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A new era at Glasgow Rangers is set to get underway later today, with newly-appointed manager Michael Beale set to take charge of his first game following his return to Ibrox last month, with the 42-year-old having replaced Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the dugout.

The highly-regarded Englishman – who previously worked at the Old Firm outfit as Steven Gerrard’s assistant – has been tasked with trying to revive the club’s fortunes following an underwhelming start to the campaign, with the Gers currently nine points behind rivals Celtic in the title race.

Although it will likely be a sizeable task trying to close the gap on Ange Postecoglou’s rampant champions, Beale will likely be more concerned with simply getting off to a positive start this evening, as the Light Blues return to Scottish Premiership action following the recent World Cup break.

The Glasgow giants are set to host Hibernian in what will be an intriguing start to the new man’s tenure, with the 42-year-old boss hoping to quash any potential doubters by securing a positive result.

One area of concern for the Bromley-born coach, however, will be the shortage of left-back options, with the club currently without summer signing Ridvan Yilmaz due to injury, while the experienced Borna Barisic is yet to return from international duty with Croatia.

With doubts also over the fitness of Ben Davies – who can line up in that full-back role if required – Beale may well have no other option but to turn to teenager Adam Devine for what would be just his fourth senior outing for the club and his first league appearance this term.

The 19-year-old – who typically lines up at right-back – has staked a claim for a starting berth following his promising display in the recent friendly triumph over Bayer Leverkusen, having been praised by his manager after that 3-0 victory:

“The academy staff have played Adam at right and left-back. Sometimes having a right-footer at left-back means they play inside the pitch more – Jon Flanagan did it well for us a few years ago.

“I’ve got a lot of trust in Adam, we always had high hopes for him when I was here before.”

The player himself – who has been lauded as a “powerful runner” by Craig Vickers in the past – has insisted he is more than ready to meet the challenge of making his league debut, having stated:

“Am I ready to face Hibs? Definitely. Saturday was a big game for me to show what I can do. Obviously with the injuries and with Borna being at the World Cup, it’s a great opportunity.”

That confidence will no doubt be refreshing for both supporters and his fellow teammates, with the young Scotsman clearly keen to make a good impression after having been on the periphery during Van Bronckhorst’s tenure.

It may well be something of a gamble as far as Beale is concerned to play such an inexperienced figure, although such a move could well help to quickly get the home crowd on his side, while also solving the big issue that is the lack of senior alternatives.

Pundit Tam McManus has been giving his thoughts on an injury update to Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford.

The Lowdown: Recent surgery

The 29-year-old has missed 31 games since the beginning of the 2021/22 campaign due to ankle, hamstring and foot problems.

Bamford has made just four Premier League starts this season and missed the final two fixtures before the break for the World Cup.

Reports earlier this month confirmed that the forward missed out on the club’s training camp in Spain due to requiring surgery on a groin problem, a procedure that appears to have gone well.

The Latest: McManus’ comments

Talking to Football Insider regarding Bamford, McManus admitted he is ‘worried’ about the forward and shared concerns over his Elland Road future.

“I look at Bamford and I’m worried, he is always injured now.

“You talk about players always being injured but this guy is literally always injured. He proved his doubters wrong when he first came up with Leeds but he has barely kicked a ball since.

“This is the second season where he has barely kicked a ball. At some point, someone has to say enough is enough.

“Bamford has done so much for Leeds but at some point, you have to look at the facts and if Leeds had a fully fit striker in that position then they would be scoring more goals.

“You have to cut your losses at some point and make a hard decision but if Bamford isn’t going to play then he shouldn’t be there.”

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The Verdict: New forward needed

A new striker is on the agenda in January, according to Phil Hay, a decision that seems sensible considering Bamford’s struggle for form and fitness over the last 18 months.

He hasn’t netted a competitive goal in 2022, with the likes of Rodrigo and Crysencio Summerville coming into some much-needed form in front of goal in recent months.

