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Three clubs from the Premier League have reportedly ‘sent their scouts’ to watch Leon King in action for Glasgow Rangers ahead of a potential January move.

The Lowdown: Breakthrough season

18-year-old King is enjoying somewhat of a breakthrough season at Ibrox, having played nine times already in all competitions, including 90 minutes in last week’s 2-0 loss away at Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League (Transfermarkt).

Before this term, he had also featured eight other times for the senior team dating back to the 2020/21 campaign, so he is clearly that is very highly thought of by the club.

The Latest: Premier League interest

Taking to Twitter, Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United, Newcastle United and Leeds United have ‘already sent their scouts’ to watch King in action, and are ‘monitoring’ his situation at the Gers, as his contract expires in 2024:

“Many clubs are monitoring Rangers centre back Leon King (2004) who started against Liverpool at Anfield, last week — he’s out of contract in June 2024. #transfers Manchester United, Newcastle and Leeds have already sent their scouts to follow King.”

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The Verdict: New deal needed

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team need to give King a new deal soon, so that they can protect his value and fend off any interest from the English top flight.

Hailed as an ‘absolutely top class’ talent by renowned Rangers bloggers Four Lads Had a Dream, it is scary to think that the central defender is just 18, and is already making an impact in the first team with the likes of Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun leaving in the summer.

Nonetheless, with the January transfer window coming up, the Light Blues will want to sort his future out before then, and hopefully get King to commit long-term.

West Ham United all but confirmed their spot in the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League with a 2-1 win over Anderlecht at the London Stadium on Thursday evening.

First-half goals from Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen were enough to see the Hammers earn three points, despite Sebastiano Esposito’s late consolation goal.

The result means that the Irons sit top of group B on 12 points, with just one point needed from their final two games in order to confirm direct passage to the knockout stages, as teams who come in second place face a preliminary round against sides who drop out of the Europa League by coming third in their group.

While Benrahma will take a lot of plaudits after his impressive free-kick and overall performance, which were desperately needed after a disappointing start to the campaign, another man who looked back to his best was Vladimir Coufal.

The Czech defender has struggled to replicate the form he showed in his first season at the club and has been ousted from the starting team by Thilo Kehrer in recent weeks.

The 30-year-old averaged a superb 6.95 rating from WhoScored in his first season in the top flight after notching seven assists but has averaged a far-less-impressive 6.36 rating in the current Premier League season, with no assists or goals to his name.

As per SofaScore, Coufal would earn a strong 7.3 rating for his display, some way above his usual mean this term, with only the goalscorers from either side rated higher.

Coufal looked far more comfortable as a right wing-back and showed his attacking qualities, as he registered three key passes in the match, which was the most of any player on the pitch.

He also completed all three of his crosses and contributed two clearances and three interceptions.

By comparison, the former Slavia Prague man has averaged 0.7 key passes, 1.4 clearances and two interceptions per game in the top flight this season, which shows that he really raised his game against Anderlecht.

After his impressive performances in his debut campaign, David Moyes labelled him “brilliant” and the Scottish manager will be hoping that this strong display is a sign that Coufal is getting back to his best in a West Ham shirt.

Aston Villa, being the illustrious club they are, have tempted plenty of high-profile talent to the Midlands over the years.

The proud winner of seven English titles, one European cup and numerous domestic trophies, it made their relegation in 2016 all the more shocking.

Especially considering how it came just seven years after they nearly signed one of the best midfielders of this generation.

Back in 2009, Wesley Sneijder was coming off the back of an underwhelming season for Real Madrid where he had scored just twice. The financially-troubled Spanish club saw him as a profitable asset that they could afford to lose and slapped a £20m price tag on the Dutchman.

With Inter Milan refusing to stump up the cash, the Daily Mail reported Villa as the favourite for his signature with Martin O’Neill in charge.

However, as we all know he did eventually make the move to Italy, for a fee of around £15m.

It was at La Beneamata where he truly began to shine, as he played an integral role in their sensational treble-winning season.

He would score eight and assist 15 across all three competitions that they won, and also provided an assist to Diego Milito for his opener in the Champions League final. This campaign also saw him awarded Midfielder of the Year.

His sensational season wasn’t done there, however, as he played nearly every minute in his country’s run to the World Cup final.

His illustrious career that ended with plenty of silverware led Roberto Mancini to dub him a “champion and a fantastic player.”

The 38-year-old would go on to excel at almost every club he played for, with particularly outstanding performances for Galatasaray. He scored 45 times and assisted 44 in 175 games for the Turkish giants before eventually retiring in 2019 at Qatari club Al-Gharafa.

He still holds the record for most caps for the Netherlands, with an astounding 134.

Sneijder will likely always be remembered as one of the classiest yet deadly midfielders of the era, with journalist Luis Miguel Echegaray labelling him a “legend” in 2018.

Whilst he was winning numerous trophies, Villa are yet to win one major honour since and have suffered a spell in the Championship too.

Had they just forked out the asking price in 2009, perhaps he could have been the catalyst to spurring them on to all kinds of success, instead of the mediocrity they have suffered through.

