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Aston Villa have set their sights on signing Rangers centre-back Filip Helander, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Helander profiled

Helander, labelled as ‘very tough’, was brought to Ibrox by Steven Gerrard back in 2019 in a deal worth £3.5m.

Since then, the Sweden international has made 60 appearances for the Scottish giants, however, only 11 of those have come during the current campaign, with Helander missing large parts of the season through injury.

He will be entering the final 12 months of his Rangers contract in the summer, and it looks as if Villa are keen on a cut-price deal for the now £3.15m-rated defender.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a story on Tuesday morning regarding Helander after being informed by a Villa source.

They claim that Johan Lange and co. are interested in signing the 28-year-old this summer, but Gerrard is concerned over Helander’s injury record, something which could put a move in jeopardy.

The Verdict: A risk

A number of defensive signings could well be needed this summer, especially with the futures of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa up in the air.

Should the pair move on, bringing in someone like Helander in a cut-price deal could be a shrewd move to bolster the club’s options, however, it would also be a gamble.

The Rangers man has missed 66 games through injury since arriving in Scotland, so Gerrard may feel he could be signing a player he can’t rely on completely heading into his first full season in charge.

In other news: Source: Villa now open to selling 2022 star this summer despite Gerrard being a big fan. 

Celtic have had a mixed start to the new season, with Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops side playing swashbuckling attacking football but looking lackadaisical at the back.

They have also had to contend with a host of injuries in recent weeks with Kyogo Furuhashi, James Forrest, Greg Taylor and Callum McGregor all on the sidelines in midweek.

What’s the word?

One player who has been consistently linked with a move to Celtic this year is Robbie Brady.

The left-sided player became a free agent in the summer after his contract with Burnley expired which means he can now be signed for nothing.

He wasn’t able to find a new club for himself over the last few months but it now appears as though the Bhoys are the frontrunners for his signature.

Glasgow Times suggest (via Burnley Express) that Swansea have ended their interest, leaving Celtic with a free run at signing the 29-year-old.

Forget Taylor

One of Brady’s biggest strengths is undoubtedly his versatility. The Irishman can feature on either wing and is also capable of playing as a wing-back.

With that in mind, he could be the player who finally allows Postecoglou to move on from Taylor.

The Scottish defender is currently out injured and is set to undergo shoulder surgery, which has left an opening for the likes of Josip Juranovic and Adam Montgomery to exploit.

Boli Bolingoli has been left out of Celtic’s Europa League squad but surprisingly appeared against Livingston on Sunday.

Brady. however, could improve on the Belgian as an attacking full-back or wing-back if he joins Celtic in the coming weeks or months.

Although his attacking abilities comfortably outweigh his defensive attributes, the Irishman could be a very useful weapon on the left side of the pitch.

A review from his former teammate Stephen Quinn is particularly telling in this argument, with Brady’s compatriot saying: “He is just an exceptionally talented footballer and I think that left wing-back position suits him because he is coming into plays, he will always attack.”

Possessing a wonderful delivery of the football, Brady feels like an ideal player that Postecoglou will have in his side. The Australian loves an attacking style and the former Burnley winger would undoubtedly improve their ranks.

He’d not only bolster a side of the pitch which is weak at the moment, but he’d also provide the Bhoys with huge experience.

Celtic have already signed one experienced former Premier League talent in James McCarthy; they must now lure Brady to Paradise too. Available on a free transfer, this would be incredibly low risk.

AND in other news, £6k-p/w gem has seen his value rise by 900% after leaving Celtic, he’s “very unique”…

Crystal Palace are keen on signing Liverpool forward Divock Origi before the transfer window closes, according to reports.

What’s the story?

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath claims that the Eagles are one of three Premier League teams eager to secure the 26-year-old’s signature this summer, with Wolves and West Ham United also credited with an interest.

Previous reports have stated the Reds are set to demand between £15m and £20m for Origi and are open to letting the Belgium international depart Anfield after he struggled to make an impact last season.

Crystal Palace fans will be buzzing

Origi arrived at Anfield back in 2015 from Ligue 1 outfit Lille but has failed to establish himself in the Merseyside outfit’s starting XI during his six-year stay on English shores.

A relatively successful loan spell at Wolfsburg throughout 2017/18 saw the pacey hitman bag seven goals and provide three assists during his 12-month stay, showing enough potential for Klopp to reintroduce him into his first team plans.

And Origi wrote his name into Liverpool folklore upon his return to Anfield. A brace in their sensational 4-0 victory over Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals earned him hero status, despite his limited time on the pitch.

