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Rangers are looking to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches as they host Aberdeen at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership.

The Gers are have not lost a competitive match in October, with their last defeat coming at the end of September against Sparta Prague in the Europa League.

Their last game was a 2-1 win over St Mirren away from home on Sunday, with Steven Gerrard’s side coming from 1-0 down to secure the three points.

One change Gerrard should make to the team ahead of the clash with Aberdeen is bringing Glen Kamara into the side ahead of John Lundstram. The Finland international watched on from the bench on Sunday and must now be unleashed at Ibrox to take on the Dons.

Lundstram struggled against St. Mirren at the weekend and was partly to blame for the opening goal. He was caught out in the midfield and too easily shrugged off, with Connor Ronan then firing the ball into the top corner from distance.

As per SofaScore, he failed to make a single tackle in the match as he made one interception and lost two of his three ground duels.

This suggests that he was not strong enough to compete in the middle of the park and that is why Gerrard should forget about starting him and, instead, unleash Kamara.

Neil McCann, his former manager at Dundee United, once hailed him as being “made of iron”. He said of Kamara: “He isn’t a big, physical lad but he’s made of iron and really strong. I knew immediately that he could handle the ball under pressure and not give it away, so he was perfect.

McCann added: “He’s a special talent. He’s lightning-quick but he doesn’t show it. He’s a player who takes instruction well.”

He has shown off these qualities for the Gers in the Premiership. Last season, the £6.2k-per-week beast averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 6.99 in 33 appearances, winning 59% of his duels over the course of the campaign and making 2.0 tackles and interceptions combined per game.

Therefore, he could provide the midfield stability Rangers need to control the game.

He is able to win the ball back off the opposition and come out on top in the majority of his individual battles, which is why he should start ahead of Lundstram tonight.

AND in other news, Gerrard must ruthlessly axe £18k-p/w Rangers dud v Aberdeen, he was shocking on Sunday…

According to The Sun and reporter Tom Barclay, some promising transfer news has now come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

The Lowdown: Spurs favourites?

The Lilywhites have been very heavily linked with a move for Johnstone over this last week with reliable sources believing Tottenham are actually favourites.

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Indeed, football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold says Spurs and transfer chief Fabio Paratici are in pole position to sign the 29-year-old who is set to leave West Brom as a free agent this summer.

This comes as Spurs loanee Pierluigi Gollini seems set to return to parent club Atalanta with Antonio Conte now looking like he’ll have to take to the market for a back-up to Hugo Lloris.

The Latest: Barclay makes Spurs claim…

According to reporter Barclay of The Sun, Tottenham are ‘increasingly confident’ they will sign Johnstone, with those inside the north London club now believing he ‘will opt’ to join Conte.

Spurs apparently view the Three Lions ace as a potential future successor to Lloris, though will initially be used as a back-up option.

The Verdict: Ideal option…

On a free deal, Johnstone comes as a very ideal option for Spurs with international experience and proven performances in the Premier League.

Ex-Baggies boss Sam Allardyce was very up front in his praise for the 29-year-old last season despite West Brom’s eventual relegation with various pundits also proving to be big fans of Johnstone.

Wolves legend Steve Bull, for example, lavished the homegrown ace as a ‘world class’ shot stopper – leaving plenty of evidence to suggest he comes as an astute option for Tottenham.

In other news: Tottenham eye ‘in the coming weeks’ as they make offer for exciting midfielder, find out more here.

Wolves supporters will have come into transfer window full of expectation as they aimed to make two eye-catching signings.

However, Bruno Lage has struggled to conclude anything of note as the Old Gold risk heading into the rest of the campaign with a small squad again.

What’s the word?

Wolves missed out on two Lille players on deadline day, with Sven Botman deemed too expensive and terms failing to be agreed for Renato Sanches.

That being said, the recruitment team at Molineux have rolled their socks up and now have a new target in mind in what is a fresh twist to the tale.

Taking to Twitter, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook suggests they are searching for other solutions. He said: “Sanches move to Wolves looking difficult now. LCFC midfielder Hamza Choudhury has been mentioned to me as a possible viable alternative.”

Lage delighted

The Wolves manager admitted over a week ago that Wolves were continuing to work with a depleted squad. Due to injuries and a lack of options, the Old Gold were working with just 15 senior players in training.

Therefore, any new signing is good news on deadline day as far as the Wolves boss is concerned.

