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Former Rangers defender Carlos Cuellar has revealed that multiple Premier League clubs had approached Steven Gerrard last season.

Cuellar was recently talking to Marca about Gerrard’s success at Rangers this season and while he praised the Englishman, he also said that clubs in the English top flight did contact Gerrard – he believes the Gers boss is the successor to Jurgen Klopp.

Gerrard reminds Cuellar of Klopp

In his interview with Marca, Cuellar had a lot of praise for Gerrard and the style of play at Rangers. He believes that his team tries to press high up the pitch and in that sense, Gerrard is reminiscent of Klopp.

Cuellar also talked about his future, saying that he will sit tight in Glasgow and wait for Liverpool to approach him. The former defender also revealed Premier League interest.

He said: “It’s a very aggressive team, very direct. They win it back and try to play very quickly. He (Gerrard) reminds me a bit of Klopp – in fact, I think he’ll be his successor.

“Last season some Premier League teams called him but I think he’ll sit tight in Glasgow and wait for Liverpool. This team can repeat (what we did), the authority and solidity they’re showing makes me convinced they’ll go far. They’ve played some really good games, like against Benfica.

“We were an even more direct team, this team has more quality.”

Gerrard arrived at Rangers in the summer of 2018 and since then, he has picked up a points per match tally of 2.21 so far (as per Transfermarkt). The recent Premiership title win is the first major honour of his managerial career.

Rangers should keep Gerrard

Recently, Tony Cascarino talked about Gerrard and he urged Premier League clubs to take a chance on the Englishman soon. He believes that if he was a Premier League chairman, he would look to hire Gerrard because of what he’s done with the Gers (As per Talksport).

That might be a reflection of how highly-rated Gerrard is and considering how he’s got Rangers back to the top, they should try to keep him for as long as they can.

In other news, an injury update about emerged about Kemar Roofe – read more here.

Leeds United could sign a perfect midfield partner for Kalvin Phillips in AZ Alkmaar’s Teun Koopmeiners.

What’s the story?

In a list of options suggested by The Athletic’s Phil Hay as potential cover for Kalvin Phillips, Koopmeiner’s name came into the discussion, with the reveal that he could be set for a move away from the Netherlands this summer.

It was suggested: “The indications from Holland are that the 23-year-old, who won his first Holland cap in October, is ready for a move and his agent, Bart Baving, told Italian media last month that ‘the time has come for the next move’. However, he will not be cheap and several Italian clubs are monitoring him.”

Perfect partner for Phillips

There’s no questioning that one of the biggest problems for Marcelo Bielsa ever since he has been at the club is how to go about replacing Phillips if he’s out injured – Darren Bent effectively dubbed him as irreplaceable.

While Koopmeiners has been suggested as potential cover for Phillips, there’s a real argument to be made that he could also be an ideal partner for the England international at Elland Road and be named in the same team when they’re both fit.

Alan Pardew, who briefly managed league rivals Ado Den Haag, waxed lyrical about the box-to-box powerhouse. Speaking to The Daily Mail, he said: “The AZ captain Teun Koopmeiners, a left-footed centre back who can sit in midfield, is probably the best player in Holland in defensive areas.”

And, in some player analysis done by The Athletic, it was suggested: “Koopmeiners has more of an attacking profile than Phillips (something that might fit with Bielsa’s standards of versatility) and there is a lot to like about him. He stands out as a very good all-rounder in top-flight terms: an extremely strong tackler who mirrors Phillips in his constant attempts to look for forward passes rather than lateral balls.

“While the match with Phillips is not perfect, it is close enough to suggest that Koopmeiners is an asset Bielsa could refine with coaching.”

Described as a “leader” by his former coach Koen Stam, Koopmeiners is AZ’s skipper, and as well as being a talented footballer, would be another important voice in the dressing room.

Leeds and Victor Orta should be all over a move for the 6 foot Dutchman, he seems like he is the perfect man to partner Phillips in the middle of the park, whilst he could also give Bielsa a player he could rely on to marshall the midfield troofs as and when the England international is unavailable.

Meanwhile, Bielsa should urge Leeds to move for this Premier League beast…

Kieran Maguire has outlined the ‘advantage’ that Newcastle United have for potential takeover investors.

