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According to a recent report from The Daily Record, Kyle Lafferty looks set to make the move to Rangers in the coming days. The 30-year-old currently plays his football at fellow Scottish Premiership outfit Hearts and has done so since 2017, although the Northern Ireland international enjoyed a fine four-year spell at Ibrox earlier in his career, helping the Gers win three league titles between 2008 and 2012.

And it appears that the striker is on his way back to the Scottish giants to link up with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, and with that deal reportedly close to completion, the Light Blues boss should now seek to lure £3.15 million-rated free agent Claudio Yacob (as per Transfermarkt) to Ibrox.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the imminent arrival of Lafferty will go some way to bolstering the striking department at Rangers, as other than Alfredo Morelos, no other player currently at the club reached double figures in terms of goals last season.

And while the Colombian star has made a fine start to the new campaign, there is no doubt that several options are needed in that area to deal with the rigours of both domestic and European football, both of which Rangers will be hoping to make a statement in this term.

And while the centre of midfield isn’t necessarily an area of the squad in dire need of strengthening in the final few weeks of the Scottish window, former West Brom ace Yacob is someone who would add a great deal of quality and indeed experience to that department.

The 31-year-old left the Hawthorns at the expiration of his contract earlier in the summer to bring to an end a six-year stint at the Midlands club, in which time he certainly proved his credentials with 175 appearances for the Baggies, 160 of which coming in the Premier League.

And for much of his time at West Brom, the former Argentina international commanded regular football in the middle of the park to further emphasise his ability, with the midfielder tenacious off the ball and something of a nightmare for several more attacking midfields to shrug off.

The ex-Racing Club star is very strong in the tackle and certainly makes his presence felt in the centre of midfield, while he also possesses that extra edge which could come in handy for Rangers this term, not least in Old Firm derbies against rivals Celtic.

Yes, the midfielder struggled for regular football last season in only mustering 16 Premier League appearances for the Baggies, but he has more than proven his capabilities in the middle of the park over the years – and at the age of 31, he surely still has plenty more to give.

It has already been quite the summer at Ibrox given the huge turnover of players since Gerrard took charge, and with Lafferty seemingly another on his way to the Scottish giants, the Rangers boss should now turn his attentions to luring free agent Yacob to the club.

Rangers fans… what do you think? Let us know!

While Arsenal’s transfer business is now over, foreign clubs can still attempt to sign some of Emery’s squad while some of the younger players can also go out on loan abroad or to English Football League clubs.  

Kelechi Nwakali has already departed the club for Porto on loan, while first-team forward, Lucas Perez has joined West Ham.

However, the club could be about to send another player out on loan and according to Eleven Sports via The Independent, Krystian Bielik is closing in on a loan move to Charlton Athletic.

Not a part of Unai Emery’s first-team plans this season, the 20-year-old central defender come defensive midfielder, looks set to be sent out to gain some vital first-team experience.

The Breakdown

Joining Arsenal from Legia Warsaw in 2015 for a reported £2.4 million, Bielik was quickly converted into a central defender.

Since then, the Polish defender spent the second-half of last season on loan with Walsall, and the year before that with Birmingham.

Highly-rated when he joined Arsenal, Bielik has found it hard to progress through to the first-team and as of yet he has only made two appearances for the club in the League Cup.

At only 20-years-old, the Polish defender is coming to an age where he needs to start playing regular first-team football, and a loan to Charlton provides that.

Although the club is in turmoil at the moment, Bielik might become a solid starter for a club that at the moment, only has three central defenders in the first-team.

What do you think Arsenal fans? 

Leeds started the season in incredible fashion as they blew away fellow promotion rivals Stoke City and Derby County but were held to a draw by a very strong Swansea City side.

Thanks to Oli McBurnie’s brace, Bielsa’s men were held to a 2-2 draw at the Liberty Stadium in what was a pulsating Championship game.

After getting through the first initial games of the season without making changes, Pontus Jansson has picked up a knock as has fellow centre-back Liam Cooper, who was forced to withdraw from the Swansea game during the warm-ups.

Although going forward the club haven’t picked up any injuries, with the intensive impetus put on pressing from the front, it’s unlikely that Leeds will be able to keep their attacker’s injury-free throughout the whole season.

