According to Football Insider, Southampton along with fellow Premier League side Aston Villa are interested in signing defender Jake Cooper.

Cooper currently plays as a centreback for Championship side Millwall and very highly rated by the London side, so much so that the defender has played every minute of the last 111 games for the Lions.

Cooper is 6ft4 and is a valuable asset at both ends of the pitch. Indeed, no current Saints defender has won more aerial duels on average than him (4.4 per via WhoScored) so he’s proven, at least in theory, capable of imposing himself in both penalty boxes.

Southampton have conceded the 2nd most goals in the Premier League (51) and Ralph Hassenhuttl has had many issues in defence. The likes of Jack Stephens, Jannik Vestergaard and Maya Yoshida have all been in and out of the side this season, with only Jan Bednarek making over 20 starts when it comes to central defenders.

Cooper is two years younger than the aforementioned 27-year-old Vestergaard and performing well in what tends to be a physical league so perhaps investing in a player like this could be a good idea, given the Dane’s links with a move to Leicester City.

Furthermore, Yoshida was allowed to leave in the January transfer window, so there is certainly scope to strengthen in that area and, given his aerial dominance, he does look as if he could add something to their ranks.

Would you back a move for Cooper? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Bruno Alves left Rangers in rather understated fashion when Steven Gerrard walked through the door in 2018.

The Portuguese had his contract terminated by mutual consent and with little more than a quick comment from the manager, he was leaving Ibrox.

Alves was an eye-catching signing when he was snapped up by Pedro Caixinha in the summer of 2017 but ultimately it didn’t work out for the defender who has now been capped 96 times his country.

A player boasting vast experience throughout club football and on the international stage, it was a player who could have added a bit of steel to the Gers. Indeed, that’s exactly what they’re missing now.

When the 38-year-old departed Glasgow for Italy, his departure won’t have meant much. After all, Rangers had brought in Connor Goldson who has since been linked with Fulham and Leeds in England’s Championship.

However, he has hardly been convincing in recent weeks, making a catastrophic error against Hamilton on Wednesday. He isn’t the only defender who has been costing the team dearly, though.

Although Rangers came through their Europa League tie with Braga, they were 2-0 down against the Liga NOS outfit in the first leg. Gerrard’s men conceded a further two against St Johnstone and then crashed out of the Scottish Cup at the hands of Hearts.

The issue? Rangers’ back four. Once again they were undone in rather shambolic fashion as club captain James Tavernier failed to clear properly and Allan McGregor wrongfully committed. The result was Oliver Bozanovic tapping the ball into an empty net.

It was symptomatic of a team struggling significantly in defence. In terms of their organisation, it was essentially non-existent.

How they could do with a resolute and resilient character, one possessing undoubted leadership qualities. After Rangers’ defeat on Saturday, a number of fans questioned why Tavernier was captain – remarks that remain very valid given his involvement in their defeat last weekend.

Coincidentally, Alves is now captain of Parma as they sit ninth in the Italian top-flight. The former Gers man has been influential in that, combining a steely nature with a calming influence.

From his 20 appearances, he has a pass success rate of 83%, all while registering a colossal eight long balls per match.

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On top of that, he’s managed 17 blocks – a number that equates to 0.9 per game. His no-nonsense attitude at Parma would have been vital to Rangers in the last few games; they miss someone willing to defend at all costs.

In the Europa League this term, Filip Helander hars registered 0.6 blocks per match. Goldson, meanwhile, has mustered just 0.4.

With Rangers in such poor form – failing to win six domestic matches in 2020 – their defence is in great need of improvement. How they miss Alves.

Meanwhile, Chris Sutton has had some choice words for Alfredo Morelos…

With just nine games of the season to go, West Bromwich Albion are in a great position to go on and win promotion to the Premier League.

The Baggies sit six points clear of third place, and barring a late capitulation they should be a top-flight outfit next season.

As each game gets ticked off the calendar, eyes will slowly but surely turn towards the summer transfer window, and speculation about who the Midlands club will look to sign is already rampant.

Indeed, Slaven Bilic’s side have already been linked with one of the Championship’s top strikers.

What’s the story then?

Sky Sports are reporting that West Brom are interested in Huddersfield striker Karlan Grant.

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Unfortunately, the Baggies aren’t the only team in the race for the Terriers frontman as Aston Villa are reportedly also looking into the possibility of signing him.

Despite the Yorkshire club’s lacklustre season, Grant has been a beacon of hope for the Terriers, netting 16 times in the league.

A prolific forward who knows where the net is sounds like exactly the type of player Albion should be targeting, after all, their top scorer this season is Hal Robson-Kanu, and he only has 10 goals.

However, if they land Grant that shouldn’t spell the end of their hunt for a new striker.

Need more

Grant may well be good enough to lead the line for Bilic’s team in the Premier League.

He scored four in 13 in a struggling Huddersfield side during his maiden top-flight campaign, and that form has carried through to this season, netting 16 times in the Championship.

However, he still isn’t as proven a striker as West Brom would like, and they need a contingency plan for if he proves to be something of a flash in the pan.

