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Rangers have been linked with a move for Dijon centre-back Senou Coulibaly recently and if he were to make the move to Ibrox this summer, he could prove to be a great addition to Steven Gerrard’s side.

What’s the word?

According to French news outlet Foot Mercato, via Get Football News France, Rangers have registered an interest in the 26-year-old defender ahead of the summer transfer window, with Huddersfield Town also reportedly keen.

The report describes him as an ‘all-action’ defender with serious pace, as he was clocked running at 36km/h playing in Ligue 1 last season, which immediately marks him out as someone who could add something different in Gerrard’s defence.

Would he be a good signing?

Coulibaly has been a regular for Dijon since signing from Football Club Mantois in the summer of 2018, making 43 appearances since then, in which he has contributed three goals.

Football scouting website FBRef rates the centre-back extremely highly in terms of his goal threat, with his 6 foot 3 frame making him a danger man from set-pieces, which immediately marks him out as someone Gerrard would appreciate in his side, when you consider that both Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic have been surprisingly prolific during their time at Ibrox due to their aerial ability.

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Coulibaly also looks to be impressive when it comes to tackling, interceptions and progressive passes, whilst his zero errors per 90 minutes is exactly the sort of statistic you want to see when scouting a centre-back.

Therefore, Coulibaly is seemingly adept at defending, passing and attacking, whilst his excellent pace is an added bonus for Gerrard, as you could argue that other than perhaps Leon Balogun, none of Rangers’ centre-back options are blessed with much speed.

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Transfermarkt currently values the centre-back at just £720k, which suggests that he could be a bargain option for Ross Wilson this summer, so the sporting director should definitely look to bring him in despite Rangers’ extensive centre-back options, as his pace and aerial ability certainly suggest that he is the sort of player Gerrard would love to have at Ibrox.

And, in other news… Wilson must seal Rangers swoop for 12-goal beast who had £36m star on toast

Former Glasgow Rangers manager Alex McLeish is worried about Filip Helander ahead of the Gers’ Old Firm clash on Sunday.

McLeish worried by Helander

The Gers face Celtic at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon in the Scottish Cup fourth round as they continue their quest for a domestic double.

Speaking to Ibrox News, McLeish has revealed he has concerns about the Sweden international as he said:

“They will certainly analyse things that they have seen since then.

“Again, on the flip side, guys like Helander are good professionals and will be analysing their own game and seeing where they should be better.

“Let’s face it, it was great play from Celtic, but these are the games where you can be rusty and don’t close down quick enough, and you have to be switched on.”

Calm

It is surprising to hear McLeish say he is worried about the 27-year-old. The fact of the matter is, Helander has been a rock for Steven Gerrard’s side ever since he made the move to Ibrox.

Since his switch to Glasgow in 2019, the Gers are yet to lose a Premiership game with him in the line-up (Transfermarkt), and his performances have even attracted interest from Leicester City and Aston Villa – his reported price tag is £6m (Football Insider).

Helander didn’t have his best game in the last Old Firm clash, and he has been accused of lacking pace, but he is a player on whom Gerrard and the rest of the squad can rely. If he is selected as part of the starting XI this weekend, that should not be a cause for concern for anyone associated with Rangers.

In other news, Kieran Maguire shares this worrying Rangers finance update.

Patryk Klimala looks set to be closing in on a Celtic exit.

Interim manager John Kennedy admitted on Friday that the 22-year-old is days away from completing his move to MLS side New York Red Bulls.

The Hoops landed Klimala for £3.6m last January, but he has failed to make an impact in Glasgow, scoring just three times in 28 appearances.

Despite his struggles, it seems as if Celtic could be recouping all of their money on the Polish Under-21 international.

Pundit Noel Whelan, talking to Football Insider, had his say on Celtic potentially making their money back, labelling the Hoops as ‘very lucky’ to make back their initial outlay on the striker.

“For someone who’s hardly featured, to recoup the £3.5million that you paid? That’s either very good business by the board or stupidity from the people that are buying him.

“They could have got him for cheaper probably but Celtic will not complain. Surplus to requirements, no club wants to lose money on a player.

