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Rangers manager, Steven Gerrard, has made no secret of the fact that he wants to build a squad that can push for the Premiership title next season, and that includes keeping his best players and making significant signings.

The problems of the past for the Ibrox club, however, mean a more frugal approach to transfer windows now, with Gerrard likely to suffer due to previous regimes’ lavish over-spending.

So if that is the case, and Gerrard is not afforded the budget he hopes for, he will have to perform a balancing act between keeping players, and generating extra funds, which will mean weighing up which players he will listen to offers for, and which he will keep at all costs.

It is not ideal for a side whose rivals have a monopoly on winning titles in recent years, and a fan-base at Ibrox desperate to wrestle the Glasgow power back in their direction.

So when talk appears, like today, of interest from the Premier League for one of his players, it will be up to Gerrard to decide if he is willing to sell, and if so, at what price.

The Daily Mail report that Scott Arfield — who has been impressive for Rangers since signing from Burnley in July — is attracting interest from Southampton.

If any interest is firmed up when the transfer window opens, and his budget is, as expected, not as vast as he would like, Gerrard will have a dilemma.

He would dearly love to keep the player, but a decent offer of over £3 million, for a player currently valued by Transfermarkt.co.uk at £2.25m, would represent a good amount for someone who will turn 31 in November.

For a player that has showed excellent form — scoring 11 goals, with seven assists from his 42 appearances for the Gers — it would surely have to be an offer north of that £3m mark to have Gerrard interested.

As long as any funds received were ploughed back into strengthening the team, with players like Greg Docherty and Glenn Middleton likely to be considered for the starting lineup next season, it may well be a deal that makes sense for Rangers in both a financial, and footballing, context.

The one thing Rangers must not do, though, is be seen as a feeder club for English sides, and they must not sell any of their stars on the cheap.

What do you think, Rangers fans? Would you cash in on Arfied for a decent fee? Who would you like Gerrard to bring to Ibrox this summer? Let us know your thoughts…

[ad_pod ]Liverpool turned in a performance of high class to claim three vital points in a fixture which was widely considered as the final banana skin to avoid this season.Demons of 2014 were exorcised as Jurgen Klopp’s players turned on the style to clinch a 2-0 victory.There were a multitude of individual displays worth salivating over for supporters, but the impact Jordan Henderson made in a more advanced role was one which particularly caught the eye.

Liverpool’s captain has been slated on plenty of occasions during his time at the club when operating in holding midfield. His passing has been labelled unambitious and plenty of fans have questioned his long-term future on Merseyside, but Klopp has tweaked his position to devastating effect of late.

The midfielder, who built his reputation on his ability to influence the game in the final-third, has been freed of the manacles which have consistently harnessed some of the defining characteristics of his game, striding forward with a new-found sense of attacking freedom.

The result: one goal and two assists in his last two Premier League outings, including a sumptuous cross for Sadio Mane’s opener on Sunday.

So far the position change has proven to be a stroke of genius from the manager and the Reds faithful on Twitter have turned out in their numbers to express their enthusiasm for their revitalised captain.

Here’s what the fans had to say about Henderson’s excellent performance against Chelsea…

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Loads of Celtic fans have been reacting to a tweet from Erik Sviatchenko, and it’s pretty clear they think it was a mistake to sell the big defender.

Celtic will be on the hunt for centre backs this summer, as Dedryck Boyata is still yet to show any signs of penning a new contract.

Assuming the Belgian does leave, the Bhoys will have just the inexperienced Kristoffer Ajer, Jozo Simunovic and Jack Hendry to call on, begging the question of why Sviatchenko was pawned off so easily.

The 27 year-old made the move to Parkhead in 2016, and after two years in Glasgow he re-joined former club FC Midtjylland on loan in January of last year, making the permanent move the following summer.

Sviatchenko racked up 63 appearances in a Celtic shirt and provided two goals,  one of which game from a thumping header against Rangers, although the Hoops did eventually lose that game on penalties.

The Danish defender shared a clip of his Old Firm heroics on Twitter this week, and fans responded by urging him to come home and saying Brendan Rodgers made a mistake by selling him.

You can find some of the best reactions down below…

Southampton seem to just have enough points that will allow them to remain in the Premier League next season. Phew. 

Although fragilities in their side are still very noticeable, the Saints have at times, been resurgent under Ralph Hasenhuttl, which leads many fans to have high hopes for next season. Changes to certain players on the pitch have been particularly noticeable and with a full summer to implement his style and bring in players of his own choosing, Southampton could be right back up there at least challenging for a top ten spot.

With a full squad, Southampton know themselves that they should be doing more than battling against relegation.

Now that Mario Lemina has returned, he is without a doubt a player who can change Southampton’s fortunes, getting to 40 points and then beyond next season. Believe it or not, he’s that good.

Lemina, (who is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt) came back from injury in Southampton’s 3-1 defeat to Newcastle, where he scored the away sides goal. Although Hasenhuttl has since developed a midfield trio of Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Lemina’s return to the side could almost be as influential as a new signing.

The former Juventus midfielder has undeniable quality but his issue has always been delivering that consistently. If he can sort himself out on a consistent basis, the £18.1m Southampton reportedly paid for him would look like a real steal. Yes, his quality hasn’t been obvious for a while now but the Gabonese is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with when he’s playing well.

It’s safe to say that if he found his way into the thoughts and considerations of new boss Hasenhuttl, then Southampton no longer have to worry about recruiting more central-midfielders this summer.

Do you agree that Mario Lemina is good enough to go straight back into the starting line-up? If not, why not? Let us know!

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Liverpool fans have taken to social media to call on head coach Jurgen Klopp to include Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain against Huddersfield Town on Friday night.

