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Glasgow Rangers chiefs ‘met’ Francesco Farioli before appointing Michael Beale, according to The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell.

The Lowdown: Candidate roundabout

The Premiership giants announced QPR’s former boss as their new manager on Monday following Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s sacking earlier this month.

Prior to his appointment, several names were circulating as to who was in line for the job, including Steven Gerrard and Sean Dyche. However, an update has now emerged uncovering details of Ross Wilson coming face to face with a candidate who wouldn’t be as well-known in the UK.

The Latest: Rangers and Farioli talks

Taking to Twitter in sharing an article for The Athletic, Campbell revealed that the Light Blues held discussions with Farioli regarding the Ibrox vacancy prior to Beale’s appointment, but decided that he wasn’t quite ready to make the necessary step up.

The reporter tweeted: “Beale was the man Rangers chose but Alanyaspor manager Francesco Farioli was someone they met.

“The 33yo was Brighton boss De Zerbi’s GK coach at Sassuolo for two years before becoming a No1. He has a growing reputation but is considered one for [the] future.”

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The Verdict: Correct decision

Rangers making the decision to appoint Beale over Farioli was the right one given the latter’s lack of managerial experience, having only been in charge of 64 games so far.

The Italian’s preferred formation is also a 4-3-3 attacking setup, with this style of play and being on the front foot something which needs to be implemented on a more consistent basis at Ibrox.

Beale’s additional advantage was that he already knows the club having spent more than three years as a first-team coach under Steven Gerrard in Glasgow, so he definitely seems the best man for the job.

After their disappointing defeat to Leicester City over the weekend, it became abundantly clear that Everton were severely lacking additional firepower.

Although the midfield underperformed, and the front line looked toothless, what often hinders the Toffees most is their lack of offensive drive from the full-backs; especially in the absence of Nathan Patterson.

Seamus Coleman and Vitaliy Mykolenko were both solid against the Foxes, but a lack of speed and quality delivery holds them and the rest of the team back so much.

That could therefore explain Frank Lampard’s interest in Inter Milan left-back Robin Gosens, who could offer something completely different to the solid if unspectacular Ukrainian.

With the report suggesting competition from just Bayer Lervukusen, it should certainly be a doable deal for the Premier League giants.

In the German, who ordinarily has featured as a left midfielder for both Inter Milan and Atalanta, they would be gaining a versatile ace with a wide range of abilities.

Despite having yet to score or assist this Serie A campaign for the former, the £17.5m-rated talent still seems poised to travel with his nation to the upcoming World Cup. His powerful runs or silky dribbles could be the main factor behind that, as despite his lack of cutting edge the space he demands due to these drives would likely massively benefit his team.

He is averaging a 67% dribble success rate this season.

Having scored twice and assisted four during his 14 caps, he offers a huge creative threat as a bombing wing-back.

His displays have led Joachim Low to label him “amazing” after his side’s win over Portugal in Euro 2020, before journalist Josh Bunting suggested he had given Nelson Semedo “nightmares” in that encounter. There is every reason to believe he will once again find that level form in Qatar in a few weeks’ time.

Funnily enough, Gosens could once again provide that at Goodison Park.

Should the 28-year-old make the switch, Lampard will be hopeful of getting something close to his form at Atalanta, where he scored 29 and assisted 21 in 157 appearances.

This marks a huge improvement in Mykolenko, who has fewer goal contributions in his entire career thus far. 

For Lampard, this would add further depth to his squad which has shown in recent weeks just how lacking in game-changers they are. A tired performance against Leicester could not be altered despite all five substitutes being used.

With Gosens however, it would add further attacking prowess in an area that has gone without since the departure of Lucas Digne. Indeed, his eye-catching attacking ability could well give Premier League defences ‘nightmares’ if he moves to Merseyside this winter.

Crystal Palace could be set for an injury blow after Odsonne Edouard was forced off with an injury in last weekend’s game against Southampton.

What’s the word?

