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Journalist Pete O’Rourke has offered his thoughts on Glasgow Rangers and the future of one of their key midfielders…

What’s the word?

The reporter has stated that Giovanni van Bronckhorst could end up selling Glen Kamara before the transfer window shuts, with the Premiership club valuing him at £10m amid a host of potential suitors lining up to sign the player.

The player was left out of the squad to face Hibernian last week as Ligue 1 club Nice ramped up their interest.

Speaking to Football FanCast, O’Rourke said: “Obviously Nice have been busy this summer window, bringing in some big signings in the likes of Schmeichel and Aaron Ramsey so Glen Kamara I’m sure it would be an attractive option for him to go to the Ligue 1 club as well.

“So it all comes down to price and Giovanni van Bronckhorst thinks it’s a good deal it’s something that Rangers might end up doing.”

It would be a big mistake

Since joining Rangers from Dundee in January 2019, Kamara was a mainstay in the Light Blues’ midfield under Steven Gerrard as they claimed the Premiership title for the 55th time in 2021, failing to get on the pitch only five times during that campaign.

The former Gers boss referred to Kamara as a “monster” not long after he arrived at Ibrox and the 26-year-old soon displayed his talents.

Since the Dutchman took over last November, he has utilised the Finnish midfielder more in European matches (he featured in every match under Van Bronckhorst in Europe), whereas he missed seven domestic fixtures.

The 47-year-old tweaked the tactics slightly when arriving at the club last year, and although Kamara was a focal point in European matches against tougher opposition, domestically there wasn’t as much of a requirement for his abilities.

Although a fee of £10m is being touted, it could be a big mistake to let his European experience go, especially with the club qualifying for the Champions League group stage.

In last season’s thrilling Europa League run, Kamara excelled in helping Rangers to reach the final. He made 0.6 key passes and 1.2 interceptions and was only dribbled past 0.4 times per match, showing his defensive acumen in the middle of the park.

The 26-year-old also completed 60% of his dribbles and won 56% of his total duels, proving that he isn’t shy in getting forward as much as possible to support attacks and is strong when it comes to one-to-one battles.

Selling a player for £10m after signing him for just £50k three-and-a-half years ago constitutes excellent business, but with the vast Champions League riches adorning the Ibrox coffers, it’s a move that the club doesn’t need to make.

Celtic have reportedly been forced to pull out of a deal for St Mirren teenager Dylan Reid, having been heavily linked with the midfielder throughout the window.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Old Firm outfit’s move for the 17-year-old has collapsed after the two clubs failed to agree a fee for the highly-rated prospect, with the deal now said to be ‘off the table’.

The Glasgow side had seemingly only recently revived their interest in the youngster, with the player having previously snubbed the move to Parkhead despite an offer of around £125k having been accepted at the time.

Blow for Postecoglou

Although that move would likely have been with one eye on the future, it still represents a notable blow for the champions to miss out on such an exciting prospect so late in the day, with manager Ange Postecoglou likely to be gutted at the collapse of the deal.

While Reid has made just a handful of senior appearances to date, he has clearly caught the eye of those at his current club in recent times, with chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick having tipped him to be a “special player” in the years to come.

It is no doubt testament to his quality that the £225k-rated ace has already been involved at first-team level at such a young age, having notably played the full 90 minutes when the two sides met back in December.

Postecoglou and co clearly liked what they saw of the Kilbirnie-born starlet in that display, with it likely to be a real source of frustration that they have been unable to agree a fee to bring him to Celtic Park.

It could well come back to bite them if the emerging prospect goes on to sparkle elsewhere in the future, with the Hoops potentially set to be left rueing their failure to get a deal over the line, particularly with the fee unlikely to have been one that would break the bank.

At a time when Celtic have had to see their own promising talents poached – including the likes of Ben Doak and Leo Hjelde who have departed over the past year – it would no doubt have been a huge boost to be able to snap up a sparkling youngster of their own in the form of Reid.

Manchester City are interested in signing Barcelona starlet Gavi, according to journalist Graeme Bailey.

The Lowdown: Gavi’s contract

Having emerged as a regular in the Catalan outfit’s midfield last season, the 18-year-old has become a crucial component in Xavi’s starting XI.

However, the youngster has entered the final year of his contract, which is set to expire at the end of June 2023.

According to 90min, Gavi had agreed to sign a new long-term deal with Barcelona earlier this year, but the club’s financial issues meant this was no longer viable a few months back and frustration is mounting in the player’s camp.

The Latest: Bailey’s news

Bailey has now shared an update on Gavi’s contract situation, revealing a number of Premier League teams are eyeing up a move for the Spain international.

