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Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed Jon McLaughlin could leave Glasgow Rangers in January, but the 54-time Scottish champions simply can’t afford to let the 6 ft 2 in colossus go.

What’s the word?

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former England and Aston Villa striker believes McLaughlin needs to be playing regularly to improve his chances of being named in Scotland’s squad for Euro 2020.

The 33-year-old has kept ten clean sheets in eleven appearances so far this season, as he earned his 11th start of the season against Lech Poznan in the Europa League on Thursday night as Steven Gerrard rested several key men, including veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor, ahead of the Premiership clash with Dundee United at the weekend.

But Agbonlahor has tipped McLaughlin to look for a temporary exit to get some minutes under his belt before next year’s European Championships, he said:

“As a goalkeeper, if you’re a number two goalkeeper you’re not going to come on.

“If you’re a number two striker, you might come on in a game but number two goalkeepers, unless there’s an injury, you’re not going to come on.

“If he wants to play for Scotland then he definitely needs to be playing football.

“It might be something he looks to do for sure.”

Hold your ground, Gers

But if you take a look at the situation from Rangers’ point of view, McLaughlin is a player they simply cannot afford to lose.

Even though Gerrard’s side are currently set with their first-choice stopper, an injury crisis or coronavirus outbreak could quickly cause problems at the back.

And yes, they have conceded just five goals in 17 games in the Premiership, but the Scotland international has still played his part as he has only conceded two goals and saved eight clean sheets in the top flight, via Transfermarkt.

Apart from McGregor and McLaughlin, Andy Firth is the only other keeper at the club, but the youngster is an inexperienced 24-year-old who is yet to make a sole appearance in the Premiership so far this season.

Former Black Cats boss Jack Ross once described McLaughlin as the best keeper in League One, saying: “I’m obviously biased and there might be other managers that say it, but I believe I have the best goalkeeper in the league.

“He was outstanding for me last season, he is such a low-maintenance player in terms of how he goes about his business, and he is unflappable.”

If the 33-year-old was to leave the Govan-based Glaswegian giants, that would leave Gerrard dangerously short of backup options, and he simply cannot afford to take that risk as the Gers seek to stop Celtic from winning an unprecedented tenth title in a row.

AND in other news, Rangers must recall Josh McPake in January…

Former referee Mark Halsey has recently discussed a penalty incident for Southampton in their recent Premier League game.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men were recently held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham at Craven Cottage but after the game, the Saints boss made it clear that he thinks that his side should’ve had a penalty for a handball by Ola Aina. A cross had hit the Torino loanee’s arm but after a VAR check, play continued and no spot-kick was awarded.

When talking about the incident, Hasenhuttl said: “He goes with his hand to the ball and that it is a clear goal chance for us also so we were unlucky not to get a penalty there.”

Halsey gives his opinion about a potential Southampton penalty

Halsey was speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern and he talked about the possibility of whether Southampton should’ve had a penalty for Aina’s potential handball. The former referee believes that it was a subjective call and while Saints fans would want a penalty for that, the Fulham defender Aina had his arms in a natural position and he doesn’t think the call was a clear and obvious error.

He said:

“Looking at that, it’s subjective and if you’re a Southampton fan, you want it but his arms in a natural position in a running motion. I would agree (with the officials) that it wasn’t a penalty. In my own personal opinion, you don’t want to see penalties given for those sort of situations.”

The game saw Southampton have the ball in the back of the net on two occasions, but both goals were correctly ruled out for offside.

Penalty could’ve been a game-changer for Southampton

Hasenhuttl’s men currently find themselves in ninth place in the Premier League table and they have 25 points in the bag so far. Having said that though, they are only three points behind third-placed Leicester City (as per Whoscored).

If Southampton had won the game, they would’ve been in the third spot in the table but the draw means that they have dropped out of the top-four. It shows how important the handball call involving Aina was and it turned out to be vital when it came to determining Southampton’s position in the table.

However, the home side had generated an Expected Goals tally of 0.87 in the game – higher than Southampton’s tally of 0.12. So perhaps, getting a point from the tie wasn’t a bad result at all for the Saints, despite the frustration of Hasenhuttl.

