In Focus: Jack Hendry can help shape bright future for Rangers defence

As reported by The Sunday Post, Rangers are interested in signing Dundee defender Jack Hendry in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Next month’s transfer window will be an important one for the Light Blues as they look to forge a new future after the departure of Pedro Caixinha.

With potentially no manager in place, rather than spending big money on established stars, a valid strategy could be signing some of the best young talent available from the Scottish Premiership, whose potential will chime with whatever any new manager is looking to do.

One such talent is Dundee defender Jack Hendry, who The Sunday Post report is one of the leading targets on the Light Blues’ January wishlist.

Competition is fierce for his signature though, with the paper saying that Celtic, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Newcastle are all showing interest.

Bright future

Despite some recent problems, Rangers’ defensive future is already looking bright, with the likes of Ross McCrorie and David Bates emerging recently to prove themselves in the first team, sometimes even outshining the likes of Portuguese legend Bruno Alves.

Adding Jack Hendry to that mix could be a shrewd move and that 22-year-old has certainly demonstrated at Dundee he has what it takes to excel at Scottish Premiership level after making the switch from Wigan Athletic in the summer.

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What Rangers can offer Hendry is regular first-team action, which is what he needs to progress given he has made less than 50 career professional appearances. Even Celtic can’t guarantee that right now, potentially giving the Light Blues an upper hand in any potential switch.

Newcastle fans react as club is linked with Joe Hart move

According to reports in The Mirror, Newcastle United are exploring the possibility of bringing goalkeeper Joe Hart to St James’ Park on loan during the January transfer window, and Magpies fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.

The 30-year-old is currently on a season-long loan deal with West Ham United from Manchester City, but he has lost his place to Adrian in recent weeks following some disappointing performances.

The Mirror says that Rafa Benitez is keen to bring the England international in this month, but it will rely on West Ham, Man City and the stopper agreeing to end his loan at the London Stadium early.

Newcastle supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the potential addition of Hart via social media, and while one said “relegation it is then”, another said “please say this is a joke”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Redknapp claims Arsenal not good enough for top six

Arsenal have had a disappointing few days following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth, and it seems that former Premier League footballer Jamie Redknapp has rubbed salt into the wound.

In his column for the Daily Mail, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder described Arsene Wenger’s current crop of players as the ‘worst’ that he has seen at the club.

The team relinquished their lead at the Vitality Stadium at the weekend, and as a result, dropped to seven points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.

Star duo Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil did not feature in the game, and that may be a sign of what’s to come given that both players have been linked with moves away.

Numerous publications, including BBC Sport, have claimed that Sanchez could be on his way to Manchester United before the end of the month, while Ozil is out of contract in the summer.

Redknapp believes that Arsenal are lucky to even be inside the top six of the table.

“I cannot remember a worse Arsenal team than this. They have no desire, no character and none of the blue chip players of years gone by. They are barely good enough to be in the top six, never mind the Champions League.

“With Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil missing, this was a glimpse of the future for the club — and it does not look good. This should have been a comfortable win for them. Last month Liverpool went to the Vitality Stadium and devoured Bournemouth 4-0. There are no excuses. Arsenal simply lack quality in every department.”

Pundit expects West Ham United to suffer FA Cup exit

West Ham United are on a five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, but their positive stretch could hit a snag this weekend, according to Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas.

David Moyes’s team are due to face Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on Saturday in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

In most cases, top-flight teams tend to rotate their squads in the early rounds of the competition.

In West Ham’s case, they may not have a choice as the East London outfit have a number of injuries to contend with.

Andy Carroll, Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic are currently on the treatment table with injuries.

Former Arsenal striker Nicholas believes that West Ham will face a difficult task when they take on the League One outfit.

In fact, the Scotsman believes that the Latics will earn a replay at the London Stadium.

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The 56-year-old predicted a 2-2 draw with Sky Sports:

“The one upset I can see occurring from the Super 6 line-up is Wigan’s game against West Ham. David Moyes has his injury problems with Marko Arnautovic, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll all sidelined, so he’s very limited to what he’s got to pick from.

“I don’t think Paul Cook will be too worried about disrupting the flow for their Sky Bet League One title push when they’re at home, so I think they will have a real go and can earn a replay at the least.”

Leeds United announce Heckingbottom appointment, fans react

Leeds United have made a swift appointment since parting ways with Thomas Christiansen on Sunday.

The club announced on Twitter that Paul Heckingbottom has become the new head coach on a deal until 2019.

The management change has not been completed without controversy, though, as the South Yorkshire-born coach had only signed a new extension with Barnsley five days ago.

Heckingbottom has been at Oakwell since 2015 as part of the coaching setup, but became manager in 2016 on a rolling contract.

The 40-year-old seemed committed to Barnsley, but in a matter of days, the former Darlington player performed a turnaround and is now in charge of Leeds.

During the 2015-16 season, Heckingbottom guided the Tykes to Football League Trophy glory and via the playoffs earned promotion to the Championship.

