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Glasgow Rangers will be acutely aware that new manager Michael Beale could quickly atttract interest from Premier League suitors if he does a stellar job at Ibrox.

That is the view of BBC pundit Kevin Campbell, who was speaking to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Rangers hire Beale

The Premiership giants announced Beale as their new manager earlier this week, with the 42-year-old leaving his role at English Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers to fill the void left by Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s recent sacking.

He is already quite familiar with the surroundings at Ibrox, having worked as assistant to Steven Gerrard when the former Liverpool captain was Rangers boss between 2018 and 2021.

The Latest: Campbell sounds Beale warning

Despite Beale only starting in the job this week, though, Campbell is already addressing the possibility of an abrupt departure for the English top flight if the new Light Blues boss makes a serious impression in Glasgow.

The former Arsenal striker told Football Insider: “I think Rangers will know the nature of the beast. They’re a huge club, but the competition is the problem.

“If Beale does really well and even half of what Steven Gerrard, you can imagine there will be at least one Premier League side knocking his door down.

“I know he turned down jobs in the past, but managers want to work at the highest level. I think if he does well, Rangers will know what is coming. It’s happened before.”

The Verdict: Rangers have been there before

Campbell makes a fair point about the prospect of Beale being lured to the Premier League, with Rangers having already experienced that scenario when Gerrard abruptly left Ibrox for Aston Villa just over a year ago.

Considering how the new Rangers boss turned down the Wolves job a few weeks ago, citing a commitment to QPR, but then went back on his word once the Ibrox vacancy came up, some cynics may also suggest that the 42-year-old would not think twice about flocking to another club if an opportunity arises.

The scenario described by Campbell is far from implausible, although for now the Light Blues faithful should be reassured that Beale’s first priority will be to get the club back to being the dominant force in Scottish football.

Liverpool have been tipped to beat their Premier League rivals to the signing of Borussia Dortmund and England star Jude Bellingham by Football Insider pundit Frank McAvennie. 

The Lowdown: Talisman status

Captaining Borussia Dortmund at the age of 19 is one thing, but becoming a talisman for your respective club and country is another. 

It’s these two feats which highlight the outstanding generational quality of Bellingham, with his star continuously rising with each performance for England at the World Cup in Qatar.

His sky-high potential is reflected in reports of a £130m price tag from Dortmund, with Liverpool being continuously linked with the Englishman in recent months.

The Latest: McAvennie’s claim

According to McAvennie, Liverpool may hold an edge over their rivals in Chelsea and Manchester City amidst the chase for Bellingham because Jurgen Klopp will, in his view, likely grant the youngster much more creative leeway than City manager Pep Guardiola.

Asked whether this was the case by Football Insider, the 62-year-old replied: “I think so. I think he will get more game time at Liverpool. He will be number one there.

“I think Jurgen will give him a lot more freedom. He will let him go and play whereas everything with Pep is rigid, you have to do it his way. It is brilliant, do not get me wrong, but it is a bit rigid. You do it his way or you are out.

“I just think he will be an absolute superstar star at Liverpool. If it is for football reasons he will go to Liverpool.“

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The Verdict: An ambitious statement

In a complete footballing sense, protégé of Johan Cruyff and Marcelo Bielsa, Guardiola implements freedom and thrives on rotation in attack. 

If anything, it is this less rigid system in which Bellingham would thrive, with both central midfielders true number 8’s in the Spaniard’s setup. 

It is at Liverpool where things would be more rigid in a tactical sense, although this does not mean that Bellingham could not thrive under Klopp.

The midfielders are slightly more conservative at Anfield, with Klopp intent on achieving numerical superiority through both full-backs. As such, central spaces are occupied and midfielders are not as advanced. 

It is therefore arguable that Bellingham would do better in Manchester City’s system than Liverpool’s.

Crystal Palace were linked with Goncalo Ramos during the summer and Patrick Vieira will be wishing he’d arrived at Selhurst Park after his phenomenal World Cup performance this week.

According to 90min, Palace were one of several Premier League sides to register an interest in the Benfica striker but he would remain with the Portuguese giants and has been hugely impressive ever since.

After hitting nine goals in just 11 Portuguese Liga appearances this term, he earned a call-up to Fernando Santos’ squad for the World Cup in Qatar, although it was expected that he would play second fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix in their attack.

However, he was handed a surprise start in their round-of-16 fixture against Switzerland on Tuesday and took his opportunity with serious aplomb, notching an incredible hat-trick in a 6-1 thrashing.

The 21-year-old smashed in the opener before finding the net with two deft finishes to score the first hat-trick of the World Cup and set up a quarter-final tie against Morocco on Saturday.

