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A number of Rangers supporters have praised John Lundstam’s first half performance in their Premiership clash with Hibernian.

Steven Gerrard’s side face a key match in the title race, entertaining third-placed Hibs at Ibrox. Rangers know that a win would take them four points clear of their opponents, not to mention overtaking Hearts and returning to the top of the table.

Things didn’t start well for Gerrard’s men, though, with Kevin Nisbet heading Hibs into an early lead to stun the home supporters, giving the visitors a half-time advantage. Despite the interval deficit, Lundstram has been active in the final third and nearly had an assist early in the second half, only for Scott Wright’s shot being blocked down.

Rangers fans react to Lundstram display

Lundstram is someone who did well in the opening 45 minutes, clocking 50 successful passes in the first half alone, and these Rangers fans took to Twitter to hail his “brilliant” performance at Ibrox.

“Lundstram genuinely looks a completely different player these last few games. Playing the CDM role magnificently”

Credit: @TK86_

“Lundstram excellent so far”

Credit: @chr1sbett

“Lundstram class so far again”

Credit: @kieranmcl96

“Lundstram already Man of the Match”

Credit: @C_M286

“Lundstram looking interested”

Credit: @becalmfollowon

“Fantastic tackle Lundstram”

Credit: @RonnieP_77

In other news, some Rangers fans have erupted at Gerrard’s recent comments. Read more here.

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira says Joachim Andersen has returned to training ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Everton. 

Vieira said Andersen had been training for ‘the last few days’, which may give him a chance of featuring against the Toffees.

Andersen return would be a big boost

The Dane has missed Palace’s last three Premier League matches – all of which have ended in defeat – after sustaining a hamstring injury last month.

Prior to that lay-off, he was a run of 11 consecutive starts, indicating that Vieira regards him as a key player.

Indeed, The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam has written of importance to the Frenchman’s style of play.

News on two other CPFC men

Elsewhere, Vieira said that Eberechi Eze and Nathan Ferguson were both ‘doing well’.

Eze awaits his first start of the season, having made two substitute appearances since returning from an Achilles injury.

Ferguson, meanwhile, will hope to make his long-awaited Crystal Palace debut in the not too distant future. He joined ahead of the 2020/21 season but still hasn’t played for The Eagles.

Fan feed CPFC Transfers HQ relayed Vieira’s comments, and here’s how supporters reacted.

Crystal Palace fans flock to Everton team news

“My Birthday present, come on Palace make my wishes come true”

Credit: @Laleagles

“We are definitely back”

Credit: @Sumo08112

“We’re winning”

Credit: @bentekefan0

“YERRRSSSSSSS, we might play football again now”

Credit: @danofthesouth_

“So could Ferguson be in the squad?”

Credit: @CPFCDan_

“Good to see them progressing well through their injuries and as for Ferguson hopefully we will see his Palace debut sometime next year when he is fully fit and ready to go.”

Credit: @alex_westry

In other news, Palace are eyeing this Champions League defender.

Adam Jones has now dropped some fresh Everton news involving a proposed new contract for Lewis Warrington.

The Lowdown: Contract expiring

Warrington’s current deal at Goodison Park expires in the summer, but the Birkenhead-born midfielder is reportedly in talks over a new one.

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He is currently on loan at Tranmere Rovers in League Two, where he has played 12 games, scoring one goal and providing one assist (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Talks ongoing

Replying to a fan in a Q&A session for The Liverpool Echo, Jones has now shared that talks are ‘ongoing’ between Warrington and his representatives over a potential new deal, and added that giving him one would make ‘perfect’ sense given his progression this season:

“We believe that talks are ongoing with Lewis and his representatives over a potential new deal – which would make perfect sense after seeing the progression he’s made this season! Frank Lampard could easily be a big fan in the future, we’ll have to wait and see.”

The Verdict: Deserved

Warrington certainly deserves a new contract given his performances for Tranmere this campaign.

The central midfield player has ranked in the top 10 among his new teammates in terms of aerial duels won, tackles, interceptions, clearances, shots, key passes, dribbles, long balls and through balls per game (WhoScored), despite being just 19 years of age.

He has helped the club reach ninth place in the table, where they are just one point off of the play-off places with five games left to play.

