Rangers were able to clinch a late win over St. Johnstone in the SPL at McDiarmid Park yesterday thanks to Alfredo Morelos’ 88th-miunte strike and second goal of the game.

The Colombian’s winner took his league tally for the season to 11 goals, and his manager Steven Gerrard has since come out to warn off any interested parties ahead of the January transfer window.

The Breakdown

“All good players around the world receive interest and bids – that’s football,” Gerrard told BBC Sport after Rangers’ latest triumph. “I won’t turn my phone off to any interested parties,” he added.

“I’ll listen to what they have to say. I’ll be respectful, but he’s going nowhere and that’s the message.”

Based on the above, Gerrard is certainly sending out the right and absolutely necessary message. It would be beyond crazy to sell Morelos during the midst of a title race, a development that, thankfully for supporters, looks highly unlikely.

And from Morelos’ perspective, there is no reason for leaving Rangers to be on the top of his to-do list.

At Ibrox, the 22-year-old’s development is coming along nicely and, while no one will be expecting him to stay there forever, moving now would seem forced given he probably has the potential to play for some much better clubs than the ones he is currently being linked with.

With that in mind, a Rangers stay for Morelos would be in the best interest of all parties in this moment of time.

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Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to express their delight at the performance of Sead Kolasinac against Burnley. The Bosnian international excelled in a left wing-back role against the Clarets, popping up with the assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s opening goal and was a constant threat down the left flank.

The former Schalke man hasn’t always convinced the Emirates faithful since signing for the club on a free transfer from the Bundesliga side, but he looks to be maturing in an Arsenal shirt – especially in the wing-back role.

Having watched the 25-year-old and Nacho Monreal battle for the shirt, it must be good for Gunners’ fans to see one man nail down the spot and perform so admirably.

His pace and physical power has also been a source of great enjoyment for the Arsenal supporters, with many a cheer filling the air around north London when the full-back outpaced Jack Cork and muscled him out the way in the first half.

Let’s take a look at some of the best tweets…

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Leeds United should be in the mix for Sunderland forward Josh Maja, who is widely expected to leave the Stadium of Light this month.

What’s the word, then?

Maja, 20, will see his current deal with Sunderland expire at the end of this season.

Before the turn of the year, Sunderland boss Jack Ross revealed that Maja had been offered a new deal by the Black Cats.

And the youngster has until this weekend to decide whether to pen a fresh contract with the League One outfit.

It seems increasingly likely that Maja will decide to move on, and that will lead to Sunderland sanctioning a sale this month rather than losing the talented forward on a free transfer at the end of the season.

A number of clubs have been linked with the Black Cats attacker, and there is no question that Championship leaders Leeds should be in the hunt.

How good could Maja become?

There is absolutely no question that Maja is a talent.

The Lewisham-born attacker joined Sunderland from Fulham in 2015, and made his professional debut for the club during the 2016-17 season.

Maja played 17 times in the Championship for Sunderland last term, but has enjoyed a very impressive 2018-19 campaign to date, netting 15 times in all competitions.

Sunderland are chasing a return to the second tier, and there is no question that it would be a big blow to lose Maja at this stage of the season.

It is currently unclear whether Leeds are in the hunt for the striker, but the Whites should be closely monitoring developments surrounding the talented ace.

West Ham cruised into the next round of the FA Cup on Saturday despite a below-par performance, and fans are absolutely crucifying the defensive showing of Arthur Masuaku.

After a tricky spell including defeats to Watford and Burnley, it was vital that Manuel Pellegrini’s side got a result on Saturday.

The Hammers welcomed Garry Monk’s Birmingham to the London Stadium, and if truth be told the visitors were the better side for large parts of the match.

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…

While it wasn’t a vintage Pellegrini showing, his side never really looked like relinquishing the second-minute lead given to them by Marko Arnautovic, and Andy Carroll made sure of the result with a stoppage-time header.

Despite the 2-0 win though, fans are not too happy with the defensive performance, and Masuaku is taking most of the stick.

The Frenchman has always been much better going forward than in defence, and his positioning and decision making against Birmingham winger Connor Mahoney was truly shocking.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Arthur…

Queens Park Rangers could still secure a play-off spot in the current campaign if they manage to enjoy a successful second half of the season. 

