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Everton could now sign Nathan Patterson in the January transfer window, but on one condition, says former Rangers man Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: Patterson link

As per The Scottish Sun, the Goodison Park faithful will now have a ‘clear run’ at signing the Glasgow Rangers right-back in January, with a price tag in the region of £10m being mooted.

According to The Daily Mail, they had bids of £5m and £8m rejected for Patterson in the summer, and so could well revisit their interest when the next window opens.

The Latest: Hutton on Patterson

Speaking to Football Insider, former Light Blues right-back now pundit has said that Patterson will be sold by his former team if a ‘serious offer’ came in:

“There’s a price tag on everybody’s head, it doesn’t matter if you’re (Alfredo) Morelos, Tavernier or Patterson.

“If an offer comes in for a player, and Rangers believe it’s good enough – then the player will be sold.

“It’s a difficult situation to be in for Rangers to have two excellent players fighting for one position and they’ll both be desperate to play.

“If a serious offer of around £10million comes in January, I think Rangers will have to think about it.“

The Verdict: Sign

Seamus Coleman is not getting any younger at 32 years of age, and so the Merseyside club need to invest in a younger right-back who can at first cover for the Republic of Ireland international before eventually taking his place in the starting line-up.

Patterson would be perfect for this role, given that he is just 19 years of age, and has already shown how much potential he has by getting called up to the senior Scotland squad for Euro 2020, playing in two matches in total under Steve Clarke (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, £10m could turn out to be a real bargain in the future, just like the minuscule fee the Blues paid for Coleman.

In other news, find out what Phil Kirkbride update has Toffees fuming here!

Bruno Lage has made no secret of his intentions to have a successful transfer window in January, and has furthered his intentions by naming several positions in the team he would be interested in filling over the next few weeks.

What’s the word?

Lage took to his pre-match press conference to give Wolves fans an insight to the positions he is looking at adding depth to in the January transfer window;

“We need one, we need one centre-back.”

“I think also we can find one more winger, a different striker, so we have two or three situations we can improve to manage better our squad.”

Lage did also praise his current centre backs for their performances so far this season;

“I’m very happy with Conor, Saiss and Max, because they are doing very well,”

“I pray every training and every game that the guys don’t have any injury because we play with three centre-backs and I just have those three.”

Romain Saiss will be joining Morocco for African Cup of Nations in a few days, so it is understandable why Lage feels that a centre back would be a priority area to fill over the next few weeks, as well as risking the back line without reliable back up if there was an injury.

The other attacking positions that Lage is looking to cover can be justified by an injury to goal-scoring winger, Hwang Hee-Chan who has now been confirmed to be out until February, and could also be linked to replacing Adama Traore, who has been rumoured with moves away from the club since the beginning of the season.

Fans will be buzzing

These comments from the Portuguese manager will be welcomed by the Wolves fans, who will have high expectations for the second half of the season to echo the consistency and success of the first half, with new signings giving the side the opportunity to strengthen and improve their form further over the coming months.

Wolves fans have been taking to Twitter to share their excitement on the potential of business for the club this month;

“Notifications turned on for @FabrizioRomano and @Wolves transfer window is open and confirmed. Here we go”

Lage will be taking his side to Old Trafford tomorrow in the hope that they can steal a result from Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United side, who are currently unbeaten in their last five games in the Premier League.

A win could be a great opportunity for Wolves to gain some more cushion in their pursuit for a finish in a European spot this season, as three points could pull them away from Leicester City who are on the same points in 9th, and push them closer to closing the gap with Tottenham in 7th.

In other news: Bruno Lage drops injury update on two players

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly long held an interest in Konrad Laimer and they could make their move in this summer’s transfer window.

That’s according to German outlet Sport Bild, who claim that the 24-year-old’s form for RB Leipzig this season has alerted teams in the Premier League, in which Spurs are named as one keen party.

The Austria international has actually been considered by Lilywhites scouts for several years, ever since his involvement in the Bundesliga outfit’s two-legged demolition of the north Londoners in the Champions League in 2020.

Ahead of Laimer entering the final 12 months of his current contract, Spurs could finally strike on their long-time target.

