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Rangers’ title hopes suffered a hammer blow on Sunday as they lost 2-1 to their Glasgow arch-rivals at Ibrox.

Aaron Ramsey put Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side in front after just three minutes, but Tom Rogic quickly pegged the hosts back before Cameron Carter-Vickers scored what proved to be the winner shortly before half-time.

The defeat leaves Rangers six points adrift of the league-leading Hoops with just six games left to play.

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Here at The Transfer Tavern, we delve into the three worst-rated starting outfielders for the Gers as per statistical specialists SofaScore, with players required to feature for at least 45 minutes for ranking. This trio were dribbled past six times and collectively lost possession 60 times on an afternoon to forget.

Leon Balogun – 6.4/10

Balogun made just his second league start in the Gers’ last seven matches, but the figures suggest that he failed to deliver on the big occasion.

He lost half of his ground duels (two out of four) and half of his aerial battles (four out of eight), with Celtic players able to dribble past him on two occasions. He also gave away possession 12 times and misplaced 10 of the 52 passes that he attempted (nearly 20%).

John Lundstram – 6.6/10

Unlike Balogun, Lundstram has been very much in favour recently, with this his sixth start in seven league matches. Perhaps his place in the team won’t be as secure after this showing, though.

The headline for the midfielder was that he made the error leading to Carter-Vickers’ goal. The former Sheffield United man was unable to clear, and Rangers were duly punished.

Beyond that, he was dribbled past once, lost three ground duels (42.8%) and turned the ball over 10 times.

James Tavernier 6.7/10

Gers captain Tavernier is generally one of the first names on the teamsheet but he didn’t quite make the impact that he would have desired on Sunday.

The right-back gave the ball away a whopping 38 times, at least 15 more than anybody else on the pitch, while only two of the 17 crosses he attempted during the game were accurate.

Unfortunately, he also led the way in the undesirable ‘dribbled past’ stakes (on three) and lost eight of his 15 duels overall (53%).

In other news, Rangers have also been dealt an off-field blow.

Rangers have a mountain to climb at Ibrox next week after they lost 1-0 in the first leg of their European quarter-final on Thursday night.

The Gers were unable to fly out of the traps in the same way that they did in their last two Europa League ties as Gio van Bronckhorst’s men were caught out by the quality of their opponents.

Braga thought they had taken the lead in the opening half an hour when Horta’s shot deflected in off James Tavernier, but a VAR check allowed the referee to spot a foul on Ryan Jack and the goal was swiftly disallowed.

It was second time lucky for the hosts 10 minutes later, though, as Leon Balogun failed to clear his lines and Abel Ruiz pounced to fire past Allan McGregor. Rangers could not find a way back into the game and will now need to turn it around in Glasgow in the second leg.

In the absence of the injured Alfredo Morelos, Fashion Sakala was handed the opportunity to start through the middle as Van Bronckhorst’s number nine. He had the chance to make the position his own for the rest of the season with a strong showing in Portugal but failed to make the most of it as he struggled badly throughout the night.

The attacker was dreadful and surely left the Dutchman scratching his head over what to do in that role with Morelos out for the foreseeable future. Kemar Roofe was disappointing against Celtic last weekend and now Sakala has let him down against Braga, with no other recognised strikers in the squad on Thursday night.

Off the ball, the Zambian was unable to cause any real problems for the opposition. As per SofaScore, he lost 100% of his duels as he came out second-best in all seven of his aerial battles and also his three on the ground, which shows that he was physically dominated throughout the game.

Sakala was also abysmal in possession. As per SofaScore, he only completed three passes at a success rate of 43%, whilst giving the ball every once every 1.8 touches (11/20). He did not create a single chance for his team-mates and missed both of his attempted shots, with one of them going down as a ‘big chance’.

Therefore, the 25-year-old failed Van Bronckhorst’s big test as he was unable to prove that he is capable of effectively leading the line for the Gers in Europe, struggling in and out of possession all night.

AND in other news, Smith endured big Rangers howler over “world-class” £7.5m gem who was “admired by all”…

Everton have made a breakthrough in talks regarding a deal to bring Dele Alli to Goodison Park on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent claim made by Paul Gilmour, with the reporter revealing on Sky Sports News (15:50) that Frank Lampard’s side are now in extremely advanced talks with Tottenham Hotspur regarding a last-gasp deal to sign the 25-year-old midfielder.

Speaking about the deal, Gilmour said: “Things moving very quickly. Talks between Everton and Tottenham. We are told a breakthrough has been made and even a medical has been booked. Two and a half year deal. Sources telling us this is looking good for Dele Alli to make a permanent move. Frank Lampard, we are also being told, a key factor in this deal going through.”

