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Frank McAvennie believes that Filip Helander will be a big miss for Glasgow Rangers as he recovers following his positive coronavirus test.

Gers to miss Helander

The £1.44m-valued Sweden international (Transfermarkt) is unavailable to play against Standard Liege in the Europa League on Thursday after his positive test emerged last week.

Talking to Football Insider, McAvennie believes that the central defender will be missed by Steven Gerrard, but he has the squad to replace him. He said:

“He will be a miss for them because he has been tremendous this season.

“That whole team looks as if they have been worked on, back to front. They have put the hours in on the training ground and it shows, especially in the defence.

“Helander has been a stalwart and a big part of that success but when someone comes into the side they seem to slot in perfectly.

“The system stays the same, even if someone is injured. They work their socks off in training. Rangers keep it simple. It is so noticeable that they are a team.

“Steven Gerrard and Gary McAllister have done very well.”

Should be able to cope

Gerrard would obviously prefer not to have players out at the moment as we enter a hectic December schedule – the Ibrox outfit will play nine times this month. However, the nature of Helander’s issue is short-term, and as soon as he tests negative and has finished his two-week self-isolation, he will once again be available.

In the meantime, Gerrard can rely on Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun to steer the ship. Both have appeared on a number of occasions so far this season, and the Gers still have a stellar defensive record, conceding just nine times in 23 matches. As the Gers look to book their spot in the Europa League round of 32 against Liege, the boss will have plenty of confidence in the players at his disposal.

In other news, this Rangers star has been tipped to leave the club.

Phil Hay has reported that Leeds United will be without both Robin Koch and Diego Llorente on Friday when they host West Ham at Elland Road. The former is confirmed to need surgery on his knee and will be out for up to three months, whilst his expected replacement is also injured with a muscle problem.

Whilst this is a huge blow for the Whites, their manager may have just dunked them into even hotter water.

In his latest press conference, Marcelo Bielsa was asked about his centre-back options, to which he responded with his full planned line-up.

A disaster waiting to happen for Leeds

The Argentinian is known for revealing his team plans ahead of upcoming fixtures, but it’s a habit he simply must snap out of. Bielsa was famous for doing this during his time in the Championship, but Leeds were so dominant that they were confident enough to counteract any plans the opposition had for them.

However, as they have already realised, the Premier League is more demanding a lot more unpredictable and is a completely different ball game, making moves like this even more risky. The Whites recently suffered back-to-back 4-1 defeats to Leicester and Crystal Palace, which only further highlights how ruthless England’s top flight can be.

Leeds are currently 14th in the table and have won just one of their last five games. It’s important that they restore their winning form and give themselves the best chance of surviving a drop back down to the Championship. However, this will not be an easy target to meet if Bielsa continues to give his rivals insight into his match day plans.

With Michail Antonio out of action, David Moyes will need to change up his tactics. But the added boost of knowing Bielsa’s plans could hand West Ham the win on Friday.

In other news, Alfie McCalmont could be coming for Mateusz Klich…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt has delivered his verdict to Serge Aurier walking straight down the tunnel after being substituted at the weekend.

Spurs were well-beaten by Leicester City in north London, and the Ivorian right-back endured a troublesome afternoon which resulted in him conceding a penalty for the visitors’ opener.

Right on the stroke of half-time, the 27-year-old needlessly shoved Foxes defender Wesley Fofana in the back.

Jamie Vardy converted from the spot before Toby Alderweireld’s own goal just before the hour mark doubled their advantage.

In a desperate attempt to spark a reaction, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho replaced Aurier with Harry Winks less than five minutes later, and the £23m man was seen heading straight down the tunnel in frustration.

Mabbutt believes it was more down to his own struggles rather than his manager’s decision…

He told FFC:

“To be honest, you get used to it. You know, you never want a player to be happy at being substituted, being brought off, you should be frustrated and angry. You’ve earned your place in the team, and now someone else is being brought on because the manager feels it’s not working.

“For me, a player goes off. He’s subbed. He’s not happy, most [players] will not be happy but still sit on the bench, some of them are totally cheesed off for whatever reason.

“Then, Serge, I’m sure was more frustrated with the penalty he gave away and with himself, more than anything else, so no that won’t affect any of the other players.

“It wouldn’t be an issue.”

Aurier has enjoyed a vast transformation under Mourinho this season, so much so that he’s managed to keep £15m summer arrival Matt Doherty at bay in the Premier League.

Indeed, the £120k-per-week Spurs man has started each of their last six outings in the top-flight, whilst he also scored and assisted a goal apiece during their 6-1 drubbing of Manchester United, per Transfermarkt.