“So, all in all, I think they would probably think themselves very lucky in that position that recoups everything that they paid.”

Transfer Tavern take

We’re with Whelan in believing Celtic won’t complain about what they’ll be receiving for Klimala. His Transfermarkt value has halved during his 12 months at Celtic Park to £1.8m, but it seems as if the Hoops will be receiving double that amount from the MLS outfit.

You can understand why the 22-year-old’s valuation has dropped since his move to Parkhead. He has started just three league games during the current campaign and has failed to establish himself under either Neil Lennon or John Kennedy.

It hasn’t worked out for Klimala in Scotland, but financially it seems that Celtic won’t be making a loss on him.

In other news: Expert drops Celtic managerial claim with Monday admission, find out more here. 

Celtic’s intention is to appoint a head coach rather than a manager as Neil Lennon’s long-term replacement, Frank McAvennie has claimed in an interview with Football Insider.

Neil Lennon resigned in February as the club’s title defence unravelled, with John Kennedy put in interim charge until the end of the season.

‘Celtic bought players that had nothing to do with Lennon’

McAvennie has said that Celtic are keen to limit the responsibilities of the next man in the dugout to on-field matters. That would mean that transfer decisions would be made by the club’s hierarchy.

The 61-year-old, who spent four years in Glasgow across two spells with the Hoops, claims that Neil Lennon was in this position and he made clear that he was against the model.

“I’m told Celtic want to make their new man a head coach, rather than a manager,” McAvennie said.

“There’s been players come into Celtic, players that have had nothing to do with Lennon, that’s not right.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

To speculate for a moment, you wonder if this may be an explanation for the silence around Eddie Howe’s prospective appointment.

It was reported at the start of the month that Celtic were on the verge of bringing in the former Bournemouth manger, but nearly three weeks on, uncertainty persists.

Another Football Insider report claimed that Crystal Palace had opened talks with Howe in a bid to hijack the deal. If they offer Howe more control, they may have a decisive advantage in keeping the 43-year-old in England.

In other news, McAvennie has urged Celtic to prioritise this managerial candidate.

West Ham United are one of the clubs who ‘have asked’ about Fiorentina goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski, according to Italian transfer journalist Nicolo Schira.

Schira reported back in February that Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund had expressed an interest.

But he’s now delivered an update, revealing that West Ham and their Premier League rivals Everton and Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race.

Dragowski’s contract at Fiorentina expires in 2023, Schira wrote, and the Serie A outfit are hopeful of agreeing an extension.

But an offer in the region of €20million could be enough to prise him away from the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

The lowdown on West Ham target Dragowski

Fiorentina signed Dragowski from Jagiellonia in Poland for a fee of £2.25million in 2016. Having spent time on loan at Empoli, Dragowski has racked up 85 Serie A appearances. In that time he’s conceded 131 goals and kept 18 clean sheets (via Transfermarkt).

The 23-year-old set a new Serie A record (via Football Italia) for saves in a single match at the back-end of the 2018/19 season. He made a quite frankly outrageous 17 stops as Atalanta miraculously failed to score against Empoli from 47 attempts on goal.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Dragowski may well have been identified as a potential successor to his compatriot Lukasz Fabianski, who has just turned 36 and is about to enter the final year of his contract at the London Stadium.

He could serve as no. 2 behind the veteran stopper next season as preparation for a handover, or even challenge him for the shirt given the mistakes that appear to be seeping into Fabianski’s game, such as against Newcastle.

Patience would be required, but given time we feel Dragowski could demonstrate his immense talent in East London.

In other news, West Ham are said to be keen on this forward.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes Jose Mourinho’s days in the Premier League could be over.

Clearly not pleased with how this season has gone, Daniel Levy made the shock call to remove Mourinho from his position as Tottenham manager just days before the Carabao Cup final.

It leaves the Portuguese coach needing to find a new job but, having already managed Chelsea twice, Manchester United and Spurs, his options in England look limited.

Bearing that in mind, unless he is willing to take over at a mid-table club, Hendrie thinks Mourinho could be done in the Premier League.