The Hoops currently find themselves seven points off the play-off places, so a couple of key January signings would definitely help their quest for promotion to the Premier League.

Indeed, Steve McClaren may not have splashed the cash since taking over at Loftus Road, but the club have had to pay the wages of three loan signings so far this season. However, not all of the Hoops’ summer moves have paid off form them in the current campaign, as Brighton and Hove Albion’s Tomer Hemed has been rather disappointing.

Sadly, the Israel international has only managed to find the back of the net on three occasions since moving to the English capital, as he has failed to provide the finishing touch in front of goal. He was reduced to substitute appearances towards the end of November and he is currently recovering from hernia surgery.

Some supporters may feel that the forward has had a positive effect on proceedings at times on the field, but the sole reason that McClaren signed him back in the summer months was in the hope that he would produce a consistent flow of goals, which he has hasn’t been able to do so far.

Therefore, the English boss must feel embarrassed about securing the services of the 31-year-old back in the summer transfer window, with an injury and a lack of potency in front of goal ruining his reputation as a prolific striker.

Queens Park Rangers fans – thoughts on Tomer Hemed’s efforts this season?

According to The Sunderland Echo, The Black Cats are plotting a move for Middlesbrough midfielder Grant Leadbitter. 

Leadbitter spent seven seasons with Sunderland at the beginning of the millennium, playing over 100 games for The Black Cats. This, therefore, would be an emotional return for the player back at his boyhood club.

Now at the age of 33, Leadbitter will not be a signing for the future- far from it. But he may be a player to bring in to help Sunderland get over the line in League One and earn promotion back to the Championship.

Leadbitter has earned two promotions from the Championship to the Premier League in his career, with Sunderland and Middlesbrough; to earn promotion again with The Black Cats would mean a huge amount to him. Furthermore, this kind of experience would be immensely beneficial to manager Jack Ross, and he may help to pep up a team that have been low on confidence for two years now.

Leadbitter has primarily been a Premier League and Championship player throughout his career, meaning he will undoubtedly bring a desirable skill set to the Stadium of Light, one would likely be one of the better players in the league.

As playing time has been at a premium with Boro this season, Leadbitter will surely want more playing time in the twilight of his career. With John Obi Mikel on the cusp of joining Boro (at the time of writing), that will only further reduce Leadbitter’s chances of playing this season. This would be a dream move for both the player and Sunderland.

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Arsenal have confirmed that Hector Bellerin sustained a serious knee injury during the Chelsea clash on Saturday and will therefore be sidelined for between six and nine months.

The Spaniard, making his first start since mid-December, went down in pain under no contact and it was clearly more than just a knock. He was stretchered off and will undergo surgery for the injury in the coming days, however his rehabilitation is expected to consume the remainder of the season.

Bellerin’s misery may be matched by that of Unai Emery, who has consequently been left short of quality options at right-back – Stephan Lichtsteiner is past it, Carl Jenkinson isn’t good enough and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, while full of potential, isn’t a natural defender.

Look away Arsenal fans! American Soccer Fan is back to troll more fans at the London Stadium in the video above…

The 23-year-old’s huge setback took the glint off an otherwise perfect 90 minutes from the Gunners, who were excellent from back to front as they emerged 2-0 victors over their London rivals, with Laurent Koscielny and Alexandre Lacazette getting on the scoresheet.

Despite being a bit of a scapegoat for Arsenal in previous years, Bellerin has come a long way under Emery – he has chalked up five assists this season, according to Transfermarkt – however his bad luck means he won’t be able to contribute any further to the Spaniard’s first season.

Here’s how the Emirates Stadium faithful reacted to the news on Twitter…

[ad_pod ]Sheffield Wednesday are set to secure the first three signings of the Steve Bruce era, but are they panic signings or shrewd additions?

What’s the story?

Well, according to Dom Howson of The Sheffield Star, the Owls are working on a double swoop to sign Newcastle outcasts Achraf Lazaar and Rolando Aarons on loan.

Left-back Lazaar has made no senior appearances on Tyneside this season (per Transfermarkt) while Aarons has played 13 times on loan with Slovan Liberec (per Transfermarkt).

