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Kevin Phillips believes West Ham United may make a summer move for Glasgow Rangers’ Calvin Bassey during the summer after he broke coronavirus regulations.

Bassey could depart

Bassey only signed for the Ibrox outfit last year from Leicester City. He has not been a regular, making just 13 appearances in all competitions (Transfermarkt), but many believed he was set for a bright future.

Unfortunately, he let himself, his teammates and his manager down when he decided to break lockdown rules recently to attend a small house gathering (The Guardian). It is unclear what is now in store for the 21-year-old.

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips believes the Hammers, who were interested in him before he moved to Ibrox, may make an approach. He responded when asked whether they would reignite their bid:

“I think they will have an eye on the situation.

“West Ham might think to test the water in the summer just in case the club do want to move him on.

“It is a tough one because when you make a mistake everyone jumps on you but Stevie G isn’t daft. I think he will give him the benefit of the doubt.

“I’d presume that he wants to keep Bassey for next season. The last thing you want to do is win the Championship and then get rid of one of your best young players because he has slipped up during the previous season.

“Bassey is a talented player so I would be surprised if Stevie G was to move him on. If anyone was to make an enquiry I think he would squash that straight away.”

Benefit of the doubt

There is no doubting the very disappointing nature of Bassey’s actions over the past week or so. Given the scrutiny players are under at the moment, it is incredibly naive from the youngster to believe he could get away with flaunting the rules so openly.

The club have launched an investigation, and Bassey is likely to be punished. Fortunately for him, it will not have too big an impact on the Gers’ season – they are currently 15 points clear at the top of the Premiership with just nine matches left to play (BBC).

He is clearly a player with talent, and young men are always going to make mistakes. This time around, he should probably be given the benefit of the doubt. However, should he not learn his lesson, there will be nowhere for him to hide.

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this SFA appointment.

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers star Alfredo Morelos is likely to be sold this summer, with Steven Gerrard’s side banking at least £15m from the striker’s potential sale.

What’s the word?

Morelos has been nothing short of a revelation for Rangers since joining the club from HJK Helsinki on a three-year deal in 2017.

Since his debut, he has scored 90 goals, recording a further 42 assists, in 171 appearances across all competitions during his time in Scotland and has already broken Ally McCoist’s European goalscoring record this season.

The 24-year-old had apparently made up his mind to leave Rangers last year and his desire to leave the Light Blues was no secret in the summer.

However, Rangers refused to sell their prized asset, and the centre-forward has continued his fine form in the Europa League, racking up three goals and six assists in eight appearances in the competition this season.

Football Insider claims this would in turn significantly increase his market value if he can continue to repeat his Europa League exploits for the remainder of the campaign.

His stats suggest he should be able to do this, given his excellent goal record for Rangers, having made 33 appearances this season with 13 goals and 12 assists to show for his 27 starts.

Good news for Ross Wilson?

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has developed a reputation as one of the most successful negotiators in the transfer market, and his handling of this ongoing transfer saga should only reinforce that view.

It seems Morelos is now worth at least £15m, showing Rangers have benefited from refusing to sell him in the summer, as this figure could rise between now and the end of this season.

Reports at the time revealed French Ligue 1 leaders Lille were apparently only willing to offer €15m (£13m) plus €2m (£1.8m) in add-ons for the Colombia international, which was swiftly rebuffed by the 54-time Scottish champions.

With Rangers posting an annual loss of £15.9m in their most recent financial report, selling a top-class centre-forward for such a huge amount of money would make perfect business sense.

Wilson, therefore, should be praised for making the most of the situation and maximising the value of an unsettled player potentially set to depart Ibrox this summer.

AND in other news, Nathan Patterson earns shot at redemption amid James Tavernier injury blow…

Dan Petrescu, linked with Celtic’s vacant managerial post, has seemingly made a U-turn on his reported Parkhead interest.

The 53-year-old, who made 193 appearances as a player for Chelsea, was willing to put his name forward to replace Neil Lennon at Celtic Park, according to the Daily Mail.

Journalist Gianluigi Longari claimed Celtic placed the Romanian on their managerial shortlist of targets, but Petrescu has now addressed his future.

As quoted by Romanian outlet Pro Sport, cited by 67 Hail Hail, Petrescu shared his ambitions to lead another side in his native country to a league title.

“I didn’t take a break from matches, it’s impossible to do that. I have no way to feed myself, I have to satisfy my hunger somehow and I want to go back to coaching, but I want to fight at the top, I don’t want to be demoted (to clubs not fighting for titles).

“I would very much like to be the only coach to win the Romanian championship with three different teams – I don’t have these teams with beautiful play, I like the teams that win.”