Therefore, bringing in a new forward in the New Year could be the difference between Leeds being involved in another relegation battle or sitting comfortably in mid-table, with a decision also needed on Bamford’s long-term future.

Chelsea appear to be closing in on signing a defender ahead of the January transfer window as Graham Potter looks to strengthen his squad…

What’s the news?

Fabrizio Romano shared an update via his Twitter page regarding Chelsea’s pursuit of defender Benoit Badiashile: “Chelsea are in advanced talks to sign Benoît Badiashile from AS Monaco as new centre-back. Official proposal has been submitted — negotiations now in progress 🚨🔵 #CFC.

“Fee discussed around €35/40m with hope to get it done soon. First call, @David_Ornstein. Talks will continue.”

David Ornstein of The Athletic claimed that Badiashile was the leading candidate for Potter and this recent update suggests that the club are now closing in on his signing.

Potter’s dream

The Englishman is looking to assert his own authority on the squad as he looks to bring in his own players ahead of his first transfer window in charge of the side.

Chelsea signed Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly in the summer as defensive options, however, the onus is to bring in more young talent. Badiashile is 21 years old and certainly fits the bill with regard to building ahead for the future, while also being able to challenge for a space in the team at present.

The AS Monaco defender has proven his worth this season in Ligue 1, playing 11 matches and helping his side keep three clean sheets.

The youngster also provides a goalscoring threat, netting twice so far this term while also creating a further big chance, and this goal tally is the same as Chelsea’s centre-backs combined this season.

Badiashile has also made an average of 1.5 interceptions, 0.9 tackles and 3.5 clearances per match, while also winning an impressive 1.9 aerial duels per game at a success rate of 72% – proving just how effective he is in the air and this could be extremely useful for Potter.

The Frenchman was praised by talent scout Jacek Kulig last year, saying: “Badiashile is strong, fast, left-footed, tenacious, good on the ball… A definition of a complete centre-back.”

His ever-growing maturity and the fact he has already played 135 matches for the Ligue 1 outfit before he turns 22 suggests he could be an ideal option for Potter going forward, and with Thiago Silva coming toward the end of his career, he could very well replace the Brazilian in the Chelsea squad.

Liverpool have had their worst start to a Premier League season in a decade, with a number of injury issues mounting and much upheaval at Anfield contributing to the inconsistency on the pitch.

The Reds are currently sixth in the table after their first 14 matches prior to the World Cup break, and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping for a fresh start for his squad when they return to action in the top flight tomorrow.

Liverpool will head to Villa Park for their first league game since 12 November and will face Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who are unbeaten in the top flight since his return to the Premier League.

Not only are the Reds back in action, but the January transfer window will reopen this time next week, and it will be interesting to see if Liverpool make moves to improve the performances on the pitch and strengthen the squad ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Injuries have been mounting in the Merseysiders’ squad over the season so far, with Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Arthur Melo currently sidelined ahead of the Boxing Day fixture, and the former two not expected back for at least the next six weeks.

As a result, Liverpool could be tempted to make a move for an attacking player in the January transfer window in order to bolster the squad following the exits of Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Taki Minamino in the summer, combined with the ongoing injury issues.

One player who has been recently linked with a move to Anfield is Leicester City and England star James Maddison, a versatile attacking midfielder who could offer Klopp a multitude of solutions at Anfield.

Despite Leicester’s struggles this season, the 26-year-old has been undoubtedtly the standout performer in the team, and his incredible performances earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s England World Cup squad in Qatar.

In 13 Premier League appearances so far this term, the £60m-valued ace – who was dubbed “frightening” by Rio Ferdinand – has scored seven goals, registered four assists and created three big chances, averaging three shots on goal, 2.4 key passes, 1.9 tackles, 33.6 accurate passes and 4.8 duels won per game.

Maddison has earned high praise for his outstanding performances this season, with talkSPORT’s Danny Murphy hailing the player in an analysis of the 26-year-old’s future by saying: “He’s a super talent, the only question mark over James Maddison is his application and sometimes his attitude, but his talent is up there.”