Major coup

While it is true that Dele has been in far from his best form in recent seasons, it is undeniable that the former England international is nevertheless a player who possesses a considerable amount of ability.

Indeed, the £22.5m-rated man burst onto the Premier League scene following his £5.97m move to Spurs from Milton Keynes Dons back in 2015, scoring ten goals and registering nine assists over 33 league outings in his debut campaign, before following this up with returns of 19 goals and nine assists over his 36 top-flight fixtures in 2016/17, as well as nine goals and 11 assists over 36 appearances in 2017/18.

As such, with Lampard currently lacking any natural option in attacking midfield, should the 43-year-old believe that he can help the £100k-per-week number 10 refind this form following a switch to Everton, the signing of the forward could prove to be a major coup for Everton – as a fit and firing Dele has already proven that he can be one of the most exciting players in the top flight of English football.

In other news: “It’s true…”: Journo drops major update on last-gasp EFC deal, Lampard would love it

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring promising young defender Luke Graham to Parkhead.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Courier, who claim that Ange Postecoglou’s side, as well as Arsenal and Rangers, sent scouts to watch the 18-year-old in action for youth side Lochee United on Saturday.

The centre-back has also caught the eye of Sheffield United, so much so that the Dundee FC starlet linked up with the Championship side on a week-long trial on Monday.

The next Jack Hendry

Considering the sheer amount of interest there currently is in the teenager, it is clear that expectations surrounding the defender’s future in the professional game are extremely high.

Indeed, Dundee U18 coach, Scott Robertson, said of the left-footed centre-back prior to his switch to Sheffield United: “It will be a great experience for him, no matter how it goes.

“Luke has only been in full-time for a year and, through challenging circumstances with [the pandemic] and all that brings, has really progressed. He’s come on physically, mentally, tactically – everything we want to see. It’s credit to him how far he has come. He’s been making real strides recently.”

And, while Graham is yet to make his professional bow for the Dark Blues, it would seem that there are already very clear comparisons that can be drawn between the 18-year-old and another former Dundee starlet – Jack Hendry.

Indeed, both Celtic and Rangers were also interested in the 22-year-old back in February 2018, before the Hoops splashed £1.5m in order to secure the signing of the promising defender.

However, while the decision to loan the Scotland international out to KV Oostende with a £990k option to buy clause ultimately proved to be something of a mistake on the part of the Bhoys – as the centre-back is now valued at £5.4m and is highly impressing for Club Brugge – the fact remains that Celtic initially identified the defender’s talent while playing at Dens Park.

As such, with the early signs appearing to suggest that Graham could be just as talented as Hendry – if not more so – it would indeed appear a very wise move for Postecoglou to do all he can to land the teenager ahead of the other interested parties this summer.

AND in other news: Sold at £18m, now worth £7.2m: Celtic hit the jackpot on “desperate” £25k-p/w disaster

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Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Carl Jenkinson’s performance against Bournemouth, as the former Charlton man put in an inspired display.

The 27-year-old played every minute of the resounding 5-1 win over Eddie Howe’s men on Wednesday evening in what was his first start for the Gunners in 830 days, last appearing from the first whistle in a draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2016.

Staggeringly, his last start at the Emirates came 1,907 days ago, way back in December 2013 against Everton.

Boss Unai Emery has deployed all of Hector Bellerin, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Ainsley Maitland-Niles at right-back this season, but after the former suffered a serious injury, the latter pair have failed to impress, opening the door for Jenkinson.

The Englishman excelled against the Cherries, and seems to have worked his way back into the Arsenal fans’ goodbooks after knuckling down and trying hard to get himself back in the team, if their reactions on Twitter are anything to go by…

Sunderland will host Shrewsbury at the Stadium of Light in a Good Friday clash that could put Sunderland in a very comfortable position to secure a play-off spot keeping their promotion dreams alive.

The Black Cats are currently sixth in the League One table matching Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe Wanderers for points, so a win today is important to keep their hopes of promotion to the Championship in their hands.

Although their opponents have nothing to play for as they are comfortably 16th, 11 points clear of relegation, they will not be an easy team to beat as they currently have the third best defensive record in the entire league conceding just 40 goals in 42 games, so Sunderland will need to deploy their best attack to break down Shrewsbury.

In terms of team and injury news, Alex Neil has confirmed that Leon Dajaku is still not available for selection after falling ill, however Alex Pritchard could be in contention to start as the Sunderland manager gave an update on his fitness in his pre-match press conference.

Neil told the press;

“Alex is making good progress.”