In other news, Southampton fans have slammed Stuart Armstrong for his performance against Fulham – read more about it here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former footballer and current pundit Carlton Palmer has discussed a potential Southampton move for Leicester City winger Demarai Gray.

It has been reported recently that the Saints are interested in signing the 24-year-old at the end of this season when his contract with Brendan Rodgers’ side expires.

The winger has struggled for game time with the Foxes in recent seasons and has never really fulfilled his potential, with big things expected of the youngster when he joined from Birmingham City in January 2016.

In five years with the club, he has managed 169 appearances for the Foxes, contributing just 13 goals and 17 assists in that time.

Here’s what Palmer had to say about Southampton potentially signing Gray when speaking exclusively with FFC:

“Some players can kickstart their careers again by going to play for somebody else. You go and play, you know that the manager wants you, you feel loved again. It can restart again for you. It’s happened loads and loads of times.”

Palmer suggests that Gray moving to Southampton could allow him to restart his career as it is clear that with Leicester, he is not currently feeling loved, having made just one substitute appearance in the Premier League so far this season, whilst he has missed out on the match day squad on a number of occasions.

The £10.8 million-rated winger could well rediscover his confidence with Southampton and challenge the likes of Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond for a starting spot in Hasenhuttl’s side next season, should the South Coast club snap him up on a free transfer in the summer.

Therefore, it seems as if signing him on a free would be a relatively risk-free transfer for Southampton and, as Palmer suggests, it could allow the winger to really kickstart his career after a disappointing spell with Leicester.

And, in other news… Worse than Tella: Southampton must axe “exciting prospect” after manager admission

Nuno Santo has reportedly been told to forget about big-money deals this month.

Thus, it feels unlikely the Old Gold will be able to strengthen significantly. Considering they’ve won just two of their last nine games, this is a big concern.

What’s the word?

Bearing in mind the aforementioned statement, it’s hard to picture Wolves signing anybody. Of course, that won’t deter the rumour mill from kicking into gear.

Tim Spiers reported earlier this month that signing Christian Eriksen was pretty much out of the question but there has now been an update on his future.

Per Gianluca Di Marzio, Wolves have specifically contacted the player’s entourage over a possible transfer. Ajax have also done the same although their interest isn’t completely concrete at this stage.

It’s not known how much the Dane would cost but Inter spent £16.9m on Eriksen just a year ago.

Best signing since Jimenez

When Raul Jimenez first set foot in English football it was unknown how he would do. This was a player arriving from Benfica having scored just eight goals in over 40 appearances.

However, his impact in the Premier League has been phenomenal. The Mexican has racked up 47 strikes in just 110 outings for Nuno’s team and has been the very definition of a game-changer.

Eriksen may play in a completely different position but in terms of instant impact and providing supporters with magical moments, they could seal their best signing since Jimenez with the Denmark international.

Vitally, the attacking midfielder has experience of life in England already and was an ingenious talent at Spurs. Although his final season in north London curtailed disastrously, he scored 69 times and registered 89 assists for the Lilywhites.

Time and time again he’d come up with vital goals, unleashing fierce efforts from dead-ball situations and from outside the area.

As of January 1st 2019, Eriksen had scored 19 goals from outside the 18-yard area in the top-flight, a tally that surpassed every single player in the Premier League from when he first made his debut in 2013. If that doesn’t have magic written all over it, nothing will.

Though, he isn’t all about scoring goals. Described as “ruthless” by Jamie Redknapp for his playmaking abilities in 2018, the 28-year-old can pick the lock of even the very best around.

For instance, Eriksen registered four assists during Tottenham’s run to the Champions League final in the 2018/19 season.

He is a wonderful talent who on his day is capable of producing incredible moments. Like Jimenez, he could take Wolves to European football and possibly even greater heights. This would be one of Jeff Shi’s best signings at Molineux yet.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for £27k-p/w beast, Jackett made “considerable” bid for him in 2014…

Sheffield Wednesday are on the verge of completing their first signing of the January transfer window, according to emerging reports.

What’s the word?