The former Liverpool midfielder continued: “Is he good enough? Yes. He’s a Champions League player. He has all of the qualities needed to play Champions League and international football.”

With that being said, the signing of Maddison would be a major coup for Liverpool if they decide that strengthening their attacking presence is crucial in the New Year, and there is no doubt that Klopp could get Anfield rocking if the Foxes maestro could perform at the same level for the Reds.

Arsenal take on Brighton and Hove Albion tonight in the Premier League as they aim to carry on the momentum from a 3-1 victory over West Ham United on Boxing Day.

Mikel Arteta’s men came back from a goal down to produce a stunning second-half performance to claim all three points and the Spaniard will be hoping to end 2022 with a bang this evening.

The vast majority of the starting XI performed well against West Ham, with Martin Odegaard the standout. He made five key passes, registered two assists, and won six of his ten duels throughout the tie.

Arteta must ruthlessly ditch left-back Kieran Tierney ahead of this evening’s match, however, with the Scot putting in a disappointing performance against the Hammers.

On the chalkboard

The £110k-per-week ace didn’t have one of his finer matches despite Arsenal winning, losing possession 15 times, making just one interception, and having a pass success rate of only 76% during his 73-minute spell on the pitch.

His average Sofascore rating was 6.6/10 and was the joint lowest out of the Arsenal starting line-up and Arteta will need to shuffle his pack against Brighton.

Tierney – dubbed a “great leader” by commentator Scott McDonald – failed to deliver an accurate cross or long ball during the match either, and with Oleksandr Zinchenko replacing him with just under 20 minutes left, the Ukrainian should be in prime position to start tonight.

The former Manchester City player has played just eight league matches due to injury this term, yet his qualities, both attacking and defensive, make him a better fit to feature from the start against Brighton.

Gong forwards, he has registered an assist, created a big chance, made 0.5 key passes per game, and succeeded with 67% of his dribble attempts.

Defensively, the 26-year-old has made 1.9 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, and 1.0 clearances while winning 3.6 duels per match – at a success rate of 60% and Arteta should consider dropping Tierney for Zinchenko.

It will be a tough match on the South Coast, and with Brighton beating Arsenal in the Carabao Cup last month, Arteta will know all about the threat the side poses, and claiming another three points in the league could be vital heading into a busy January.

Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer is set to leave the club to join Middlesbrough on loan, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Preston loan

Archer enjoyed a positive spell away from Villa Park last season with Championship outfit Preston North End. The 21-year-old netted seven times in 20 appearances under Ryan Lowe, who described the attacker as ‘fantastic’.

He is yet to start a Premier League game during the current campaign under former Villa manager Steven Gerrard and new boss Unai Emery, with another temporary exit on the cards.

The Latest: Middlesbrough move imminent

Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke shared a story regarding Archer on Wednesday, revealing that there has been a breakthrough in talks with Boro after an agreement was reached.

He added that the forward is on the verge of moving to the Riverside Stadium for the remainder of the season.

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The Verdict: Makes sense

Middlesbrough are a club on the rise under Michael Carrick and are now pushing for promotion to the Premier League.

Archer is at the stage of his career where he needs to be playing first-team football on a regular basis, so you’d expect that he would receive further game-time in the second tier instead of remaining in the Midlands.

Another solid loan spell away from Villa Park may catch the eye of Emery, who could then decide to use him more frequently during his first full season in charge.

Arsenal are confident of securing a deal to bring Mykhailo Mudryk to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, despite recent reports claiming that Shakhtar Donetsk are yet to respond to Arsenal’s latest £62m bid for the 22-year-old winger, Mikel Arteta and Edu are optimistic of getting a deal over the line for the Ukraine international this month.

Regarding the club’s pursuit of the forward, the Italian journalist said: “We can confirm that Arsenal are confident and optimistic. They feel they can sign the player before the end of the window, but at the moment, it is not close to being completed yet.”