Sanches would have been the icing on the cake judging by his immense potential, so to move for Choudhury instead will come as a bit of a disappointment.

That being said, it provides the club with another player with Premier League experience under their belt.

Choudhury hasn’t played much football in recent years but his profile suits the Wolves model – to buy young and develop for the future. He also suits the type of defensive midfielder they like to sign; take Romain Saiss and Leander Dendoncker for instance.

The England under-21 international is very assured in possession, completing 82.6% of his passes throughout his career to date.

Furthermore, the Leicester brute is also extremely strong in the tackle. During the 2018/19 campaign, for instance, he won a whopping 2.7 tackles per game.

If we compare that to Wolves’ squad last season, it’s a tally which would have usurped every regular starter.

That gives a brief glimpse into the potential he has and Lage will surely be delighted if he can get a deal across the line. It might not be Sanches but an extra body will still be useful for the Midlands club.

AND in other news, “Dialogue still open” – Spiers issues intriguing Wolves transfer update, Lage has hope…

There have been plenty of surprises from Ange Postecoglou’s brief reign in charge of Celtic so far.

The form of Kyogo Furuhashi has to be one of the biggest plus points. After arriving as Odsonne’s Edouard heir in waiting, he has scored seven goals in nine outings for the Hoops.

Callum McGregor’s revival since becoming the club captain has also been eye-catching but nothing has been more pleasing than Anthony Ralston.

The Scot had only featured once in the entirety of last season but has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign so far under Postecoglou.

Ralston has missed just two matches all term and has become one of the new manager’s most important players.

On the chalkboard

Before the campaign got underway, you could quite easily make a case that he wasn’t good enough for Celtic.

Indeed, against Real Betis in the Europa League under a week ago, that was definitely the case.

Fortunately, there was a rare blip in the right-back’s remarkable season so far. He has scored three goals this term, including a wonderful solo effort on the opening weekend against Hearts.

There was a fresh slate for every Celtic player when the new boss was hired but Ralston is the player who has arguably benefitted from that the most.

It will provide hope to others on the fringes, particularly those out on loan, that their career at Parkhead is far from over.

That goes for Lee O’Connor. The defender is currently enjoying his second campaign away from Paradise with Tranmere and being a right-back, he could be their new Ralston.

He won’t get a chance to prove his worth in Glasgow this term but upon his return, he could provide a similar impact to the Scot if afforded an opportunity.

Like Celtic’s current first-choice option at right-back, he is full of quality, certainly in offensive areas.

After O’Connor signed for Tranmere last term, their former manager Mike Jackson commented: “He is a young lad with an excellent pedigree, and we are looking forward to him. He has a lot of ability, he is good on the ball, he will fit into the group well.”

John O’Shea is also a man who’s been full of praise for the Irishman. Speaking about the former Manchester United youth product, he once said: “Look he was quality, top quality on the pitch. He looked very comfortable, he went right-back to left-back in a breeze, it was no problem to him.”

With that adaptability in mind, O’Connor is certainly an exciting young talent.

Never seen in the Celtic first-team before, Ralston’s form and opportunities prove this year that the 21-year-old can’t discount his Hoops career.

After all, we all know how McGregor’s loan spell in the English Football League has helped his career.

AND in other news, Celtic suffer another big injury setback, Postecoglou will be gutted…

The Birmingham Mail’s Patrick Rowe has suggested that Aston Villa star Anwar El Ghazi could leave the club amid the competition for places at Villa Park.

What’s the story?

During a discussion for The Birmingham Mail about the winger’s future, Rowe said: “If he wanted regular football each week I can see him moving on as I’m not even sure we can offer that to the wingers ahead of him currently given the system we are playing.”

Time’s up for El Ghazi

Amid all the marquee signings Villa made during the summer, not cashing in on El Ghazi may be one of the only blotches in their copy-book from their transfer window work.

Reports had actually indicated that the Midlands club were hoping to receive around £17m for him, with Serie A side AS Roma very interested in taking him to Italy.

In the end, Villa chose not to let El Ghazi go, and having also signed the likes of Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia who predominantly play out wide, the Dutchman now faces far more competition for places at Villa Park.

If they had recouped some of that outlay from selling El Ghazi, Villa could potentially have reinvested the money into a more pressing need, like central midfield.

The fact he’s played just the three times in the Premier League this season, and all three of those appearances being at the start of the campaign, has been an indication of how far he’s fallen down the pecking order at Villa Park.

