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Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has hardly put a foot wrong since he first arrived at the Ibrox outfit from Premier League side Southampton. Now he has a chance to give a lifelong fan a dream chance to play for Steven Gerrard’s side if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Rangers are considering a shock move for Norwich City midfielder Kenny McLean in January.

It’s claimed that Gerrard is closely monitoring the situation as he is well aware that McLean has been in and out of the Canaries first team since they were relegated from the Premier League.

The Ibrox boss is believed to be eyeing a swoop for the Scotland hero in the winter transfer window after he helped Steve Clarke’s side secure their spot for the Euro 2020 Championships next summer by scoring his penalties in the play-off shootout victories over both Israel and Serbia.

Rangers are reportedly lining up either a deal to be paid in instalments or an initial loan deal with the option to buy in the summer. However, McLean signed a new contract with the Canaries only a couple of months ago, which ties him down at Carrow Road until 2023.

Wilson’s time to shine

This is Wilson’s time to shine as he notoriously drives a hard bargain, having developed a reputation for being the key figure in the club’s recruitment during his time at St Mary’s. He oversaw the arrival of former Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk before selling him to Liverpool for a huge profit.

McLean has scored one goal in eight games in the Championship so far this season, despite the fact he has only started four of those games. The Scottish international may decide a change of scenery is in his best interests with the Euros just around the corner.

With the 28-year-old potentially looking to leave Carrow Road and with Norwich feeling the impact as a result of these unprecedented circumstances, the Canaries may have to cash in on the Scotsman sooner rather than later.

McLean, whose market value is estimated at £2.88m via Transfermarkt, has made 72 appearances for Norwich, scoring five goals and supplying eight assists in all competitions so far.

Once hailed as an “irreplaceable” dynamo by Norwich boss Daniel Farke, the former Aberdeen and St Mirren man should be able to hit the ground running. He also has experience of playing in the Europa League qualifying rounds, which is surely an added bonus.

The centre-midfielder, who can also be deployed as an attacking midfielder or out wide, could be the perfect deputy for Rangers star Joe Aribo, who himself has become a versatile option under Gerrard, having replaced Ianis Hagi on the right-wing in recent weeks before the international break.

However, the Gers are hardly short of options in the midfield, as Gerrard can call upon the likes of Steven Davis, Bongani Zungu, Glen Kamara, Ryan Jack and Scott Arfield as well. However, Arfield isn’t getting any younger, whilst it remains to be seen if Davis will be offered a new deal or not, as his current contract will run out in 2021.

Wilson may feel that he will be able to negotiate a cut-price deal with the Canaries for McLean in the coming months as the Euros loom ever nearer, with the Scotsman keen to add to his 16 caps for his country so far.

AND in other news, Watch out Arfield: Bongani Zungu sends a timely reminder to Steven Gerrard with South Africa display…

Liverpool are already making moves to try and solve their current defensive disaster. With Virgil van Dijk likely to be out for the rest of the season and both Fabinho and Joel Matip also sidelined, it’s crunch time for Jurgen Klopp.

The manager needs to make quick decisions if he wants to save Liverpool’s chances of silverware this season. As it stands, Joe Gomez is the club’s only fit senior centre-back, which is not a situation anyone expected to see them in.

The Reds have been admirers of Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly for months now and look to have reignited their interest in his services. However, splashing the cash on the Senegal international could end up doing more harm than good to this Liverpool side.

Should Liverpool sign Koulibaly?

At face value, Liverpool would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to bring the 6ft1 powerhouse to Anfield. The Mirror has reported that Napoli would be willing to let the centre-back leave if an asking price of £65million is met. Whilst this is a pretty hefty amount given the current financial climate, it’s doable for the reigning Premier League champions who just splashed £41million on Diogo Jota.

Koulibaly is already tried and tested and would slot into the Liverpool side nicely. He would also make for a superb partner for van Dijk once he returns from injury. When Napoli faced the Reds back in November 2019, the 29-year-old won 100% of his aerial duels and contributed eight clearances, two blocks and 100% of his dribbles, showing a likeness to Liverpool’s No.4 (via Sofascore).

Roberto Firmino was unable to make any sort of impact on that game, with Koulibaly going as far as clearing his huge chance off the line to keep Napoli in the game.

However, whilst he would be a hugely beneficial addition to this Liverpool side, signing the Senegalese defender could also be very costly.

Divock Origi looks set to be leaving the club in January in search of a loan move. International football is currently his priority and he is looking to give himself the best possible chance to feature for Belgium in the EUROs. This will leave Klopp with only Firmino to deploy as his striker, which is a worrying thought for the holding champions.

