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In an official club announcement, Manchester City have confirmed that owner Sheikh Mansour will fund the flight and transfer costs for the Official Club trip to the UEFA Champions League final in Porto – with thousands of Sky Blues supporters set to benefit.

Indeed, as shared by the club, Mansour will personally seek to remove the ‘most significant financial barrier’ for fans attending the final – coming as many are faced with challenging circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inflated costs for the trip to Porto and vigorous PCR testing, mandatory before attendance, were set to cause headaches for City supporters wishing to attend the UCL final in Portugal – but they could now be eased greatly.

It is said by the official club website that Mansour will fund the ‘official travel package’ on the day of the final, ultimately assisting thousands of Sky Blues financially in the process.

In response, it’s safe to say City fans adore this move by the club and their owner – calling it an ‘absolute god send’ and ‘fantastic news’.

Find all of their best verdicts on the announcement down below.

Man City fans blown away by UCL announcement

“This is awesomee!!”

Credit: @alex_zappy05

“I literally can’t love my Club anymore than I already do! Absolutely superb this!”

Credit: @bardo_8

“absolute godsend, a gesture that we will forever be grateful for.”

Credit: @feedthegoat1234

“What a gesture love my club”

Credit: @sezzymol

“Wow, what a class act”

Credit: @AgueroProp

“That is fantastic news, my daughter is here gobsmacked as she was working out how she could afford it.”

Credit: @custardpie17

“The best owners in the world”

Credit: @bernardoooov3

“Absolutely class that, best owners in football”

Credit: @LukeKicks89

In other news: Man City fans want this superstar signed, it’s not Haaland or Kane…find out more here.

Rangers travel away from Ibrox today as they return to Premiership action after losing in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s men lost 1-0 to Braga in the European clash and now come up against St Mirren in the Scottish top-flight as they look to bounce back from the defeat in Portugal.

The Gers have lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, including their Old Firm clash last week, and the Dutch head coach may need to make some changes to the team to get back to winning ways.

How many alterations will he make to the side? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that Borna Barisic, Joe Aribo and Aaron Ramsey will all return in place of Leon Balogun, Scott Arfield and Glen Kamara from Thursday night.

Starting off with the defence, Van Bronckhorst may look to move Calvin Bassey to centre-back and bring Barisic in at left-back. He made this change in the second half against Braga and it would freshen up the backline amid a busy schedule of matches, leaving Balogun fresh for the second leg next Thursday.

In the number 10 role, we are predicting that Kamara will be axed for Ramsey. The Finland international was deployed ahead of Ryan Jack and John Lundstram on Thursday night but was unable to display any attacking quality.

As per SofaScore, the £21k-per-week dud failed with his one attempted dribble and failed to create a single chance for his teammates. By contrast, Ramsey – who Ross Wilson dubbed “world-class” – has scored two goals in his last two Premiership appearances and can offer more of a threat going forward.

On the right, we are predicting that Arfield will lose his place and Aribo will come in instead. The Nigeria international has started 28 of the club’s 32 Premiership matches this season, which shows that Van Bronckhorst has been relying upon him on a regular basis.

This is why he may want to go with the ex-Charlton man from the start against St Mirren, as the manager clearly trusts the 25-year-old to put in a good performance.

Despite Fashion Sakala’s struggles against Braga, he could keep his place up front as Kemar Roofe also failed to adequately fill Alfredo Morelos’ boots against Celtic. Both players have been unable to catch the eye and therefore it seems largely irrelevant – at this point – to debate which one of them will start.

AND in other news, 100% duels lost: Rangers dud who lost the ball every 1.8 touches v Braga failed Van Bronckhorst’s big test…

With almost two weeks gone in the 2022 January transfer window, Villa have managed to secure a loan agreement for Philippe Coutinho and are currently in negotiations to sign Everton left-back Lucas Digne, showing just how keen the Midlands club are at improving their squad wherever possible.

However, there have been some departures from the club, one of which being defender Axel Tuanzebe, who had his loan spell at Villa cut short from Manchester United and has since moved to Italian club Napoli after failing to get assurances from Steven Gerrard about his playing time.

Taking this into account, it has led Villa journalist Gregg Evans to share a claim regarding the club’s January transfer plans for the remainder of the window which may delight a lot of fans and Gerrard.

What’s the news?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Evans had this to say on the matter, confirming an exciting development in their plans for the winter.

He said: “They’re obviously going to be short on centre-backs with Axel Tuanzebe moving. So, that will be an area they look at now. In terms of who they’re after at centre-back, I don’t know yet, but there’s still 20-odd days in the window to go.”