Long term injuries remain unchanged with an update on Aidan McGeady’s chances of playing again for the side this season, the Black Cats boss said on Thursday;

“I’m hopeful that in the next week, he might start joining in training again, but it’ll be really reliant on how he goes over these next few steps in terms of what he looks like over the next couple of days.”

With that being said, this is how Football Fancast expects Sunderland to line-up this afternoon…

We expect to see just one change to the team that won against Oxford United to keep the victorious momentum in the team against Shrewsbury, with the same 3-5-2 formation.

We predict that Elliot Embleton will start in the team after his hugely important impact on Sunderland’s last two games, with the player being the linchpin in securing a playoff spot late in the season following a late assist against Gillingham that secured the three points and an 89th minute winning goal against Oxford last weekend.

The 23 year old, who was hailed “excellent” by the Mackems manager, has definitely proved he deserves a spot in the starting line up and Neil’s selection of the midfielder could prove a huge boost if he can make a third consecutive goal contribution in today’s game.

To make way for Embleton’s start, we expect to see Everton loanee Nathan Broadhead dropped from the central attacking role, but he could easily make a late appearance in the team if Sunderland find themselves chasing a goal in the latter stages of the clash.

The £2.9k-p/w gem, who was hailed “fantastic” by Lee Johnson, has scored nine goals in 20 appearances this season proving to be a consistent attacking threat in the Sunderland forward line, despite suffering a hamstring injury that has limited his ability to make a larger impact this season.

Neil will be hoping to continue his impressive record in League One going eight games unbeaten in his 10 games in charge at the club so far, and promotion to this season would be a massive achievement for the Scottish manager in his short term so far.

In other news: Neil must avoid disaster on £1.4k-p/w “young Paul Gascoigne”, he’s SAFC’s biggest hope

Sunderland journalist Philip West was left slamming the display of Luke O’Nien in their 1-1 draw at home to Rotherham United in League One on Tuesday.

The Lowdown: Vital point?

It is safe to say that the Black Cats were not at their best at the Stadium of Light, but grabbed themselves what could be a vital point in their hopes of securing a play-off place.

A Michael Ihiekwe own goal in the 88th minute spared their blushes after the central defender had given the visitors the lead early in the first half, and that point keeps the Black Cats in the top six… just.

The Latest: O’Nien slammed

Taking to Twitter, West slammed a few of the performances from the Wearside club, including O’Nien’s:

“Too many of our players are having an off-night here. Matete went into his shell after the yellow, O’Nien has been poor, and Broadhead has been neutralised.”

The Verdict: Harsh

The criticism of O’Nien seems harsh as he was one of SAFC’s better players on the night.

Yes, he was guilty of giving possession away no fewer than 15 times in total, and also made two fouls, no dribbles or key passes (SofaScore), but the central midfield player at least put a shift in for his team and improved as the game went on.

O’Nien won 11 individual duels, more than anyone else on the pitch, and also recorded two tackles, one clearance and interception, while he himself was fouled five times, again more than any other player, as SofaScore gave him a respectable 6.9/10 overall rating.

Nonetheless, he looks to have secured his starting place as Alex Neil’s side face Morecambe away from home on the final day.

In other news, find out what exciting Sunderland update has Roker Report buzzing here!

Medical expert Ben Dinnery believes Celtic won’t have a fully fit Kyogo Furuhashi until the summer, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Spotted at Lennoxtown

Furuhashi has been out since December with a hamstring problem but has recently been spotted back on the grass at Lennoxtown.

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He was seen in the background of a training video with a ball at his feet and there is hope he could make a return to action against Rangers following the international break, leading to much excitement from those in the media.

The Japanese forward was enjoying a fine first season in Glasgow prior to his injury issues, starring in the Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian at Hampden Park.

The Latest: Dinnery’s comments

Dinnery, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to FI and had this worrying ‘pre-season’ view in regards to Furuhashi and ‘that hamstring’ making a full recovery.

“It will depend on how much he is playing and the environment at the time.

“He has spent over three months on the sidelines. It will take a while before he gets to pre-injury levels in terms of sharpness and match fitness.

“It may be that we don’t see Kyogo hitting those pre-injury levels this season.

“It might just be an opportunity to get some minutes in his legs and test that hamstring.

“But ultimately, we won’t see a fully fit Kyogo back in that Celtic team until pre-season.”

The Verdict: Caution needed

The last thing anyone would want is for Furuhashi to come back too soon and suffer a fresh hamstring problem. On that basis, having the top scorer on the bench at Ibrox could be a wise move, with a view to a brief cameo display as an impact substitute.