Fabinho is set to return after a few weeks and could make a huge impact once he returns, this means the Reds can arguably survive until the summer with him, Gomez and Matip. But should Origi leave, Liverpool cannot move forward without a back-up senior striker.

Michael Edwards has a huge predicament on his hands as he decides where to spend the club’s money in January. One player gained could be detrimental in another area of the team.

In other news, Antonio Rudiger should be serious transfer option for Liverpool in January…

Even despite going 1-0 up thanks to a Luke Shaw own goal, it never really looked like Newcastle were going to come away with all three points against Manchester United on Saturday night.

Steve Bruce’s side got off to the perfect possible start as Shaw turned the ball inside his own net within two minutes, but even with that early shot in the arm, the Magpies didn’t seem interested in getting out of second gear.

Bearing in mind that this was the same United team that got demolished 6-1 at home to Tottenham, and it was incredibly disappointing to see Newcastle not being willing to throw any significant punches on a surely wounded Red Devils.

Instead, they were incredibly passive throughout, and the fact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side took an incredible four times as many shots as them – 28 to 7 – just underlined how frustrating the Magpies were.

But whilst they surrendered a point thanks to a late flurry of goals from United in the final few minutes of the game, Bruce effectively lost complete control of the match with his reluctance to make game-changing substitutions earlier than he should have.

It took until the 73rd minute for Ryan Fraser to be introduced into the attack for a hapless Joelinton, even despite the Scotland international being his country’s match-winning hero in midweek against Czech Republic.

The club’s summer signing would have been on cloud nine following his goal-scoring display, and Bruce could really have tapped into the momentum that he would have built.

And if that wasn’t bad enough in itself, Bruce waited another 15 minutes to bring on Miguel Almiron, having seen Bruno Fernandes give United the lead.

The Paraguayan’s goal-scoring record for Newcastle leaves a lot to be desired – he’s managed just nine goals in 59 games – but his pace and energy would have offered the Magpies a much-needed counter attacking threat.

Instead, Bruce’s in-game management reflected the Tyneside club’s performance: passive, weak and ultimately far too little, and far too late.

Key information about Globe Arena

Globe Arena was opened in 2010 and is now the home of League Two side Morecambe FC. The ground is located on Christie Way in Morecambe and is one of the most modern stadiums in the league.

Its current maximum capacity stands at 6,476 – but with 2,173 seated places – and it has a pitch that measures 105m by 68m. The surface is covered with grass and there is no running track surrounding it.

The record attendance of 5,375 fans at Globe Arena was set on 28 August 2013 when Morecambe faced Newcastle United in the second round of the Capital One Cup.

A history of Globe Arena

Seeing how the Globe Arena was opened in 2010, it’s safe to say it’s still a very young stadium that hasn’t got a lot of history behind it just yet. But even with that being said, Morecambe’s home is certainly a refreshing sight to see down in League Two as the ground is among the most modern and impressive stadiums in the league as a whole.

And before they moved into Globe Arena, Morecambe were playing their football over at Christie Park, which was, impressively, their safe haven since 1921, meaning that they were there for almost 90 years in a row. But by 2010, it was starting to become painfully obvious the ground had started to become obsolete. It may sound harsh but the time was right for the club to leave.

The work officially started 9 May 2009 and the original plan was to have it done just in time for the start of 2009/10 season. But, as fate would have it, some complications along the way meant that it would have to wait until the 2010/11 campaign instead. The first game ever to be played there was supposed to be a friendly clash against Bolton Wanderers, however, all three planned home pre-season friendlies were subsequently canceled because of the issues in finishing the ground.

Instead, Globe Arena was opened with a 2-0 victory against Coventry City in Morecambe’s League Cup first-round tie on 10 August that same year. Still, the first league game ever ended in a 0-0 draw against Rotherham United and they would have to wait until Shrewsbury Town came to visit to tally their first league triumph at their new home, as the game ended in a 1-0 victory for the hosts.

The Globe Arena got its name after the construction company that built it, Globe Construction. The reported cost of the whole process was around £12m and the building can hold up to 6,476 fans, with 2,173 seats available over in the Main Stand, which is the only seating area at the ground.

The stadium also has a gym and a ticket office for the away fans and despite not being an all-seater, Globe Arena is surely a state-of-the-art ground and Morecambe FC should be proud of their new home.

Tickets to watch Morecambe FC at Globe Arena

All tickets to watch Morecambe FC play at Globe Arena can be found on the club’s official website. The prices will vary depending on the stand chosen, the age group of the buyer and the time of purchase. You can buy an adult ticket for a cost between £16 and £26 but it will go up by £2 if you decide to purchase it on the day of the game.