Speaking recently to Football Insider, the finance guru has claimed that potential buyers may be more attracted to the St. James’ Park faithful then say Derby County because they are currently in the Premier League and even if they do get relegated down to the EFL Championship will still have a lot of money to come in from matchday income, once fans are allowed back in the ground:

“A benefit of Derby over Newcastle is that you’re inheriting a much lower wage bill.

“Therefore, if you want to put more money into the club, you’ve got more flexibility in that regard. If there are players you want moved out, it’s less costly for the owner.

“The advantage of Newcastle is that it’s presently a Premier League club. Even if it gets relegated, you’re going to get three years worth of parachute payments which are worth the thick end of £100m.

“It’s a bigger ground and therefore a bigger fanbase so you have more money coming in. I think you’d have to assess those two issues against each other.”

Potential Newcastle takeover ‘advantage’

The fact that the North East club are still in the top flight should gather some attraction from potential buyers, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group, assuming that the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would be willing to come back onto the table

Even though relegation could be detrimental in terms of their hopes of being taken over by the KSA consortium, the Tyneside club would no doubt still be an attractive asset to invest in for other potential buyers, given its history and how big of a name in general the Magpies actually are.

Nonetheless, the key aim for the Toon will surely be to stay in the division come the end of the 2020/21 term, and assess their takeover options from there.

In other news, find out what big injury blow NUFC have been dealt with before Brighton here!

Many Liverpool fans have been left to laud an update on Virgil Van Dijk as Netherlands boss Frank de Boer commented on his latest injury status.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of his team’s opening 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier away at Turkey, in a match where they eventually lost 4-2, the Holland coach said when asked about the central defender:

“His recovery is going according to plan, he has 8 weeks left. He’ll be returning to training soon but there can be all kinds of setbacks. Anything he can contribute to Liverpool and to us would be a bonus but I’m not counting on it right now.”

The update has come as a much welcome relief to several members of the Anfield faithful, first of all to hear that he will be returning to training soon but also the fact that he only has eight weeks left of his recovery plan.

The UEFA Champions League final is set to be played on the 29th May, and should Jurgen Klopp’s men make it there again this year, Van Dijk could certainly return for it according to his schedule.

This is also the first time the supporters have heard a definitive timeline of exactly when to expect their star man back in action, so it’s fair to say they are excited.

Liverpool fan reaction to Van Dijk update

These Reds supporters lauded the update on the 29-year-old on Twitter:

“8 weeks onlyyyyyyy”

Credit: @lfc_mo_

“So you’re telling me there’s a chance?”

Credit: @hamz1892

“Oh Bayern you ain’t ready”

Credit: @ariaa_hmv

“Nice!”

Credit: @mzsg8_

“2 months let’s gooooooo”

Credit: @kaocatfc

“We’re getting so close now the king is almost back”

Credit: @Blessed_Bobby_

In other news, find out what Kylian Mbappe claim has got Kopites talking here!

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that Scott Brown’s departure is going to leave the Celtic dressing room “empty”.

Following more than 14 years of service in Paradise, the legendary Hoops midfielder’s exit from Celtic Park was confirmed last Thursday – with the Celtic captain set to join Aberdeen as a player/manager at the end of the campaign.

Brown led the Glasgow outfit to 22 major trophies, including 20 Scottish Premiership titles, and played a major part in Celtic winning an unprecedented quadruple treble following their Scottish Cup victory over Hearts back in December.

Having turned out more than 600 times for the Hoops, the 35-year-old sits seventh on the club’s all-time appearance list, and has a maximum of six more outings in a Celtic shirt, including one final Old Firm derby at Rangers in early-May.

Celtic are yet to name a replacement skipper, but McAvennie, whom himself spent four years with the Scottish giants across two spells, was disappointed to hear of Brown’s departure, and said their dressing room simply won’t be the same without him.

He told Football FanCast:

“I’m disappointed, although I’m delighted for Scott. He’s going somewhere where he will get a chance. Youngsters like Lewis Ferguson will learn so much from Scott just in that year. Just the dressing room will be empty without Scott, I would imagine!”

TalkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy has mocked Glasgow Rangers’ achievement of winning the Scottish Premiership this campaign.

Cundy mocks Gers win

The Gers’ status as Premiership champions has already been confirmed as they lead the table by 20 points with five games still left to play (BBC). It is the 55th league title in the club’s history.