He’s remained an unused substitute for the last five top-flight games, even with the injuries to both Bailey and Bertrand Traore, and it appears Smith has made his mind up on him.

While he may be seen as a “cracking servant” by Ashley Preece, the Dutchman’s time just looks to be up at Villa Park, with the club moving on to bigger and better things with the likes of Bailey.

It’s exactly why moving him on might just please the Villa fans.

Meanwhile, Villa are interested in signing this Scottish ace…

Everton have now been backed to sign Nathan Patterson before the summer transfer window ends, providing that one condition is met.

The Lowdown: Patterson bid

As per The Daily Mirror, the Goodison Park faithful have made a £5m bid to try and sign Patterson from Glasgow Rangers.

As cited by The Scottish Sun, Steven Gerrard labelled the reported offer as ‘a joke’ when asked about it.

The Latest: Whelan on Patterson

Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds United and Coventry City striker now pundit Whelan has backed the Merseyside club to sign Patterson before the window shuts, so long as they can up that offer ‘significantly’:

“They are obviously testing the water but Gerrard knows Patterson’s worth because he works with him every day.

“Let’s be honest, £5 million for a player of Patterson’s quality is a joke in this day and age. I would agree with Gerrard in that respect. It’s a bit disrespectful to put in an offer like that.

“If the money is right though, I think a deal could be struck there. One thing is for sure though, Everton are way off the mark right now so they will have to up their bid significantly if they want to sign him.”

The Verdict: Sign

Seamus Coleman struggled a bit with injuries in the 2020/21 season, and at 32 years of age, he is not getting any younger.

Thus, Rafa Benitez’s team need to think about signing a long-term replacement for him, and Patterson may well fit the bill.

At just 19, he has already shown his potential by getting called up to the senior Scotland squad for Euro 2020, playing in two games in total under Steve Clarke (Transfermarkt).

The right-back has already played in a total of 17 games in over all competitions for the Light Blues, including an appearance in the Scottish League Cup this season, in which he bagged two goals (Transfermarkt). He could look at the likes of Kieran Tierney as players who have made the step up to the Premier League from the SPL.

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Nonetheless, Patterson would be a smart investment for the future, should the Toffees be able to secure his signature.

In other news, find out whose display against Huddersfield Town was slammed here!

Noel Whelan has given his reaction to some Everton injury news that has now emerged involving Yerry Mina.

The Lowdown: Stepping up recovery

As per medical expert Ben Dinnery, Mina will now step up his recovery from injury at Finch Farm this week, after last featuring for the Goodison Park faithful in early February.

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They are next due to play West Ham United away from home in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, and while Mina is unlikely to be ready by then, he will be desperate to return to the squad for the remaining games of the season, with Dinnery’s website tracking the middle of April as a likely return date.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan, who has worked as a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds, has since reacted to the news, claiming that it is ‘huge’ for the Merseyside club:

“It’s huge.

“Yerry Mina has been a bit like Marmite in recent years, you either love him or you hate him.

“But what he does give you is that real defensive presence and Everton need that. We know he carries a real threat from set pieces as well.

“He’s so experienced and he’s been at the club for a very long time. When you’re down at the bottom of the table, you need options.

“With the poor form of Michael Keane, Frank Lampard has had nowhere to turn to in order to replace him. He will have that option again when Mina comes back.

“He’s a player who is going to be very important in the run-in. He’s inconsistent, but on his day he can really dominate a game.”

The Verdict: Lampard needs him

The Toffees have been shipping far too many goals of late, with no fewer than 11 conceded in total in their last four matches over all competitions, and so Frank Lampard needs Mina back in order to steady the backline.

Standing at a mammoth six-foot-five-inches tall, the Colombia international is certainly an imposing central defender, emphasised by him winning 2.6 of his aerial duels per game on average in the top flight, only bettered by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Michael Keane for the Blues.

Four of their seven wins in the division have come when he is playing, suggesting that they are a better team with him in it, and so Lampard will no doubt want him back available as soon as possible.

In other news, find out which EFC player is now in talks over a new deal here!

Celtic are back in action this afternoon with another clash against their Old Firm rivals.

This time, the duo are both looking to secure a place in the Scottish Cup final.

The last meeting between the two Glasgow rivals saw Ange Postecoglou’s side secure a 2-1 win at Ibrox in the SPFL earlier this month.