Transfer Tavern take

Many Celtic fans weren’t exactly thrilled at the links to Petrescu last month, with supporters labelling him a “cheap option” and exclaiming “no way”, so they could be happy at the experienced manager’s latest comments.

Petrescu has had experience of success in Scotland, though. He led CFR Cluj to a famous 5-4 aggregate win over Celtic in the Champions League qualifying rounds during the 2019/20 campaign.

In regards to a long-term role, Petrescu has been in and out of numerous jobs, holding 16 managerial positions over the last 18 years.

With that in mind, it may not be the best idea of bringing him to Glasgow, with stability seemingly needed following Lennon’s exit.

In other news: A former Parkhead hero who has a Celtic tattoo shares Hoops managerial ‘dream’, find out more here.

According to The Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell, George Edmundson is having a medical at Derby County ahead of a loan move.

Edmundson to leave on loan

Edmundson has not had the best of campaigns at Ibrox, with him receiving a seven-game ban towards the end of last year after breaching lockdown regulations (BBC).

According to Campbell, Edmundson is having a medical before moving on loan until the end of the season. There is no option to buy for the Rams, meaning Steven Gerrard has made the call that the £450,000-rated ace (Transfermarkt) still has a future north of the border.

Chance to prove himself

Edmundson has not played a single minute of Premiership football so far this campaign (Transfermarkt) – he is clearly not in Gerrard’s immediate plans. However, the 54-time Scottish champions will not allow him to depart permanently at the end of the campaign without giving him the chance to prove himself.

At Pride Park, the former Oldham Athletic man has a big chance to show he has what it takes to succeed in an equally physical league. It is important he grabs the opportunity with both hands – if he does, this could turn out to be an excellent move by Gerrard and the Gers.

In other news, Rangers fans are delighted by this broadcaster’s reaction to Celtic’s latest result.

Celtic are trying to fix their sticky situation by asserting their dominance ahead of the upcoming transfer window. The reigning Premiership champions will almost certainly hand over their crown to bitter rivals Rangers after an uncharacteristically poor season from the Hoops.

In order to mend their problems and oil the grand Celtic machine up again, Nick Hammond has been on the hunt for new personnel. One man on the radar is Liverpool loanee Taiwo Awoniyi, who is currently enjoying a spell with Union Berlin, as per 90min.

Should Celtic sign Awoniyi?

The 23-year-old is out of favour at Anfield due to the untouchable presence of Roberto Firmino and his back-up option Divock Origi. Awoniyi is currently contracted until 2023, bringing in a handsome £60,000 per week pay cheque.

However, because he is surplus to Jurgen Klopp’s team, Liverpool may be open to letting him leave for a small fee. His Transfermarkt value of £2.8million suggests an offer in this region would be enough to convince the Premier League holders to part ways with the striker.

Awoniyi would certainly be a strong asset to a Celtic side that has disappointed many this season. A lot of talks regarding Odsonne Edouard’s exit have been swirling, so the Nigeria youth international could take his place should the Bhoys star leave.

But due to the impact of coronavirus from a financial point of view, Edouard may be forced to wait longer for a move away. As such, it is more likely that Awoniyi would replace the controversial Leigh Griffiths.

Could spell the end for Griffiths

It’s common knowledge that the relationship between Griffiths and Neil Lennon is a rocky one. Last summer, the manager slammed his player for being “overweight” and “out of condition”, as per talkSPORT.

Griffiths has also been an inconsistent player for Celtic this season, sometimes popping up with crucial goals but also going far under the radar with his performances.

According to WhoScored, Awoniyi has outscored Griffiths this season, with five goals to his four. The Union Berlin ace has also recorded more successful aerials (1.4) and draws in more fouls (1.1) per game, compared to the Scot’s 0.8 and 0.1 respectively.

As a younger striker, Awoniyi has a good chance of catching Peter Lawwell’s eye. Celtic desperately need to return to their prolific form and with Lennon unhappy with Griffiths, signing a new forward could oust him from the team completely.

In other news, Stephen Welsh has the perfect chance to prove himself to Neil Lennon…

If there’s one thing you can say about the Glasgow Rangers captain’s career, it’s certainly been a wild ride so far.

James Tavernier has experienced the highs and lows that are both part and parcel of being a professional footballer. It’s a dream job for many, and it’s easy to understand why as there are almost endless opportunities, but this doesn’t mean that it doesn’t require a lot of dedication, hard work and sacrifice.

Tavernier began his career in the Leeds United academy, where he played mostly as a central midfielder, until he moved to Newcastle United in 2008. He went on to make just two appearances for the Magpies, having spent the majority of his time out on loan, before he endured a torrid time at Wigan Athletic.