However, Cundy was clearly far from impressed with the victory. When discussing the possibility of Eddie Howe taking the Celtic manager’s job, he said (via Ibrox News):

“It’s like winning the egg race [Scottish Premiership], isn’t it like the egg and spoon? Isn’t it a little bit like that?”

Disrespectful

This is a very disrespectful statement from Cundy, but not one that we should be surprised to hear given talkSPORT’s penchant for sensationalist points of view. Yes, the Premiership may lack the competition of the Premier League, but the pressure on the likes of Rangers to succeed and get their hands on the trophy must not be underestimated.

This term, the Gers have displayed their credentials in Europe as well, as they lost just one game in the Europa League on their way to the round of 16 (Sky Sports) – they were eventually knocked out by Czechia champions Slavia Prague. Steven Gerrard and his side deserve far more respect than they have been given here by Cundy.

In other news, Rangers eye this 27-goal forward.

Southampton fans are far from happy after the club confirmed they have prolonged their agreement with shirt sponsor Sportsbet.io.

The betting company have only been the main partner of the Saints since last year, but the St. Mary’s outfit are clearly happy with the agreement as they have decided to extend it for another three years (southamptonfc.com). The deal, the club say, is the biggest of its kind in their history, and it will also see them receive certain payments in Bitcoin at the end of each season.

However, while this is clearly good news financially for the club, the supporters were far from happy with the announcement. Many, it seems, are angry the Saints have decided to link-up with a betting company as many continue to struggle with gambling addictions.

The news, unsurprisingly, attracted plenty of attention from the Southampton supporters, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter.

Let’s see what the Southampton fans had to say below

“As someone with a gambling addiction I find this absolutely disgusting. Is there a way I can get the shirt without that horrid sponsor on it?”

Credit: @Eliassfc2

“Very disappointed my team have got so low morals. I understand the need commercial sponsorship, but surely certain categories of companies should be ruled out. Selling your soul for a few extra quid”

Credit: @SkipAdviser

“Bitterly disappointed with this, gambling nearly killed my best friend, should be banned like cigarettes or alcohol. Surely there are better companiesthat would sponsor us?”

Credit: @NorwegianSaint2

“No ethics have we- accepting this filthy lucre.”

Credit: @floppyrace

“Not great from the club. Hands were tied finding a sponsor last year but they’ve had time to find a non-gamling sponsor now.”

Credit: @S4intsPage

“Really disappointing. Especially after Semmens acknowledged his – and fans’ – discomfort with having a betting sponsor. Many could swallow a last minute, season long deal – this is different, however.”

Credit: @JMEWTSN

In other news, Southampton fans react to these Ralph Hasenhuttl comments.

Ahead of their meeting with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Liverpool will reflect on a current Los Blancos’ star that could have been lining up for the Reds instead.

The Merseysiders have long been linked with a move for Marco Asensio, the most recent reports from Spain coming immediately after Jurgen Klopp’s men had lifted their club’s sixth European title after a win against Tottenham Hotspur.

A move never came to fruition though and Michael Edwards will be relieved that it didn’t.

In the two seasons since those links, Asensio appears to have gone somewhat backwards in his career due to a combination of poor form and injury issues.

Since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, he has made just 47 appearances for Real in all competitions, scoring just nine goals and providing three assists.

Considering that Asensio’s transfer rating hit a peak of £81m in 2018, those numbers are surely not befitting of a player so expensive, hence why he now sits at a valuation of £31.5m.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-more-gravenberch-keita-mane-williams-kabak” title=”Read the latest Liverpool news, transfer rumours and more…”]

For comparison, current Reds’ wideman Diogo Jota, who Liverpool ended up signing just a year after the links to the Spaniard, has netted 112 goals and set up one in just this season, suggesting that Liverpool were right to move on.

Despite that, it would certainly be harsh to assume that Asensio is not a talented player. After all, current Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane has highlighted his “quality”.

Indeed, a player does not go on to make a total of 182 appearances for Real Madrid if they do not possess something special.

Having made 26 appearances for his national side and scored just one goal though, he might not yet live up to the promise that his early career had suggested.

So, with Asensio’s Real Madrid heading to Anfield on Wednesday, the Reds will surely be somewhat relieved that they did not move for his signature in 2019.

AND in more news, read about a transfer mistake that Liverpool did end up making last season…

When it became apparent that Celtic were going to completely renovate the top officials at Parkhead, one member of the Hoops team will have been fretting the most.