“Unreal”

Considering the generational talent Mudryk very much appears to be, it is not difficult to understand why both Arteta and Edu would be interested in a deal to bring the attacker to The Emirates this winter, as the 22-year-old would undoubtedly make an unreal addition to the Spanish manager’s current wide attacking options in north London.

Indeed, after scoring two goals and registering seven assists over just 11 Premier Liga fixtures last season, the £35m-rated talent has once again been in breathtaking form over his 12 league appearances this term, having already bagged seven goals and provided a further six assists – averaging a direct goal involvement every 70 minutes of domestic football played in 2022/23.

However, it was undoubtedly his performances over his six Champions League outings this season that most caught the eye, with the winger scoring three goals – outperforming his xG of 1.11 – registering two assists and creating one big chance, in addition to taking an average of 1.5 shots – one of which hit the target – making 0.8 key passes and completing 1.7 dribbles per game.

To put these metrics into context, based solely on his 516 minutes played in the Champions League in 2022/23, FBref currently rank Mudryk in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for non-penalty goals per 90, as well as the top 2% for assists, the top 3% for dribbles completed, the top 7% for touches in the opposition penalty area and the top 16% for shots.

Rather understandably, these returns have seen the eight-cap international earn a considerable amount of praise from the press, with Jack Collins dubbing the forward an “absolutely unreal” talent and Josh Bunting labelling the Ukrainian a “frightening” player, while Shakhtar’s director of football, Darijo Srna, also said of the winger in an interview with Marca last year:

“Mudryk is better than all the Brazilians we have had so far. It’s not demagogy. I’ve been playing football all my life and I would dare to say that he is the best player in Europe in his position behind [Kylian] Mbappe, Neymar and Vinicius [Jr]. If he had a Brazilian passport he would be worth €100m (£88.5m). If someone wants him, they will have to pay a lot of money.”

As such, should Edu indeed manage to get a deal for the 22-year-old – who has reportedly been offered a €7.5m (£6.6m) salary at The Emirates, roughly £127k-per-week – over the line this winter, it would indeed appear as if the Brazilian would have sealed an absolutely unreal signing for the Gunners – as based on his numbers so far, Mudryk is very much a once in a generation level talent.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly in negotiations for Flamengo midfielder Joao Gomes and the Brazilian youngster could be a superb addition to Julen Lopetegui’s midfield.

What’s the word?

According to Express and Star journalist Liam Keen, Wolves are “in talks” with Flamengo for the 21-year-old, with “negotiations ongoing” ahead of a potential move to Molineux.

Lopetegui is clearly keen to recruit a new midfielder in this month’s transfer window, especially after Boubacar Traore was ruled out recently through injury, leaving just Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, and Matheus Nunes as the senior options in Wolves’ midfield.

Despite his age, Gomes has been a mainstay in Flamengo’s side in recent seasons, making 117 appearances in all competitions, contributing three goals and three assists, featuring mainly as either a central or defensive midfielder.

He could be huge for Lopetegui

Given Wolves’ need for a midfielder this month, signing a promising, first-team-ready youngster such as Gomes could be huge for Lopetegui’s chances of keeping the Old Gold in the Premier League.

Moutinho is 36 and will likely leave when his contract expires in the summer, while Neves is also continuing to be linked with a Molineux exit, so it seems clear that Wolves need long-term replacements in the middle of the park.

Gomes certainly looks to have a lot of potential and could have a big impact in Lopetegui’s side if he can provide the energy and tenacity that Neves and Moutinho arguably lack, with FBref ranking the two Portuguese maestros in the 14th-worst and second-worst percentage for being dribbled past.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig was full of praise for the young Brazilian on Twitter after he broke into the first team in 2021.

He said:

“João Gomes is such a unique player. Fantastic mix of midfield destroyer, deep-lying playmaker and box-to-box midfielder. Tireless runner, amazing work rate and tenacity mixed with really good technique and playmaking skills. He always gives 100% on the pitch. Warrior.”