Taking to Twitter, the journalist revealed:

“Barcelona confident Gavi contract agreement is close despite fresh transfer interest.

“Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool would all love to take brilliant Spaniard and have made it known.”

The attached report reveals City are one of several teams to hold ‘meetings’ about a deal.

The Verdict: Huge talent

When looking at the 18-year-old’s underlying stats, it is clear to see why so many English clubs are interested in securing the his signature.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, Gavi ranks in the 97th percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area, in the 94th percentile for progressive passes received and in the 92nd percentile for dribbles completed, characteristics which may remind Blues fans of a certain David Silva.

Barcelona boss Xavi has been full of praise for the youngster in recent times, hailing his ‘spectacular’ ability and maturity within the game.

He even claimed Gavi is ‘a heart with legs’, as he puts so much intensity and passion into his play.

If the Spaniard fails to sign a new deal with the La Liga giants, Man City should do all they can to bring him to the Etihad.

With Leeds United not back in Premier League action until October, Jesse Marsch allowed a number of his first-team stars to feature for the Whites’ under-21 side on Friday evening, with Michael Skubala’s outfit facing Southampton in Premier League 2.The likes of Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper, Junior Firpo, Darko Gyabi and Patrick Bamford all featured in the game at Elland Road, and perhaps unsurprisingly when taking into account the experience within the team, the Whites ran out comfortable 6-2 victors.While Bamford’s 49-minute hat-trick was undoubtedly one of the biggest talking points of the game, it was 20-year-old forward Crysencio Summerville, who was the real show-stealer under the Friday night lights in LS11.Having been on the periphery of Marsch’s first team so far this season, the Netherlands under-21 international made a real statement to the 48-year-old – who would no doubt have been watching on – with a dazzling display against the Saints.Indeed, the £2.7m-rated winger terrorised left-back Matty Carson all evening with his incredible dribbling ability, finishing the match with three assists to his name, winning the penalty for Bamford’s second strike and scoring an extremely well-taken goal of his own to put the Whites 2-0 up.Stealing the ball from Ryan Finnigan in the middle of the park, Summerville drove towards the Saints’ backline and used Wilfried Gnonto’s clever decoy run to trick right-back Lewis Payne into thinking he would pass, before he cooly slotted past Matt Hall between the Southampton sticks – with the commentator dubbing him a “speed merchant” after his snaking run.

Following the match, Leeds Live journalist William Jackson heaped considerable praise on the £8.4k-per-week talent, awarding the flying Dutchman a nine in his player ratings.

The reporter stated of Summerville’s performance: “Clearly too good for this level. He bullied Southampton’s left-back all night with his ball control and skill. Scored Leeds’ second of the game with a smart finish before winning the penalty that led to Bamford’s second of the game.”

As such, considering just how exceptional the 20-year-old was on Friday night, it would not be surprising to see Summerville handed a start for Marsch’s first-team before too long, as the winger is undeniably an extremely exciting prospect.

Glasgow Rangers appointed Giovanni van Bronckhorst to take over in the dugout at Ibrox in November of 2021 after they lost Steven Gerrard to a club south of the border.

Ross Wilson backed the Dutch head coach in his first window in charge of the Gers by snapping up Aaron Ramsey, Amad Diallo, and James Sands on loan, whilst also signing Mateusz Zukowski on a permanent basis and John Souttar on a pre-contract agreement.

The Rangers sporting director was also able to dodge an error in January as he did not follow up on interest in Scottish winger Siriki Dembele.

It was reported that the Light Blues, along with their Old Firm rivals Celtic, were monitoring the attacker’s situation as his contract at Peterborough was set to expire at the end of the season.

Wilson opted to avoid a deal for the winger and English Championship side Bournemouth ended up signing him on deadline day for an undisclosed fee, although it had been claimed that Birmingham were readying an offer of £1.5m – offering an insight into the kind of money that may have been involved.

On paper, it looked like a promising signing for the Cherries as he had caught the eye whilst playing in East Anglia in the 18 months prior to that. He had scored five goals and provided one assist in 22 second-tier outings for the Posh, after racking up an outstanding 11 goals and ten assists in 38 League One starts in 2020/21.

Peterborough chief Barry Fry previously lauded the winger’s ability, telling Football FanCast: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.

“He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the [English] Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse! So watch this space.”

However, he struggled to make a significant impact as he scored two goals and provided one assist in 13 Championship appearances for Scott Parker’s side.

His lack of form for Bournemouth in their promotion-winning campaign has led to him being an outcast in their current Premier League battles. He is yet to make a single appearance for the club in any competition this term, despite not dealing with any injury issues.