On the 58-year-old, the ex-Villa player told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I think Jose’s days in the Prem are certainly… well, I mean, he’s been at most of the top clubs in the Premier League and I think this time, he’s done himself no favours. Things haven’t quite worked out for him; let’s face it.

“He had a decent squad of players at Tottenham and there’s been a lot that’s gone on. I think there’s been stuff that went on at Manchester United beforehand, so I think his Premier League days [are over] unless he takes a punt at going to a mid-table club.”

As for Tottenham, they are being linked with another former Chelsea boss. According to various outlets, including Football Italia, the north London club are interested in Maurizio Sarri and have already contacted his representative Fali Ramadani.

The Italian spent just one season at Stamford Bridge, leading the Blues to the 2018/19 Europa League trophy, before departing for Juventus.

Darren Moore’s Sheffield Wednesday side have been handed a massive injury boost ahead of their crucial final game of the season on Saturday.

What’s the latest?

According to Jamie Smith, speaking in his pre-match press conference, both Chey Dunkley and Massimo Luongo could return to the matchday squad for the crunch match with Derby County this lunchtime.

Centre-back Dunkley has not played a minute of action since February because of a series of knocks, while midfielder Luongo has also been out since February due to separate muscle and knee injuries.

When discussing the current state of the Wednesday squad, the assistant manager said: “Joost [van Aken] will be out but there is a chance for Chey and Massimo to be involved. We don’t want to rush them back and put pressure on them, we’ll see how they react. We have no fresh injury worries.”

Double boost

Considering the magnitude of the fixture against Derby, with a defeat consigning the Owls to the third tier of English football, the news that two previously unavailable Wednesday players could be fit enough to feature in the match could come as a welcome fillip to Moore.

Despite having only played in 12 Championship fixtures this season, Luongo’s average SofaScore match rating of 6.75 is enough to rank him as the Owls’ 10th-best performer in the league. Meanwhile, the return of Dunkley could potentially allow Sam Hutchinson, who has been operating from centre-back in recent weeks, to return to his more natural central midfield role.

As such, regardless of whether or not the returning duo start the game, their presence on the bench would immediately provide Moore with more options, something which would appear to bode well ahead of such an important game this afternoon.

In other news: Encouraging update emerges on “excellent” SWFC star, Moore and fans will be buzzing – opinion

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan admits that he is disappointed by the form of Mateusz Klich, with his influence dipping as the season has progressed.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side suffered defeat last weekend, losing 2-0 at Brighton and failing to find their best form at the Amex Stadium. It was a frustrating afternoon for the Whites, who have little to play for between now and the end of the season, with no chance of relegation or finishing in the European places.

Klich started in midfield for Leeds, coming in for Kalvin Phillips, but he failed to stamp his authority on proceedings against the Seagulls, winning just three of his eight duels and giving the ball away 11 times (Sofascore).

The Polish midfielder scored seven goals and set up another five in 47 appearances last season, but has found the net just twice in 33 games this term (Transfermarkt).

Whelan critical of Klich performance

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan discussed a disappointing showing from Klich on Saturday, bemoaning his recent lack of impact. He said:

“I thought Klich was poor. He gave us no energy or stability in the midfield.

“What is wrong with him at the minute? I don’t know. He is not the same player he was a year ago though. It is quite bizarre. I’m struggling to get my head round how his form has dipped so badly.

“It is another reason why we need to go into the market this summer. We need more offensive midfielders. Klich’s performance against Brighton was the perfect example why.

“He is so ineffective in the midfield. He did not run past the defence, he hardly touched the ball, he did not make anything happen. Yves Bissouma bossed him all game to be quite frankly honest with you.”

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Transfer Tavern take

While Klich was undoubtedly below-par against Brighton, it is never easy for a player to be thrown in after a lack of playing time, so any criticism is slightly harsh. This was the Pole’s first start since early March, so it was arguably unfair to expect too much from him on the day.

That being said, Leeds can do better than Klich moving forward, bringing in a superior backup to Phillips – one who has more long-term potential than the 30-year-old.

He has been an excellent servant during his 140 appearances, but if the Whites are to reach another level, Bielsa needs to be ruthless with his squad.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly keen on signing an alternative to one player this summer. Read more here.