Leeds had been linked with a move for Lille forward Anwar El Ghazi, but have lost out to Aston Villa in the race for the talented Ligue One forward.

The Breakdown

Since making his move to France, the Dutch winger has struggled to showcase the form he showed during his time with Ajax.

Valued at £4.5 million by Transfermarkt, the 23-year-old still has the potential to be a top player, and could’ve added some much-needed depth going forward for Leeds.

Bielsa has so far been able to rely on Pablo Hernandez and Ezgjan Alioski, but he could still do with some valuable back-ups to use over the course of the summer.

Leeds fans… what do you think? Let us know!

It’s been an excellent start to the season for Leeds United. Marcelo Bielsa’s men are unbeaten and have ten points from four matches. This could be the season the Whites finally gain promotion to the Premier League, to really seal their fete, they could perhaps do with a couple more signings. 

The Argentine boss will be delighted with how things are going so far at the West Yorkshire outfit. Three straight wins kicked off the campaign, before a solid 2-2 draw away to fellow high-flyers Swansea City. These results have got fans dreaming of a promotion winning season.

Any question over whether Bielsa’s unique tactical approach have been put to the side, as he has shown a willingness to adapt and Leeds have dominated games with their high pressing and technical ability. Kemar Roofe has been the jewel in the crown for the Elland Road outfit, and his game already looks to have come on leaps and bounds under ‘El Loco’.

With the EFL loan window slamming shut soon, here are two loan signings who could be game changers for Leeds United…

Reiss Nelson

His first-team opportunities are going to be severely limited in the Premier League this season. A raw talent, the winger’s pace and technical ability will cause plenty of problems for all Championship defences.

One of the most exciting prospects to come out of Arsenal for years, the opportunity for regular first-team football might be favoured by Reiss Nelson himself, rather than being limited to cup football under Unai Emery.

The rapid winger is capped by England’s youth sides.

Tammy Abraham

Tammy Abraham is still at Stamford Bridge, and the forward is unlikely to get much game time with Maurizio Sarri at the club, looking for instant success rather than to develop young players.

The forward didn’t make much of an impact last season in the Premier League with Swansea City, but he has proved before he is a handful in the Championship, with a highly successful spell with Bristol City.

Having Tammy Abraham on their books would give the Whites unquestionably the best strike-force in the Championship, as they already have Patrick Bamford and Kemar Roofe at the club.

It was an extremely frustrating summer for Newcastle United fans, as the club once again managed to turn a profit as a result of their transfer business. Considering that the likes of Fulham, Wolves, Bournemouth, Huddersfield Town and Brighton all spent in excess of £30 million, it is hard to argue that the Magpies are matching their rivals’ ambition.

However, that isn’t to say that Mike Ashley ought to spend for the sake of it. Even in this vastly inflated market, there are still bargains to be had at the top level. One such deal that took place this summer was West Ham’s acquisition of Lucas Perez from Arsenal for a fee in the region of £4 million. 

What’s the word?

The Hammers signed the Gunners’ forward for a meagre fee in comparison with what some players of a lesser calibre have gone for in recent times. Whilst Perez was never able to establish himself at Arsenal, he remains a quality player who could have a big impact a little further down the Premier League table.

The Spanish striker wasn’t able to consistently display his best form during a loan stint with Deportivo La Coruna last season, but he still finished second only to Lionel Messi in terms of chances created over the course of the La Liga campaign.

This time around, West Ham can hope for big things from the 29-year-old. Should he prove his quality at the London Stadium, Newcastle may regret missing out on this bargain buy.

A chance missed

It was clear that Rafa Benitez was desperate to boost his attack this summer. Eventually, Salomon Rondon did materialise at St James’ Park following a loan-swap deal that saw Dwight Gayle join West Brom.

The North East club may need more than the Venezuelan to ensure their top flight survival though. The 28-year-old’s seven league goals last time out weren’t enough to guide the Baggies clear of the drop after all. 