That trio of goals saw him emulate a certain Pele with the attacker becoming the second youngest player to score a World Cup knock-out hat-trick behind the great Brazilian.

Ramos also popped up with another two shots on target, an assist and two key passes, which suggests that he is far more than a goal scorer, with Sofascore awarding him a phenomenal 9.8/10 rating for his performance.

For comparison, Wilfried Zaha leads the way for shots on target per game this season with just 2.7, while Eberechi Eze has averaged 1.7 key passes per game, which emphasises just how good of an all-round attacking display it was from Ramos in Qatar.

While Odsonne Edouard has looked promising on occasion this season, he has managed just three Premier League goals so far this term, while Jean-Philippe Mateta has only one goal to his name, which suggests that Vieira is lacking a clinical striker in his side.

Considering Ramos’ phenomenal start to the 2022/23 campaign with Benfica, it was perhaps always unlikely that Palace would be able to tempt him to Selhurst Park in January, but now that he has announced himself on the world stage, it seems almost impossible.

In the words of Gary Lineker, it was a truly “remarkable” display from the Benfica wonderkid, so Vieira will be gutted that the Eagles weren’t able to bring Ramos to the Premier League during the summer, as he could have taken the pressure off Zaha as the main source of goals at Selhurst Park.

Liverpool have suffered a concerning start to their Premier League season not only on the pitch but off it too, with several changes ahead for the Merseysiders.

Not only have the Reds fallen into sixth in the table, but it has been revealed that FSG are plotting to sell the club as soon as they can find the right buyer, while sporting director Julian Ward has resigned from his role at Anfield after just six months.

As a result, Jurgen Klopp could be about to experience a huge transition period during his remaining managerial tenure on Merseyside, and although the upheaval will be concerning, there is an opportunity for a fresh start to take place.

Liverpool’s successful squad which was built by the German alongside his reliable recruitment team have started to take on new paths at other clubs or are coming to the latter stages of their careers, with many key players now into their 30s.

Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, James Milner and Joel Matip are all 30 or over, and with several contracts expiring in the summer, it’s the perfect time for Klopp to start thinking about the next generation of success.

Indeed, there will be opportunities to strengthen the squad in the upcoming transfer windows, with Enzo Fernandez and Jude Bellingham two players Liverpool are pushing to sign, although they could already have some of their stars in the future in the youth setup.

One player who penned his first professional contract for Liverpool on Thursday was Michael Laffey, a young midfielder who could be part of the future in the middle of the park.

The Merseyside-born midfielder has risen through the ranks of the youth setup to become a key player in the U18s, with Liverpool’s official website claiming that the youngster earned his new contract due to his ‘good passing range’ and ‘impressive awareness’.

Laffey earned high praise from a Liverpool legend upon securing his future at the club, with Jamie Carragher hailing the player as a “great prospect” on Twitter.

The talented 17-year-old has been polishing his trade in Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side since earning his U18 debut last season, tallying 12 appearances and registering three assists so far.

It has been claimed by Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth that Liverpool could part ways with Naby Keita in the New Year, which would be the perfect opportunity for Laffey to capture the attention of Klopp by taking his opportunities to impress when they eventually arise.

The future is looking very bright for Laffey, and if he can continue to flourish in the U18s, it will surely be no time at all before he is given the chance to prove himself in the first team.

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for Joao Felix over the last few weeks, and a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club’s pursuit of the player ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist Dean Jones, the Villans are “in the picture” to sign the Atletico Madrid and Portugal winger.

The transfer expert told GIVEMESPORT: “They’re not the only club that potentially have the chance to sign Joao Felix.

“I think there are others that he would probably choose ahead of them if it were to come to it. But they’re in the picture and, as an Aston Villa fan, I guess that is an exciting place to be.”

Emery can land his own Griezmann

Unai Emery is just getting stuck into his role at Villa Park after joining the club last month and will surely be looking forward to the opportunity to make his own mark on the squad when the transfer window opens next month.

The former Villarreal manager’s predecessor Steven Gerrard had a clearout of the wide forwards at the club during his short tenure in the Midlands, with Anwar El-Ghazi, Trezeguet and Bertrand Traore all shipped out either on loan or permanently.

As a result, Villa’s attacking threat could certainly use some depth and improvements to get them quickly competing for a comfortable top-half finish and ultimately pushing for an ambitious qualifying place for European football.

Felix is definitely the profile of a player who could help the Villains in their pursuit of a high finishing position in the Premier League, as the Portuguese talent is one of the hottest talents in Europe.

The €100m-priced (£87m) Atletico star – who was dubbed “world-class” by football writer Mohammad Butt –  ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues in 2022 for assists, dribbles completed, interceptions and progressive passes, whilst also ranking in the top 20% for non-penalty goals and shot-creating actions.