There is still a lot of football to be played between now and the end of the season, with a domestic treble still a possibility, and hopefully, Furuhashi will get better and better in the final weeks of the campaign and will have his opportunity to start against Rangers in two more Glasgow derbies in all competitions.

In other news: ‘Worrying…’ – Sky Sports man claims ‘brilliant’ Celtic ace may now have suffered ‘bone damage’. 

With the signings of Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho receiving plenty of anticipation prior to their respective arrivals, Aston Villa’s January addition of defender Calum Chambers from Arsenal caught everyone by surprise.

Like with Villa’s deal for Danny Ings in the summer, the signing of Chambers came out of nowhere as there had been next to no speculation in the papers.

It is believed that the 27-year-old has made the switch for just £2m having not played in the Premier League since August and could therefore be a serious bargain for Steven Gerrard’s side.

On the chalkboard

Having been contracted to Arsenal since joining from Southampton in July 2014, the defender, who can play at both centre-back and right-back, has had a mixed spell of late.

The £52k per-week Englishman spent the 2016/17 season on loan at Middlesbrough before returning to Arsenal for a season and then departing again in 2018/19, this time for Fulham. At the end of 2019, he also ruptured his ACL which kept the defender out of action for a year.

Manager Mikel Arteta had been a fan of Chambers, with the 27-year-old playing ten of Arsenal’s final 12 league games last campaign.

That spell saw the defender subject to praise from Gunners legend Ian Wright after a thrilling 3-3 draw with West Ham, who said: “What’s great about Mikel Arteta is that he will give you a chance, he’s given him a chance. The Burnley game he was brilliant, same thing with this game he’s come in, he’s staking a claim.

“That’s what Arsenal need, they need that kind of player in the backup position who will come in and do a job like that, brilliant today.”

Aston Villa could certainly do with some depth and versatility in their defence with Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa the current first-choice pairing at centre-back whilst Matty Cash is Gerrard’s go-to right-back.

However, prior to Chambers’ arrival, Kourtney Hause had been the only other senior centre-back with the Villans also having little depth on the right-hand side of the defence, making the 27-year-old’s arrival perfect timing.

Whether or not he’ll be a regular under Gerrard is unknown, however, there is certainly an opportunity there to go down in history at Villa Park, having initially signed a three-and-a-half-year contract.

When it comes to legendary defenders at the West Midlands club, Olof Mellberg is certainly up there, with Bleacher Report listing the Swede in Villa’s top 20 best ever players.

The former defender featured 263 times for Aston Villa between 2001 and 2008 with very few centre-backs since coming near to the standard he set when in Birmingham.

However, with the bearded brute of a defender boasting the ability to play at full-back and in the middle, just like Chambers, they could find their new Mellberg in the former Arsenal man.

After all, he has the well looked after beard, as well as the positional versatility to match the Swedish stalwart.

Chambers is unlikely to start as a first-choice under Gerrard, initially, but there is certainly evidence that just as Mellberg was, he can be a key player in the Midlands.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops behind-the-scenes Villa claim

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now dropped a ‘big’ claim on Newcastle United’s summer plans, and also gave some injury news on Kieran Trippier.

The Lowdown: Trippier boost

Eddie Howe has confirmed that he is hopeful that Trippier will play again this season, after it was originally feared that he could be out for at least six weeks.

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Thankfully they have not needed him, as they look to have secured their safety in style, and the right-back will no doubt be looking forward to working with whoever they now bring in this summer.

They have been linked with exciting moves for the likes of Darwin Nunez and Philippe Coutinho, and are really starting to build a top squad.

The Latest: Jones update

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has revealed that the St. James’ Park faithful are ‘optimistic’ that Trippier will be back ‘very soon’, and added that they will try and convince other ‘big names’ to join the former Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid star in the summer:

“I know with Trippier, they’re really optimistic that he’s back very soon. And they’re really keen that he does get a few games in before the end of the season, not just for himself in terms of fitness, but because for the last couple of games of the season, they want to have their strongest team out there.

“They want to end the season with the best team they possibly can, with the best results they possibly can, to go into the summer full of optimism, and then try and convince some big names to come and join them. So, they’re really optimistic that Trippier is going to be part of that.”

The Verdict: Exciting

With Trippier coming back to full fitness, safety in the top flight and a big summer ahead, these are no doubt exciting times for the Toon Army.

Adding to the win away at Norwich City this afternoon, Eddie Howe and his team will want to finish off the term strongly, and so gather momentum for a rebuild this summer.

They have the money to get some potentially huge deals done, but the real challenge will be to try and get those big names to buy into the long-term project.

In other news, find out what ‘frustrating’ NUFC injury blow has now emerged here!