The Frenchman scored the only goal of the game at Selhurst Park to earn Patrick Vieira’s side all three points but it seems as if the former Celtic man could now be missing for the game against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Football.London confirmed yesterday afternoon that the striker would be a doubt for the game against the Hammers due to injury, writing:

“The Frenchman could be absent against West Ham. The striker was forced off 15 minutes from the end last Saturday after picking up a knock.”

Big blow for Palace

Edouard has enjoyed some strong recent form which has seen him contribute three goals and an assist in his last six appearances, so it would undoubtedly be a hefty blow for Vieira if he was missing on Sunday.

Only Wilfried Zaha has more goal contributions in the Eagles’ side this season which emphasises how important the 24-year-old has become in Palace’s side, with Jean-Philippe Mateta very much the second choice in Vieira’s thinking so far this campaign.

Since signing from the Hoops in the summer of 2021, Edouard has made 44 appearances for Palace, contributing ten goals and five assists, but he looks well on track to beat his tally of just six goals and three assists from the entirety of last campaign.

The young striker was certainly prolific during his time in Scotland, hitting 87 goals in 179 appearances for Celtic, which led Neil Lennon to praise him after scoring in a 3-0 win over Hamilton back in 2020.

He said: “He’s scored goals in cup finals, he’s scored goals in big games from the penalty spot and he took it brilliantly today. He looked far more like himself today and I thought he was magnificent. He’s a joy to watch at times, so he’s had a good day as well.”

While Edouard is yet to show that he can be a consistent goalscorer for Palace in the top flight, his recent displays have been very promising and Vieira will no doubt be gutted if he isn’t fit for the game against the Hammers this weekend.

Since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have rarely got it wrong when it comes to recruitment thanks to the work of both the German coach and the Reds’ highly-rated former sporting director Michael Edwards.

The powers at Anfield struck gold when building their formidable team featuring the likes of Alisson Becker, Mohammed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane, winning almost every trophy available to them over the last seven years including the club’s first Premier League title in 2020.

However, it wasn’t always this way. During the 2000s, Liverpool missed out on potential team-changing transfers on many occasions, which cost them dominance and their ability to win a league title sooner rather than later.

One amazing player who the Reds lost their chance to secure in 2006 was Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic, with the player opening up about his failed move to Anfield recently.

Speaking to FourFourTwo (via The Daily Star), the now retired centre-back admitted that he had conversations with then-Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, saying: “Yes. Rafa Benitez [then-Liverpool boss] called me and I nearly went there. I was interested in going. My English wasn’t good and I was struggling to communicate.”

“Then Manchester United came. Fergie called me at my apartment and said: ‘I watched you play for Serbia against France – I want you here’. United were decisive. Everything was done very quickly, within two days.”

The Serbian star tallied up 300 appearances in total for Liverpool’s biggest Premier League rivals and became the lynchpin in United’s latest era of dominance, with the highly-rated defender winning five Premier League titles, one Champions League and three League Cups during his eight years at Old Trafford.

In a 2019 Twitter poll by Sky Sports News, Vidic was voted the greatest centre-back in Premier League history, pipping Liverpool’s Van Dijk in a head-to-head with 54.5% of the votes, which is a credit to what he achieved whilst leading the back line for Manchester United.

Indeed, Vidic has been the recipient of the highest praise over the years for his outstanding contributions to the Red Devils, with former team-mate Paul Scholes hailing the player “unbeatable”.

Furthermore, Rio Ferdinand – the Serbian’s main centre-back partner as they formed one of the greatest centre-back duos that the Premier League has ever seen, gushed: “He became a defender that was feared. He could fight with the most physical, he crunched into tackles, he attacked the ball better than anyone I’ve ever seen. But as he will tell you with a smile, he could also play with the ball too, which made him complete and a great defender.”

With that being said, there is no doubt that Benitez had an absolute howler by not signing Vidic for Liverpool when he had the chance, and it will certainly be one of the missed opportunities that the Spaniard will surely regret in hindsight as he ultimately allowed Man United to sign a force of nature.