YorkshireLive revealed exclusively on Wednesday evening that The Owls were closing in on free-agent winger Andre Green as the Hillsborough outfit aim to move clear of the drop zone.

They claim that the 22-year-old is set to undergo a medical in south Yorkshire within the next 24 hours and that he has been a long-term target of the Owls’ hierarchy.

Green, who has been on Wednesday’s radar since the summer, has been out of contract since his departure from Aston Villa in July.

Bye-bye Kachunga?

This is a rather encouraging sign, even despite the fact that Dejphon Chansiri still hasn’t appointed a successor to Tony Pulis, as bolstering the attack is something any new manager would need to do anyway.

As the sacked Welshman explained in early December, this current squad is hugely unbalanced, he told reporters (via The Star): “If you look at it, there are six centre-halves, and I don’t think we’ve got a left-back. We’ve got five tens, and really not a centre-forward.”

Aside from Jordan Rhodes, the Owls are certainly lacking a striker, which means that both Pulis and Monk considered summer signing Elias Kachunga a winger – indeed, the former Huddersfield man has played 130 matches on either flank throughout the course of his career.

He would be most at risk with the arrival of Green as he’s only featured in 559 minutes of Championship action all season, starting only five times, per Transfermarkt. If a new option is brought in, one who will move ahead of him in the pecking order, then Kachunga’s chances of getting game time will likely reduce even more, and he’s hardly a regular in the team now.

FootballLeagueWorld believe Kachunga could be one player looking for an exit this window, as a result.

Green may not have played at all since last season, but he’d still be a very viable alternative.

Despite only being 22, the left-winger has racked up 55 appearances in the Championship, where he has contributed towards six goals, via Transfermarkt.

During his final loan spell at Charlton Athletic last season, he drew high praise from striker Lyle Taylor, who dubbed the attacker a “real handful,” whilst Villa reporter Ashley Preece believes he can be “unplayable on his day” – and he’s seen him in action first hand.

Wednesday currently rank second-worst in the Championship for goals scored, having bagged only 15 times in 23 outings, so clearly, adding someone who is a nuisance in attack should help aid that cause.

Especially after Green claimed he was becoming a “confident striker” despite being a winger prior to his release. He’d be a far better option than the struggling one-goal Kachunga.

A shrewd, bargain move by Chansiri.

AND in other news, Sheffield Wednesday target 18 y/o titan who is shades of Michael Hector…

After struggling for goals last season in their return to the Premier League, it was no surprise to see Aston Villa splash the cash to bring in a new centre-forward in the summer transfer window.

Dean Smith’s side had managed just 41 goals in their 38 league games, with Jack Grealish their top-scorer with ten. Wesley, was Villa’s highest-scoring striker and he only netted six times in all competitions.

So when the Villans brought in Ollie Watkins from Championship side Brentford, the hope would have been that he could slowly adjust to life in the Premier League and then eventually prove to be a decent striker at this level.

And whilst his form has tailed off somewhat in the past few weeks, there’s no questioning that he’s been an absolute revelation for Smith.

Speaking earlier this season, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans waxed lyrical about the kind of transformation Villa have had thanks to Watkins’ arrival.

He said: “I really think he’s making a big difference actually, to Villa, I think that he’s given them a new dimension and his hold up play is great, he creates space for others and that’s helping the midfielders flourish.”

The £27m-rated machine has bagged eight goals in 19 games in all competitions, and showed himself to be a real big-game player already.

He scored a hat-trick in that memorable 7-2 thrashing of Premier League champions Liverpool, before following that up with a brace against Arsenal in a 3-0 win at the Emirates.

Given that Watkins had never tasted top-flight football before this season, there was a massive element of risk with the 25-year-old’s signing. But the English ace has confounded all expectations by taking to the Premier League like a duck to water.

And after he helped Villa to a superb 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace after being down to ten men, Smith raved: “I said to them at half-time in the dressing room, ‘There’s nobody I could choose out of the Premier League to lead the line with 10 men’ with Ollie Watkins. I thought he was outstanding today and the only thing missing was his goal.

“Listen, the numbers he produces in terms of his high-speed running and sprinting distances is incredible. The lads really appreciate the work he puts in.”