Delight for Gerrard

Since joining Villa once again on loan back in the previous summer transfer window, Tuanzebe had played in seven league games under former Villa boss Dean Smith but was only given eight minutes of league action since Gerrard was appointed back in mid-November, proving why a move away was probably the best option for him.

In an ideal world, Villa will be able to sign a centre-back this month that will not only be able to take Tuanzebe’s place in the squad but also be able to rival the likes of Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings for a regular spot in Gerrard’s starting XI. However, that may be difficult to find.

Though, given Villa’s early activity in the window, this will surely give a lot of fans some hope that their club will be able to sign a suitable central defender before the window closes, in turn providing their manager with enough strength and depth in that position to go full throttle throughout the remainder of the season and end as high up the table as they can.

It’s evident the Villans could do with some more options in that third of the pitch and if Johan Lange does add more bodies to the defence, it will surely leave Gerrard and his coaching staff elated at how January has panned out.

There aren’t too many holes in the Liverpudlian’s squad but Villa’s backline clearly lacks the necessary talent.

In other news: Gerrard can repeat AVFC’s Coutinho masterclass by signing “relentless” 69-goal machine – opinion

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the West Brom website, Valerien Ismael confirmed that Grady Diangana will not be available for selection for the trip to Swansea City on Wednesday evening, as the winger is yet to recover from a hamstring injury which saw him ruled out of the 1-0 win over Birmingham City last Friday.

Speaking about the current condition of the 23-year-old, Ismael said: “Grady won’t be available for the game because he only had his first session with the group on Tuesday. It’s too close for him to be able to play. If everything goes correctly then hopefully him being available for Saturday won’t be a problem.”

Meanwhile, the Frenchman also revealed that Alex Mowatt, who was brought off midway through the second half of the Birmingham victory due to a toe injury, will be assessed prior to Wednesday’s fixture.

On the central midfielder’s fitness, the 46-year-old said: “We’ll assess Alex before the game at Swansea. We’re going to keep a close eye on things and how he is before we make a decision on him.”

Ismael will be gutted

While it is undeniable that Diangana has not been in the best form of his career this season, having scored no goals and registered just one assist over his 11 Championship appearances, the absence of the winger for the trip to Swansea will nevertheless have left Ismael gutted. The 23-year-old proved in the Baggies’ promotion-winning campaign back in 2019/20 that he undoubtedly possesses the ability to help fire the club back to the Premier League.

Indeed, over his 30 Championship appearances that season, the £9m-rated forward bagged eight goals, provided six assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £36k-per-week man earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as Albion’s third-best performer throughout the campaign in question.

As such, while, as previously mentioned, the former West Ham United winger is yet to hit these heights so far this season, it is abundantly clear that Diangana can win a game in an instant for West Brom, a talent that Ismael will sorely miss on Wednesday night.

In other news: Forget Hugill: Ismael could save WBA millions by placing trust in 20 y/o “star boy”

In a recent interview, former Leeds United forward, Noel Whelan, urged Victor Orta to make a move for Divock Origi in the summer transfer window.

So far this season, Origi has found game time incredibly hard to come by under Jurgen Klopp, with the 25-year-old being awarded just six starts across all competitions by the German manager, resulting in the centre-forward returning just one goal and two assists over his total of 17 appearances in 2020/21.

As a result of his lack of minutes, it has been reported that several clubs, including the likes of Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, are considering making an offer of around €15 million (£12.9 million) for the £60,000-per-week Belgian international this summer.

And, speaking recently to Football Insider, Whelan urged Leeds to join the race for Origi, suggesting that the striker would be a perfect fit for Marcelo Bielsa’s style of football, as well as a bargain deal for Orta.

He said: “Divock Origi for £12-15 million, would you turn your nose up at that? No, you wouldn’t. He can play a number of roles: left side, right side, through the middle. You’ve got to look at these things seriously. It’s not a lot of money. It’s so cheap. You could maybe go out and get two strikers if he’s available at that price.

“We need options, especially attacking ones. We know Bielsa likes players who can be versatile and we know Origi is that. He’s a good age and we play a style of football that will suit him because it’s similar to Liverpool’s.”

Transfer Tavern Take

While Origi has never been one of Liverpool’s first-choice players since joining the Reds from LOSC Lille back in 2014, the centre-forward’s record of 35 goals and 14 assists over his 157 appearances for the club does not scream of value for money in a striker.

However, Origi is indeed a versatile forward, with the capability to play across the front line, as Whelan suggests, so perhaps the 25-year-old could be seen as a handy, as well as cost-effective, addition to Bielsa’s attacking arsenal in the summer transfer market.

