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Glasgow Rangers target Joey Veerman has revealed that he now has little choice but to move abroad, coming after interest from Ibrox was reported back in April.

The Lowdown: Veerman was expecting to stay in Eredivisie

It had been expected that Veerman would stay in the Dutch top flight instead of moving abroad.

That was certainly the thought of Veerman’s former coach, Robert Molenaar (The Times), while Dutch football expert James Rowe also expected him to move to one of the Netherlands’ bigger clubs rather than move elsewhere (Rangers News).

The Latest: Veerman suggests move abroad

The transfer of Davy Propper from Brighton to PSV, though, appears to have changed things. Speaking to ESPN (via Glasgow Live), Veerman said:

“Ajax has a lot of good midfielders, PSV just chose someone else. I happened to be on the beach with him (Pröpper, ed.) Not together , but he was also on that beach in Ibiza. Then we heard that afternoon that news. That’s a bit of a bummer, but you can’t do anything about it.

“Suppose he hadn’t made it, then you don’t know whether they would have got me just as well. Then you think about it, s*** , but nothing else.

“As it looks now, I’m still at Heerenveen and I’m doing my best and nothing else is going on there.

“It’s just what kind of club comes along. I think it will be very difficult in the Netherlands, so there’s only one thing to do.”

The Verdict: Boost for Rangers

This news is no doubt a boost for Rangers. The Gers have been linked with a move for the midfielder (The Scottish Sun), and you can certainly see why.

The 22-year-old was in top form last term, scoring nine times and providing 11 assists for his current club in all competitions (Transfermarkt). Former Gers man Michael Mols even called him “perfect” earlier this year (via The Daily Record).

Rangers are not the only team to have been linked with his services – Serie A outfit Atalanta have also been in pursuit, and their secured place in the Champions League group stages may give them the edge.

However, the Gers at least now know they are in with a chance of signing the £7.65m-valued ace (Transfermarkt).

In other news, Rangers fans are delighted with an update on this 4-goal ace.

Lots of Everton fans have been left gushing over some transfer news that has emerged on Bruno Guimaraes.

As per Football.London journalist Chris Wheatley, the Goodison Park faithful, as well as both Newcastle United and Arsenal, are now ‘monitoring’ the Brazil international ahead of a potential move in the January transfer window, although a summer exit from Lyon is ‘more likely’.

Guimaraes has been a mainstay in the Lyon team for the past two seasons, and has recently been adding assists to his game (call-ups to the Brazil squad.

Comparing his stats to both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan in their respective domestic leagues this term, Guimaraes is currently averaging more dribbles and key passes at a higher success rate (WhoScored), suggesting that he would be an upgrade for the Merseyside club in the middle of the park, at least in attacking sense.

Everton fans on Guimaraes transfer news

These Toffees supporters gushed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one Blue saying they are ‘really excited’ by the news, while another said that he would be a ‘top signing’:

“Would be a top signing if we cant sort it”

Credit: @evertonfanatic

“Much needed”

Credit: @Rixzuh

“Now this would get me really excited very talented player indeed”

Credit: @toffee18781

“Ahhh about time we want one of Kia’s good clients. He’d be an excellent buy and would work perfectly alongside Allan and Doucoure in a 3.”

Credit: @siewakes20

“What a signing that’ll be”

Credit: @maxhornby14

“Now this player is superb.”

Credit: @BT_1878

In other news, find out what transfer update has Evertonians buzzing here!

Norwich City are considering an approach to appoint Russell Martin as the club’s next manager.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph which claims that City’s sporting director Stuart Webber is contemplating a move for the Swansea City coach in his search to appoint Daniel Farke’s successor at Carrow Road.

However, it is then stated that the 37-year-old is also interested in a number of managers in the European market, something which could see the former MK Dons boss overlooked for the role.

Martin is a perfect fit

While it is true that the 35-year-old Swansea manager does not have much experience behind him in football management, let alone to the standard the Premier League – with Martin’s 100 fixtures as a boss all coming in League One and the Championship – stylistically, it would be difficult to argue that the former Scotland international would not be a perfect fit for the Canaries.

Indeed, during his time at MK Dons, the young coach transformed his side into a possession-based team, continuously looking to dominate the ball regardless of their opponent, while they also topped the possession x progressive passes per 90 minutes chart last season – demonstrating their highly efficient use of the ball.