Aston Villa’s form has fluctuated all season, with the 0-0 draw against Leeds United yesterday bringing them back down to earth following a win in their previous match.

Steven Gerrard’s side currently occupies 14th spot in the Premier League table and European football appears to be slipping away with each passing match.

However, it isn’t all doom and gloom at Villa Park, with the club unearthing one of their brightest academy products in the last few seasons, and his career is really beginning to take off.

Jacob Ramsey could make Villa a fortune

Ramsey has been at Villa since he was just six years old and has progressed through the ranks with a talent destined to make him shine in the Premier League.

The 21-year-old first came to prominence by scoring 11 goals in just 26 appearances in the U18 Premier League between 2017 and 2019, offering glimpses of his potential and displaying a natural goalscoring ability.

A productive loan spell at Doncaster in 2019/2020 – netting a dream double on his debut for the club – gave Ramsey all the confidence he needed to shine at the highest level.

His previous two full seasons have seen the midfielder make 62 appearances for Villa, chipping in with six goals and two assists and he is now a fully-fledged member of Gerrard’s team.

The CIES Football Observatory now values the Englishman at an eye-watering €50m (£43m) and with every good performance, this value will surely rise and the club could make an absolute fortune from the player in the next few years, much as they did with a certain Jack Grealish.

With Ramsey recently signing a new contract taking him to 2027, earning £70k-per-week, Gerrard will be able to use this to his advantage if a bigger club came in for him, with Liverpool seemingly taking an interest in the midfielder earlier this year.

Last season saw Ramsey achieve a rating of 6.9 via SofaScore for his performances in the league, ranking him in the top ten out of the Villa squad.

He ended the campaign with six goals, with only Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins finding the net more often. He also completed 63% of his attempted dribbles and made two tackles per match, proving how he has developed into the complete midfielder, being able to contribute either offensively or defensively to significant effect.

After scoring a brace against Leeds last season, he was dubbed a “hometown hero” and it certainly looks like he could be an integral part of this Villa side for years to come.

They just need to hope they can hold on to him for long enough to generate a mammoth fee, something his current market value suggests will be possible.

Tottenham Hotspur could soon hand a start to rarely-selected summer signing Yves Bissouma, according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson.

The Lowdown: Spurs off to a flying start…

Spurs are off to a flying start as they remain unbeaten in both the Premier League and Champions League so far this season.

Indeed, over their first six league matches, Antonio Conte’s side have four wins and two draws to show for their efforts, and that has been followed up by a hard-fought Group D win over Ligue 1 giants Marseille this week.

Conte has largely stuck with the same XI, particularly in midfield, where both Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur have established themselves as mainstays.

The Latest: Bissouma backed for start…

Speaking to Football Insider, former Lilywhites keeper Robinson has backed Conte to potentially start summer signing Bissouma in the Champions League next week.

So far, the Mali international has started just one league game, with the vast majority of his limited 116 minutes coming off the bench (WhoScored). However, Robinson believes that Conte’s nod for the player will come and it could even be next week in Europe.

He explained: “We will see now if Conte can rotate his squad effectively.

“That is one thing in the past that he has struggled with. He has not been consistent in both the league and Champions League. Can he effectively turnaround a team from midweek to the weekend?

“With the strength and depth and the size of squad he has now, I believe he will. There is the ability there to rotate players. They can play the same system.

“Whether it is this weekend or the Champions League next week, Conte has to rotate the players. Bissouma will come in against Man City [now postponed] or in the Champions League next week.

“Spurs would not lose anything by starting Bissouma because he is of equal ability. That is the beauty of it.”

The Verdict: Hand him a chance…

Bissouma was one of Brighton’s best-performing players last season, prompting Spurs to sign him permanently in an astute deal worth £25m plus add-ons.

Lauded as an ‘exciting’ player by former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips, Conte must surely gamble, use his strength in depth and grant Bissouma to showcase his quality at some point.