Goals are vital for any team battling to stay up in the top-flight, and West Brom should still be in the hunt for someone who has proven their credentials at Premier League level for a number of years.

Taking a punt on Grant would be wise – he’s shown a lot of promise this season, and if the Baggies do go straight back down upon promotion he’d have what it takes to keep them competitive in the Championship. However, they’d be foolish to put all their eggs in one basket with him.

In other news, this Championship midfielder isn’t the answer for West Brom.

Wilfried Zaha is arguably the most iconic and talismanic figure in Crystal Palace’s current squad of players.

The homegrown talent can strike fear into opposition defenders with his powerful dribbling, as indicated by the fact that he completes 4.7 dribbles per game, while also being fouled 3.2 times.

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However, there has been one thing that has been missing from his game, and it is exactly the sort of moment that is depicted below.

This goal, against Brighton & Hove Albion on December 16, was brilliantly taken to earn a draw against the Eagles’ rivals, when he got himself a yard of space in the box, before blasting the ball past Mat Ryan with his left foot.

It was a great goal, that clearly meant a lot, but the fact that he has scored just two others this campaign is verging on the criminal for somebody who is so threatening and talented.

Another disappointing statistic is that this is his most recent goal, depsite the fact the Ivory Coast international has played the full 90 minutes in Palace’s last 12 Premier League matches after that game.

Zaha is undoubtedly a massively talented footballer, but Palace need him to start scoring more goals.

Meanwhile, Palace have been touted to make a move for a pair of teenagers.

Leeds United fans have been left swooning over former striker Mark Viduka after Sky Sports showed a game from yesteryear on this week’s edition of Monday Night Football.

With no regular match action from the current campaign, the likes of Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher run the rule over Leeds’ 4-3 victory against Liverpool, which the latter actually featured in.

The encounter is well remembered at Elland Road, not just because of the momentous scenes, but because their ex-star nabbed all four goals by himself putting Carragher’s defending to shame.

Here’s how fans reacted to the throwback fixture…

According to Transfermarkt’s recorded matches, the Aussie would go on to bag 21 goals that season in all competitions, including strikes against Real Madrid in the Champions League and Manchester United in the Premier League.

Viduka would remain in west Yorkshire until 2004 as Leeds were relegated to the second tier, resulting in him joining Middlesbrough with their finances not in the best of shape.

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His parting gift from Elland Road was a goal from the spot and a red card in their 4-1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers.

Oh, how Marcelo Bielsa could do with a player of Viduka’s ilk right now. His current side rank third-worst for chance conversion in the Championship with Patrick Bamford their top goalscorer with 13 goals.

Who is that?! Nobody has been able to name the teams all of these obscure managers were once in charge of…

They have managed to score only 13.6% of their 412 attempts at goal so could you imagine a prime and prolific Viduka banging them in now?

AND in other news, Leeds fans rave over Jack Harrison footage…

After Jay Rodriguez enjoyed a fine season in the Championship for Burnley – in which he scored 15 goals and recorded six assists, including one set-up against Southampton at Turf Moor – Nigel Adkins handed the Clarets £6m for the forward’s services in 2012.

In the previous campaign, the Burnley-born striker had scored 14 goals and registered seven assists – 29 goals and 13 assists in two seasons isn’t bad going at all, and you can see why Southampton wanted to sign him.

Ultimately, it turned out to be a shrewd move, as the attacker of Spanish heritage netted six Premier League goals along with eight assists in his first season for the club.

However, the next campaign was even better.

With a World Cup on the horizon, the Englishman scored 15 Premier League goals in 33 appearances, making up part of a deadly trio alongside Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert.

Surely, he would have a spot in Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad, right?

Sadly, a serious knee injury suffered in April – just weeks before the tournament began – meant Rodriguez would miss six months of action, despite Hodgson revealing that he was “hoping against hope” that the attacker would be fit.

That cruel moment appeared to make the striker cursed.

He never really got back to his best, failing to score in 12 Premier League appearances following his return to action in 2015/16, before only scoring five league goals the following season – Rodriguez then left for West Brom in a deal worth £12m.

The ex-Barnsley forward scored 35 goals in 126 appearances for Southampton, and eventually netted the club a cool £6m in profit – in that respect, he was a gem of a signing by Adkins.

Ultimately though, it feels like the attacker was cursed in an underlying manner – to have a chance to appear at the World Cup stolen away from you with just five games left of the season is a cruel, cruel blow.

Premier League experts will get full marks: The ultimate quiz on top flight transfer flops…

In other news, this Mauricio Pochettino flop was an absolute disaster of a signing for Southampton…

Loads of Sheffield Wednesday fans have been reacting after the club posted images of Jacob Murphy helping vulnerable people in Norfolk on their official Twitter account.

With football currently suspended in England due to a pandemic which has shut down almost everything worldwide, players certainly have plenty of time on their hands at the moment.

And Murphy, along with his twin brother Josh, has opted to use his time by giving back to the community. The duo have been picking up and delivering medication for the most vulnerable in Norfolk.