Not only would the arrival of Perez have given Benitez greater strength in depth up front, the former Gunner would also suit the style of play being implemented on Tyneside. Perez has great technique and creative qualities, but he is also a very physical presence and is capable of holding up the ball in the opposition final third before bringing teammates into the game. 

For the relatively tiny outlay of £4 million, Newcastle could’ve made a great addition this summer in the form of Perez. As it was, West Ham capitalised upon this bargain opportunity that Ashely failed to spot. That could come back to haunt the Magpies.

Each week on Football FanCast we will be celebrating those special breed who lit up the Premier League with their unique brand of utter genius. This time out we pay homage to a superstar elect who remained an enigma.

Think about Derby County in relation to the Premier League and first thoughts lead to their constant striving to return to the top flight. Indeed it sometimes feels like the Rams are doomed to come close in perpetuity; the Sisyphus of the East Midlands.

Following straight after that perhaps our memories turn to their dismal campaign in 2006 that saw Derby lodge the worse return in the competition’s history with just 11 points and a goal difference of minus 69. It is very hard to feel sympathy for Robbie Savage in any circumstances but here, captaining a side utterly depleted of quality who endured relegation as early as March, it is ever so nearly justified.

It is a shame however that it’s these negatives that naturally arise because what should come to the fore is the Jim Smith side of the mid to late 90s: a terrific collection of talent forged from a solid base with the sublime Croatian Igor Stimac – a player who unquestionably deserves his own ‘Slice of Genius’ tribute further down the line – scheming at will. It is a team that played the ‘right way’ and did it well, establishing itself as a mid-table, thoroughly likeable outfit that could cause anyone problems on their day. And at the apex of this creation prowled an enigmatic, often exasperating, and occasionally brilliant striker by the name of Paulo Wanchope.

The gangly Costa Rican arrived in England in March 1997, signed for a bargain £600,000 from CS Herediano. He came as an unknown proposition and this being the pre-YouTube days not even forum blaggers could pretend to know anything at all about him. Accommodation was found. He trained and got to know his new team-mates. Intrigue began to grow around him.

Aged just 21 and with a playing style that half evoked a lithe middleweight and half Bambi on ice Smith was at pains to point out to the local press that what he had here was a real prospect but time would be needed for Wanchope to settle. So it was somewhat of a surprise to see his name on the starting eleven as Derby travelled to Old Trafford the following month to take on the reigning Premier League champions.

It turned out to be a debut for the ages with the tall forward knocking down a header at the far post for Ashley Ward to convert past Peter Schmeichel before venturing on a solo run from his own half that completely bamboozled the household names in red. It remains one of the most incredible goals scored in the modern era in the iconic stadium.

At the break Derby went in two nil up and that would have warranted all the attention. Instead all anyone was talking about was the sensational introduction of a mysterious superstar elect and when County held on to triumph 3-2 that was when the hype really began. Just who the hell was this guy with the funny name and alien gait? And what might he become?

In the event – barring a brilliant double against Arsenal six months later in another famous win – that was the best that it got and the best that we saw. Yet that is not to suggest that Paulo Wanchope was a flash in the pan as his influential goals continued to steer Derby clear of relegation issues. A respectable thirteen goals in his first full season and nine thereafter is testimony to that.

A subsequent move to West Ham proved to be largely successful despite the misgivings of a home support who railed against his inconsistency while a later spell at Manchester City was blighted by injury. By then we’d given up on the fanciful notion that individual, mazy acts of magnificence was in Wanchope’s locker. In actuality it was a one-off by means of a hello.

But going back to that goal, what a weird and wonderful trip that was. And in hindsight it was not achieved via trickery, or deception, not even raw pace. As Wanchope received the ball Phil Neville drifted towards him, as if unsure whether to ask a stranger the time. Gary Pallister stands square on, thoroughly and understandably expecting a pass. Three others hone in the striker’s vicinity realising too late that suddenly he is on the edge of the penalty area with Schmeichel exposed.

It was a goal created and scored through contempt for authority because nobody usually went for United’s throat with just a boot and a ball. Nobody previously dared.

The silence of the Old Trafford crowd tells us everything. They’re stunned, questioning just who on earth this awkward, mesmerizing upstart was. Sadly none of us really got to find out.