Nonetheless, should the worst happen and the Merseyside club end up relegated from the Premier League, they could then use Warrington in the first team to help further his development.

In other news, find out what fresh Allan Saint-Maximin to Toffees update has now been dropped here!

Rangers have decided not to exercise their recall option on defender Nikola Katic, according to Football Scotland’s Mark McDougall. 

The lowdown

Katic joined Croatian side Hadjuk Split on loan in the summer, having missed the entirety of the title-winning campaign after suffering a cruciate ligament rupture.

The deal included a January recall clause as well as a £3million option to buy.

Rangers are set to be down a centre-back next month with Leon Balogun named in the Nigeria squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

£1.44million-rated Katic could have offered an experienced option in his absence, having made 59 appearances for The Gers. Indeed, former manager Steven Gerrard described him as a ‘winner and a warrior’.

The latest

“[I] understand Rangers have no plans to recall Nikola Katic in the January transfer window,” McDougall wrote.

The player is expecting to remain in Croatia until the end of the campaign, though he hopes to return to Ibrox thereafter.

Rangers have been so impressed with the performances of Calvin Bassey at centre-back that they don’t see a need to bring Katic back mid-season.

The verdict

Rangers could perhaps come to regret their decision if they’re hit by injuries next month, but it’s an understandable call.

Bassey has now started the last seven Premiership games as a centre-half, and Rangers are on a run of six without conceding a single goal.

He’s been a key part of that, consistently delivering performances that earn a seven out of 10 or better from statistical experts SofaScore.

Katic, who was once compared to Cristiano Ronaldo after an ‘unbelievable leap and an unbelievable header’ in the Old Firm in December 2019, may even find that Bassey’s form shuts the door on the long-term Rangers future he craves.

In other news, could Rangers possibly sign a new CB?

Crystal Palace are having a quiet transfer window so far, with their team currently intact for the challenges of the second half of the season as Patrick Vieira attempts to compete for a top-half finish, but with three weeks left until the window closes, they could be about to lose one of their players.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Tom Barclay, has given his perspective on the current loan situation that Jean-Philippe Mateta finds himself in at Crystal Palace, and it doesn’t look like it’s good news for Palace.

Barclay told GIVEMESPORT:

“I know Mateta scored the other day, but unless he goes on an incredible run, I’m not convinced that Vieira is convinced by him, so I’m expecting him to return from his loan rather than Palace sign him permanently.”

Mateta was acquired on loan by the London club after he was putting in impressive performances for his parent club Mainz at the beginning of last season, with ten goals and one assist that had caught former Palace manager, Roy Hodgson’s eye, who signed the 24-year-old on an 18-month loan with the club last January.

Fans may be concerned

Vieira is clearly not convinced by the Frenchman’s performances so far in his presence since joining the club as head coach in the summer, and has only given Mateta two Premier League starts this season.

With rumours that the loan could be cut short fans have taken to social media to slam the potential decision to let him return five months early to his Bundesliga club. One supporter tweeted:

“I think we should just keep Mateta and forget about Nketiah and keep the money for positions that need improvements.”

The 30k-per-week star put in a fantastic performance against Milwall at the weekend in the FA Cup game, where in the 54 minutes played he scored the winning goal in the 58th minute to beat their rivals 2-1, as well as offering up some clinical play, with a fantastic pass accuracy of 93% during his opportunity for minutes on the pitch, according to SofaScore.

As a result, it seems perplexing that just as he begins to find form, he’s set to head back to his parent club.

Indeed, the supporter above makes a valid point that money on a potential successor could be better spent on other areas of the team that need improving, including the full-back areas where they are strapped for depth.

Although he’s not impressed since landing in London, fans could be concerned by the ongoing situation surrounding Mateta. After all, they’d just be losing a player and then having to fork out what could be quite a considerable sum to find a replacement.

The French manager has a big decision to make in a short amount of time on the future of his 24-year-old forward, as Saint Etienne are rumoured to be interested in swooping to offer him a loan deal this January.

With Palace linked to signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, Vieira clearly needs to make a quick decision on how he intends to see out the strike force of the side for the rest of the season.

In other news: Crystal Palace targeting January swoop for Marseille striker Bamba Dieng

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Liverpool were lucky to emerge from their encounter with Crystal Palace last time out in the Premier League with a 4-3 win.