The club also offers a season ticket scheme for their fans and the price for adults is between £219 and £799, depending on which category you choose.

Related links

https://www.morecambefc.com/ – Official website of Morecambe FC

Despite not coming away with any points from their Premier League clash against Arsenal on Saturday, West Ham can take an awful lot of positives from it.

David Moyes’ switch to a back-three almost brought home an improbable win at the Emirates, with Eddie Nketiah’s late strike ensuring the Hammers couldn’t manage a point, let alone all three.

On Tuesday night, West Ham return to Carabao Cup action, with a home clash against Hull City. And just like the second round versus Charlton, Moyes is likely to ring the changes for the contest, with a number of fringe players getting the opportunity to impress once more.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Hammers could line up.

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Whilst West Ham looked far more defensively solid against Arsenal with a back-three – they conceded just seven shots on goal in the entire game – Moyes may revert back to type against Hull.

So in front of number two goalkeeper Darren Randolph, the likes of Ben Johnson, Fabian Balbuena, Issa Diop and Arthur Masuaku may make up a traditional back-four.

And after some fans were frustrated at Moyes’ decision to leave out Josh Cullen against the Gunners on Saturday, the youngster will surely be straight back into the starting line-up. Alongside him, the £100k-a-week earning Jack Wilshere may finally get a run out after his recovery from injury, and a potential 45 to 60 minutes worth of action in the Carabao Cup a good way to ease him back.

Up front, Sebastien Haller will hope to continue his goal-scoring from the last round of the competition when he netted twice, with the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko, Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson offering support.

Predicted XI: Randolph; Johnson, Balbuena, Diop, Masuaku; Cullen, Wilshere, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Anderson; Haller.

Sunderland and Ipswich Town are battling it out to sign former Norwich City goalkeeper Remi Matthews, according to East Anglian Daily Times.

Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson continues to scour the transfer market in an attempt to build a squad capable of winning promotion to the Championship after two successive failures to get out of League One.

One area in particular that needs sorting ahead of the new season is the goalkeeping position, with last season’s number one Jon McLaughlin leaving for Scottish Premiership side Rangers in June.

Matthews has now emerged as a potential target for the Wearside club, having played under Parkinson at Bolton Wanderers. Ipswich are also said to be interested in making a summer move for the 26-year-old as Paul Lambert, like Parkinson, looks to improve his squad ahead of next term.

The stopper made 33 appearances for the Trotters last season in League One, conceding a total of 66 goals and keeping eight clean sheets, before being released during the summer.

The Norfolk-born ‘keeper began his playing career with Norwich City before having loan spells with the likes of Burton Albion, Doncaster Rovers and Plymouth Argyle, as per Transfermarkt.

Sunderland need a new goalkeeper but it remains to be seen if Matthews has what it takes to go from relegation with Bolton to a promotion push with the Black Cats.

Signing him on a free transfer, however, looks like a low-risk move given that he is a free agent, while his previous working relationship with Parkinson could also be advantageous.

Do you think Matthews would be a good signing for Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…

The 2020/21 Premier League season is due to start just six weeks after the end of the previous campaign, thanks to the delay caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

The Premier League has revealed that the new season will start on Saturday, September 12 – fixtures are yet to be released.

It will be the 29th Premier League season since its inception in 1992 and 2020/2021 was initially scheduled to begin on August 8.

However, with the Champions League and Europa League also delayed, the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Wolves and Chelsea might be handed an extended break before beginning their new league seasons, but only if they progress to the latter stages of their respective European competitions.

Liverpool, who won their first league title in 30 years in 2019/2020, will be bidding to defend their crown but the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United are all expected to strengthen in the transfer window, which might make the title race a bit more competitive in the coming years.

And all eyes will, of course, be on Leeds United as they appear in the top-flight for the first time since 2004.

Elsewhere, West Ham, Aston Villa, Southampton and Everton will no doubt be planning for a much more consistent and successful campaign after struggling for large parts of 2019/20.

When does the 2020/21 Premier League season finish?

The end of the 2020/2021 season might cause some issues to England’s preparations for the re-scheduled European Championships next summer, with the top-flight scheduled to finish on Sunday May 23, 2021. 

This is just 19 days before the beginning of the international tournament, which doesn’t give Gareth Southgate much time to get his England players fully prepared.

Who was promoted and who was relegated?

Leeds United won the Championship to secure their place in the Premier League for the first time in 16 years, while West Brom finished second to win automatic promotion.

Brentford have booked their place in the play-off final at Wembley and will battle it out with either Fulham or Cardiff for that final promotion place.