While that won’t come this weekend, with the City game now postponed, surely their next Champions League outing or even Leicester City at home would be a prime opportunity.

Glasgow Rangers have enjoyed a busy summer transfer window of business coming in and out of Ibrox over the last few months.

Ross Wilson has brought in a host of new recruits and sanctioned the sales of Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey to fund their own deals.

One player who the club must now look to move on before the deadline next month is outcast Fashion Sakala, as he has found himself out of favour.

The winger has not played a single competitive minute this season as he has been forced to watch the likes of Antonio Colak, Tom Lawrence, Malik Tillman and Rabbi Matondo – who all joined the club this summer – play ahead of him.

Journalist Josh Bunting once dubbed him “very raw” and “erratic” and his unrefined quality may be the reason behind van Bronckhorst’s decision to move him down the pecking order.

Whilst he scored nine goals in the Premiership, his performances in the Europa League were concerning as his lack of conviction in the final third let him down. In 11 outings in the competition, Sakala failed to score or assist a single goal for the Light Blues as he missed two ‘big chances’ and only provided two key passes.

This shows that his raw and erratic style did not allow him to make the step up to playing in Europe, which may have caused alarm bells to ring in the manager’s head with Champions League football on offer for the club this season.

It has been reported that the dynamo is set to stay at Ibrox after Burnley pulled out of a deal to sign him but van Bronckhorst could change his mind and sanction a sale if the club are able to bring in a replacement.

Genk winger Theo Bongonda could be that player to come in and allow Rangers to cash in on Sakala as he has been linked with a £6m (€7m) switch to Glasgow this summer and has caught the eye in Belgium.

In the last two Pro League campaigns, the winger has racked up a sublime 28 goals and ten assists in 57 starts as he has proven that he has the quality to be a match-winner. He can score or assist goals on a regular basis and that means that he has the potential to win games for the Light Blues.

Although, the Genk man does not boast a wealth of experience in Europe – with three assists and seven key passes in nine starts across the Champions League and Europa League.

It may be a small sample size but it is impressive in comparison to Sakala’s statistics and that, along with his phenomenal form in Belgium, suggests that he could be an excellent replacement for the attacker and that is why they must swoop for him.

He could add more quality in Europe, creatively, than the Zambia international and he could have a greater impact in the Premiership if he can translate his form in the Pro League over to Scotland.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a surprise move this week…

What’s the word?

With less than four weeks to go in the summer transfer window, reports from Italian outlet Calciomercatoweb suggest that Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici has offered Japhet Tanganga to Paris Saint-Germain in a swap deal for midfielder Leandro Paredes.

Serie A giants Juventus are hugely keen on the Argentina international but Antonio Conte’s side have now emerged with interest.

The Old Lady must ship Athur Melo out before they can make their move, whilst the Lilywhites are tempting Christophe Galtier with a defender that has future potential.

Lo Celso 2.0

Paredes isn’t exactly what Spurs need or should want.

It’s thought that manager Antonio Conte is after a playmaking talent capable of bringing some much-needed creativity to his midfield and the PSG man would struggle to deliver that in north London.

Across 113 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions, Paredes has only managed to lay on eight assists at an average of one every 884 minutes – nearly once every ten games, as per Transfermarkt.

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The Argentine is pretty good on the ball, however, having averaged 97.81 passes per 90, which sees him rank amongst the top 1% of his positional peers across Europe. He also sits within the top 15% for progressive passes (5.46 per 90), via FBref.

But Spurs have been here before.

Argentinian; midfielder; former PSG man?

That very much sounds like Giovani Lo Celso and that experiment failed dismally. After costing a club record-equalling £55m from LaLiga outfit Real Betis three years ago, the 26-year-old has only been able to muster up six assists from 84 appearances, averaging one every 766 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

Paredes, who has previously been lauded as the “ultimate midfielder” by WhoScored co-founder Cristiano Acconi, may well just be the second coming of Lo Celso at Hotspur Way and that’s a worrying prospect indeed.