On Wednesday, Jurgen Klopp’s table-topping Reds will face Leicester City at Anfield. The Foxes ought to learn from what the Eagles did well and seek to make that part of their own game plan.

On the chalkboard

The Eagles pressed Liverpool intensely, and were able to harry their opponents into making mistakes. Producing those energy levels takes a physical toll, but in the likes of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Marc Alrbighton, Demarai Gray and Kelechi Iheanacho, Leicester have plenty of attackers to call upon capable of pressing in this manner.

Claude Puel’s side must be positive and confident and willing to take the game to Liverpool. If they do so then they could overcome the home side.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

This off-the-ball game plan could be very effective for the visitors, but what they do once in possession is equally important.

On the ball

Liverpool themselves are a side that press relentlessly. Crystal Palace had the confidence and composure to try to play quick, neat, intricate passes around this press. When it worked it worked to great effect. Andros Townsend’s goal, and the fine build-up play that preceded it, is a good example of this.

Again, Leicester can take inspiration from this. In the likes of Wilfred Ndidi, Harvey Barnes, Ricardo Pereira and Maddison, they have players with enough technical ability to play passing football through Liverpool’s press, rather than resort to more hopeful long ball football which will ultimately only see the pressure mount up on them as they repeatedly return possession to Liverpool.

A number of Queens Park Rangers fans were critical of Moses Odubajo’s performance in their 4-1 west London derby drubbing by Fulham on Saturday.

The R’s were level at 1-1 midway through the second half before the home side ran riot at Craven Cottage, consigning Mark Warburton’s men to a fourth defeat in their last six Championship matches.

Odubajo lined up at right wing-back for QPR but endured a difficult afternoon against the Cottagers. He was given a lowly five in West London Sport’s player ratings, with the verdict that he “had his hands full against the lively Kebano in second half”.

The statistics did not make for pleasant reading for the 28-year-old. As per SofaScore, he was QPR’s joint-lowest rated performer on the day alongside Seny Dieng, with the right-back losing out on seven of his 11 duels, being culpable of an error which led to a Fulham shot, playing only one accurate long ball out of four attempted and relinquishing possession 16 times, the second-most of anyone on the day.

QPR fans slam Odubajo

These R’s fans took to Twitter to hammer Odubajo’s performance, with one irate supporter even calling him a “fraud”.

“Get out my club Moses Odubajo you fraud”

Credit: @g97467221

“Terminate Odubajo’s contract immediately”

Credit: @connorosully

“Shocking performance, wave bye bye to the top 6 with Dieng, Gray and Odubajo all playing every weekend”

Credit: @TgamingGr

“Odubajo and Kakay both not up to the mark at right wing back…. need to tweak in Jan window”

Credit: @raghurambala

“Odubajo was awful.”

Credit: @HenryLPalmetto

“Firstly the ref is more shocking than normal but, Dieng- would be dropped if we had any sort of decent back up, Odubajo- offers nothing going either way, De Wijs & Dickie- very hit and miss, Johansen- shocking since signing permanently. And we wonder why we can’t stop conceding!!”

Credit: @mattstyles86

Newcastle United are keen on Burnley’s Ben Mee in addition to his centre-back partner James Tarkowski, according to The Mirror’s James Nursey. 

The lowdown

Back in October, it was reported that Tarkowski was one of the first targets of the new regime (via The Telegraph), but it has now emerged that Mee, whose contract is also up at the end of the season, is attracting the Magpies’ interest as well.

The Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson has previously written that Newcastle’s new owners would focus heavily on players in the final months of their deals.

It should be noted that, in the case of Mee, who is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, there is the option for a further year. He has been described as a ‘true leader’ and an ‘underrated’ defender by TV pundit Micah Richards.

The latest

According to The Mirror, Eddie Howe is ‘desperate’ to bring in a new centre-back and likes both players. His former club Burnley are unlikely to let both of them leave, but importantly, Newcastle are in a position to double their wages.

Mee and Tarkowski are the top two earners at Turf Moor, taking home £55,000 and £50,000 per week respectively.

The verdict

As noted by Nursey, there is an added advantage to targeting Burnley players – weakening a likely relegation rival.

Newcastle are shipping an average of two goals per game this season, and the hope would be that Mee and/or Tarkowski could give them a more secure platform for their survival bid. This was a duo which helped Burnley to keep 15 clean sheets in the 2019/20 season – a record bettered only by Manchester City.