That will have been Nick Hammond. Celtic’s head of recruitment was reportedly facing the sack earlier this year but he has now left of his own admission. The thought process is that the Bhoys will hire a new director of football.

They should be fortunate that he’s departing too. After all, the business he helped the club conclude last summer was rather abject.

Hammond helped to bring Albian Ajeti to Paradise in a deal worth £5m. Since signing, he has found the back of the net on just six occasions.

A deal to bring the calamitous Vasilis Barkas to Celtic has hardly gone down well either. He cost £4.5m but has been rather error-prone and now can’t even get in the team.

The goalkeeper was particularly bad against AC Milan in the Europa League and he has cost his team dearly in the league as well.

Scott Bain has also been guilty of mistakes this term while Conor Hazard, the hero on penalties in the Scottish Cup final back in December, was incredibly poor during normal time in that game.

Therefore, Celtic have every right to regret signing an adept stopper last summer. They tried to bring Fraser Forster back to Glasgow after his successful loan spell in 2019/20.

He is a man mountain between the sticks and standing at 6 foot 7, covers plenty of the goal. Unfortunately for Hammond and co, Southampton wanted him to fight for the number one jersey south of the border.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-edouard-desmond” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Forster has played on only ten occasions for the Saints this term but would have been a valuable asset for Celtic.

The £70k-per-week earner was a stalwart under Neil Lennon last season and earned them points on his own. Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast a few weeks ago, Frank McAvennie claimed:

“Forster won the league for Celtic last season, he won the cup – they were battered by Rangers and Celtic won it 1-0. When you have got a good goalkeeper, that’s what happens. He was worth the money, I don’t know why they didn’t spend it.”

Dubbed an “exceptional goalkeeper” by Kevin Campbell, a player of Forster’s capabilities could have lifted Celtic to a far greater season than they’ve endured.

He saved no fewer than four penalties in the 2019/20 campaign and made 11 stops – including one from the spot – in the League Cup final against Rangers that same season.

Forster made an immense impact at Celtic and as we’ve seen with Allan McGregor at Rangers this term, those between the sticks are often key.

Speaking to FFC, McAvennie added: “He’s (McGregor) basically won the league for them, and I’m not being disrespectful to the rest of the players.”

In a season where defensive and goalkeeping errors have been rife for the Hoops, Forster could have made an enormous difference.

It’s a huge shame they didn’t bring him back to Glasgow.

AND in other news, Celtic may be on the verge of repeating Deila’s costly blunder, fans should be fuming…

Swansea City take on QPR in the Championship at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday evening, with Steve Cooper’s side safe in the knowledge that a win is needed if they want to keep their slim automatic promotion hopes alive.

The Swans blew a great opportunity to move closer to second-placed Watford at the weekend as they could only muster a 2-2 draw against relegation-threatened Wycombe Wanderers, with the Hornets losing 1-0 against rivals Luton Town.

Those results mean that Swansea are now six points behind Xisco Muñoz’s side with just four games remaining, although Cooper’s side will face Watford on the final day of the season.

Therefore, with Watford facing a tricky game away at already promoted Norwich City this evening, Swansea will have to go all out for the three points against a QPR side who have nothing really left to play for.

Here’s how we think Cooper will line his side up on Tuesday night, with three changes from the side that started against Wycombe at the weekend…

Although he could perhaps have done better with Wycombe’s second strike at the weekend, Freddie Woodman keeps his place in goal.

There’s one change in defence, as Jake Bidwell replaces Ryan Manning, whilst Cooper switches back to a back-four after inexplicably going for a back-five against one of the worst teams in the division last time out.

This sees Kyle Naughton drop out of the side to make room for an extra attacker, as the Swans need to attack from the off against Mark Warburton’s side.

The midfield trio of Conor Hourihane, Matt Grimes and Jay Fulton stays in place, as all three impressed in the recent wins against Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday.

There are two changes in attack, as Wayne Routledge comes in on the right-hand side, with Jamal Lowe switching to the left-wing in order to accommodate Liam Cullen up front.

[freshpress-quiz id=“532484″]

With Andre Ayew injured, the 21-year-old is the ideal choice up front after he marked his return from injury with the equaliser against Wycombe on Saturday.

And, in other news… Winter could sign Swansea their ideal Ayew heir in £225k beast, Cooper would love him