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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leicester City winger Keith Gillespie believes that Kelechi Iheanacho’s recent goalscoring form has potentially saved his Foxes career.

Prior to his recent resurgence, the former Manchester City frontman had been mainly restricted to starts in the Europa League, and had to wait until early-February for his first Premier League goal of the season, which came against Fulham.

Since netting at Craven Cottage, Iheanacho has started seven games in all competitions, scoring eight times, including his first Premier League hat-trick against Sheffield United earlier this month, before firing the Foxes into their first FA Cup semi-finals for 39 years against Manchester United last Sunday.

And Gillespie has been impressed with Iheanacho’s revival in the absence of James Maddison, and admitted that Brendan Rodgers has a selection headache on his hands once the England midfielder returns from his recent his injury.

He told Football FanCast:

“He’s one that’s been lost a little bit. Big-money transfer to Leicester, but hasn’t really provided the performances. But he’s stepped up when they’ve really needed him to. 

“He’s had to stand up and produce performances, he scored a hat-trick against Sheffield United and is in a really rich vein of form, but he’s still very young.

“With him having this chance with Maddison out, I feel like if he didn’t produce those performances, Leicester were probably thinking about cutting-ties and bringing someone else in, because he’s been there a few seasons.

“But he has given Brendan a headache. When Maddison gets fit again, he’s got a headache because who does he play? It would be unfortunate for Iheanacho to be left out after the performances he’s put in.”

Iheanacho’s return to form has really come at an ideal time for Leicester. Their Premier League form was just starting to dip, but three victories on the bounce in all competitions means they look good value for a top-four place, and have every chance of adding the FA Cup to their trophy cabinet.

West Ham United have confirmed on their official Twitter channel that they will freeze 2021/22 season ticket prices for both the men and women’s campaigns among other initiatives – prompting many Irons fans to have their say.

This comes after the government announced a four-step plan to progressively ease England’s national lockdown with the goal of removing all legal limits on contact by late June 2021.

As a result, the return of football fans in stadia nationwide looks set for next season – with it being around a year since maximum capacity crowds have been allowed to watch their side in action.

West Ham have now announced that, for the 2021/22 campaign, season ticket prices for both the men and women’s sides will be frozen in a bid to aid the return of supporters to the London Stadium.

Flocking to this update by the club, it’s safe to say many Hammers fans praised the “excellent” decision from owners GSB – find some of their verdicts down below.

West Ham fans delighted by 2021/2022 season ticket announcement

“Absolutely cannot contain my excitement at the Block 103 Row 1 Reunion!”

Credit: @brendontschurch

“Very clear and concise and fair. I’ve often criticised the club for the way they do things, but this is excellent.”

Credit: @andyaustin67

“Let’s ensure we all get behind the team, we now know the team we have is capable of some big things, I would love to see the London Stadium become atmospheric, and West Ham push on even further, COYI.”

Credit: @darrenallix

“BRINGGG ME TO THE BOWL”

Credit: @JackkWHU

“Thank you GSB, more excellent work”

Credit: @JimmyMundee

“OMG”

Credit: @whugrace

“Can’t wait to get back next season roll on August”

Credit: @jackcwhufc21

In other news: West Ham are eyeing this £10.8m-valued starlet, find out more here.

Fans of Liverpool have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report that claims the Reds are interested in the signing of Sander Berge this summer.

According to a report by Eurosport, Liverpool are considering a summer move for the Sheffield United midfielder, who is “almost certain” to leave the Blades upon their impending relegation to the Championship at the end of the season.

It is also said that Aston Villa have been keeping tabs on the £33,000 per week defensive midfielder, who has scored one goal and registered one assist over his 13 Premier League appearances for Sheffield United this season, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.75 – ranking him as the club’s eighth-best performer in the top flight.

However, after Anfield Watch relayed the report on Twitter, fans of Liverpool flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing distraught at the prospect of their club making a move for the player of a side who are currently bottom of the Premier League table.

So, what exactly did these Liverpool fans have to say in reaction to their club’s links with a move for Sander Berge?

“Why are we never linked with big-name players? What’s wrong with us?”

@diego112b

“Why are we looking at players like this? Can we not see we need more quality than a player that’s getting relegated, we need to build a quality 20 man squad. From being so far in front of everyone over the last 3 years we are going backwards in the market.”

@ColinScunner

“What’s the point of him? Isn’t he a CDM? We need a goal-scoring CAM.”

@TheKopEnd_19

“Please no. Every time I see him play he doesn’t seem fit for the Premier League. Too slow on the ball.”

@thelamarvelous

“Pain. A day of celebration when FSG sell up.”