Both players have ties to the area having come through the ranks at Norwich City, with Jacob playing for them until 2017 whilst Josh was at Carrow Road until 2018. Jacob is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday from Newcastle United and he has made 30 league appearances for the Owls so far, scoring five goals (Transfermarkt).

After seeing images of his act of kindness, plenty of supporters have been praising him in response with one even suggesting that they should extend his loan for another year because of it. Here is what some had to say…

Owls fans, would you like Jacob Murphy to sign on a permanent basis? Let us know below…

If it was action that people came looking for, they would not have been disappointed by the fourth day’s play at the MA Chidambaram stadium at Chepauk. Harbhajan Singh gave the ball a royal tweak, sent the West Indies into a tail-spin, Virender Sehwag blazed away, and a victory target of 81 was breezed past in just 21.1 overs. India have now taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in this three-Test series for the Exide Cup.The day began with the West Indies on 186 for four, with Ramnaresh Sarwan taking his side towards a fighting second-innings score. But with a searing, perfectly directed delivery, Zaheer Khan ensured that the three-figure mark eluded Sarwan once more. Trapped lbw in the 72nd over of the innings for 78 (297 minutes, 214 balls, four fours, one six), Sarwan had failed to keep the Indian bowlers at bay for long on the day.The dismissal of Sarwan provided enough of a window for Harbhajan to work his magic. Bamboozling the West Indian lower-order with a spell of bowling that took him past Muttiah Muralitharan as the leading wicket-taker of the calendar year, the Punjab offie scalped as many as three wickets in a single over. In the 75th over, Harbhajan Singh sent back three West Indian batsmen. Ryan Hinds (7), Gareth Breese (0) and Merv Dillon (4) all perished as they played against the spin. With four for 79, Harbhajan was the pick of the bowlers – and the eventual Man of the Match for his incisive bowling and batting cameo – as the tourists crumbled to 229.India’s response was as swift as it was decisive. Sehwag, with his mind set on going after the spinners, launched himself into several massive drives, two of which sailed over the ropes. On 33, off just 31 balls, Sehwag tried to loft Carl Hooper one time too many and was beaten in the flight and stumped.Sanjay Bangar, in an unusually aggressive mood, scored 20 before edging Hooper to Chris Gayle in the slips. With a steady drizzle pattering down and heavy clouds hanging over the floodlit stadium, Sachin Tendulkar (16) and Rahul Dravid (6) knocked off the winning runs.Looking back, Sourav Ganguly will say that everything went perfectly for India – well, almost everything. The skipper is nursing a very sore lower back after a bone-crunching collision with Anil Kumble when the pair both attempted to take a catch. But then again, some would say that even the collision was a reflection of the boyish enthusiasm with which India rushed to a comfortable win.

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are keeping tabs on Atletico Madrid youngster Rodrigo Riquelme.

What’s the word?

The 20-year-old has made just two appearances for the La Liga giants’ first-team this season, and that only combined for 30 minutes of senior football.

Now, The Scottish Sun claim that Celtic scouts have been watching Riquelme during his time with Atletico’s development sides, and that Neil Lennon is “believed to be aware of the highly-rated youngster’s availability”.

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The report adds that with the starlet’s contract with Diego Simeone’s side expiring this summer, Celtic would be able to sign him for nothing.

Exciting

Whilst he may not have enjoyed a real breakthrough into the Atletico first-team this year, he has certainly shown a lot during his time with the youth sides that he has a lot of potential.

In just seven games in the UEFA Youth League for example, he has scored twice and provided a further four assists, and it’s been no surprise that he has earned some rave reviews for his ability.

Former Atletico academy director Miguel Angel Ruiz waxed lyrical about the Spaniard last year, and talked up how he could potentially be a game-changer with his style of play. He said: “In my view, he is a ‘trequartista’, either on the right, left or in the centre, but always behind the strikers.

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“His change of pace is brutal and is something that could differentiate him with others in his age group. He has speed, change of pace and ability to overpower an opponent in one-on-one situations.”

Taking a chance on a young prodigy like Riquelme could be the kind of Peter Lawwell masterclass that Celtic look back on a few years and point to as a superb piece of business. Getting him on a free transfer, and then seeing him become a bona-fide star for the club and then even potentially selling him for a massive profit, would be a major coup.

Meanwhile, Celtic must beat Rangers to the signing of this ace.

Tasmania
ScorecardTasmania surged to a 48-run victory over South Australia in a rain-shortened domestic one-day match in Burnie, as Ed Cowan and Ben Hilfenhaus made striking contributions.Cowan’s 91 at No. 3 allowed the Tigers to set a decent target despite the loss of regular wickets, and the total was bolstered a little more by Duckworth-Lewis calculations.SA’s reply was unsettled the moment the visitors lost the captain Michael Klinger to Hilfenhaus, and regular wicket ensured they would never mount a serious chase despite 66 for the in-form Tom Cooper.Hilfenhaus finished with four wickets while Xavier Doherty managed two.