Carlo Ancelotti believes Real Madrid can complete a famous comeback by overturning a 3-0 deficit against Arsenal in the Champions League.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Ancelotti asked about a possible 'remontada'
• Real Madrid boss: "It happened many times"
• Arsenal take 3-0 lead to the Bernabeu

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ancelotti pointed towards the many famous comebacks that have happened over two legs in the Champions League. Most famously, Barcelona overturned a 4-0 defeat against PSG in the first leg of the round of 16 in 2017, by beating the French side 6-1 at Camp Nou. The tie is responsible for the term 'remontada', meaning comeback in Spanish, becoming popular parlance in world football.

Advertisement

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  For this comeback to come to fruition, Real Madrid will have to step up their game. Arsenal were outstanding in the first leg, and with Declan Rice's two free kicks, secured a well deserved 3-0 win.

• AFP
  

  WHAT CARLO ANCELOTTI SAID

  Ancelotti said: "Remontada? We will try. It happened many times. We will try until the last minute."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  This is just the second time Arsenal and Real Madrid have faced each other in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Arsenal won the last-16 tie in 2006 thanks to a single goal by Thierry Henry in the Bernabeu. The Gunners would go onto lose the final to Barcelona, 2-1 in Paris.

Southampton will be desperate to build upon last weekend’s fine result, when they managed to avoid defeat against Premier League leaders Arsenal at St Mary’s.

It marked their third game without defeat, and with a trip to Crystal Palace coning up this afternoon, it marks another decent opportunity for the Saints to continue their unbeaten run.

The Eagles were most recently thumped by Everton, but before that they had won two of their last three. With just one point separating the two teams, it is sure to be an interesting affair and tactical battle between Patrick Vieira and Ralph Hasenhuttl. 

With fresh injuries and returning players to contend with, the Austrian is expected to make two changes to his side which squeezed out a 1-1 draw against the Gunners six days ago.

In goal, Gavin Bazunu is unlikely to be displaced any time soon for the Saints, having been ever-present in the Premier League. He will sit behind an unchanged back four, with Mohammed Salisu and Duje Caleta-Car deputising for the injured Armel Bella-Kotchap at centre-back.

With Tino Livramento and Kyle Walker-Peters still ruled out, Lyanco will continue at right-back, while Romain Perraud will be hoping to keep his place on the left flank.

A flat four in midfield will underpin Hasenhuttl’s system, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles returning after missing out last week due to the conditions of his loan move from Arsenal.

Having been dubbed a “huge talent” last year by Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, fans on the south coast will be hoping that the 25-year-old now picks up some form and is handed a run of games to prove himself, having started only three league matches since coming to St Mary’s.

He partner James Ward-Prowse in the engine room, with Mohamed Elyounoussi and last week’s goalscorer Stuart Armstrong on the flanks.

Whilst Hasenhuttl opted for a more conservative approach last week, Joe Aribo will drop to the bench today in favour of a strike partnership of Adam Armstrong and the returning Che Adams.

The former Rangers man can offer a fine option as a substitute, but the relentlessness of this attacking duo is Southampton’s best bet at unsettling a Palace side who were harassed into a 3-0 loss at Goodison Park a week ago.

Predicted Southampton XI (4-4-2): Bazunu; Lyanco, Salisu, Caleta-Car, Perraud; Elyounoussi, Ward-Prowse, Maitland-Niles, S. Armstrong; A. Armstrong, Adams

Glasgow Rangers’ European nightmare finally came to an end on Tuesday night as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side were beaten 3-1 by Ajax at Ibrox.

The Gers ended the group stage with zero points from six games as the Dutchman’s men were outscored 22 goals to two against Liverpool, Napoli and the Dutch giants – becoming the worst team in the history of the competition in doing so.

Steven Berghuis opened the scoring as a brilliant team move from the away side ended in him inadvertently chipping the ball into the left corner, with Leon King leaving it as he appeared to think the shot was going wide.

Mohammed Kudus made it 2-0 before the half-hour mark as James Sands allowed him too much space in the box and the forward’s shot deflected off King to beat McGregor.

Rangers huffed and puffed in the second half and finally got themselves on the scoresheet in the 87th minute as James Tavernier converted from the spot after substitute Rabbi Matondo was fouled.

That only turned out to be a consolation, though, as Francisco Conceicao ran off the back of King and sent Borna Barisic away before rolling the ball into the back of the net.

Whilst King gave a helping hand to Ajax in all of their goals, the real villain for the head coach on the night was starting number nine Antonio Colak.

The Croatian striker has been in phenomenal form in the Premiership this season, scoring 11 goals in 12 appearances so far, but he ended the group stage of the Champions League without a goal contribution to his name.

He had the unenviable task of leading the line for a struggling Rangers team but did not do himself justice with his performance as he allowed himself to be dominated with ease by the Ajax defenders.

Colak needed to offer his team an out ball at the top end of the pitch to allow the rest of his teammates to get up the pitch, to create worthwhile attacks, and he was unable to do that.