In fact, Emery could even land his very own Antoine Griezmann if he can secure the signing of Felix, as the Frenchman was named the most comparable player to the 23-year-old, according to FBRef.

The Atletico Madrid team-mates have shared many similar attributes over the season, so far including assists (three each), pass completion (73.3% v 76.8%, Felix first), aerial duels success rate (46.2% v 43.8%) and shots on target per 90 minutes (1.58 v 1.51).

Signing Felix would be a massive coup for Aston Villa, but they would surely need to provide a very tempting offer for the player, with several Premier League clubs also vying for the young attacker’s signature.

Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Cristian Romero is available for selection for the Premier League meeting with Aston Villa this afternoon.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Evening Standard, Antonio Conte revealed that, after missing Spurs’ 2-2 Boxing Day draw with Brentford as a result of his World Cup-winning campaign with Argentina, Romero will be available for selection for the visit of Villa later on today.

Regarding the availability of the defender, Conte said: “Romero is back, yeah. He’s back and he’s available for the Aston Villa game.”

Conte must unleash Romero

Considering just how important a part of the Tottenham starting XI Romero has become since his initial loan switch to the club last summer, should the 24-year-old be anywhere near full fitness, the argument that Conte simply must unleash the centre-back against Villa is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 22 Premier League appearances last season, the £71m-rated talent was in astonishing form at the back, helping his side keep five clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 2.8 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 3.3 clearances and winning 5.9 duels – at a success rate of 62% – per game.

The Argentina international also impressed in possession of the ball, enjoying an average of 73.8 touches per match, as well as playing an average of 2.6 long balls, 0.3 key passes and completing 51.9 passes – at a success rate of 87% – per fixture.

These returns saw the £165k-per-week defender average a breathtaking Sofascore match rating of 7.15, not only ranking him as Conte’s sixth-best performer in the league but also as the joint 31st-best player in the English top flight as a whole last time out.

It has been a similar story over the 24-year-old’s eight Premier League outings in the current campaign, with the centre-back having helped Spurs keep one clean sheet, in addition to making an average of 2.4 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 2.8 clearances and winning 5.4 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per game.

These metrics have seen the player who MARCA journalist Juan Di Sciascio dubbed a “little animal” average an extremely impressive Sofascore match rating of 6.94, currently ranking him as Tottenham’s joint eighth-best performer in the league.

As such, with Conte undoubtedly hoping to avoid a repeat of Brentford – when Spurs went 2-0 once again, before salvaging a point in the second half – against Villa this afternoon, the 53-year-old simply must reinstate Romero in his back three, as the World Cup-winner is certainly something of a game-changer at the back for Tottenham.

Aston Villa look set to receive a massive boost ahead of tomorrow’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, with Emiliano Martinez pictured back in training – something that will come as a huge boost to Unai Emery.

The Argentinian missed the Boxing Day clash against Liverpool due to his exertions for his country at the World Cup and journalist Pete O’Rourke also told Football FanCast that he may be missing until January, saying: “Obviously, we all know that their celebrations look like they will go on for a few more days in Argentina and get the players to switch back to domestic action.

“I think it is going to be pretty hard for all managers of players who have tasted success with Argentina at the World Cup so I think we probably won’t see Martinez maybe until January as well.

“And I’m sure Aston Villa have been preparing for that anyway, for the players who maybe went to the later stages of the World Cup.”

The official Aston Villa Twitter account shared a video of the goalkeeper arriving for training yesterday and Emery will be looking at starting the 30-year-old against Spurs.

Robin Olsen deputised against the Anfield side, however, he didn’t have the greatest performance, conceding three goals, while also conceding seven goals in just two Premier League matches this season.

Martinez was in inspired form during the World Cup as he played an integral part in helping Argentina win their third title.

He played in all seven matches for the winners, conceding eight goals while making 1.0 saves per match. He shone when it came to penalty shootouts, however, saving three penalties overall in the victories over the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and France in the final.

Martinez has been in solid form for Villa this season, despite their obvious struggles. The £120k-per-week titan has kept three clean sheets and making 2.7 saves per match – a success rate of 67%.

Villa teammate Matty Cash hailed the keeper as “unbelievable” earlier this season and it’s clear that Emery’s men stand a better chance against Spurs with the World Cup winner in goal as opposed to Olsen and they could start off the New Year in positive fashion by claiming all three points.

Reports have claimed Emerson Royal looks set to leave Tottenham Hotspur after a training ground bust-up with a member of staff.

What’s the word?