In the Premier League, Norwich City, Bournemouth and Watford were all relegated after disappointing seasons.

Liverpool will be hoping to build on their 2-0 win against Aston Villa and completely bury their previous away loss to Manchester City.

The Reds, who have already been crowned Premier League champions, got back to winning ways after their victory against a struggling Villa side on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp and his men will now gear up to for their next fixture, a trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton and Hove Albion.

Since Liverpool clinched the title, a few players haven’t been performing at their usual standards, which could suggest that a switch-up is on the cards for the starting XI that Klopp picks to face the Seagulls.

Transfer Tavern have predicted how the champions might set up this evening…

The team may welcome back Roberto Firmino after he was benched in favour of Divock Origi against Villa. However, the Belgian struggled to make much of an impact, failing to record a single shot, so it could be a good time to reunite the usual front three and push for maximum points.

Sadio Mane bagged himself a goal so there’s no reason why he should be dropped and Mohamed Salah is chasing this season’s Golden Boot. After Jamie Vardy’s brace against Crystal Palace, the Egyptian find himself playing catch-up on the Leicester man in the scoring charts.

Liverpool’s midfield continues to be a conundrum but Jordan Henderson should start in order to assert some structure. Naby Keita had a great game last time out, providing an assist and making two key passes, and deserves to keep his spot, with Fabinho also featuring again in order to anchor the midfield.

The back four will likely see a change or two and, in this case, it could be the two full-backs, who between them lost possession 45 times against Aston Villa (via Sofascore). For Premier League champions, that is far too high of a statistic. Trent Alexander-Arnold could drop to the bench for some overdue rest whilst Neco Williams, a substitute in the last three games, earns a spot in the starting lineup.

Andy Robertson hasn’t looked himself in the past two games, earning a woeful rating of 5.9 against Manchester City. James Milner didn’t feature on the bench on Sunday as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury so it could be a big opportunity for young left-back Yasser Larouci to step up for what would be his Premier League debut.

How do you think the Reds will set up against Brighton? Join the discussion in the comments below!

Newcastle United fans are loving the latest news surrounding their imminent takeover after reports emerged suggesting that the UK government wouldn’t intervene in any deal.

The Telegraph claim Conservative MP Giles Watling’s request to investigate the Saudi Arabia-backed bid over piracy of sports in the Middle East state will be rejected.

Instead, the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee will focus on the impact that the pandemic has had on the sectors it oversees.

It means that the only green light left to overcome is that of the Premier League, who are still undergoing the owners and directors test.

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The Magpies faithful have been lapping up this latest report on social media after it was relayed by popular fan account @NUFC360.

United’s takeover may be dragging on and on, but it appears as if it is slowly edging ever closer to being official.

Here’s how the supporters have been reacting…

AND in other news, Lee Ryder claim on Mike Ashley amid Newcastle takeover…

Manchester United are reportedly in the market for 23-year-old Donny van de Beek from Ajax this summer.

According to a report from Voetbal International (via Sport Witness), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is interested in bringing the midfielder to Old Trafford and the club are ‘preparing an offer’ for him.

The report claims that, despite no official moves being made as of yet, negotiations with United are likely to ‘start soon’.

Real Madrid are also reportedly interested in snapping up the Netherlands international but the Red Devils are confident they can beat the La Liga side to his signature. However, Los Blancos have already offered €50m (£44.6m) for Van de Beek.

The attacking midfielder’s performances this season warrant such intense interest from big clubs. He has tallied eight goals and six assists in the Eredivisie this term and 10 goals and 11 assists overall (via Transfermarkt).

United have struggled this season but are on the rise and will be pushing for a spot in the Champions League once the campaign resumes this month. The addition of a clinical midfielder could be what the Reds need to continue their positive run of form into next season.

Man United’s issues with Paul Pogba are ongoing, with former Liverpool player Danny Murphy claiming the club cannot afford to play both the Frenchman and Bruno Fernandes (via Express). Reports linking Pogba away from Old Trafford have been circulating but the current financial climate has put a lot of big money moves on hold.

If the club decide to put an official bid in for Van de Beek, United could be looking at their solution to the inconsistent Pogba, who has barely featured this season. Whether the France international leaves this summer or not, he could end up being completely cast aside in favour of the Ajax man.

Van de Beek has notched up an impressive senior career total of 41 goals and 34 assists during his time in his home country and now could be the time to search for pastures new. Man United is certainly an eye-catching team and, as a player who is still young, he will have plenty of room to grow and showcase his ability in arguably the biggest league in the world.

What’s your take, United fans? Should the club sign Donny van de Beek this summer? Join the conversation in the comments below!