Rangers signed the Bradford-born full-back from Wigan for an undisclosed fee in 2015. Since then, the 29-year-old has oft been criticised by the fan base, but has been given a new lease of life by Steven Gerrard since he first took charge of the 54-time Scottish champions.

He came under fire after games against Hamilton Academical and Hearts last season, although he has undergone something akin to a redemption arc so far this season, with a tally of 15 goals and 10 assists to his name in total.

It’s perhaps hardly surprising his heroics have led his former manager Mark Warburton to call him “a class act.”

Valued at £4.5m via Transfermarkt, in 15 appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season, Tavernier has scored nine goals and supplied six assists so far, whilst he is averaging 2 shots, 2.3 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

The right-back is just one of two players along with Connor Goldson to have started every single game so far this season, which just goes to show that he is clearly one of Gerrard’s favourites.

He has also received the highest WhoScored rating out of any other Rangers player for his performances, including the ever-reliable Ryan Kent.

Tavernier was heavily linked with Premier League clubs Brighton, Burnley and West Ham in the summer. Is it any wonder, really?

Having scored the goal that secured the Gers’ promotion to the Premiership, now he must help them to regain the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season to fully complete his redemption arc.

AND in other news, Forget Goldson: Rangers’ Leon Balogun stole the show with masterclass vs Liege…

Southampton moved up into third place after a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates on Wednesday night, but they will perhaps consider themselves unlucky not to pick up all three points.

One man who arguably disappointed for the Saints was captain James Ward-Prowse. The England midfielder was unable to make the most of his numerous corners during the game, whilst his passing was not as reliable as usual.

As per SofaScore, the 26-year-old lost possession on 20 times during the 90 minutes, which was the worst of any Southampton player who started the game.

Whilst the midfielder was heavily involved, having 116 touches of the ball, he failed to make a single key pass, when Ralph Hasenhuttl was perhaps relying on him to be a creative spark for the South Coast club, as they struggled to break down the ten-man Arsenal team in the second half.

Ward-Prowse was able to complete 83 of his 91 passes during the game, resulting in an accuracy rate of 91%. He was wasteful when he had the ball in promising positions.

The Southampton man, who earns £45k per week with the club, is usually reliable with his crossing, but of the 12 he attempted at the Emirates, only two were accurate.

He also won just three out of eight of his duels during the game, suggesting that he was second best to the Arsenal players on several occasions during the game.

Teammate Jan Bednarek suggested earlier this month that Ward-Prowse has “the best delivery in the league”, but he was unable to showcase that on Wednesday night, which will be frustrating for the South Coast club who arguably deserved to win the game.

Therefore, it can definitely be argued that Hasenhuttl won’t be too happy with his captain’s performance against the Gunners, and he will need him to be much better when his side take on Manchester City at St Mary’s on Saturday if the Saints are going to take all three points from that game.

And, in other news… Southampton handed huge transfer boost in pursuit of winger likened to Lionel Messi

Everton must walk away now after reports emerged claiming the Goodison Park outfit are lining up a January move for FC Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti.

What’s the word?

According to Mundo Deportivo, Carlo Ancelotti could offer Umtiti a route out of the Camp Nou come the mid-season market, with the French centre-half once again expected to be made available for a transfer.

Barcelona attempted to offload the 27-year-old this summer during negotiations with Olympique Lyonnais for Memphis Depay but they saw negotiations break down, leaving Umtiti in Catalunya where he is yet to play a single minute under new boss Ronald Koeman.

Umtiti has been plagued by a string of knee injuries for the last two years with the La Liga giants, whom he joined from Lyon in 2016 for €25million (£22.5m). Barcelona recommended that he have surgery on his knee but the 31-cap French international refused.

Now, Barca are willing to offload the £208,000-per-week defender for less than half what they signed him for, with his market value touted at just €12m (£10.8m) as they strive to lower their wage bill with Umtiti among the highest-earners at the Camp Nou.

Walk away now

Everton would be barking up entirely the wrong tree if Director of Football Marcel Brands were to return to Catalunya looking to sign Umtiti, following previous moves to sign Andre Gomes, Yerry Mina and Lucas Digne from Barcelona.

On his day, there can be no doubting Umtiti’s worth on the pitch with Darren Bent once lauding the 2018 World Cup winner for being a “big, strong, powerful” defender who is “good on the ball” amid rumours of interest from Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham.

But Umtiti’s days are too few and far between, and Everton may not even get the chance to strike a deal with the centre-half recently confirming that his desire to stay in Catalunya was far too strong for him to walk away and return to Lyon this summer.