Furthermore, the 35-year-old’s side also pressed extremely aggressively, allowing their opposition a minimal number of passes before triggering a defensive action, with their PPDA (passes per defensive action) ranking as the fifth-lowest in the league last term.

However, not only did he successfully impose his “attractive, attacking style” in the words of CEO Julian Winter at MK Dons, Martin also achieved results, taking over a side that occupied 21st in the League One standings and guiding them to safety with a 19th place finish in his first season in charge, before leading the Dons to a highly impressive 13th place finish last season.

As such, considering that almost all of Martin’s traits as a manager align with Daniel Farke’s own philosophies, it would indeed appear that the 35-year-old would fit Webber’s brief for his next appointment perfectly.

Having said that, whether or not the Swansea boss possesses the experience the sporting director would like in his next manager is another matter entirely, although, considering the fact the man who Pete Winkelman dubbed a “serious manager” played 309 games for Norwich during his career, perhaps this is all the experience of the club Martin would require.

In other news: Webber could land dream Farke replacement at Norwich in “unbelievable” 43 y/o boss

Manchester United are currently in the middle of trying to appoint their new manager to take over at Old Trafford this summer, however, it hasn’t stopped the transfer interest from continuing with another player potentially set to join the club this summer.

What’s the word?

Journalist and transfer insider, Dean Jones, claims that Pau Torres is on the list of players Manchester United would like to sign this summer.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “Pau Torres has always remained on the list, he just hasn’t been as talked about as some others in recent times, but they’ve always wanted him to be considered.”

Maguire upgrade

It has been no secret that Harry Maguire has come under a lot of criticism since he joined Man United, and with a new manager coming into the club this summer, it might be the perfect opportunity to move on the defender and bring in a younger centre-back.

According to Squawka, when you compare Torres to the Red Devils’ captain, the Villareal player has made more ball recoveries, completed more passes, won more ground duels and kept a higher number clean sheets this season. That’s all on top of the Spaniard scoring three more goals.

The £45m-rated monster who was hailed “brutal” by Santi Cazorla, is also the second most successful dribbler and is seventh for pass completion in La Liga this season, which is incredibly impressive when you consider he is amongst the likes of Toni Kroos and Vinicius Junior in La Liga.

When you consider his statistics compared to Maguire, signing the player would clearly be an upgrade for the Man United backline and could have a great impact on the improvement needed in the squad to get the club back to competing for and winning trophies.

Torres is currently excelling in Europe too this season, with Villareal progressing to the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, beating the German giants 1-0 in the first leg with a huge chance of reaching their first semi-final in the competition since 2006.

United are not currently looking likely to qualify for the Champions League following their defeat to Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, with Tottenham Hotspur moving six points clear of the Red Devils, which could have an impact on the players they can attract this summer, including Torres.

In other news: Man United suffer big setback in ten Hag chase, supporters will be fuming

Frank Lampard wants Duncan Ferguson to be part of his team at Everton, according to The Times’ Paul Joyce. 

The lowdown

Lampard has been appointed as the Toffees’ new manager, according to Sky Sports, and he will be the permanent successor to Rafael Benitez, who was sacked on 18 January.

Ferguson was placed in temporary charge of the team while the search was ongoing, and he oversaw the recent 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa.

The latest

Joyce tweeted on Monday morning that ‘Lampard has asked’ Ferguson to remain at Goodison Park and be a part of his backroom staff.

The verdict

It looks like Ferguson will be accepting the 43-year-old’s offer, with journalist Alan Myers assuring Everton fans that the ex-Toffees striker would be ‘going nowhere’ after talks with the new boss.

The former Derby County and Chelsea manager will likely want to bring fresh faces to the Goodison Park dugout as he looks to implement his vision. Indeed, The Telegraph’s Matt Law said that the likes of Ashley Cole and Paul Clement could form part of Lampard’s backroom staff.

However, perhaps the new manager realises that keeping Ferguson on will score him some early points with Everton supporters, many of whom idolise the 50-year-old. After all, the Scotsman is something of a legend at Goodison Park, having made 260 appearances, scored 68 goals and won the FA Cup.