In other news: Leeds United have been urged to sign this “highly sought-after” £31k-p/w star this summer – find out more here!

Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring the progress of highly-rated midfielder Gabriel Menino, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Sky Sports claim that the north Londoners have been looking into signing talent from South America after the region was opened up to new work permit regulations following Brexit.

The young Palmeiras star is one man who Spurs, among other clubs, have scouted ahead of the summer transfer window.

Menino has emerged as one of Brazil’s brightest prospects and has impressed in both central midfield and at right-back.

Imagine him and Hojbjerg

It’s no surprise to see Jose Mourinho in the market for potentially a new midfielder ahead of next season, with rising doubts over several of his current options.

Harry Winks has been linked with an exit following a serious lack of game time this season – Sport (via Sport Witness) claim the Englishman will ‘insist’ on a departure from his boyhood club.

Moussa Sissoko at 31 isn’t getting any younger and has been out of Mourinho’s starting XI for eight straight league outings, ever since that 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

And there will be concerns over Dele Alli’s future as he’s still not getting regular game time this season, even after Daniel Levy blocked an exit to Paris Saint-Germain in January. According to Football Insider, the Lilywhites will not do the same should they come calling again this summer.

Therefore, eyeing up a new midfield star is a wise call, and they should look no further than Menino as he could well become Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s long-term partner in the engine room.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-spurs-news-mourinho-levy-gossip” title=”Read this week’s latest Spurs news, rumours and more!”]

Dubbed the ‘Brazilian Yaya Toure,’ the 20-year-old prodigy has studied the former City sensation profusely by watching videos of him, and some fruits of that labour were seen when he fired home a stunning strike from range against Bolivar in the Copa Libertadores last year.

In 2013/14, the Ivorian was simply unplayable and perhaps recorded one of the greatest individual seasons of all time. He scored 20 goals and provided nine assists from midfield, created 40 chances and still managed a 90% passing accuracy from 35 appearances, as per GiveMeSport.

Toure was an astonishingly good box-to-box enforcer, and that’s exactly what is required in north London. Hojbjerg, who averages 2.7 tackles and 1.8 fouls per league game, is certainly a more defensively-minded option whilst Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso have had some of their best games in the no.10 role.

Menino can fulfil that role, even with Oliver Skipp set to return from a successful loan spell in the summer. As per WhoScored, the Brazillian wonderkid provided six assists from only 24 starts, and displayed his ability in either box, averaging 1.2 tackles, 1.2 dribbles, 1.3 shots and 1.5 key passes per game.

Evidently, he can read the game in his team’s own third, just as much as he can deliver in an attacking sense too.

The £12.6m-rated gem’s form, both in central midfield and at right-back, caught the eye of Brazil boss Tite and whilst he’s yet to pick up a senior cap, that day will surely come soon having featured seven times at U20 level.

His versatility would be a welcome benefit too, especially given the uncertainty and suspicions over the future of the struggling Matt Doherty, who according to ESPN, could be made available for transfer come the summer.

Furthermore, Mourinho handed Casemiro his Real Madrid debut in 2013, and that is another player Menino has modelled his game on, so that should please the Spurs boss immensely, too.

It remains to be seen how much Palmeiras would command for their undoubted a star of the future, but it’s a move that chairman Daniel Levy must consider irrespective of price. If he has half the impact of Toure, then Spurs are onto a winner.

Just imagine him alongside Hojbjerg.

AND in other news, Spurs handed Sergio Reguilon boost

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has addressed the absence of Nir Bitton from the matchday squad in the Hoops’ 2-0 victory over Ross County on Sunday. 

The lowdown: Bitton’s importance to Celtic

The 30-year-old has endured an injury-ravaged time at Parkhead, missing 99 matches in a nine-year stint as a Bhoy with varying degrees of problems including a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious knee issue.

Despite the injuries, the Israel international has still amassed 269 appearances for the Hoops and has been a favourite of several managers at Parkhead over the years.

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Following the player’s latest non-appearance, Postecoglou has explained the situation surrounding the defensive midfielder…

The latest: ‘Slight issue’ for Bitton

Speaking to BBC, as quoted by the Daily Record, the 56-year-old has revealed the latest on the Israelim saying: “He’s got a bit of an issue. A slight issue.”

Bitton has not been seen in action since a fleeting 28-minute appearance in the 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox on April 3, having been an unused substitute in the subsequent 7-0 rout of St Johnstone.