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Despite an impressive second-half of the season on loan with Fulham in the Championship, which was followed up by a decent 2018 World Cup campaign for Serbia, suitors for Aleksandar Mitrovic were seemingly few and far between this summer even if it was clear that he had no future at Newcastle United.

His attitude and questionable temperament is probably one of the reasons that more clubs weren’t taking a look at the 23-year-old, who scored 12 goals in 17 Championship appearances to help the Cottagers return to the Premier League.

The centre-forward eventually completed a £22m move to join the west London outfit on a permanent basis at the end of July, where he once again links up with compatriot Slavisa Jokanovic.

Mitrovic has started the 2018/19 season in outstanding form for both club and country, netting four in four for the newly-promoted Fulham – including one in a 3-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley – while he scored a brilliant brace for Serbia in their 2-2 draw with Romania on Monday night.

The 23-year-old showed how clinical he can be and how he can score all types of different goals by netting twice – including one screamer – from three shots on target, while he also proved he is developing his all-round game by providing one key pass and winning two aerial duels.

One of Spurs’ biggest issues in recent seasons has been that they have failed to find an able back-up to Harry Kane with the likes of Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente failing to make the grade, which makes it more of a mystery that they didn’t a punt on Mitrovic this summer to try and push the England international even further.

He would have got plenty of game time with all of the competitions the north London club, who may well already have their Mousa Dembele replacement following 6ft 2in star’s latest display on international duty, find themselves competing in.

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Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to their win over Preston, and they are absolutely delighted with the form of Samuel Saiz.

Saiz has often split opinion at Elland Road, as when he is on form the 27-year-old is quite simply unplayable.

He can be inconsistent though, and his poor games usually involve hanging on to the ball far too long and costing his team chances. He has also attracted plenty of controversy in the past, receiving a six-match ban last season for spitting at an opponent.

The little Spaniard was in tip-top shape on Tuesday though, practically toying with Preston during the 3-0 win.

Saiz did not score or assist, but he was undoubtedly the man who kept Leeds ticking over, completing an incredible four key passes.

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Preston are the only side to beat Marcelo Bielsa’s team this season, albeit in the League Cup, but Leeds won 3-0 courtesy of a goal from Liam Cooper and a brace from Tyler Roberts.

Fans are heaping praise on their tricky little Spaniard for his involvement, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Wolves continue to impress onlookers in the Premier League with their impressive attacking displays under manager Nuno Santo.

Last season’s Championship winners made some impressive signings over the summer as Santo used the contacts from super agent Jorge Mendes to good effect once again, and the likes of Joao Moutinho and Raul Jimenez have already made their impact in the team felt already.

However, it is a long season in the top flight, and the January window can often prove pivotal for club’s looking to finish the season with a flourish.

Wolves are bound to be one of the teams who splash a bit of cash, and one player we think that the club should look to sign is experienced Brazilian defender, Felipe.

The 29-year-old has finally got his first call up for the Selecao this year, and his form with Porto over the last three years appears to have been recognised at the highest level.

While Wolves are looking impressive at the back with the likes of Willy Boly putting in some solid performances thus far.

However, with a long season and a tough winter period to get through, Wolves will need more depth, and signing someone of the quality and experience of Felipe could be a shrewd move.

Santo will be keen to ensure his team avoid relegation first and foremost, and the addition of experienced international defenders like Felipe can go a long way to helping this cause.

Wolves fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Lukasz Fabianski was one of nine new signings that came through the welcome gates at the London Stadium in the summer.

West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini recruited the goalkeeper and swiftly gave him the number one jersey.

Fabianski was low down the pecking order during his seven-year spell at Arsenal, and after spending three seasons at Swansea City, the Poland international opted to take on a fresh challenge.

It is a case of so far so good for the shot-stopper as he has put in some solid displays in between the sticks, and the same can be said for Saturday’s encounter against Manchester United.

The 33-year-old conceded to Marcus Rashford, but he made some key saves during the Hammers’ 3-1 triumph on home soil.

Overall, it was an impressive display from Pellegrini’s men, but Fabianski got a special mention from some fans on Twitter.

Plenty believe that he should be regarded as the club’s best signing of the window.

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