He then wrapped up the club’s sixth European title with another goal in the final against Tottenham Hotspur, ensuring he’ll remain a fans favourite for many years to come.

However, Origi has struggled to replicate those heroics ever since. Over the last couple of campaigns, the former Lille ace has started just nine Premier League games, bagging only four goals during that time period.

It’s hard to argue that his performances have warranted extra game time, with the 6ft forward recording a miserly WhoScored rating of just 6.19 last season.

Nevertheless, his potential arrival at Selhurst Park will surely have a large section of the Palace supporters buzzing.

Although Origi may not have the quality to succeed at Liverpool, he’s still proven himself to be a reliable source of goals – especially in the biggest of games – throughout his career, a quality that the capital club are desperately short of.

The south London outfit only had one shot on target in their opening day encounter against Chelsea over the weekend, an issue Origi’s arrival would surely help to address.

And, in other news…Lost 15 duels: Shocking Crystal Palace lightweight badly let Vieira down vs Chelsea 

Renato Sanches’ proposed move to Liverpool was ‘cancelled’ after the player suffered an injury, Portuguese journalist Pedro Almeida has claimed. 

The Portugal midfielder played the full 90 minutes in Lille’s Ligue 1 opener against Metz, but hasn’t featured since after sustaining a meniscal injury. It has been reported that the 24-year-old faces being sidelined for a ‘sizeable chunk of the first half of the season’.

That was one of the reasons why Wolverhampton Wanderers called off a loan move for Sanches, although the financial demands involved in the deal also played a part (via Tim Spiers).

Why might Liverpool have wanted Sanches?

Sanches caught the eye with his performances at the European Championship in the summer even as Portugal’s title defence ended in the Round of 16. He was hailed as ‘terrific’ by Jermaine Jenas as he shone in a 2-2 group stage draw with France.

Signing the £27m-rated Sanches could have bolstered Liverpool’s midfield ranks in the wake of Georginio Wijnaldum’s departure, but it transpired that the Reds’ only summer signing was the £36m move for centre-back Ibrahima Konate.

Liverpool fans weigh in on Sanches claim

In light of Almeida’s claim, which hinted that Sanches may have been close to signing for Liverpool, plenty of Kopites gave their reactions via Twitter. One of them drew comparisons with Nabil Fekir, who looked set to move to Anfield in 2018 before the move collapsed, with reports of a failed medical amid a lingering knee injury (talkSPORT).

“Fekir 2.0”

Credit: @KallzLFC

“Of course this had to come up”

Credit: @mosaeed_LFC

“January it is then”

Credit: @KevinJDaly1969

“We will be claiming all the dead deals now. PR spin.”

Credit: @stevieGjeff

“Typical”

Credit: @ItIsWhatItIsra

“Big cap!!! FSG PR machine is unreal loool”

Credit: @NeinRole

In other news, Liverpool are in the frame for a massive transfer.

Aston Villa are ‘in the queue’ to sign wantaway Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah in January, according to Ekrem Konur. 

The lowdown

Nketiah has yet to make the matchday squad for a Premier League game this season, having picked up an ankle injury just before the campaign started.

His only first-team minutes have come in the Carabao Cup clash with AFC Wimbledon, a game in which he scored.

Last season, the England Under-21 international was limited to just four Premier League starts.

Significantly, his contract is up come the end of the season and, according to a report from David Ornstein in August, ‘there is no sign’ of a forthcoming extension.

Arsenal may, therefore, be under pressure to sell their £14.4million-rated asset in January amid the risk of losing him for free.

The latest

Nketiah ‘plans to leave’ The Emirates at the turn of the year because he ‘wants regular first team football’, Konur says.

Villa can expect to face competition from newly-promoted Brentford and from Leeds United, where Nketiah had a spell on loan during the 2019/20 season.

The verdict

It certainly looks as if Nketiah will be leaving the Gunners, but it’s hard to see Villa being his next destination.

If he wants to be playing week-in, week-out, then he surely won’t go to a club where he’ll be behind two other strikers – Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins – in the pecking order.

Perhaps Villa should look in-house if they want to bolster the first team’s attacking ranks. Cameron Archer has been particularly impressive.

In other news, fans flocked to this update on Leon Bailey.  

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien as new manager Patrick Vieira continues to overhaul the first-team squad.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, a source has revealed that the Eagles are keen to secure the 22-year-old’s services this summer, with fellow Premier League club Leeds United also credited with an interest. Marcelo Bielsa’s side reportedly tabled an opening offer of around £3m for O’Brien, and the Argentine is said to be “exasperated” that Leeds are yet to make a breakthrough in negotiations.