The 26-year-old has been cast aside at the Vitality Stadium and his disappointing spell with the south coast club suggests that Wilson played a blinder by deciding not to bring him to Ibrox back in January.

Dembele’s lack of end product in the final third after stepping up to the Championship in England suggests that he is not cut out to play at a higher level, with Bournemouth seemingly feeling that he is not Premier League quality.

Therefore, the Gers chief dodged a bullet by avoiding a swoop for the attacker as his statistics indicate that he would not have added a great deal to the Light Blues squad, judging by his lack of goals and assists.

Southampton continued their slump in form on Saturday, as they fell to defeat against a travelling Everton side.

They have now lost three on the run and have only won once in the Premier League in their last five.

It marks a continuation of poor form for Ralph Hasenhuttl, who will be starting to worry about his job security. His Saints team now sit in 15th, with every team below them holding a game in hand.

Despite taking the lead through Joe Aribo, a double salvo from the Toffees stunned the home side, and despite late pressure, they could not get past the staunch defending from the visitors.

One man who certainly hindered their attacking play was Sekou Mara, who started in one of the four fluid attacking roles.

The Frenchman was a passenger, and at times it felt like they were a man down. He had just 15 touches – considerably fewer than goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu’s 40 – before understandably being dragged off after 60 minutes.

Despite his lack of time on the ball, when he did get it, he seemed to ruin most attacks too. He did not manage a single shot on target and had a miserable pass accuracy of 71%. This was only from his seven attempted passes too.

Hasenhuttl is often a manager who likes his whole side to work hard, and whilst Mara was far from potent up front, had he contributed defensively his poor day at the office could have been excused.

However, he was just as toothless with his defending too, as he lost 75% of his eight duels, ceding possession of the ball four times in the process.

This miserable display culminated in his early withdrawal and a SofaScore rating of 6.8. However, his statistics and all-around display throughout the game suggest that might actually have been kind to the 20-year-old.

Perhaps Hasenhuttl will have to rethink his selection in the future, with particular focus on Mara following his disasterclass.

After taking the lead, they stood a real chance at taking all three points. But a lack of any real cutting edge and a few minutes of madness led them to yet another defeat.

Newcastle United are currently relishing in their club-record capture of Sweden international Alexander Isak, with the striker having enjoyed a promising start to life at St James’ Park after arriving at the club late in the window.

There could well have been another high-profile centre-forward addition for Eddie Howe and co prior to that, however, with reports last winter suggesting that the Tynesiders had made a staggering €100m (£88m) bid to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina.

Despite that firm interest, the towering marksman ultimately sealed a move to fellow Serie A outfit Juventus, during the winter window, joining the Old Lady for a reported fee of around £66.6m amid interest from other Premier League clubs.

The 22-year-old had warranted such interest as a result of his sparkling form in Florence prior to that, having scored 49 goals in just 108 games for the club in all competitions, including 17 goals in just 21 league games at the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

While there have been frustrations since his move to Turin – with journalist Emmet Gates dubbing him a “Ferrari being driven like a Fiat” as a result of Max Allegri failing to get the best out of him – the 6 foot 3 machine has still delivered the goods, scoring 13 goals in just 29 games thus far.

That respectable tally includes a haul of four goals in just six league games so far this term, with the aforementioned Isak only registering two goals in his three top-flight outings to date for the northeast side.

A “generational talent” – in the words of Gates – Vlahovic appears a player destined for greatness in the years to come, with it seemingly a notable setback that Newcastle were unable to secure his services earlier this year.

The £224k-per-week man could potentially have been a better fit than that man Isak, having outperformed the Swede in certain metrics over the past year.

Vlahovic, for instance, ranks in the top 10% for non-penalty goals among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, while the Magpies star ranks in just the bottom 30% for the same metric, potentially showcasing the latter man’s reliance on his spot-kick prowess.

Equally, the Allianz Stadium starlet also ranks in the top 10% for progressive passes received – showcasing his ability to be in the right place for his teammates – while Isak ranks in just the top 37% for the same metric.

While Howe and co are likely delighted at having secured the services of their new addition, they may well have had an even better talent on their hands had the Serbian star made the switch instead in January.

West Ham United would have taken Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher on loan this summer, according to Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge.

The Lowdown: Summer interest

After impressing whilst on loan at Selhurst Park last season, numerous Premier League teams were keen on luring the 22-year-old away from his boyhood club during the summer transfer window.

Crystal Palace reportedly submitted a £27m bid for the England international, whilst Newcastle United and the Hammers also eyed a move for the midfield playmaker.