In other news, Everton have made a move for this Champions League star

Taking into account the plethora of domestic trophies that Manchester City have managed to win and records they’ve broken over the past few years, it’s safe to say the club have their fair share of elite players in the squad.

Additionally, with a total market value of £969.57m, City have the most valuable squad out of any Premier League club at the moment according to Transfermarkt.

Away from their senior squad, one player that the Manchester club have in their youth ranks that we feel has the capability of becoming a future first-team star for them is 18-year-old attacking-midfielder James McAtee, who has recently been described as being an “intelligent player” by the City U23s manager Brian Barry-Murphy.

As a product of City’s youth system, McAtee has made 34 appearances for their U18 side, scoring 15 goals and nine assists as well as making 35 appearances for their U23 side in which he has managed to score 19 goals and provide 14 assists in the process, showing just how much of an impressive attacking outlet he has been.

McAtee has also made one appearance for City’s senior side which came during the club’s 6-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup last month where he came on as a substitute in the second half.

Recently, it was reported that the Manchester club rejected an £8m bid from fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion for McAtee, with Crystal Palace and West Ham also apparently keeping tabs on the teenager, which just goes to show how eye-catching he has been in terms of what he’s been doing on the pitch.

Looking ahead to the future, we feel that McAtee, who is currently valued at £450k according to Transfermarkt, definitely has the ability to continue his development at City and become a regular player in the senior team.

With the number of goals and assists McAtee has managed to provide City’s youth teams, as well as being able to play in the central-midfield and centre-forward positions, we feel that the Englishman could well be a decent future replacement for Kevin De Bruyne. He has shown how much of an attacking threat he is for the club after scoring 69 goals and providing 107 assists in 269 games for City across all competitions, whilst also being able to play in similar positions as McAtee.

However, with De Bruyne’s current contract at City not set to expire until 2025, perhaps McAtee will have to make do with some sporadic first-team appearances for the time being, following a similar path as Phil Foden has done in terms of gradually making more first-team appearances as time goes on.

In other news: Man City handed double injury blow ahead of Liverpool clash, Guardiola will be gutted – opinion

Many Southampton fans are far from happy after the Saints were linked with another loan move for Takumi Minamino this summer.

Less than a week separates the Saints from their first Premier League match of the season against Everton at St Mary’s, and Ralph Hasenhuttl and co will be hoping to improve on their 15th-placed finish in the top flight last time out.

The departure of Danny Ings to Aston Villa (avfc.co.uk) means that Southampton are light in the centre-forward position. As such, according to talkSPORT, the south coast outfit are interested in re-signing 26-year-old Minamino on loan from Liverpool.

The Japan international spent the second half of last season on loan at St Mary’s, scoring two goals in 10 matches (Transfermarkt), but it seems that plenty of Saints supporters were not really happy with what they saw from him. He averaged a modest 6.42 match rating from WhoScored while at the club and drew criticism from some fans over a few performances.

The news of Southampton’s renewed interest in Minamino was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra and it attracted plenty of attention from supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on his possible return to St Mary’s.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Minamino links

“better not be true. He was useless for us after a promising two goals to start”

Credit: @fletchsfc

“Minamino? No, no, no and no!”

Credit: @DG_StroM

“No, please no”

Credit: @BensBanter

“Just stop trolling the fans please #saintsfc, our blood pressure can’t take this!”

Credit: @Stumando28

“I wouldn’t even take him back on loan”

Credit: @IsaacPollard12

“please no”

Credit: @xmaiisie

In other news, Southampton want this Ligue 1 defender.

Crystal Palace have been dealt an injury blow ahead of their trip to Leeds United in the Premier League after manager Patrick Vieira confirmed Joachim Andersen will not travel with the squad.

What’s the word?

The 25-year-old was unable to play any part in the Eagles’ 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa over the weekend after picking up a thigh problem, and it now appears as though he’s set for an extended stint on the sidelines.

“Joachim is not going to travel, he is not 100%,” revealed Vieira in Monday’s press conference, although there was also some positive news.

Star forward Eberechi Eze made his long-awaited return to first-team action last time out, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute following six months on the treatment table with an Achilles issue.

“I think it’s good for him, for the club and the fans,” said Vieira when asked for an update on his situation. “He needs to play games, he needs time to get to his best, and we will give him the support that he needs.”