The new coach has a job on his hands at Elland Road as the club currently reside 10th in the Championship and are winless in their last six outings.

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After the announcement of Heckingbottom’s appointment was made, Leeds fans reacted to it on Twitter.

Celtic fans are disappointed with Scott Sinclair’s form after more dropped points

Celtic failed to follow up their excellent mid-week European performance with a win in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, dropping points at home to St Johnstone.

Coming into the match Tommy Wright’s side weren’t expected to take much from the encounter, having lost five of their last six matches in all competitions, with the solitary win coming against lower league side Albion Rovers.

However, they secured a vital point with a determined defensive performance that a much-changed Hoops side just couldn’t overcome.

Rodgers brought the likes of Calvin Miller and Cristian Gamboa into the starting eleven from the fringes of his first team squad, rotating heavily from the win against FC Zenit.

Scott Sinclair got a start too after missing out on the Europa League match but left fans disappointed, failing to produce the attacking performance that fans know he is capable of.

He’s scored just one top-flight goal in his last nine Scottish Premiership appearances, a far cry from his usual output.

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Still the club’s top scorer this season, fans will be hoping he can turn things round as the Hoops’ hunt for more silverware heats up.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his performance…

Mangala vows to come back stronger following unlucky start to Everton spell

Eliaquim Mangala was recruited by Everton in the January transfer window as an option in defence.

The Merseyside outfit signed the 26-year-old from Manchester City on a loan deal until the end of the season.

The Frenchman made just two appearances before he was struck down with a knee injury.

The damaging moment came just 45 minutes into Everton’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League earlier this month.

Mangala required surgery to rectify the problem, but it remains unknown whether or not the defender will return to parent club City or work his way back to fitness at Goodison Park.

After going under the knife, the Frenchman took to Instagram to post a picture from his hospital bed and provide fans with an update.

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Everton supporters were desperate for the club to sign a new left-back in the January window, but instead, manager Sam Allardyce brought in left-footed Mangala.

Now, though, the experienced coach will have to cope with the squad he currently has.

Tottenham fans are still unconvinced with Lamela after hard fought victory

Tottenham Hotspur moved into the top four of the English Premier League on Sunday, capitalising on Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester United with a hard fought win away to Crystal Palace.

Having missed a number of big opportunities to open the scoring throughout, it was Harry Kane who predictably popped up to secure the three points for Mauricio Pochettino’s side in the 88th minute.

Kane has now scored 35 goals in 36 matches this season, already matching his entire total of last season with plenty of games left to go to 40 and beyond.

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Fans were pleased with the result but frustrated with the performance, believing their team didn’t perform to the standards required.

Much of the criticism was aimed at Erik Lamela, who was starting just his third Premier League match of the season. With opportunities to impress few and far between, it’s important players like Lamela play to the best of their abilities, but fans were left wanting more from the Argentinian.

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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

Liverpool fans can’t get enough of Virgil van Dijk right now

Liverpool produced a mouth-watering attacking display at home to Watford in the English Premier League on Saturday, winning 5-0.

Inspired by the ever impressive Mohamed Salah, who scored four of the goals and assisted the other, the Reds were at their sparkling best, strengthening their bid to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season.

Huge plaudits have gone to Liverpool’s attacking threat, but fans were also quick to pay tribute to their defensive stars too after another clean sheet and dominant display at the back.

Virgil van Dijk has quickly become a fan favourite since signing from Southampton in January and again looked like a leader in the Reds’ back four, dealing with everything in the air and showing the communication skills that they’ve lacked for years.

Supporters will now be hoping they can combine their defensive and attacking skills to knock out Manchester City in their upcoming European clash. Can Van Dijk stop City’s front four?

Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his Saturday performance…

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Louis Moult would give Rangers solid alternative striking option next season

As reported by The Daily Mail, Rangers are eyeing up a summer move for Preston North End striker Louis Moult after a disappointing initial spell at the English Championship outfit.

What’s the story?

Rangers were reported to be interested in making a move for the player before he decided to make the move back to England and it appears the striker is back on their radar.

The Daily Mail say Rangers are keeping tabs on the player’s situation at Preston given the 25-year-old is struggling to get game time in Alex Neil’s starting eleven.

Signing for a reported £450,000 in January, an exit from the club so soon after his arrival would be surprising but the paper reckon Moult would be open to a return to Scottish football if his situation remains the same.

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A good signing?

In hindsight, the decision to sign Eduardo Herrera last summer and not Louis Moult looks like a very poor one. Were Pedro Caixinha not in charge, would the Light Blues have made their move for the ex-Motherwell striker?

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Moult had an excellent spell at the Steelmen, this season alone scoring 14 goals in all competitions before moving South, including two against the Gers in a League Cup semi-final.

Overall he netted 50 times in 98 appearances for the club, also contributing 16 assists. That’s the kind of attacking performance that would go down a treat at Rangers and they should definitely take a look at his situation in the summer.

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