lightweight, winning just one of three duels (33%), and wasteful too, losing possession six times from 42 touches, via SofaScore.

As you might expect with Krovinovic’s playmaking abilities, he still managed to make 29 of 34 passes (85%) but none of them resulted in a key pass, meaning Karlan Grant and then Callum Robinson were left to feed off scraps in attack.

BirminghamLive reported Joseph Chapman graded the £5.85m-rated midfielder’s display a five out of ten, and claimed: “It was Bilic’s intention to bring a little more presence into the midfield, but Krovinovic met a set of opponents who weren’t in the mood to play around. An uphill task to be a part of a side who are a man light.”

Indeed, the 25-year-old was caught napping in the centre of the pitch, being dribbled past once by the rampant visitors.

Krovinovic, who is thought to be on around £29k-per-week in the Midlands, did very little to suggest why he’ll be the man to step up in the absence of Pereira whilst he sits the next group of matches out.

The defeat only piles further misery on the back of Bilic, not that his squad helped him out there this afternoon.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer issues West Brom takeover claim…

Many Manchester United fans have been slamming the display of Marcus Rashford versus Manchester City in the 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in the Premier League yesterday evening.

The 23-year-old did not have the best of games at all for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, losing out on six of his individual duels, as well as failing to record a single shot on target and only having a mere 23 touches of the ball all match (Sofascore).

The forward also failed to put in a single cross or play a long ball, and lost possession six times, earning him a quite measly rating of just 6.5 on Sofascore, the lowest out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch.

It was certainly not a performance that will do the England international any sort of favours whatsoever going into the busy Christmas period.

Manchester United fan reaction to Rashford display

These Red Devils slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Man Utd supporter even claiming that the striker was ‘awful’:

In other news, find out which global speedster Man United have been eyeing here!

Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has left Carlo Ancelotti in an ideal position ahead of Everton’s trip to St. James’ Park on Sunday.

Bruce has been full of praise for the defensive work of midfielders Ryan Fraser and Miguel Almiron in the Toon’s recent Premier League fixtures, and is likely to ask the duo to again aid efforts to thwart the Toffees this weekend to avoid a home defeat.

It was a tactic the Magpies opted for against Wolverhampton Wanderers in their last top-flight fixture, allowing the Molineux natives to enjoy 63.4 per cent of the possession before salvaging a 1-1 draw in the 89th-minute with only their second shot on target, per WhoScored.

Everton will arrive on Tyneside reeling from a first defeat of the season to Southampton last time out, but remain atop the league standings on goal difference to Merseyside neighbours Liverpool.

The Saints opted to go for the jugular against Everton with 13 shots, while enjoying more of the ball (54.3%), more passes (610 to 509), attempting more dribbles (26 to 21, with 18 successful) and restricting Ancelotti’s men to just two efforts on target, per WhoScored.

Nevertheless, Bruce is unlikely to try similar this weekend and instead, favour the relentless workrate of Almiron and Fraser.

“If you watch him [Almiron] week in, week out – it has been difficult to leave him out, because of what he gives you,” Bruce said, via quotes by the Chronicle. “I have asked him to play the left side of midfield at Wolves. He was tireless in his work.

“Him and Ryan Fraser ran themselves into [a] standstill. That’s what you have to do when they are playing the way they are.”

Bruce persisting with a defensive display will be a welcome relief for Ancelotti, as it will offer Everton the perfect chance to bounce back from a first defeat of the season by playing their own brand of football rather than trying to soak up the pressure once more.

Neither Fraser nor Almiron are superb defensively, either, with the former only winning 0.5 tackles a game in the Premier League this season, while the latter has been dribbled past on average 1.4 times a match.

Ancelotti will see the wide duo as the perfect players to exploit this weekend, especially if the Italian is able to call on James Rodriguez following the Colombian’s injury scare.

Rodriguez appeared to be struggling in the closing stages of the Southampton loss and was scheduled for scans this week, though Ancelotti was not overly concerned at the early prognosis.

“I think we have to check in the next few days,” he said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “He was tired at the end, he felt his muscle a little bit. But I don’t think it’s a big problem. It’s true that the game was difficult for everyone.”

Rodriguez would be expected to play an instrumental role against Newcastle should he overcome the muscle issue, having thus far record Everton’s highest number of key balls (18), big chances created (five), accurate final third passes (70), successful dribbles (16) and taken their third-most shots (10) in the Premier League this season, per SofaScore.

The former Real Madrid ace’s 72.73% dribble success rate will also come in handy in attempting to exploit Fraser and Almiron, with Richarlison – who completes 84.21% of his dribbles – still suspended.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti has landed a big break but it comes as an unfortunate blow for a “talented” Everton ace.