Also described as “smart, technical, aggressive” by former PSG star Fabrice Pancrate, the Argentine’s eye-watering £148k-per-week wages are another discoruaging factor of why Paratici and his recruitment team should avoid completing this deal.

All in all, the Italian supremo risks disaster if he folows through with his interest in Paredes, he’s the last thing Conte needs right now.

AND in other news, Paratici could sign Conte his own Frenkie de Jong in Spurs swoop for “incredible” 5 ft 10 gem…

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper wants to sign Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White this summer, according to a fresh transfer claim.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-White linked with Forest

The future of the 22-year-old has been a big talking point of late, with his current club offering him a new deal but the youngster unsure of what his next move should be.

Forest are one of the clubs who are thought to be in the conversation to sign Gibbs-White this summer, with the midfielder enjoying an excellent loan spell at Sheffield United last term.

It is a saga which could rumble on, but it seems clear that Cooper sees him as a primary target.

The Latest: Positive update emerges

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Jacques Talbot confirmed that the Forest manager wants to sign Gibbs-White ahead of the start of the new season, having worked with him at Swansea City.

The reporter stated:

“I think especially with Gibbs-White, there’s something there.

“And you look at Gibbs-White, and you look at his great relationship with Steve Cooper, who worked together at Swansea, and the player wants to move, and Steve Cooper wants to bring him in.”

The Verdict: Perfect Forest target

Gibbs-Whites could be a fantastic signing by Forest, possessing a huge amount of natural ability and waiting to explode as a regular for a Premier League side.

The 22-year-old’s technical ability and end product from midfield are assets that Cooper will believe can take his team up a gear – he scored 12 goals and chipped in with 10 assists in the Championship last season – and he would also represent a long-term acquisition at the City Ground.

The reports that Wolves are keen to keep hold of Gibbs-White say a lot about his quality, and Forest could be signing a gem of a player if they manage to get a deal over the line.

An update has emerged on Sunderland and their interest in Daniel Ballard during the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, the Black Cats are one of the teams pursuing a deal to sign the centre-back for the 2022/23 campaign as Kristjaan Speakman plots a swoop for the 22-year-old.

The report claims that a number of Championship sides are now looking at the Arsenal man as a target after Burnley pulled out of the race.

Vincent Kompany’s outfit agreed a fee with the Gunners and the player arrived to complete a medical before the move broke down due to personal terms.

Alex Neil needs him badly

Speakman must get a deal over the line for the defender in the coming weeks as he would be an excellent, much-needed, addition to the squad.

Journalist Josh Bunting has claimed that the machine would be an “outstanding” player for the club and explained why the head coach needs him, tweeting: “Good ball player out from the back something that Alex Neil requires in a player of that position.”

The gem has proven that he has the quality to be a consistent performer in the Championship after an impressive season on loan at Millwall.

In the 2021/22 campaign, Ballard averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.95 across 31 appearances as he established himself as a regular fixture at the back.

He made 3.5 tackles and interceptions and 3.4 clearances per game as he showcased his ability to read the game and his positioning week-in-week-out in the second tier. The youngster also showed off his physical strength as he won 64% of his duels throughout the campaign – dominating the opposition the majority of the time.

Ballard also caught the eye in the recent international break as he impressed in the Nations League for Northern Ireland. In three games for his country, he averaged a brilliant SofaScore rating of 7.17 and won a whopping 72% of his duels.

The 22-year-old also completed 88% of his attempted passes and has proven that he can be reliable in possession of the ball. As Bunting pointed out, Neil needs a centre-back who can pass the ball and Ballard has shown that he can do that, whilst also being a strong defender at Championship level.

Therefore, the head coach needs him badly as he would be a superb signing to bolster his options at the back and Speakman must now work hard to get a deal done.

AND in other news: Speakman eyeing SAFC swoop for “fabulous” £5.1k-p/w titan, just imagine him & Batth…