Villa struck transfer gold by signing Watkins in the summer.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this Scandinavian starlet…

Celtic have been handed a major boost amid James Forrest’s return to the training pitch to prepare for action once again his with his fellow Bhoys.

Hoops boss Neil Lennon confirmed that the 29-year-old is set to return to training this week, adding: “We’ve missed him because he’s a quality player. He’s proved that over the years, time and again, and been so successful. But he’s nearly there now and he’ll be welcomed back.”

And, speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan heaped praise on the player who has been out of action with an ankle injury for the past four months. The pundit believes that Odsonne Edouard will “thrive” off having the quality of Forrest back in the first team, and that it’s a “huge boost” for the side.

Indeed, the Hoops have struggled this season in several areas on the pitch, but one main worry has been their lack of attacking threat. Edouard for example, looks a shadow of his 2019/20 self. According to Transfermarkt, the French maestro has managed to contribute 16 goals and four assists this season. Whilst this is still a highly impressive amount, it’s levels below his astonishing 28 goal, 19 assist campaign last time.

Integrating David Turnbull into the starting lineup has been a huge stroke of genius from Neil Lennon, who has been a real catalyst in Celtic’s engine room – he’s bagged six goals in his debut campaign with the club. But having Forrest back at his disposal will hugely improve the Hoops’ attacking prowess, given everything that he brings to the table.

Before his injury in September, the £5.4million-valued wide man notched two goals and one assist in seven appearances. Prior to this, 2019/20 saw him tally a stellar 10 goals and 17 assists in the league, as per Transfermarkt, with his overall count reaching 16 goals and 22 assists – magnificent for a midfielder.

And, as Whelan touched upon, Forrest’s return could do wonders for Edouard in particular. In the Frenchman’s Hoops career, he has combined with the winger for a whopping 23 goals between them – 13 more than the man next on the list, Callum McGregor.

Clearly, Edouard has a really strong understanding of Forrest’s game, and having his partner in crime back in action and in the fold should liven him up that little bit more.

You only have to look south of the border to see the troubles a broken up duo can have on a player, with Heung-min Son failing to pick up a single goal or assist in the two Premier League games that Harry Kane missed.

Edouard will relish the fact that Forrest is closing in on a first-team return, and the moment the winger passes his fitness checks, Lennon must throw him straight back into the side and give the Hoops a much-needed lift.

In other news, Jack Hendry can answer Lennon’s defensive problems at Celtic…

Tottenham Hotspur secured an emphatic victory in Austria last night as they made easy work of beating Europa League rivals Wolfsberger. Jose Mourinho opted to start the likes of Gareth Bale and Dele Alli in their 4-1 win on enemy soil.

Goals came from the Real Madrid loanee, Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and substitute Carlos Vinicius. It was a convincing performance from the team and one that Mourinho will be pleased with following their back-to-back defeats to Everton in the FA Cup and Manchester City in their latest Premier League clash.

However, one man in particular was a weak link for Spurs in the middle of the park. Moussa Sissoko struggled to get a grip on the game and was the culprit for Wolfsberger’s only goal of the 90.

Moussa Sissoko vs Wolfsberger

Not only was the Frenchman to blame for Michael Liendl’s second half penalty, but his overall stats weren’t anything to write home about. Before he was hauled off in place of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sissoko fumbled his way through the match.

According to Sofascore, he committed a whopping six fouls, which was more than any other Spurs player on the pitch. He also lost nine of his 13 attempted duels, squandering 70% of his challenges. This is very out of character for Sissoko, who won 3/5 duels against Man City and 6/7 against Everton.

The £90,000 per week midfield man is a regular under Mourinho and has missed just five Premier League fixtures this season. He has also been ever-present in Tottenham’s EFL Cup and FA Cup run, according to Transfermarkt.

However, with Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele and Hojbjerg all competing for their spot in the lineup, Sissoko can’t let performances like this become a regular thing or he risks slipping down the pecking order.

In other news, Steve Howey drops verdict on Spurs boss Jose Mourinho’s issue with Gareth Bale…

With March now upon us, you could quite easily argue that Wolves’ season is done. Barring a major catastrophe, they will be safe from relegation, but it will now take quite something for them to achieve European football.