However, the standoff in talks appears to have opened the door for Palace to swoop in. The report claims that the Terriers initially demanded £10m for their prized asset but would now likely accept a seven-figure fee.

O’Brien has entered the final 12 months of his current contract at the John Smith’s Stadium, so he may be available in a cut-price deal, although Huddersfield do have the option of triggering a one-year extension clause.

Imagine him and Gallagher

After rising through the ranks at his boyhood club, O’Brien has established himself as one of Huddersfield’s most promising midfielders, scoring five goals and providing seven assists in 82 appearances for the Yorkshire outfit.

Vieira has already bolstered his midfield engine room options in the shape of Conor Gallagher on loan, but with James McCarthy departing and Cheikhou Kouyate linked with an imminent exit, the former Nice boss may need added reinforcements for the upcoming campaign.

Therefore, Palace chairman Steve Parish must swoop for O’Brien, snatching a much-coveted transfer target from under Leeds’ nose.

The youthful pair would add energy, technical ability and running power to the Eagles’ midfield, attributes which have been desperately lacking in recent years as Roy Hodgson’s side grew old together.

Palace have been targeting young, exciting acquisitions in the current window, changing the landscape at Selhurst Park in the process, and O’Brien should certainly fit into the makeup of the new-look side.

It remains to be seen whether the Eagles follow up their interest with a formal offer, but many supporters must surely be hoping that they do.

In other news… Get it done: Palace must swoop for “dangerous” 21 y/o prodigy, Vieira will love him

Wolves and Bruno Lage have made no secret of their intentions in the transfer window, and have been linked with numerous players over the last few months, with a midfielder now making it onto the list of speculated transfer targets potentially making a move to the Molineux.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, Wolves are reported to be amongst many clubs trying to secure the signature of Huddersfield Town midfielder, Lewis O’Brien.

Wolves are suggested to be one of five clubs interested in the 23-year-old Championship player, who has put in a number of impressive performances this season, that has aroused interest from top-flight clubs.

The report states that the Terriers value the midfielder at £15m, and with Leeds United allegedly already putting in a £13m bid, Wolves will need to work fast to secure a deal if they are indeed interested.

Replacement for Dendoncker?

O’Brien has been a wonderful player in recent campaigns, leading to praise by many, including Huddersfield head coach, Carlos Corberan, who hailed him  “very special.”

He has scored two goals and bagged one assist, with a clear appetite for attempting to score from his midfield position with 20 shots on goal in 24 appearances this season.

With his praise and statistics in mind, he could be an ideal replacement for one of Lage’s midfield titans.

Leander Dendoncker has failed to impress this season so far with former Wolves midfielder, Dave Edwards, claiming “he hasn’t hit the levels” at Wolves this season so far.

“I also think they need another midfielder. Neves and Moutinho are very technical and Dendoncker is a little bit different, but he’s not hit the levels to make Wolves a better team.”

Other than Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves, the 26-year-old is the only real central midfield option but doesn’t offer anything in the way of creativity going forward, with no goals and one big chance missed already this season, as much as he delivers in his defensive attributes, lacking consistency in his performances.

Wolves could really do with adding a more creative midfielder to their team, to take the pressure off Dendoncker having to cover for his more creative midfield peers Moutinho and Neves, with creativity a weakened attribute in the defensive midfielder’s game.

The Huddersfield Town star could be the perfect solution to Lage’s problem with his lack of depth in midfield, and would really take the pressure off if there was a potential injury threat that could hinder the progress of the team in the second half of the season.

After all, he has registered one key pass and 2.8 tackles per game this term, far more than the man he could replace.

Wolves’ Belgium international, for instance, has registered 0.4 key passes and 1.4 tackles a match. With that in mind, Jeff Shi and co simply has to swoop for O’Brien.

In other news: Jose Sa hailed as Premier League signing of the season so far

Leeds United are stuck in a horrendous rut right now and if they don’t improve in the January transfer window, Marcelo Bielsa could lose his job with the Whites staring down the barrel of a potential relegation from the top-flight.

An added problem for Victor Orta and co is that the winter market is usually a tough one for Leeds to negotiate in with the famed Jean-Kevin Augustin move the nadir of the Spaniard’s work since arriving in Yorkshire.

What’s the word?

One area that Leeds desperately need to improve in heading into the New Year is in the middle of the park.

Kalvin Phillips enters 2022 injured while Mateusz Klich is desperately out of form too.

One player that they could sign is Macedonia international Ejif Elmas. That’s according to Talha Arslan via The Express who claim that Leeds are prepared to bid £15.3m for the Napoli midfielder.

However, that may fall some way short of the Italian club’s estimation of the 22-year-old with CIES valuing him at a mighty £59.2m.