“Everything was possible during the transfer window. Lyon is my club and my city. They gave me the opportunity to be seen,” Umtiti told Canal +. “There were discussions, but it was quick, nothing concrete. I had to be able to speak with a club. I’ll be honest: Barcelona is Barcelona. I don’t want to leave Barcelona and even less like that.

“The last two years have been the most complicated of my career. Sometimes I got really sick of it. I relapsed each time, and with different injuries because I was trying to compensate. It wasn’t a knee problem, it was that I had a total imbalance. I had to start over.”

Umtiti’s relentless injury struggles would only serve to see the Toffees throw their cash into the wind rather than toward signing those who could improve Ancelotti’s squad, as the Italian would likely, more often than not, be without the centre-half who started just 10 of 13 La Liga appearances last term.

Glasgow Rangers defender Connor Goldson has played an instrumental part in Steven Gerrard’s side’s sensational start to the season.

Rangers are currently nine points clear of their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, having conceded just three goals in the league so far.

The Gers are on course to regain the title for the first time since the 2010/11 season after humiliating Hamilton Academical at home in a 8-0 victory before the international break.

What’s the word?

Goldson was named Player of the Month for October last week after his heroics in the first Old Firm derby of the season. He bagged a brace as the Light Blues cruised to a comfortable win over Celtic away at Parkhead.

Speaking to The Herald, the defensive stalwart insisted that he is ready to shoulder the responsibility of playing regularly to assist Rangers in their pursuit of silverware this season.

He said: “I am in the prime of my career, I feel strong physically and mentally and I am going into games feeling in a good place, which is always good.

“That is reflective of the team as well, not just myself. As a team, we feel in a good place and long may that continue.”

However, the club are concerned that he could run his contract down in 2022 if they don’t give him a new deal. So, Rangers chief Ross Wilson must give him a bumper new deal to ward off any potential suitors.

Wake up Wilson!

As regular readers of this column will no doubt be aware, we think that Goldson is the real deal.

The Ibrox boss was hit by a devastating injury blow before the start of the season after Nikola Katic suffered an injury during pre-season training, which has forced him to spend a spell on the sidelines for several months. The Croatian centre-back had established himself as a key player at the back, but Gerrard was forced to bring in Leon Balogun as injury cover in the summer transfer window.

As luck would have it, it has all worked out rather well in the end, as Balogun has turned out to be an absolute bargain, whilst Goldson has stepped up in Katic’s long-term absence. The 27-year-old has been a mainstay in Gerrard’s side so far this season, having already played 14 games in the Scottish Premiership, scoring two goals, whilst he is averaging 1.1 tackles and 2.9 clearances per game, via WhoScored. By comparison, even Katic could only manage 19 league games in the entirety of last season.

Whilst Katic has shown promising signs of recovery in recent weeks, he may have a hard time breaking into the starting line-up when he has worked his way back to fitness as Goldson has been in such fine form.

He was recently described as a “standout” performer by former Leeds and Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan, who told Football Insider that “he has been one of their standout performers this season, getting the goals in the Old Firm, it has shown Steven Gerrard that he is worthy of a bumper contract”, whilst Gerrard once singled him out for praise, calling him “extremely consistent.”

Keeping clean sheets is one thing, but scoring goals when it counts shows that Goldson is a useful attacking asset as well, which is exactly why the Gers must keep him at all costs.

Now he just needs to start turning these individual accolades into trophies, which won’t be an easy task. We don’t quite understand why it’s taking Wilson so long to sort out a new deal for him, as one thing’s for sure, he won’t be short of potential suitors, as Premier League sides like Everton, Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United have all been credited with an interest in him in the past.

AND in other news, Barry Ferguson 2.0: one Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo is becoming undroppable for Steven Gerrard…

After promising Manchester City striker Liam Delap bagged a screamer for the Elite Development Squad on Saturday in a 4-1 win at home to Arsenal, many Sky Blues have implored manager Pep Guardiola to restore him to the first team squad. 

Delap, who got on the scoresheet with a stunning finish as the EDS ran riot against Arsenal, scoring in the 84th minute with a sumptuous curling shot from just outside the area, wasn’t included in the first team squad for City’s away trip to West Ham.

The youngster had been turning Guardiola’s head for his performances in the academy setup, prompting a few squad inclusions and even a start in the Carabao Cup against Bournemouth last month.

Delap scored the opener in that game with a brilliant effort past Cherries keeper Mark Travers and many Citizens now want him back in Guardiola’s squad to make up for another injury to star striker Sergio Aguero.

These Man City fans have backed the youngster, with one even saying that he is “better than Sterling”, who has nonetheless scored four goals in eight games so far this term.

Man City fans plead for Delap to get senior call-up

In other news: City fans are desperate for another Sky Blue figure to return, find out who here and don’t forget to comment below.