@Anfi3ld1892

“No thanks. Bang average and we don’t need more bench warmers!”

@GarethWilmott

“Depressing.”

@HornbuckleBarry

“Are we that poor?”

@ErnestYap9

“Waste of money.”

@BeefyKieren

“He’s clueless”

@idimitrisg7

In other news: Reds fans reacted to a sensational moment from this starlet – find out more here!

Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy with coverage from the BBC’s Sportscene programme following their victory in the Premiership on Wednesday.

The Gers defeated Hibernian 1-0 thanks to a goal from Alfredo Morelos. All in all, it was a convincing performance from the Ibrox outfit, who dominated possession and had more opportunities than their opponents (SofaScore). The win sees them remain 23 points clear at the top of the table with just 12 games left to play (BBC).

However, the coverage from Sportscene was far from fair towards the 54-time Scottish champions according to their supporters. They believe the pundits were more complimentary to Hibs despite the Gers being the better side.

This view was initially shared by Rangers TV commentator Tom Miller (@TomCommentator) on Twitter, and the fans let their feelings be known as they responded in droves, which you can see below.

What did Gers fans say about the coverage?

“Of course they did, bitter biased disgrace of a channel.”

Credit: @Zander82

“Just the usual from that disgusting organisation Tom no matter who we play… marvellous knowing the pain they’re in…”

Credit: @ian_barrie

“Bewildering. It really needs sorted out. As does Crockers pursuit of Alfredo.”

Credit: @VaticanRSC

“Best not to bother watching it. BBC Scotland is guilty of anti Rangers bias and everyone knows it.”

Credit: @BrianAuld3

“Hardly surprised Tom. It’s the official haters of Rangers channel after all.”

Credit: @johnmasonrtid

“The agendas, excuses and hate is building now it’s virtually in the bag. But that means we are back on top so let them carry on”

Credit: @petera1872

In other news, Rangers fans slam this SFA decision.

Jose Mourinho looks to have been handed a big injury boost ahead of the Manchester City game, with Serge Aurier reportedly in contention to feature after recovering from the injury that kept him out against Everton.

The former PSG man has established himself as first-choice right-back this season under the Portuguese manager but missed the FA Cup tie earlier this week due to an injury problem.

Mourinho hinted in his pre-match conference that the Ivory Coast international might be fit for the trip to the Etihad on Saturday afternoon, whilst the Evening Standard have since reported that he could return at right-back having been assessed in training this week.

So far this season, Aurier has made 13 appearances in the Premier League, contributing two goals and one assist and averaging a solid 6.99 rating.

Spurs’ summer signing Matt Doherty was perhaps expected to be the regular choice in the Premier League under Mourinho but he has struggled so far this season, having averaged a much less impressive 6.72 rating for his performances in the top-flight.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-and-rumours” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, injury latest and more!”]

His disappointing start to life with the North London club was perhaps summed up when he was needlessly sent off against Leeds in the 3-0 win against Marcelo Bielsa’s side earlier in the season, whilst his last three appearances in the Premier League have all earned him below a 6/10 rating according to WhoScored.

Therefore, it is a big boost to have the £18 million-rated Aurier back fit, especially when you consider how impressive the 28-year-old was in the reverse fixture when Spurs won 2-0 despite City having all the possession and a plethora of goalscoring opportunities, with the right-back earning an impressive 7.47 rating for his performance on that day.

Certainly, with City having recently broken the English record for consecutive wins, earning their 15th straight success in all competitions with a 3-1 win against Swansea earlier this week, Mourinho’s side will have to be at their best if they want to leave the Etihad with some points, so having their first-choice right-back potentially available could be a huge boost for the Portuguese manager.

And, in other news, Spurs striker’s future looks under threat following WBA omission…

Despite the addition of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer, Tottenham Hotspur are pursuing another midfielder this month.

According to Sunday Times journalist Duncan Castles in December, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho asked for a box-to-box maestro in the upcoming January transfer market.

One name that has been linked with a switch to north London is former Premier League ace Marten de Roon, who has made a name for himself in Serie A for surprise package Atalanta.

90min revealed exclusively that both Spurs and Manchester City were keeping an eye on him, though Pep Guardiola are more likely to consider an approach for him in the summer, thus potentially opening the door to Daniel Levy.

Further fuel has been added to the fire after Eurosport’s Dean Jones confirmed just last week that the Dutchman was indeed a player they were looking at.

He also went on to suggest that Gedson Fernandes is likely to return to Benfica, whilst the futures of Dele Alli and Harry Winks were by no means certain, so a new midfielder could well be on the agenda.

And de Roon fits the mould of what Spurs should be after.

They’ve got that defensive anchor in Hojbjerg and potential no.10s in Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso.