Howson also reports that the Owls will sign Dominic Iorfa on a permanent deal, as the promising 23 year-old has found playing time difficult to come by at Wolves this season.

Two Tyneside flops?

Newcastle fans will be happy to see the back of Lazaar, who if truth be told has been doing nothing more than collecting a wage packet for quite some time now.

The 17-cap Morocco international full back’s last Newcastle outing came in a League Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest back in August 2017, and he has made just ten senior appearances in two-and-a-half years on Tyneside.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Aarons meanwhile has also taken stick from the Toon Army, as the 23 year-old winger is brimming with potential but has never shown the focus or desire needed to reach the next level.

The speedy youngster may well find his home in the Championship, but with just four goals and three assists in 27 Newcastle games he needs to improve his end product.

Versatility is king

In many ways, Iorfa looks to be the most promising capture of the three, as Bruce is certain to begin his Hillsborough revolution with a defensive overhaul.

Iorfa rose through the youth ranks at Wolves and has racked up 93 appearances for his club, per Transfermarkt, as well as a successful loan spell at Ipswich last season.

The 23 year-old is capable of playing any defensive position or even in midfield, but at 6 ft 4 in tall it may surprise fans to learn he is best at right-back, rather than in the centre.

Regardless of where he uses the Wolves ace, signing a versatile, powerful and athletic youngster with his first permanent move is a stroke of genius from Bruce.

So, Sheffield Wednesday fans, would you be happy with this triple move? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

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Loads of Everton fans have been reflecting on the week’s action, and they’re delighted with the emergence of Jonjoe Kenny.

Everton were quite comfortably beaten by Manchester City on Wednesday night, but that doesn’t mean it was all plain sailing for the champions.

Marco Silva’s side were very well organised in the first half and looked quite threatening themselves, but an Aymeric Laporte header on the brink of half time knocked the life out of the Toffees.

It wasn’t until the closing stages of second half stoppage time that Gabriel Jesus grabbed his sixth Premier League goal of the season to seal the three points, and Silva will take a lot of positives out of the match, perhaps most notably the performance of Kenny.

The 21 year-old has been in and out of the team over the last 18 months as the club takes its time deciding if he is good enough to replace Seamus Coleman long-term, and the signs on Wednesday were very positive.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

He touched the ball 81 times, completed 76 per cent of his passes, made two tackles and cleared the ball six times, all while keeping the electrifying Leroy Sane to a very quiet evening.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Jonjo Shelvey has returned to Newcastle training ahead of a very winnable fixture at home to Huddersfield, and Rafael Benitez should switch things up to accommodate both the English pass-master and new signing Miguel Almiron.

Shelvey is officially back in Newcastle training, Sky Sports reports.

The 26 year-old England international has been missing since the beginning of January with a thigh injury, but has re-joined the first team at their warm-weather training camp in Spain.

The Magpies have no fixture this weekend due to their exit from the FA Cup, but the following weekend brings Huddersfield to St. James’ Park, and the struggling Terriers will be there for the taking, so Benitez should go for the throat.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Miguel, meet Jonjo

Benitez and Newcastle have found success with a 5-4-1 system recently, a formation which requires Matt Ritchie to play out of position as a left-wing-back.

By switching to a 4-3-3, Benitez would be taking a risk by benching one of his centre backs, who have performed mostly excellently all season.

However, there is simply no place for Almiron in the 5-4-1 setup, and a switch to 4-3-3 also makes room for Shelvey.

Salomon Rondon is un-droppable and Almiron would no doubt take a place in the front three, leaving the last spot for Ritchie, Christian Atsu and Kenedy to fight over.

Shelvey could then move into midfield alongside Mo Diame and the ever-improving Sean Longstaff, a midfield trio packed with athleticism, composure and most importantly for Almiron – Shelvey’s ability to ping balls behind the opponent’s defence.

The little Paraguayan international looked absolutely electric in his short cameo against Wolves, and his pace will terrorise the Huddersfield defence if Rafa finds a way to fit Shelvey in the team.

So, Newcastle fans, would you change the system to accommodate the star duo? Or keep the 5-4-1? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…