The Latest: Bridge’s claim

Bridge believes the Irons would have been keen to bring Gallagher to the London Stadium on loan this summer if the chance had arisen.

However, despite showing glimpses of his quality at Stamford Bridge this season, the Chelsea man has struggled to hit the ground running.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the Sky Sports reporter claimed:

“In the Leeds and Leicester games he was trying too hard, and you could see that against Leicester when he got sent off. Against, Leeds he was played out of position and part of a bad team performance all round. You can tell he’s got a great attitude. He didn’t want to go back on loan. A number of Premier League clubs would have taken him on loan. I think West Ham would have taken him as well.”

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The Verdict: Promising talent

Former Blues manager Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for the progress Gallagher made whilst at the Eagles last season, having claimed his development was ‘extraordinary and outstanding’.

Rated as Palace’s best performing player in the Premier League last season, the 22-year-old averaged 1.5 shots, 1.3 dribbles and 1.1 key passes per game (via WhoScored).

Consequently, it is a shame to see the youngster somewhat struggling at Chelsea this season. Having featured in the Blues’ starting XI four times this campaign, Gallagher’s performances have been up and down throughout, having grabbed his first goal contribution against Crystal Palace last weekend.

Therefore, a loan move to a team like West Ham would have ensured weekly starts and European appearances, which could have been huge to the midfielder’s development at the top level.

Arsenal enjoyed something of a clearout at The Emirates in the summer transfer window, with Edu moving a number of the Gunners’ deadwood onto pastures new, including Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Bernd Leno, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi.

However, while the latter of this sextet never looked to be a favourite of Mikel Arteta’s – starting just eight games under the Spaniard in 2019/20, before being shipped out on loan to Hertha BSC in 2020/21 and Olympique de Marseille in 2021/22 – Edu’s decision to include a £9m purchase clause in his loan to France appears to have been a big mistake by the technical director.

Indeed, after joining Les Phoceens on a temporary basis in the summer of 2021, Guendouzi highly impressed over his 38 Ligue 1 appearances last season, scoring four goals, providing six assists and creating six big chances, as well as making an average of 0.9 key passes, 1.2 tackles and winning 4.3 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per game.

These returns saw the 23-year-old average a fantastic SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Jorge Sampaoli’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of French football last season – playing a key role in Marseille’s extremely impressive second-place finish in the league last time out.

And, after the French club activated the midfielder’s purchase clause this summer, the £43m-rated talent has once again caught the eye over his ten Ligue 1 fixtures in the current campaign, having already scored one goal, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates – with these metrics seeing the 23-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.95.

However, it has undoubtedly been the France international’s four appearances in the Champions League in which he has most impressed this term, bagging one goal, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 0.5 key passes and winning 2.0 duels – at a success rate of 62% – per game.

These returns have seen the £40k-per-week player who Jack Mendel once dubbed “unreal” average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.03, currently ranking him as Igor Tudor’s sixth-best player in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

As such, considering his remarkable returns in France, the fact he now boasts a market valuation 338% higher than the figure Arsenal sold him for and Mohamed Elneny’s injury having left Arteta with only Thomas Partey as a senior option in defensive midfield, it is clear to see that selling Guendouzi for such a minimal fee this summer has proven something of a shocker for Edu.

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a move in 2023 for Borussia Dortmund striker Youssoufa Moukoko.

The Lowdown: Rising star

At just 17 years of age, Moukoko is one of the rising stars of the game. He became the youngest ever scorer in the Bundesliga at just 16 years and 28 days, netting for Dortmund in a 2-1 loss at Union Berlin in the 2020/21 season.

He has now made more than 50 appearances for the German heavyweights, with more than 10 goal contributions, including scoring in the 2-2 draw at home to Bayern Munich in the league earlier this month (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Klopp ‘blown away’

As per Football Insider, Liverpool have set their sights on a move for Moukoko in 2023 and are keeping close tabs on him. His contract expires in the summer, with reports that talks over a new deal have been delayed.

Jurgen Klopp is believed to be particularly ‘blown away’ by Moukoko’s impact at his former club at such a young age, but he will face competition from other Premier League rivals, along with Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona for his signature.

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The Verdict: Exciting

Moukoko would certainly be an exciting for Liverpool supporters if the Reds can get a deal done in 2023.

Hailed as ‘amazing’ by former Dortmund striker and now Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland, the 17-year-old has an extremely high ceiling, and the fact that he is already featuring regularly for a club of Dortmund’s stature is testament to how much talent he has.

Klopp seems to be taken back by him in particular, and the 55-year-old would surely relish the chance to work with him alongside attackers such as Mo Salah and Luis Diaz.