Head to the departure lounge at Glasgow Airport this summer and you might well see one of Celtic’s players heading for pastures new.

This has been a disastrous campaign for the Bhoys and consequently, they could do with a mass clear out.

Unfortunately for the Hoops, a few players’ futures could be taken out of their hands. The likes of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer look as though they could head to the Premier League while Ryan Christie is another to have been linked with a move south of the border.

There will, of course, be the exits of loan players heading back to their parent clubs too but one man who should also consider developing elsewhere is Mikey Johnston.

The 22-year-old broke through at Paradise a number of years ago now but he’s never made a consistent breakthrough into the first-team setup.

It’s been a difficult few years for Johnston whose lack of action has been to Celtic’s enormous success.

The Hoops won the title nine times on the trot and in the process, Johnston couldn’t find a way through.

It’s hardly surprising, though. James Forrest was a rampant force in 2019/20, scoring 16 goals and registering 22 assists. Christie also helped himself to over 30 goal involvements while Moi Elyounoussi enjoyed a productive first campaign in Scotland.

Injuries have also wreaked havoc with the young Scot’s game time. Not that Neil Lennon liked playing young players but he spent the best part of a year out with an MCL injury.

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Johnston missed the climax of last season and then had to wait until December to finally get back on the field.

Despite Celtic’s plight, he still hasn’t worked his way into the side. The winger has only started twice all campaign and hasn’t played a single minute under John Kennedy. Again, fitness concerns have dealt him a troublesome blow since Lennon departed.

On his day, the young attacker is a crafty player. He scored three goals in the space of two games during the 2018/19 campaign before injuries really started to impact him.

In the process, he was hailed by boisterous pundit Chris Sutton; “Is Mikey Johnston the new Ryan Christie? Celtic’s fringe players at the start of the season coming to the fore when it counts,” he said on social media at the time.

Unfortunately, just like Christie, he should face the exit door this summer.

Johnston may be contracted until 2025 but the idea of him making it at Celtic seems incredibly far-fetched. The 5 foot 9 winger hasn’t scored for the Hoops since December 2019 and is at the age now where he should be earning regular senior minutes.

That doesn’t look like it’ll ever happen at Celtic, especially if Karamoko Dembele’s terms don’t expire until next summer.

They need to prioritise the teenager’s development over someone who has spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch. Dominic McKay must do his best to find Johnston a new club, whether it be temporarily or permanently.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Forrest: Celtic must sign “breathtaking” 89-cap gem, he’s a “rare breed”…

After falling to a 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace last time out in the Premier League, Aston Villa will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Spurs on Wednesday night.

Dean Smith’s side took the lead on two separate occasions, before a late salvo from the Eagles saw the home side walk away with all three points at Selhurst Park.

The Villa boss did have some positives injury updates in his pre-match press conference ahead of tonight’s game against Spurs, and the fans will desperately be hoping the returns of a couple of key players can reverse their fortunes.

With that in mind, below is a look at how Villa might line up when they make the trip down to London to face Spurs.

In goal, Emi Martinez will be hoping to keep only his second clean sheet in his last 11 Premier League games, while the back-four should also the return of Tyrone Mings who the Villa boss revealed has a good chance of featuring from the off after missing the game against Palace with injury – that should see the 25-year-old Kortney Hause drop back to the bench.

Smith also confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Matty Cash will now miss the rest of the season, so Ahmed Elmohamady will keep his place at right-back.

Further ahead, the Villa boss could make some exciting changes.

With the FA Youth Cup final against Liverpool on Monday, it would be unlikely that any of Villa’s best young talent will feature in the final Premier League game of the season against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

And with that being the case, Smith may wish to hand out a debut to the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka who made the bench for the 3-2 defeat to Palace last time out.

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Chukwuemeka could be joined in the starting line-up by club captain Jack Grealish, who has made cameo appearances off the bench in the past couple of Premier League games.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Elmohamady, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Chukwuemeka, McGinn; Traore, Grealish, El Ghazi; Watkins.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith must drop this Villa liability tonight…