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This level of effort and application are exactly the sort of qualities needed in a relegation battle, while the fact that the Brazilian is ranked in the top percentage for tacklers also suggests that he could add defensive steel to Wolves’ midfield that was lacking under Bruno Lage.

Therefore, the Old Gold should do all they can to ensure that they win the race for Gomes this month.

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui has hinted that Goncalo Guedes could ‘maybe’ leave the Premier League club this month.

The Lowdown: Uncertain future

The Old Gold completed the permanent signing of the forward last summer where he put pen to paper on a five-year deal, but since the new manager’s arrival, he hasn’t been making the impact he would have hoped.

The Portugal international has been completely omitted from the matchday squad for the last two games, which has seen him linked with an exit, and the boss has now implied that that could indeed be the case.

The Latest: Lopetegui’s comments

Speaking to The Star following Tuesday’s 1-0 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool, Lopetegui was initially asked whether Guedes will leave Wolves this month, to which he replied:

“No, no more (to add). He’s our player and we’ll see what is going to happen, but he is our player.”

However, when questioned whether the recent arrival of Pablo Sarabia could send the 26-year-old on his way, the Spaniard said:

“Maybe, I don’t know, they are going to fight! We need competition in our daily work, it’s good for the team.

“After, the players that will play are the players that are going to help us more in each match.”

The Verdict: Let him go

Guedes has been described as a ‘lightning-quick’ player by Andy Brassell, but Wolves allowing him to leave would be completely the right decision.

The Wanderers winger has scored just two goals in 18 appearances since joining and clearly isn’t a part of Lopetegui’s long-term plans having played him once in the top flight during his reign so far.

The Midlands outfit should therefore take this opportunity to cash in and put Guedes’ transfer fee towards future funds for new signings in what is the start of a new era at Molineux.

Everton have been linked with a move for Arnaut Danjuma over the last few weeks and now a major new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Villarreal winger is now set for a medical with the club today ahead of joining the club on loan for the rest of the season.

Romano tweeted: “EXCL: Danjuma to Everton, here we go! Full agreement reached during the night and details now sorted. It’s done deal, Danjuma’s back to Premier League 🚨🚨🔵 #EFC”

“Understand the medical tests will take place on Saturday morning. Straight loan from Villarreal, NO buy option.”

It could save Lampard’s job

There is no doubt that Frank Lampard will be feeling the pressure as he heads into the Premier League clash with West Ham United this afternoon, however, the signing of Danjuma could be the linchpin in saving the manager’s job at Goodison Park.

The talented winger has been in the UK speaking with a number of clubs about a loan move ahead of the second half of the season including Nottingham Forest and his former club Bournemouth, but it now looks like he will imminently be announced as the latest player to join the relegation scrap on the blue side of Merseyside.

The Toffees are currently 19th in the top-flight table ahead of their game with the Hammers in East London, with just 15 points collected and 15 goals scored over their first 19 outings, so strengthening the attacking threat will be essential if they are to have any hope of retaining their Premier League status at the end of the campaign.

Over 217 career appearances, Danjuma has scored 73 goals and registered 36 assists with a goal contribution every 128 minutes so far – proving that he could be a hugely valuable asset to Lampard if he can continue his rate of consistency in front of goal.

The 25-year-old Dutchman has been the recipient of high praise for his potent attacking skills, with pundit Kevin Phillips hailing Danjuma “a nightmare for defenders” whilst analysing the player’s qualities:

“On his day he is a nightmare for defenders. He can create and score goals. He can hurt any defence with his pace and directness.”

“I know it was in the Championship but he’s proved he can perform in this country.”

“He is a player who can hurt any defence on his day. He’s shown that countless times. Players like him are a rarity in this day and age.”

With that being said, the signing of Danjuma would be a major coup for Everton and could give Lampard a player who can make a genuine impact in his pursuit to save the club from a spell in the Championship next season.