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It’s no surprise to see manager Antonio Conte interested in the £23.4m-rated powerhouse as his playing style has earned quite the praise indeed, even drawing comparisons to the Italian’s former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

The 52-year-old led the Blues to a Premier League and FA Cup triumph during his time at Stamford Bridge and the Frenchman was a key signing in that run. Conte could do with a similar player over in N17 now.

‘You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player who harries the opposition quite as intensively as Laimer, who is also a dab hand at shielding the ball, recycling possession and facilitating counter-attacks. ‘Dirty Work’ could be his middle name,’ wrote Bundesliga.com.

Indeed, the 24-year-old – who grew up idolising Steven Gerrard – has earned similar acclaim from others around him.

His former boss Adi Hutter lauded him as “incredibly aggressive on the ball”, whilst former West Ham forward and international compatriot Marko Arnautovic believes he can cover a “crazy” amount of ground and that he has a “huge future”.

At the weekend, Laimer dropped two goals and one assist on Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund to take his total for the season to nine direct goal contributions, so evidently he can add more in the final third than Kante.

That doesn’t take away from his defensive attributes whatsoever, having averaged 4.78 tackles and interceptions per 90 across five seasons at Leipzig, on top of 31.6 pressures per game, only emphasising his impressive and industrious work rate in the engine room, as per FBRef.

Compared to his positional peers across Europe over the last year, the Austrian machine ranks inside the top 1% for pressures and 4% for non-penalty xG+A (expected goals and assists) too.

In the year that Chelsea won the league title with Kante in midfield in 2017, he averaged 3.6 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game, via WhoScored, so you can instantly see the similarities between the two players.

In Laimer, who is also dubbed an “elite presser”, Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well land Conte his next Kante-like monster.

AND in other news, Spurs handed big transfer boost in pursuit of Premier League enforcer…

Dean Smith was announced this morning as head coach at Norwich, with his assistant Craig Shakespeare, and will be looking forward to getting stuck into his first week ahead of the return of the Premier League season on Saturday.

Smith has spoken out upon his appointment, and is already impressed by the opportunity for development at the club;

“I’ve always worked to improve and develop players – with that obviously comes improved performances. I was really impressed with the idea, structure and vision that is already in place at the club.”

One player who will be thrilled with the appointment of the new manager is Todd Cantwell, who has spent the last few weeks snubbed by former manager, Daniel Farke.

Farke spoke briefly about not including Cantwell in his team; “Sadly I have to say with Todd the last couple of months I can’t remember one full training week when he was available for the full week.”

Smith will be looking to unlock the bags of young potential at Norwich City, with a host of young players including Cantwell, Billy Gilmour, Max Aarons, Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele.

The 50-year-old Norwich manager could instantly solve a set of instant issues, however by unleashing the player dubbed a “God-given” talent by his former youth coach, Gary Cockaday, as there seems to be a current disconnect in the link-up play in the attacking third, which has seen the side only score five goals in eleven games so far this season.

The £16k-per-week local talent has been a stand out performer and attractive prospect for the Canaries with 107 appearances, 14 goals and 12 assists, becoming a key player for them in their promotions from the Championship and Premier League campaigns so far.

Smith and his team are likely to face competition to keep Cantwell at the club, as his contract expires in the summer of 2022, and there haven’t currently been advanced talks for the midfielder to sign a new contract with the Canaries. That, it would seem, is a pretty hefty issue for the new boss to deal with upon his arrival.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa have all been previously linked with the Norwich star, and if Smith can get the youngster in a good run of form, there is no doubt that top-flight clubs will make more enquiries in the January transfer window and as he reaches the end of his contract.

The club’s new manager will lead Norwich City out to host Southampton at Carrow Road this weekend, and it will be interesting to see how the former Brentford boss sets up his team and if he includes youngsters like Cantwell and Gilmour in his team. Not only would playing him more regularly improve the team, but it might also boost their hopes of keeping him at the club.

That would mean two problems immediately solved by Smith and Shakespeare.

In other news: Norwich’s predicted XI under Dean Smith…

Leeds United have made a bid for a second player after their offer for RB Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson, David Anderson reported late Tuesday evening.

The Lowdown: Aaronson bid

News emerged on Tuesday evening regarding Leeds’ move for Aaronson.

The Whites were linked with a move for the American before the January transfer window opened, however, it was believed then that Victor Orta wouldn’t be able to sign the 21-year-old this month due to Salzburg’s qualification into the last 16 of the Champions League.