Now valued at just £18m, it is thought that the former PSG star is in line for a new contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, according to Football Insider sources.

If Mabbutt is right, then Aurier’s reaction on Sunday should have no bearing on whether the club should still go ahead with those plans.

AND in other news, £30m Spurs calamity was utterly pathetic in their defeat to Leicester…

Leeds United will return to the Premier League action tomorrow when they play host to Burnley at Elland Road. The Whites are ahead of this weekend’s opponents by four points as they currently sit in a respectable 14th place in the table.

Considering their injury-stricken squad, Leeds have been doing well to sink their claws into their returning Premier League season. Slipping back down into the Championship is not something that Marcelo Bielsa and co will not be prepared to endure.

As it stands, they look like they will comfortably survive the drop at the end of the term, but the boss must adapt to these crippling injuries.

The Whites could be without three of their senior centre-back options as Robin Koch and captain Liam Cooper are out injured, while it is still unclear whether Bielsa will risk Diego Llorente. The Argentine has been using the versatile Luke Ayling in the centre of the defence as opposed to his natural position at right-back. However, this isn’t a tactic the Argentinian should be using too often. He has Pascal Struijk at his disposal as well as young Oliver Casey.

But whoever he chooses to deploy on Sunday, they must be up to the task of neutralising Burnley’s attack. Whilst they may not be the most clinical side in the league, the threat of Chris Wood is very real.

Another man Leeds must be watchful of is his strike partner Ashley Barnes. The 31-year-old was a thorn in the side of Wolves last time out, scoring his side’s second goal and towering above the defence by winning 11 out of his 16 duels, as per Sofascore.

This may be his only goal of the season so far but he has been described as a “hungry” attacker who has been working hard recently to bounce back from injury. Leeds can’t afford to underestimate his influence in front of goal, especially with a weakened backline.

In other news, Orta must work his magic on reuniting Bamford and Adama Traore…

When Pablo Mari arrived from Flamengo in January 2020, not much was expected of the centre-back other than him being a useful squad option for Arsenal.

He arrived for a very small transfer fee, and made just a handful of appearances before the Premier League was shut down and forced to take a break.

And then, he suffered an injury in the first-half of the top-flight’s restart against Manchester City, and it seemed like the Gunners had endured yet another transfer nightmare.

But with Gabriel’s absence in recent weeks, Mikel Arteta has placed his trust in Mari, and the Spaniard is repaying his manager’s faith with some superb performances, none more so than against Newcastle in the FA Cup on Saturday night.

The £85k-a-week ace was joined in central defence by a new partner for the game, Daviz Luiz. And the duo were exceptional as they barely let the Magpies have a sniff all game, with Mari in particular really dominating the battle against Andy Carroll – something that might have worried Arsenal fans before the game.

As per Sofascore, Mari won eight total duels on the night, as well as making an impressive four tackles, three interceptions and five clearances.

His reading of the game was superb throughout, countless times just nicking in front of a player, and then showing the composure to play a pass forward rather than being safe and playing it out for a throw-in.

It was no surprise that after the game, plenty of people were quick to shower him with praise, with Football.London journalist Chris Wheatley declaring on Twitter that he’s “proving himself to be a leader”, whilst Goal’s Charles Watts simply dubbed him a “revelation” in his YouTube match reaction video.

Kieran Tierney may take the headlines for yet another barn-storming game that saw him claim another assist. But Mari’s performance at the heart of defence was just as impressive and deserving of the same plaudits.

Speaking in a press conference before his side’s trip to Sheffield United tomorrow, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed the latest injury news for his team whilst revealing Giovani Lo Celso is the only player still sidelined – with the Portuguese having a full squad to choose from bar the Argentine.

Tottenham travel to Yorkshire tomorrow in a bid to reignite their previous form before they succumbed to a 2-1 loss at Anfield, with Mourinho’s side having picked up just one Premier League win since that Merseyside defeat.

Mourinho confirms injury latest

In that time, they’ve dropped points to the likes of Fulham, Leicester City and Wolves – with Spurs now looking to put a fairly damp streak behind them and get back to winning ways.

Confirming the latest on injury news, Mourinho has revealed that Lo Celso is the only one missing – with the Lilywhites having a near full squad to choose from.

Transfer Tavern take

Steven Bergwijn has returned from illness and the Portuguese boss confirmed that he wasn’t out due to a muscular injury and could possibly return for Sheffield United tomorrow (football.london).

In light of this injury news, Spurs will still be without Lo Celso but Mourinho may be relieved that his other options have returned.

Tanguy Ndombele is likely to be slotted in the number 10 role again as the Argentine’s stand-in, and Lilywhites will be hoping he can continue to shine in his stead.