Though, the latter is yet to hit the ground running having contributed to just seven goals and four assists in 56 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Perhaps that’s because he’s not been given the freedom that Christian Eriksen once had in attacking midfield, after all, the Argentine playmaker is averaging 1.6 tackles per game across the Premier League and in Europe too.

So the addition of a box-to-box option alongside Hojbjerg could be a dream for Lo Celso’s attacking output.

Valued at €20m (£18m) by CIES, de Roon is a player who has previously received a glowing endorsement from Mourinho.

After his Manchester United side beat Middlesbrough in the FA Cup in 2017, he told reporters via GazetteLive:

“This kid De Roon is phenomenal, his work-rate is phenomenal.”

The 29-year-old has continued to deliver for Atalanta this term, where he is averaging 2.1 tackles, 1.9 interceptions, 0.7 shots and 0.6 key passes per game, via WhoScored, which merely emphasises his ability at either end of the pitch.

It also goes to show that his influence in the middle-third could be exactly what Mourinho needs to unlock Lo Celso’s true potential.

Daniel Levy must do what he can to secure the 15-cap gem this window.

AND in other news, Spurs transfer target rated at a BARGAIN £9m just delivered a defensive masterclass…

Celtic defender Christopher Jullien testing positive just about summed up this shambolic season for the Hoops and Neil Lennon.

After a trip to Dubai, the Frenchman returned ill and consequently, 13 players have been told to self-isolate as a precaution.

Guidelines state that anyone deemed to have been in close contact with a contagious individual must stay inside for a period of ten days.

On the chalkboard

As a result of that, it means that Celtic will presumably be without a similar list of names when they play Livingston on Saturday afternoon.

Consequently, we could see the pack shuffled again in terms of their starting XI. The Hoops’ attack was far from convincing against Hibs with just two scoring opportunities from inside the box being fashioned.

It didn’t help either that when the Bhoys got the ball in wide areas, their creativity was lacking. Six times they attempted to deliver a cross but not once did the ball fall to a teammate in green and white.

Mikey Johnstone was a good reason behind that. He failed to put in a single cross all game as Hibs right-back Paul McGinn made four tackles and won seven duels, proving an obstacle at every turn.

In the words of Glasgow Live reporter Chris Doyle, “Hibs dealt with the tricky winger well and he was kept quiet for the most part.” Thus, an immediate change must be made if Celtic want more dynamism in the final third.

Unleash Dembele

It might be a stretch to pin your entire hopes on a 17-year-old talent with just 15 minutes all season but the fact of the matter is that Karamoko Dembele needs to play.

He burst onto the first-team scene at the age of 16 but since then, he hasn’t really been provided with a pathway to regular senior minutes.

It’s bizarre when you consider the immense qualities the teenager possesses. He is a dynamo in wide areas and despite his small stature of 5 foot 6, can beat players for ease.

Dembele has tremendous pace and although he’s relatively unproven, throwing him in against Livi on Saturday would not be a bad idea.

The teenager played the final 11 minutes versus Hibs and to quote Doyle again, he “looked positive.”

That’s the very nature of Dembele. The youngster is always keen to get on the ball and make an impact for his team. Neil Lennon said in 2019: “He’s the type of player that you want at Celtic. He gets the crowd off their feet with his football intelligence.”

There may not be an audience watching on at Parkhead this Saturday but he’s the type of character that will have you gleefully clapping from the sofa in your living room.

Just read what Ruud Gullit had to say about him. The legendary Dutchman once claimed that he “looks pretty special”, revealing the young prodigy “is exceptionally good.”

If having 13 players out through self-isolation doesn’t give you an excuse to play the diminutive winger then nothing will. Now is Dembele’s chance to shine.

AND in other news, Lennon could finally axe Celtic stalwart by signing £300-p/w gem “on top of the world”…

This is an interesting time to be a Sunderland fan.

Behind the eight ball in the league, Stewart Donald is desperately trying to sell the club and has always been keen to ensure he doesn’t outstay his welcome.

With the Black Cats again struggling in League One, there feels no better time than now to finally relinquish his majority stake.

Indeed, he could be on the verge of achieving that. The Guardian reported a number of weeks ago that Juan Sartori and 22-year-old Kyril Louis-Dreyfus had agreed a deal with Donald to buy the club.

Clearly, there are still some parts of the transaction to be tied up as neither businessman have walked through the door yet.

What happens when they finally gain control will be exciting to witness. There have already been claims that Dreyfus will look to exploit his homeland – the French market – while there are also suggestions that Sartori will take influence from his father-in-law.