Compared to positional peers in the top five leagues, Mee ranks in the 99th percentile for aerial duels won and the 97th for clearances. Based on those figures, he could help Newcastle immeasurably when their backs are against the wall.

In other news, Newcastle are also interested in this ‘incredible talent’

Nottingham Forest are interested in signing £180k rated Newcastle attacking midfielder Elliot Anderson who has been labelled “classy” and “like Peter Beardsley” by Graham Carr.

What’s the talk?

Forest are said to be rivalling QPR and Preston North End for the 19-year olds signature, according to The Mirror, via Football League World.

He has two senior appearances for Newcastle United to his name. With that said, they may want to hold onto him for a little while longer meaning a loan move might be more likely.

Given where Forest sit in the Championship table compared to the others vying for his signature, they should be in pole position.

He is currently on loan at Bristol Rovers in League Two where he has excelled contributing six goals in just 15 appearances for the Pirates, helping Joey Barton’s side in their push for promotion.

A perfect replacement for Johnson

Anderson could be the perfect replacement for ‘prospect’ Brennan Johnson who has been targeted by several Premier League clubs, including Newcastle.

They would be huge shoes to fill with Johnson topping the goal scoring charts at the City Ground this season with 14.

He may have less experience overall, but he is slightly younger than the Reds’ star who only burst onto the scene himself last season.

Forest is also the perfect place when it comes to developing young talents, this season their academy has achieved success by reaching the FA Youth Cup semi-final where they are still yet to face Chelsea.

There are also certain aspects of the game where Anderson is already excelling. When it comes to total shots per 90 minutes he sits on 3.62 compared to Johnson’s 1.96.

One thing his parent club would have to assess is how much game time he would get. If Forest do end up losing Johnson then it would make this move even more likely.

They will also be without striker Lewis Grabban whose contract is up at the end of the season.

As Newcastle have already shown interest in 20-year old Johnson, maybe a deal involving the two could be done. Either way, it can’t be long until we see both players at a higher level than they currently are.

IN other news: Nottingham Forest had a stinker with Nicklas Bendtner…

Rangers have seen a change in management at Ibrox this season, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst arriving in the midst of the Gers’ campaign to retain their league title from last season and make strides in Europe.

Domestically, Rangers have managed to win 22 of their 31 league games, drawing seven and losing just two, scoring 62 goals and conceding 25 in the process.

In terms of which players have done a good job for Rangers throughout the season, particularly in the Premiership, one man who hasn’t been quite up to the standard that Van Bronckhorst may have been seeking is Scott Arfield.

Since arriving at Ibrox in 2018 on a free transfer from Premier League side Burnley, the Canadian midfielder has made 177 appearances across all competitions, scoring 33 goals and providing 18 assists along the way.

Despite chipping in with four goals in 23 league appearances this term, there have been other aspects of his game that have not been quite as impressive. Although he has found the back of the net four times, the 33-year-old has only gotten 15 of his 42 shots on the target.

From a defensive point of view, the midfielder has committed 26 fouls, made 14 interceptions and only won 10 tackles, along with losing 64% of his duels, showing that he can be a liability when Rangers don’t have the ball.

His overall performances have earned the former Burnley man – who is currently picking up £16k-per-week according to Salary Sport – a rather underwhelming season rating of 6.6/10 from WhoScored. That makes him one of the lowest-rated outfield Gers players currently in Van Bronckhorst’s squad to have started more than two league games. On that evidence, he has been anything but a “manager’s dream”, something he was labelled by his former boss John Hughes.

Moving forward, Arfield will need to fix up his performances if he is going to help them retain the Premiership title under their Dutch manager.

The best way for the 33-year-old to do this is by putting in a solid display in Rangers’ crucial upcoming league clash against Celtic, with whom the Gers can draw level at the top of the league table if they can defeat their arch-rivals in next week’s Old Firm derby.

With the Hoops having more possession than any other team in the league this season, this is where Arfield will need to show how useful he can be for the Light Blues when they don’t have the ball, or else he could potentially cost the club the chance of winning the title.

In other news – Wilson nightmare: Rangers dropped the ball on 23 y/o gem who “looks beyond his years”