Crystal Palace fans will be gutted

Despite Eze’s impressive progress in his quest to return to full fitness, Palace supporters will be gutted to learn that Andersen will be absent for the potentially crucial clash at Elland Road this evening.

The south London outfit’s seven-game unbeaten run came crashing down on Saturday, and Vieira will be desperate to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.

With only four points separating Leeds and Palace in the top-flight table, this midweek encounter could have a sizeable impact on the two sides’ fortunes for the rest of the campaign, and Andersen will be a big miss.

As per WhoScored, Andersen has averaged 1.5 interceptions per league game throughout 2021/22, 2.9 clearances and a whopping 6.3 long balls, placing him in the top three for each metric when compared to his teammates.

With winnable fixtures against the likes of Southampton, Everton and Watford coming up over the next few weeks, Palace will be hoping to see Andersen back in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.

And, in other news…Palace “lining up” swoop for “complete” £12.6m-rated gem, Vieira surely buzzing

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt a double injury blow before their game at Livingston in the Premiership on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Key players

Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun have both emerged as key players for the Gers so far this season, with both making 18 appearances in total over all competitions.

Roofe has also managed to score nine goals, at a ratio of a goal every two games, so losing him for a prolonged period of time will no doubt be a blow for Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

The Latest: Both out

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match tomorrow, the Rangers boss revealed that both Roofe and Balogun ‘will not be ready’ to play.

Of course, they were both absent from their 2-0 win at home to Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday night, and now they are going to miss another vital match in the Premiership.

The Verdict: Blow

It certainly is a blow for Van Bronckhorst to be missing two key players from his squad ahead of the trip to Livingston.

With Celtic four points behind and hot on their tails, this is simply a game where the Gers must take all three points in order to keep their challengers at bay.

Dubbed ‘exceptional’ by former Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan back in April, Roofe’s eye for a goal is a big miss, while Balogun has averaged the most tackles (1.8) and interceptions (1.4) out of his teammates per match in the Premiership so far this season  (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, Van Bronckhorst will now have to find a way to win without them tomorrow.

In other news, find out what official club post has left these Gers fans buzzing

An update has emerged on Aston Villa target Leon Bailey, regarding the club’s latest bid for his services…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa have had an opening offer of £30m rejected by Bayer Leverkusen for Leon Bailey, as Dean Smith attempts to improve his attacking options heading into next season.

The report claims Todd Cantwell and Bailey are both being eyed by Villa, with the latter said to be valued in the region of £38m – the same fee the club paid for Emi Buendia.

Lange must work his magic

Villa chief Johan Lange must now work his magic to reach an agreement with Leverkusen over the transfer of Bailey this summer. He could be a terrific signing for the club and Lange should not give up after one offer for his services and, instead, return with a second bid for the Bundesliga ace.

Bailey enjoyed a terrific season in Germany for Leverkusen as he racked up nine goals and eight assists in the 2020/21 campaign, starting 25 games. In the Premier League, Jack Grealish managed six goals and 10 assists in 24 starts, meaning he had Bailey had one more direct goal contribution in one more start in comparison to the Villa captain.

This suggests that he could come in and provide a similar level of quality to the England international, strengthening the overall quality of Smith’s attacking options. Alongside the likes of Bertrand Traore, Ollie Watkins and Emi Buendia, Villa could have a frightening attacking lineup if they can keep hold of Grealish whilst also bringing the Leverkusen attacker to the club.

Ex-Ajax coach Ronald de Boer once hailed him as an “exceptional” player. He said: “He’s so fast it’s not normal. His speed, combined with his technique, is very rare. Exceptional. He has no weak points.”

Leverkusen’s sporting director Rudi Voller has also previously sung his praises. He said: “He’s got extraordinary pace, he’s very skilful with the ball, and he will give further impetus to our attacking department.”

The £70k-per-week beast, who was once touted with an England call-up, could, therefore, be a sublime signing and elevate Villa’s frontline to a new level by bringing the overall quality up. This is why Lange must not be deterred by his first bid being rejected and should now return with a second offer closer to the £38m the German side could be asking for.

AND in other news, Big update emerges on “wonderful” gem that will surely leave Villa fans gutted…