That happens to be Russian billionaire and Monaco shareholder Dmitry Rybolovlev who despite spending a vast sum of money in Ligue 1, has put a lot of effort into ensuring the French club have a steady stream of academy products coming through.

That can only be a good thing if Sunderland follow similar methods.

Unfortunately, however, Sartori and Dreyfus’ influence in the north-east may be incredibly small to begin with. In fact, they could struggle to implement much in terms of the playing squad.

That’s because of a new EFL ruling that was introduced last summer.

The rule we’re talking about is the salary cap, something League 1 and League 2 clubs voted in favour of. Coincidentally, it was something that Sunderland actually voted against, and with a takeover now on the verge of going through, it’s going to hold them back.

You can understand why the Black Cats voted against it given they have someone in Aiden McGeady still on £31k-a-week at the Stadium of Light.

What the legislation means is that a club cannot spend over £2.5m on basic wages, taxes, bonuses, image rights and agent fees.

Consequently, paying out for new players in January is incredibly unlikely.

It was recently revealed that Sartori’s personal wealth was around the $100m mark, while the Louis-Dreyfus family feature on the Forbes Rich List with around $6bn sitting in their bank accounts.

Financial power at Sunderland will presumably be pretty high in ordinary circumstances, but in this case, the salary cap is set to play against them.

It feels like Sartori and Dreyfus will find life tough from the off.

Meanwhile, Sunderland could be on the verge of discovering their NEW Didier Ndong… 

Sheffield Wednesday’s dire run of form continued on Saturday afternoon as they lost yet another Yorkshire derby, this time at the hands of Barnsley at Hillsborough Stadium.

It means Tony Pulis’ wait for his first victory in charge of the Owls rumbles on. This latest defeat makes it a total of four losses and three draws since taking over from Garry Monk.

And he can point plenty of fingers as some of the players he trusted to start, none more so than Callum Paterson, who was abysmal and anonymous in attacking midfield.

It’s no wonder that Wednesday had a serious lack of creative spark, managing just four shots on target all game.

The 26-year-old was hauled off in the 86th minute after recording a diabolical four passes all game. He’s sat in the hole and managed one pass every 21.5 minutes – that’s absolutely awful.

Also per SofaScore, the Scotland international won just 40% of his duels, lost possession 17 times from 25 touches and was dribbled past on one occasion.

To say it was a calamity from Paterson would certainly be an understatement.

YorkshireLive reporter Dom Howson summed his performance up perfectly in his post-match ratings, giving Paterson a four out of ten – the worse in the lineup – he said:

“Completely anonymous. The game passed him by in the middle of the park. Looked deeply unhappy to come off.”

Given that the Tykes only won by the solitary goal, the Owls could’ve found a way back into the match in the second half and not having your key man in the engine room performing is a worrying sign.

He truly let Pulis down with his display and you’d hope that his frustration was more at himself than at the decision to withdraw him, he was anonymous throughout.

Paterson was lucky to make it to 86 minutes, in reality.

AND in other news, Tony Pulis on verge of first SWFC masterclass over “incredible player”…

Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips looked certain to exit Anfield this summer but his move fell through, according to manager Jurgen Klopp.

Phillips exit prevented

The 23-year-old has been on the fringes of the first-team for some time and been on multiple season-long loan moves, including a spell at Bolton Wanderers that was cut short due to injury, and last season at German second division outfit Stuttgart.

Klopp had previously described Phillips as “outstanding” after the youngster impressed during the Reds’ pre-season tour in 2018 (via Goal).

Phillips played a significant amount of football in Europe, providing two assists from 16 starts and 19 appearances in total (Whoscored). But despite the sale of Dejan Lovren to Zenit St Petersburg this summer, the Englishman’s future at Anfield looked in doubt.

Championship clubs Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City and Swansea City were believed to be interested in acquiring the defender’s services (via Express). But, speaking in his pre-match press conference, Klopp confirmedÂthat his exit from Anfield broke down at the 11th hour.

Deeper crisis averted

If Liverpool did go on to sell Philiips, their defensive crisis would have been much worse than it currently is.

With Virgil van Dijk out for a significant amount of time and Joel Matip still struggling with fitness issues, Joe Gomez stands as the club’s only fully fit and established defender, with Rhys Williams getting his opportunity in the Carabao Cup and still too inexperienced to be relied on.

Phillips’ presence in the team bolsters their defence, albeit not significantly. But right now, Klopp needs all of the defensives reinforcements that he can get his hands on to keep his title defence intact.

However, Phillips could still depart in January. With the Reds linked with the likes of Dayot Upamecano and Ozan Kabak, time will tell what the 6 foot 2 centre-back’s future holds.

In other news, European footballer ‘dreams’ of playing for Liverpool.