Liverpool are currently locked in an incredible battle for the Premier League title, with Manchester City one point ahead with three games left.

The Reds will certainly fancy their chances of regaining first spot in the table when they welcome already-relegated Huddersfield to Anfield.

And a number of the Merseyside club’s fans feel that it is the perfect chance for Oxlade-Chamberlain to make his first-team return.

The 32-time England international has not appeared for Klopp’s side since suffering a severe knee injury against Roma in the Champions League last April.

The midfielder has been back in training for some time, though, and has also featured for the Under-23s.

Now the Liverpool fans have called on their head coach to at least include Oxlade-Chamberlain in the squad on Friday night.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]Leeds United fans on Twitter have been blown away once again, as Marcelo Bielsa revealed that he paid the fine administered to the Whites after their altercation with Aston Villa last Monday.

The Argentine manager on FridayÂstated in his press conference that he paid the fine “because it is my responsibility.â€

The incident occurred when Mateusz Klich scored the opening goal despite Jonathan Kodjia nursing an injury which caused the Villa team to stop playing.

In the same press conference, he indicated that he had paid the £200,000 fine that the club were administered due to the Spygate scandal.

Bielsa has often gone into his own pocket to help his teams. He reportedly put up $2.5 million to help Newell’s Old Boys build a new training complex.

These acts have seen Leeds fans worshipping their manager with one supporter even claiming that the club should build a statue for the Argentine.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

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Leeds fans aren’t confident of their playoff chances after Marcelo Bielsa’s comments during his press conference casted doubt on his ability to win in pressure situations. This comes just days before the Yorkshire club are due to face Derby County in the first leg of the playoff semi-finals.

Despite the 63-year-old being one of the most highly regarded managers in the world and having made a huge impact at Elland Road this term, there is no doubt that his record in cup finals leaves a lot to be desired.

He has lost finals in the Copa America, Copa Libertadores and the Europa League, with his sole triumph coming in the 2004 Olympics.

The Whites boss is coming up against a man who has an almost impeccable record in similar situations during his playing career in Frank Lampard. The Chelsea legend won multiple domestic trophies as well as picking up a Champions League and a Europa League.

Bielsa said: “What I can tell you is I lost all the finals – apart from the final of the Olympics.”

It’s a statement which hasn’t filled the Elland Road faithful with much confidence.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

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Consistency is one of the hardest things to achieve in football.

The game has seen plenty of players who look like they could be the next big thing, but ultimately turn out to be a mere flash in the pan: stars such as Ravel Morrison, Adnan Januzaj and Freddy Adu all looked like world beaters at one point.

Liverpool are a club that have been bitten on the backside in recent years by players who have performed well in spells, but ultimately tailed off – however, Jurgen Klopp’s current crop of stars are unerringly efficient.

One man above all has been hitting the high notes on a seasonal basis for seven years now: Sadio Mane.

Has Salomon Rondon had a better season than Bobby Firmino? Matt from The Magpie Channel discusses in the video below…

The Senegalese international has recorded his best ever goal-scoring campaign this year with 26 goals in 49 appearances, averaging roughly a goal every two games. A very impressive strike rate, it must be said.

But how has he done over the course of the last seven years since he really started finding his mojo in Europe with Red Bull Salzburg?

The 27-year-old forward has hit a staggering 129 goals and recorded an excellent 68 assists since the 2012/13 season, averaging around 18 goals each term.

That is a very, very good rate, and highlights in black-and-white just how efficient the former Southampton man is.

One other thing that Mane should be commended on is his fitness. It is all well and good scoring the goals and setting them up, but you have to be present for your team out on the pitch in order to do so.

The Liverpool No.10 is always available for his side and impressively hasn’t missed a game this season, giving his all in the ultimately unsuccessful battle for the Premier League title; there is, however, still the chance to win a sixth Champions League for the club in Madrid soon.

Having scored in the final against Real Madrid last year as Liverpool suffered defeat, Mane should be raring to right the wrongs of that game this time around.

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And now it is official – Graham Potter is no longer Swansea’s manager and will join Brighton in pursuit of a much brighter future.

Even though this announcement might not come as a shock to most, Swansea fans are indeed mostly in unison about the path the club are taking amid Potter’s departure. It’s safe to say that they are seeing quite a gloomy turn of events:

Other than predicting the club’s quick and painful demise, the vast majority of the fans, even the ones that are supporting Potter’s decision, have clearly had it with supporting the once proud club that’s seemingly taking a rather bad turn for the worse.

Whatever the real reason behind their coach’s departure, all roads seem to lead back to bad management which has apparently skinned the club to the bone – according to those more extreme and vocal fans on social media.

A selection of tweets below showcases how they truly feel about Potter’s move to Brighton…

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Could Arjen Robben be set for a return to the Premier League? According to the bookies, he may well be.

Sky Bet have placed Leicester as one of the favourites to sign the Dutchman who will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season on a free transfer.

Having seen the odds, supporters of the Foxes took to Twitter to debate the move. Fans were divided as some saw the possible transfer as a positive whilst others viewed it in a more negative way.

One fan said it would excite, yet signing him would go against the club’s current philosophy. Another individual focused on his injury record, determining that it wouldn’t be worth it.

A further supporter appeared to beg with the Foxes to sign the 35-year-old whilst another told them to get the deal done.

Robben had a mixed term with Bayern Munich, featuring just 12 times in the Bundesliga, scoring four goals. Despite his injury-stricken campaign, he’s still one of the most pedigreed footballers in Europe.

As a result, it would represent quite the coup if the Foxes were able to get a deal over the line.

Here’s the best of the reaction.