With that in mind, Jeff Shi can comfortably start preparing for next term.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Wolves are planning on letting one of their young players leave in the summer; Max Kilman.

The defender only signed a new five-year contract a matter of months ago, in October, so the timing is bizarre.

However, it’s reported that the 23-year-old is not the calibre of defender that manager Nuno Santo wants in his squad. As a result, they’re hoping to either offload him on a temporary or permanent basis in a few months time.

Kilman was enjoying a breakthrough season at Molineux but this will no doubt dampen his campaign.

Replacement needed

Wolves have an extremely thin first-team squad and if they sanction Kilman’s exit, they will surely have to recruit a replacement.

Of course, they could look to their academy but if they are willing to spend money they could do far worse than targeting Club Brugge centre-back Odilon Kossounou.

The 20-year-old was linked with a move to Molineux last month in a deal that could cost them £20m. The problem for Wolves, however, is that clubs in Italy are also pursuing his signature.

Although he’s less experienced than Kilman, it’s hard to deny that Kossounou wouldn’t be a good addition to the side.

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The Ivorian is a monster in the tackle and so far this season has won 87% of his battles on the ground. When faced with an attacker, very rarely does he let them past.

You only need to look at words from agent Patrick Mork. He said last month: “He is a special player. For me, he is a complete defender, very fast as he showed last year in the Champions League against a certain (Kylian) Mbappe.”

If you can maintain speed with a player of that ilk then it bodes incredibly well. Kilman isn’t the fastest player in the Wolves team by any stretch of the imagination so not only could they sign a more bullish player here, but they could also land a more athletic individual.

Watching the Wolves centre-back walk through the exit door wouldn’t be disastrous. Certainly, if it frees up funds to sign a player like Kossounou, there’d be plenty of positives.

He is quick, strong and has a high ceiling. What’s not to like?

AND in other news, Worse than Dendoncker: Wolves liability who lost possession 16x badly let Nuno down…

It’s been a rare occurrence in the last few months but Wolves go into their game with Newcastle in good form.

It has been a very tough period for the Old Gold but with just one defeat in their last six league games, things are looking rosier at Molineux.

On the chalkboard

On paper, Wolves should come through their game against the Magpies with flying colours. Newcastle are moving ever closer to the relegation zone and their style of football leaves plenty to be desired.

They sit with a low block, very rarely attack and don’t enjoy much possession. Only West Brom have a worse percentage for possession this term, with Newcastle enjoying just 41.4% of the ball on average in 2020/21.

Their pass success rate, meanwhile, is the third-worst in the top-flight. Possessing the fifth-fewest attempts at goal on average, they rarely provide enough to get forward either.

Of course, the return of Allan Saint-Maximin has helped. He picked up two assists against Southampton and then scored against Manchester United. However, he will be one of very few threats on Saturday evening.

The solution

It’s anticipated that Wolves will enjoy far more of the possession when the two sides meet tomorrow.

With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Wolves to pack out their midfield a bit more and play a creative outlet. With Daniel Podence still out injured the burden should fall on the shoulders of Vitinha.

The loanee has only started twice in the Premier League since signing for the club on loan but with Newcastle set to play deep, his intricate movement in tight spaces could be exactly what they need.

He has impressed during his minimal time on the field and for a barometer of how he plays against a team that sits back, you only need to look at the goal he scored against Chorley in the FA Cup, firing in a rasping effort from range.

That outing was against a non-league side so perhaps for better reasoning behind his case to start is his display against Man United earlier in the season.

That happened to be Vitinha’s first Premier League start but he didn’t look out of place, winning 100% of his duels and succeeding with 100% of his dribbles.

Wolves have an option to buy the 21-year-old and after being hailed as “special” by Jeff Shi upon his initial arrival, it will be games like this that surely influence their decision to splash the cash.

Vitinha is an intriguing talent, one that needs to be unleashed more often. That should start against Newcastle on Saturday, a game where his qualities could help to crush and overrun the opposition.

AND in other news, Forget Gibbs-White: Nuno must unleash rarely-seen Wolves 18y/o who “scores every week”…