Leeds have recently had an offer in the region of £15m rejected for Aaronson but remain intent on signing him before the end of the month.

The Latest: Anderson’s post

Anderson took to Twitter shortly after the news emerged of Leeds’ failed bid for Aaronson on Tuesday night.

The Daily Mirror man claimed that Orta is ‘busy’ and has made an official offer for a second unnamed player.

“Victor Orta is being busy and Leeds have also tabled a bid for a second as of yet unidentified player.”

The Verdict: Who could it be?

Orta was thought to be after a defensive and attacking midfielder this month, and with Aaronson the latter, you’d expect this unnamed second target could be a holding midfielder.

Bringing one in could be just as important as signing Aaronson, especially with Kalvin Phillips out until March and Adam Forshaw recently suffering a fresh injury against West Ham.

One player who has also been linked in recent days is Standard Liege’s Nicolas Raskin, but it seems as if the Whites are keeping quiet on this second offer – perhaps a return to Nahitan Nandez?

In other news: Positive Leeds injury claim regarding two players emerges. 

Celtic winger James Forrest has been pictured back in training ahead of the Hoops’ trip to Hibernian on Wednesday evening.

The Lowdown: Forrest’s absence

Forrest, who missed a large portion of the previous campaign through injury, has been absent under Ange Postecoglou since August.

His last appearance and goal came in a 2-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, with the 30-year-old, labelled as ‘priceless’ by Neil Lennon, missing the last 13 games as a result.

However, it appears as if he could be closing in on a return.

The Latest: Hoops’ under-the-radar post

Celtic posted a training gallery on their official website on Tuesday, however, they didn’t share the images on their Twitter page.

Forrest was pictured in the gallery for preparations against Hibs alongside his Hoops teammates, so it appears as if he could be involved at Easter Road.

The Verdict: Place on the bench?

Postecoglou has relied on summer signings Jota, Liel Abada and even Kyogo Furuhashi out wide with Forrest sidelined, so it would be a big boost if he could be involved in some capacity this evening.

It could still be too soon for a start, however, easing him back into the matchday squad with a place on the bench and a possible cameo appearance may well be the smarter call.

In other news: ‘Ambitious’ Celtic beast wanted by Premier League clubs in the summer may now leave in January. 

Having joined Celtic on a season-long loan deal this summer, Jota has wasted no time in winning over the Parkhead faithful, with the 22-year-old having already turned in a number of remarkable performances during his short time in Glasgow.

And, with the Bhoys holding the option to make the Portugal U21 international’s loan a £6.5m permanent move next summer, speculation has already begun as to whether Celtic’s acting CEO, Michael Nicholson, will active the clause – with Ange Postecoglou recently hinting that the 22-year-old would like to stay at the club.

Speaking about Jota’s future, the 56-year-old said: “Jota is just starting his career but he’s already fallen in love with the club. He loves the environment here and the supporters. Who wouldn’t?

“Who wouldn’t want to play for a football club where you get 60,000 cheering you on. The crowd is something special. Let’s just let him enjoy it. Those kind of decisions will come in due course.

“From our perspective, I know everyone here is the same, we’ll do what’s best for the football club moving forward and that will be in consultation with the player’s wishes.”

However, while all the noise surrounding Jota’s permanent switch to Parkhead is positive at present, considering just how impressive the winger has been so far this season, it would appear highly advisable for Nicholson to complete a deal for the youngster sooner rather than later, in order to remove the possibility the forward being tempted by another potential suitor at the end of the current campaign.

Indeed, over his six Scottish Premiership fixtures this term, the £3.15m-rated man has scored two goals, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.5 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player Postecoglou himself dubbed an “unbelievable” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.42, ranking him as Celtic’s fifth-best performer in the league – while the forward has also bagged one goal over one appearance in the League Cup.

The winger has also been in excellent form over his three appearances in the Europa League, registering two assists, creating four big chances and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.63 – ranking him as the Hoops’ second-best player in the competition. With that in mind, it’s obvious why supporters would love to see him become a permanent part of the furniture.

Despite it being so early in his Celtic career, it would nevertheless appear as if Jota has already proven he would be worth splashing £6.5m on to sign on a permanent basis, and Nicholson should be aware that it will no longer just be the Bhoys and their fans aware of this fact.