In other news: Tottenham could swoop for this ‘ridiculous’ signing, find out more here.

Marcel Brands could be risking another Everton disaster amid reports CSKA Moscow have enquired over the Cenk Tosun’s situation in the final week of the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, CSKA have approached Everton chiefs to sound out Tosun’s availability to join the Russian giants on a short-term loan deal.

The Toffees are aware of greater interest in the 29-year-old from clubs across Europe but are yet to receive any other formal offers, as they strive to offload a striker who has been deemed surplus to requirements for the past two years.

Marco Silva slapped a £20m asking price on Tosun in the winter 2019 market and while he joined Crystal Palace on loan with an option to buy for that sum last year, returned to Goodison Park where he has been stuck behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin in Carlo Ancelotti’s pecking order.

Tosun is eager to secure regular game time to solidify his place in Turkey’s national squad for this summer’s postponed European Championship, having so far only played 43 minutes in the Premier League this season.

The £6.5m-rated flop, signed by Sam Allardyce for £27m, is further yet to start a top-flight game and was omitted from the matchday squad that beat Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup over the weekend.

West Brom had been linked with interest in Tosun following Allardyce’s appointment, but would appear to be one of the sides yet to make a formal approach as the February 1st deadline continues to near.

Should Everton accept CSKA’s offer?

Everton need to reach a decision on how the January transfer window will end for Tosun soon, as the Blues cannot afford to fall into the same trap with the Turkey international as they backed themselves into with Yannick Bolasie.

Reports have suggested Everton may even opt to retain Tosun and let him spend the next six months on the bench to provide cover for Calvert-Lewin, after seeing Joshua King price himself out of a move from AFC Bournemouth by demanding a £120,000-per-week contract.

Brands securing Tosun a loan exit this month without an obligation for the side to purchase the 29-year-old at the end of the season would also be a naïve decision by Everton, having already seen the striker depart on a temporary deal in the hope that it would be his end destination only for injury to force the £60,000-per-week dud back to Merseyside.

Tosun again returning to Goodison Park after failing to set the world alight after a few months away would only risk the Toffees’ chances of recouping a significant proportion of the fee paid to Besiktas in 2018, as he will then be in the final year of his contract.

It is the exact situation that Everton have found themselves in with Bolasie, who is now inside the final six months of his contract after Sporting CP turned down their €4.5m (£4m) option to buy the DR Congo winger last summer after an underwhelming season in Portugal.

Since then, a move to Middlesbrough fell through and Neil Warnock has confirmed the Championship side are looking at alternative options, to leave Everton desperate to offload Bolasie’s wages before he departs as a free agent.

The more Everton either price Tosun out of a permanent move or send him out on loan without an obligation to buy, the more likely it is that he becomes a Bolasie 2.0. Something majority owner Farhad Moshiri will no doubt want to see his side avoid.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit expects Everton to sell a £180k-p/w duo before Monday’s deadline…

Mbaye Diagne hasn’t taken too long to make an impact for West Bromwich Albion as he impressed for the Baggies in their 2-2 draw with Fulham.

The Senegal international signed for the Midlands outfit from Galatasaray on loan on Friday (wba.co.uk), with him flying over to the U.K from Istanbul. Sam Allardyce initially selected him on the bench, but he was brought on at half-time as West Brom trailed 1-0.

Diagne proved to be a nuisance from the off, and he even provided the assist as Matheus Pereira put the Baggies ahead. West Brom find themselves in a precarious position in the relegation zone, and they will need Diagne at his best between now and the end of the campaign.

The club’s supporters were absolutely delighted with the new man, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Diagne below

“Hark now hear the West Brom sing a king is born today his name is diagne”

Credit: @MARKDM1973

“Diagne, give him the freedom of West Bromwich”

Credit: @grantharrison91

“DIAGNE !!!! Take a bow son #wba”

Credit: @PJSoulboy

“Fulham are scared of Diagne”

Credit: @JoelDMendez

“Diagne looks an absolute unit, very excited to see him spearhead us for the rest of the season”

Credit: @TomSimp64426593

“You can tell Diagne is a good baller Real presence #wba”

Credit: @MatthewBroad4

In other news, West Brom fans slam this man’s display against Fulham.

In a game where the result favoured neither side, West Brom talisman Jake Livermore was once again found wanting.

Two of the Premier League’s relegation rivals locked horns at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon with the match ending in a 2-2 draw, which hasn’t affected the Baggies’ cause whatsoever.

Sam Allardyce’s faltering side remain six points adrift of safety, and if their captain’s performance is anything to go by, then the 66-year-old has one mighty task to keep Albion up this campaign.