The Brazilian has been disappointing for Spurs this season, receiving heavy criticism for his performances, and Tottenham fans may not be too displeased that he could leave the club.

The 23-year-old joined from Barcelona in the summer of 2021 but has been underwhelming for the majority of his Spurs career, with the defender booed as he entered the pitch as a substitute during his side’s 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa.

Prior to their weekend clash, Football Insider revealed that the wing-back is now out of favour following a disagreement on the training ground.

Royal was then left out of the starting XI against Villa in favour of Matt Doherty, while he was unused in their Boxing Day draw with Brentford.

The report said: “It is believed that Emerson has fallen out of favour with Spurs after being involved in a training ground disagreement with a member of the first-team coaching staff.

“Spurs will listen to offers for him and he is now more likely to leave than Doherty, who is expected to stay in light of recent events.

“The Londoners had targeted a new right wing-back even before the training ground row involving Emerson and the coach.”

An opportunity for Spence

If Emerson, who is rated at £31 million (CIES Football Observatory), does leave in January, it could mean that summer signing Djed Spence finally gets a chance to prove himself.

The Englishman has played just five minutes of Premier League football since his £20m move from Middlesbrough, and already deserved an opportunity given his strong form for Nottingham Forest last season.

If Spurs lose Emerson and struggle to find a replacement, Antonio Conte may be forced to give the 22-year-old game time, and if he plays well, he may be able to nail down a regular role in the team.

Journalist Joshua Barrie, who contributes on Sky Sports, has claimed that Rangers transfer target Todd Cantwell will be ‘more than capable’ of making a good impression in Scotland despite some ‘difficult’ recent years.

What’s the word?

With the January transfer market now open, rumours are beginning to grow stronger by the day as numerous players are linked with exciting new moves.

For instance, it has recently been reported that Rangers could be looking to add the Norwich City midfielder to their ranks this winter, while Tom Davies of Everton was also named as a target.

Amid all this talk, Barrie has backed Cantwell to rediscover his best form in the Scottish Premiership if he was to arrive and insisted that both midfielders could have a good impact on the team.

Speaking on The Rangers Review, he said: “Cantwell kind of seems to have had a difficult couple of years in his career. But you’re right, he was so coveted and performing well for Norwich when they were in the Championship and going up to the Premier League for a reason.

“I think, technically, of course, they’d be more than capable of coming up to the Scottish Premiership and making an imprint.”

Career kickstart

It wasn’t that long ago that Cantwell was being linked with a move to Premier League giants Liverpool – with some fans evening begging for a transfer back in 2020.

However, that move never came to pass and the 24-year-old failed to impress on a subsequent loan to Bournemouth, scoring no goals and providing no assists in 12 games.

This term, with Norwich he has failed to rediscover his goalscoring touch too, but at least gets regular minutes with 18 Championship outings so far.

Certainly, the past few seasons have not gone well for a player once so highly rated. However, Cantwell is still fairly young and is obviously talented, so it might well be a deal worth chasing for Rangers.

Celtic have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of their Viaplay Cup semi-final against Kilmarnock this afternoon.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via BBC Sport), Ange Postecoglou revealed that, having missed the Hoops’ last three fixtures with an unspecified injury, Sead Haksabanovic has now returned to training ahead of the semi-final on Saturday afternoon, with the 23-year-old appearing to be available for the Hampden Park showdown.

The Celtic manager went on to reveal that Anthony Ralston, James McCarthy and Stephen Welsh have also returned to training ahead of the match, but after picking up a knock in the 2-2 draw against Rangers at the start of the month, Greg Taylor is once again ruled out against Killie.

Huge boost for Celtic

Considering just how impressive Haksabanovic had started to look for Celtic prior to the World Cup break, the news that the winger finally appears to be available for selection once again is undoubtedly a huge boost for Postecoglou and his side.

Indeed, over his 11 games in the Premiership so far this season – only five of which have come as starts – the £1.75m summer signing has highly impressed going forwards, scoring three goals, registering one assist and creating four big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 1.4 key passes and completing 0.4 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £5m-rated forward average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.17, ranking him not only as Postecoglou’s sixth-best performer in the league but also as the 11th-best player in the entire Premiership.

Furthermore, after a haul of three goals – including a brace in a 4-2 win over Dundee United and the winner in a 2-1 victory over Ross County – in November, the Montenegro international was named the Premiership Player of the Month – demonstrating just how effective the 23-year-old can be when fully fit and firing for the Bhoys.

As such, Haksabanovic’s return ahead of today’s semi-final is most certainly fantastic news for Postecoglou, as the forward’s availability undoubtedly provides the Celtic coach with another hugely impressive attacking option as the Hoops aim to reach the final of the Viaplay Cup.