In other news: Ange must finally unleash “talented” 22 y/o starlet, he could be “huge” for Celtic

Now in his third season in charge of Queens Park Rangers, Mark Warburton has seen his Rs side get off to a rather remarkable start to their 2021/22 Championship campaign, winning three and drawing two of their opening five fixtures of the season.

These results have left QPR sitting in an impressive third place in the second-tier standings, just two points behind the recently relegated duo of Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, who occupy first and second in the league respectively.

As such, it will perhaps come as no surprise that a number of Warburton’s players have highly impressed for the west London side so far this season, with Christopher Willock, Yoann Barbet and Jordy de Wijs all averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.30 or above.

However, there is one player who has been the standout star of QPR’s Championship campaign thus far – Rob Dickie.

Forget Willock

While, as mentioned above, the headline-grabbing Christopher Willock has undoubtedly been in fantastic form for QPR this season, it is the industrious centre-half who has stolen the show for the club in 2021/22 so far.

Indeed, over his five Championship appearances for Warburton’s side, the £2.25m-rated Dickie has helped his side keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, one tackle, 2.8 clearances and winning a remarkable 10 duels per game.

The man Ryan Dilks dubbed an “unbelievable” player has also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots and making 0.2 key passes per league fixture.

These returns have seen the £8k-per-week centre-back average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.50, not only ranking the defender as QPR’s best performer in the league, but also as the joint sixth-best player in the entirety of the division.

As such, should Dickie be able to maintain this level of form over the course of the season, the 25-year-old could well go on to play a starring role in what very much appears to be a campaign in which the Rs could well mount a push for promotion out of the league.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops QPR claim on “outstanding” £4k-p/w beast which will have fans buzzing

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick is eyeing up a move for Leeds United hero Kalvin Phillips, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Phillips’ future unsure

The 25-year-old has become a modern-day Whites great, helping the club return to the Premier League and becoming a vital player for England, too.

Phillips’ performances have caught the attention of some of the country’s biggest clubs, however, and Leeds could find it tough to keep hold of him.

The Englishman’s current Whites deal expires in the summer of 2024, with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City linked with moves in recent times.

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The Latest: Man Utd keen on move

According to ESPN sources, Rangnick sees Phillips as one of three ideal midfield options to come in next summer, as United look to return to the top of English football.

Also mentioned in the report are Amadou Haidara and Jude Bellingham, who are both impressing at RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.

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The Verdict: Surely not joining them?

Many Leeds fans may understand Phillips deciding to move on at the end of the season, considering his potential interest in testing himself at Champions League level and potential to win major trophies.

That being said, the thought of him copying Alan Smith and moving to United is a grim one for Whites supporters, given the rivalry that exists between the two clubs.

Moving to Old Trafford could tarnish Phillips’ reputation, which would be a huge shame after 226 appearances and so many influential displays, so seeing him move elsewhere would be preferable if he does decide to leave.

In other news, a key update has emerged regarding Leeds’ January spending. Read more here.

An update has been dropped on the reported interest from Glasgow Rangers in signing David Bates before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: Bates interest

It was reported earlier this month that the Gers hold an interest in bring Bates back to Ibrox this window, and look set to make a bid for him.

He only has a year left on his current deal at Hamburg, and the Glasgow club could afford to buy him should they end up deciding to make a move.

The Latest: Interest played down

Fussballnachrichten.de have now played down the reported interest from the Light Blues in Bates, even going as far as to claim that there is no interest in signing him at all.

As per the news outlet, there are no clubs currently looking into signing the six-foot-three central defender, who may be forced to stay with Hamburg until his contract expires.

The Verdict: Avoid

While Steven Gerrard’s team could afford to sign Bates if they wanted to, they should avoid looking into him for now.

The 24-year-old did relatively well while out on loan in Belgium’s top flight in the 2020/21 season, winning no fewer than 3.4 of his duels per game, as well as averaging 3.7 clearances and 1.1 interceptions per match, helping his side keep four clean sheets in the process (Sofascore).

However, the Gers are pretty healthy in the centre-back department at the moment, and should really be focusing on strengthening other areas of the pitch first of all.

Nonetheless, Bates has not tested himself in a major league since he was last in Glasgow, and so it is not guaranteed that he would adapt swiftly to Scottish football again.

In other news, find out what recent Rangers news has been lauded here!