However, heading into Sunday’s showdown, it seems as though the Hoops will have to make do without one of their key players.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the semi-final, Postecoglou revealed that striker Giorgos Giakoumakis will not be available to play as a result of an injury he picked up during Celtic’s 7-0 win over St. Johnstone last weekend.

Since arriving at the Parkhead club during the previous summer transfer window from VVV-Venlo in a deal worth a reported fee of up to £2.5m, the striker has made 16 appearances in the SPFL.

In those appearances, the 27-year-old has found the back of the net nine times, with only Liel Abada (10) having bagged more league goals this season.

Postecoglou will be fuming

Having appeared in all three of Celtic’s Scottish Cup games this season, the centre-forward has scored four of their nine goals against Alloa Athletic, Raith Rovers and Dundee United.

With that in mind, not only will it be a huge blow for the player to miss out on the chance to fire his team to the final this afternoon, but it is sure to have also left both Postecoglou and the Parkhead faithful fuming given how deadly he’s been in front of goal.

To highlight how much of a danger the Greek international has been for his new club, he currently boasts the highest average of shots on target and goals per 90 minutes in the league, according to FBref.

Moving forward, with the Bhoys having Kyogo Furuhashi back in the frame after recovering from his hamstring injury, Postecoglou will have to hope that he and the rest of the attacking players at his disposal can make up for Giakoumakis’ absence on this occasion.

Looking beyond that, everyone at the club will undoubtedly be hoping that the £1.8m-rated striker can recover from his injury soon enough to help his side see out the remainder of the season.

AND in other news: Signed for 7 figures, left for peanuts: Celtic had a mare on “unplayable” £15k-p/w dud

Leeds United are keen on signing Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz, according to reliable journalist Alan Nixon.

The Lowdown: Summer links

The Whites spent just over £50m over the summer, with Jack Harrison, Junior Firpo, Kristoffer Klaesson and Daniel James all making permanent moves to Elland Road.

Victor Orta didn’t add to the club’s central attacking ranks, though, which has hit them hard with Patrick Bamford already missing 10 Premier League games through injury.

Leeds were thought to be weighing up a move for Brereton Diaz over the summer, with the Blackburn striker going on to score 17 Championship goals in 22 appearances during the current campaign.

The Latest: January move on the cards?

Nixon shared a story on Saturday evening for The Sun, claiming that Leeds are eyeing a move for the 22-year-old.

The Whites are thought to be ‘desperate’ for an attacking addition in the New Year following Bamford’s injury, with Brighton and Sevilla also name-checked with an interest.

The Verdict: Time to spend?

Leeds may need to bolster their injury-hit squad in the winter window to prevent being dragged in to a relegation battle during the second half of the season.

Brereton Diaz, who Tony Mowbray said is ‘like a beast’ last year, could be the perfect attacking addition as he can play anywhere across the front three. The 22-year-old’s versatility could appeal to Marcelo Bielsa, and he appears to be in the prime of his career considering his red-hot form in front of goal this season.

A £25m fee has been mooted, which could make him the club’s third most expensive signing of all time, but it may well be a shrewd move both in the short- and long-term.

In other news: Sky Sports think ‘brilliant’ Leeds beast suffered fresh injury on Saturday

Liverpool striker Divock Origi is increasingly close to joining AC Milan this summer, with the Serie A club’s board giving the ‘green light’ for the move.

The Lowdown: Origi leaving this summer

The Belgian seems a certainty to move on from the Reds at the end of this season, with his current deal expiring at that point.

Origi has been a spectator for much of the 2021/22 campaign, making just five starts in all competitions and finding himself well down the attacking pecking order.

He has been constantly linked with a summer move to Milan and it looks like a matter of time until it is completed now.

The Latest: Milan move edges closer

According to TuttoMercatoWeb [via Sport Witness], ‘the green light has arrived from the board’ of Milan, as he looks set to seal a transfer to Italy.

It is claimed that ‘only the signature is missing’ and that an ‘agreement’ has been reached, bringing an end to an unforgettable spell at Liverpool for Origi.

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The Verdict: One last legendary moment?

The 26-year-old have may become more of a bit-part player by the year but he will always be remembered for scoring some truly iconic goals for the Reds, from Everton to Barcelona.

With Liverpool still battling for an unprecedented quadruple, the hope is that Origi has one last huge moment in him – one that further enhances his legend at Anfield.

It would be a fitting way to end for him, only strengthening the argument that he is one of the Reds’ all-time great cult heroes.

In other news, David Ornstein has dropped a key Liverpool transfer update. Read more here.