Heading into the encounter, Livermore was already ranked among West Brom’s worst players, and that hasn’t changed with an average WhoScored rating of 6.17.

The only other regular starter (ten or more games) worse than the 31-year-old is Romaine Sawyers (6.13), who did not feature.

Livermore was tasked in a defensive midfield role but ended up being graded as the home side’s worst player (6.3).  That’s even worse than Dara O’Shea, who was hooked after just 24 minutes as he was enduring a nightmare afternoon.

The skipper is supposed to be an imposing figure holding fort in front of the backline, and he was anything but after he won only two of eight duels (25%), via SofaScore.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-west-brom-news-and-transfer-rumours” title=”Read this week’s latest West Brom news, transfer rumours and more…”]

Only the two strikers (Callum Robinson & debutant Mbaye Diagne) were weaker in their battles.

Livermore was also completely ineffective in the passing game, making only 56% of his 34 attempts – the worst of any Baggies midfielder.

Given his position in the engine room – right in the heart of the pitch – he should have been frequently involved though, in the end, he ended the game with fewer touches (45) of the ball than their goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone (48), as per SofaScore.

The former Spurs ace was eventually hauled off in the 83rd minute having also lost possession 16 times, adding a wasteful element to his appalling and abysmal display.

It meant the midfield enforcer handed the ball back to the Cottagers once every 2.8 touches – or once every 5.1 minutes.

Simply put, Livermore, who is supposed to be the leader on the pitch, was futile, lightweight and pretty abysmal, so you could forgive Big Sam if he felt at all let down by the veteran.

Indeed, the long-serving £10m ace shockingly disappointed his side in a game in which he should’ve steered them to victory. It would’ve given their relegation battle the world of good.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Pereira: West Brom could create a lethal duo by landing £10m “complete package”…

Arsenal loanee Joe Willock was the silver lining of Newcastle United’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea on Monday night after playing with the confidence that his teammates lacked.

The Magpies were despairingly sorrow to the side that beat Southampton last time out and put two past Everton and Crystal Palace in recent weeks, with Steve Bruce clearly missing the lively presence of top-scorer Callum Wilson.

If the Stamford Bridge affair was a taste of what’s to come while Wilson is sidelined for up to two months with a hamstring injury, a relegation fight with Fulham will creep closer and closer while the Cottagers look a resurgent side.

Newcastle never looked deserving of a result in south west London with Chelsea dominant throughout as they start to adapt to Thomas Tuchel’s tactics, and sealed the result through goals from Olivier Giroud and Timo Werner – the Blues boasted 65% possession and out-shot the Magpies by eight.

Had it not been for Karl Darlow between the sticks, United could have been on the wrong end of a hammering, with the goalkeeper left to keep the score down without much protection from his defence.

The 30-year-old was forced to make two crucial saves early in the second half to offer the Toon even the slimmest hopes of a comeback, finger-tipping Callum Hudson-Odoi’s strike out for a corner before doing well to parry Cesar Azpilicueta’s subsequent low drive clear.

Chelsea full-back Reece James almost got his second goal of the season 10 minutes from time when the 21-year-old’s strike took a nick of Jamal Lewis, only for Darlow to kick clear the danger.

Willock had been unfortunate to not score his second goal in black and white in as many games just minutes before when Kepa Arrizabalaga produced a super late save to thwart the midfielder, whose header sent the Spaniard scrambling across his line to keep a clean sheet.

Willock had timed his run to perfection to get the jump on Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to meet Ryan Fraser’s cross, but could neither find the top nor bottom corner with his header bouncing to a comfortable height for the jittery Arrizabalaga to palm wide.

His darting drive into the box epitomised the £14.4m-rated Arsenal product’s performance, having not shirked the challenge of facing top-four hopefuls Chelsea while others wilted.

No Newcastle player took more shots on goal than Willock (2), who matched his forward vision with grit in the engine room to attempt a game-high eight tackles, per WhoScored.

Only Lewis also attempted more than three challenges at Stamford Bridge, while only Isaac Hayden recorded a greater number of interceptions (3) than Willock (2), who additionally made one clearance while his fellow Gunners graduate did not.

Willock’s confidence in his ability was most evident when on the ball, with the 21-year-old completing 94% of his passes – no other United player who started completed more than 89%, while Dwight Gayle (88%) boasts the best per-game average at St. James’ Park among those to have featured more than twice in the league thus far this term.

Bruce will have to hope that Willock’s confidence to take games to top-tier opponents can start to rub off on his teammates, with Newcastle facing title-chasing Manchester United on Sunday.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Steve Howey drops verdict on Graeme Jones replacing Steve Bruce…