The new Alioski

The comparisons with livewire and former Leeds player, Gjanni Alioski, are all too obvious.

For starters, they both hail from Macedonia, and secondly, they are both goal scoring wide players.

Although Elmas is capable of playing in the middle of the park too, he is a rampant threat when afforded the opportunity to play down the left flank, an area of the pitch that Alioski thrived in for Leeds.

The 29-year-old scored 22 goals and registered 19 assists while in Yorkshire but was never the most consistent of players.

That being said, he was a mainstay under Bielsa for years and developed nicely from an attacking winger into a full-back.

Elmas wouldn’t necessarily make the same transition but his ability to play in a multitude of positions, specifically in the centre of midfield, makes him an appealing proposition this winter.

However, his ability to score goals, like Alioski, is also a major plus point.

The North Macedonia international has bagged six times for Napoli this term while creating three goals for his teammates too.

Speaking about him in April, his agent commented: “I think Napoli have a jewel. A young footballer, a leader of his national team who often scores goals.”

With that sort of attacking threat in mind, he’d be a wise addition from the Leeds hierarchy this term and in the process, Bielsa could just discover his next Alioski; a vibrant and versatile attacking threat from Macedonia.

AND in other news, Orta can finally axe Leeds flop who left Bielsa “furious” by signing 28-goal “rocket”…

Southampton fans are far from happy with the news that Ralph Hasenhuttl is trying to turn Yan Valery into a centre-back.

The Saints have had a relatively poor start to the season under the Austrian boss. As is stands, they have won just one of their nine Premier League games to date, scoring just eight goals (Sky Sports).

Valery, meanwhile, remains very much on the periphery of the Saints starting XI, having featured in just two League Cup fixtures (Transfermarkt).

Ahead of the clash with Chelsea, it seems that Hasenhuttl has plans to introduce Valery into the side on a more regular basis, although perhaps not as you would expect.

The gaffer has suggested Valery could be used at centre-back, saying he has done well when playing there in training in place of the injured Jack Stephens (via Hampshire Live).

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“That’s enough for me. Ralph out.”

Credit: @MitchLT76

“Don’t even think of it Ralph!!! About time we got rid of valery anyway he’s so bad”

Credit: @msmith3110

“sorry what”

Credit: @ed_carter6

“He’s lost the plot mate”

Credit: @Declan_SFC

“Might as well stick Shane Long at cb”

Credit: @sfcwill_

“Vallery one of the weakest full backs we’ve had physically for a while, put in the position where any mistake costs a goal, can’t see how that could go wrong”

Credit: @Moody_boy18883

In other news, Southampton fans were unhappy with this man’s treatment by Hasenhuttl.

Crystal Palace are eyeing a move for £4.9m-rated Junior Sambia from French club Montpellier this summer as they look to strengthen their defensive positions.

What’s the story?

According to reports from French outlet Le10 Sport the Eagles are interested in the right-back who is out of contract this summer. He would be available on a free transfer which would be a coup for the South London club.

However, they face competition from Ligue 1 club Marseille who are also interested in signing the 25-year old. He had previously been linked with Premier League club Newcastle United all the way back in 2016.

An upgrade on Clyne

If Sambia were to join Palace then he would be competing with Nathaniel Clyne and Joel Ward for the right back position at Selhurst Park.

He is also a versatile player, one dubbed a “golden guy” by French commentator Bertrand Queneutt, and can play in a defensive midfield position therefore providing another option for Patrick Vieira.

When it comes to his defensive skills he is in the top 5% in Ligue 1 this season for number of blocks. He also betters Clyne in a number of categories, including shot-creating actions, successful dribbles and progressive carries.

It’s his quality going forward compared to what Palace currently have in that position which is impressive. His average goal creating actions per 90 minutes sits at 0.18 which betters Clyne at 0.14 and Ward at 0.09.

Sambia is also only 24-years old which makes him significantly younger than Clyne meaning he would be a good long term option for the Eagles.

He has a higher number of progressive carries this season at 103 which is more than Clyne and Ward combined.

Vieira has turned Palace into a more aggressive side that’s not afraid to go at opponents and signing Sambia would fit perfectly into this. The fact he is French also could potentially give Palace an edge on signing him due to their manager’s connections.

With all of this considered, especially the fact he wouldn’t cost them anything in terms of a transfer fee, it’s hard to see why Palace wouldn’t make this move in the summer.

It would free up funds for them to spend elsewhere, whilst still improving a key position in their squad.

IN other news: Crystal Palace: Vieira lining up potential Tyrick Mitchell replacement…