The verdict: Worrying signs

Although Postecoglou seems undeterred by Bitton’s latest issue, unfortunately the problems keep mounting up for the 39-cap ace.

So far this season, the man who has been described as ‘fantastic’ by the Celtic manager has scored twice and provided two assists in 36 appearances across all competitions.

With Bitton out of contract in 2023 (Transfermarkt), the upcoming summer is a pivotal one for him, as the experienced midfielder will likely be hoping to receive a new deal, whilst the club could be considering selling him in order to avoid losing their man for nothing.

To that end, the Israeli will be desperate to play a part in this season’s run-in to try and secure a new contract.

In other news, one expert has made a key claim regarding the ownership of Celtic. Read more here.

As Leeds search for reinforcements in this January transfer window, one player who may be looking over his shoulder, is Pascal Struijk.

Hailed as “very influential” by Marcelo Bielsa, who handed him his senior debut for the club in the Championship last season, Struijk has grown into a regular in Leeds’ first-team squad over the past twelve months.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Leeds ace Noel Whelan said earlier this month: “You can see what a great player he will be, he likes that aggression side, he’s very competitive in the air, he’s got that little bit of a nasty streak but he’s also very good on the ball.

“His ball distribution, his choices of passes but I think his overall intelligence of playing that centre position, he looks a lot more comfortable. Again, I was impressed with lots of people but to see him back in that position where he’s natural, you really can see a player in him.”

But with Erick Pulgar’s potential arrival at Elland Road, Struijk is likely to see game-time harder to come by in that holding midfield role, with talisman Kalvin Phillips already ahead of him in the pecking order.

And then when you consider that both club captain Liam Cooper, and summer signing Diego Llorente, have returned to fitness in the past couple of weeks, it becomes that much more difficult to see where Struijk really fits into this Leeds set-up unless injuries or suspensions occur.

After making 11 appearances this season in all competitions, and starting and completing the full 90 minutes in the past four Premier League games too, the 21-year-old is in real danger of being dropped from the line-up and going back to a place on the bench.

Bielsa described him as someone who “gives everything and asks for nothing in return”. But unless he really steps up his performances, that effort may not mean much given Pulgar’s potential signing and the return to fitness of the likes of Cooper and Llorente.

Meanwhile, Leeds must unleash this starlet in the Premier League…

Former Leeds United striker Brian Deane has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he cannot see Patrick Bamford breaking into Liverpool’s team.

This comes after The Athletic (via TEAMtalk) reported that the Reds have an interest in the 27-year-old forward.

Such a development hardly comes as a surprise after the season Bamford has had. He has won many plaudits for his goalscoring exploits this term, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp himself coming out to praise the Englishman.

Despite the exceptional campaign Bamford has had, though, Deane believes Liverpool could be a level too high.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about the Merseyside club’s reported interest in £35,000-a-week man Bamford, the ex-Leeds player said:

“I’m not really sure. I think he fits in well because he’s grown with Leeds United. Liverpool have got the likes of [Diogo] Jota, [Mohamed] Salah, [Sadio] Mane – that’s another level for me.

“I think, probably, Patrick sits below that group, those well-established international players. I think he’s done well, think he’s a good player and I don’t want to be unfair to him because I think he’s done well, but I don’t see how he comes in and dislodges those types of players.”

“I think that he’ll be staying at Leeds.”

Indeed, there is no guarantee of Bamford breaking into that Liverpool team. Considering that, and already performing in a Leeds side that have shown that they can excel in the Premier League, an Elland Road stay probably looks like the wisest option.

Former Rangers star Michael Ball has told Football FanCast that the club’s title triumph has issued a wake-up call to the Celtic board.

Rangers have gone unbeaten throughout the season, winning the Scottish Premiership title at a canter.

Steven Gerrard’s side ended the season 25 points clear of Celtic, having finished 13 points behind their Old Firm rivals last term.

Reports have linked Celtic with a deal to appoint Eddie Howe following the departure of Neil Lennon midway through the season.

But Ball believes that Celtic need to make a change at boardroom level as well as in the dugout as they look to close the gap on Rangers next season.

Indeed, he feels that Celtic’s hierarchy will have been stunned by the manner in which Rangers have cruised to the title.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, the ex-midfielder, who played for the club between 2001 and 2005, said: “It’s not just about Eddie Howe. I feel it’s going to be about the upstairs at Celtic. It’s probably shocked them this season, of Rangers not just closing the gap but Rangers overtaking them and winning the league very, very early.

“I don’t think Celtic’s board expected that to happen so soon so it’s a wake-up call for the board.”

Howe has been out of work since leaving AFC Bournemouth in 2020.