As per SofaScore, he lost 80% (4/5) of his individual duels and was dribbled past once, whilst failing to make a single tackle in his 60 minutes on the pitch.

These statistics show that he was bullied by former Light Blues man Calvin Bassey and the rest of the Ajax defence, which meant that the ball kept coming back at the Gers backline – putting them under pressure.

He offered very little in possession when he did have the chance to control the ball. The former PAOK man completed only five passes and lost the ball five times from 12 touches – failing to register an effort on goal or a key pass.

Therefore, the Gers lightweight was the real villain for van Bronckhorst’s side as his failure to hold the ball up, or offer quality when he did get the chance to attack the Ajax defence, was a huge hindrance to the team as it affected the overall performance by allowing the Dutch side to pile the pressure on the likes of King and Sands.

Tony Mowbray has hinted that Ellis Simms could start for Sunderland at home to Cardiff City in the Championship this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Easing him back in…

Simms has come off the bench twice in the last two league games after injuring his toe, which kept him out for seven matches (Transfermarkt).

He last started in the 3-0 win away at Reading back in September, where he had to come off early because of his injury.

The Latest: Could start

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of today’s clash, Mowbray has hinted (via The Chronicle) that ‘there’s a chance’ that Simms could make his first start in two months against Cardiff, but admitted that the club are still taking precaution with him, so he could equally be left on the bench again:

“We are two games away from an international break and it’s whether we feel a though we can risk – if that’s the right word – a potential start for him. Games start at a much higher intensity, so it is more demanding than coming off the bench.

“It’s whether he feels ready, whether we feel it is a gamble worth taking, because we’ve got a three-week break coming up by the end of which he will definitely have recovered and done the fitness work. I’ll discuss it, but I haven’t really made a decision over whether to start him as yet.

“There’s a chance that he could start, but there’s a chance he could be on the bench again because I like the idea of having a strong bench that can either see a game out or change a game. Let’s see what team we pick and what potential changes to help change the course of the game go our way.”

The Verdict: No need to risk it

With just a few fixtures left until the break for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, there is no need for the Stadium of Light outfit to risk rushing Simms back into the starting line-up, at the risk of potentially aggravating his injury.

They won 2-0 away at Huddersfield Town in the league last time out, where the Everton loanee only played 45 minutes, although did manage to grab himself an assist.

Simms did score three goals in his first two league matches for the Black Cats, so is always a useful weapon to have on the pitch, but if he is not fully fit, then Mowbray can always just bring him off the bench again.

Sunderland’s U21 side were beaten comfortably on Monday night as they were hammered 3-1 by Southampton in division two of Premier League 2.

Results are largely irrelevant at youth level in terms of the development of the players as the overall goal is for them to make the breakthrough into the first team, which they can do without being part of a successful youth team.

One positive to take away from the loss to the Saints was that 21-year-old right-back Niall Huggins started the match and played the full 90 minutes – his third appearance for the U21s in 2022 after recovering from a fractured back.

His last competitive outing for Sunderland came in a 5-0 win over Cheltenham in September 2021 and he has now returned to first-team training after just over a year away from the senior group.

Huggins played three games for the U21s as part of his rehabilitation and he is now closing in on being able to make a return for Tony Mowbray’s team, with the youngster now enjoying his first chance to impress the manager as Lee Johnson was in charge when he was last available for selection.

Mowbray could now strike gold by unearthing the starlet’s full potential as he showed great promise prior to his injury nightmare over the past year.

Indeed ex-Black Cats boss Johnson hailed the youngster’s talents after bringing him in from Leeds United last year, saying:

“Niall is an interesting player and tactically he’s very versatile – he is also very good physically in terms of his speed and acceleration and he’s a good dribbler, whether that’s playing left back or right back.

“He’s a bright kid and he’s had a very good education at Leeds, but now it’s the right time for him to step into that first-team environment. Niall is another one that we have added to our stable of quality young players, so we are very happy to have him and we’re looking forward to working with him.”

The £3.9k-per-week warrior, who was dubbed a “stunning” signing by journalist Josh Bunting, offered a taste of what he is capable of in a 2-0 win over Wigan in the EFL Cup last season. He recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.3 as he won five of his six individual duels and created two chances, registering one assist, in the match as he showcased his competitive nature and his ability on the ball.

Huggins, who is an international for Wales at youth level, was a regular for Leeds’ U21s prior to his move to the Stadium of Light as he played 17 Premier League 2 matches, scoring twice, in the 2020/21 campaign.

His performances for the Whites were good enough to convince Kristjaan Speakman and Johnson to sign him and the gem’s display against Wigan could be a sign of what is to come from him under Mowbray now that he has recovered from his injury.

Therefore, the Black Cats boss could strike gold by giving Huggins, who has plenty of time left to develop at the age of 21, opportunities to impress in the Championship, helping the youngster fulfil his undoubted potential and become a valuable member of the first-team squad.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are struggling in the Premier League this season and are currently rock bottom in the league table ahead of the World Cup break, which will be troubling for both the club and supporters.

Indeed, there is still plenty of time to turn things around and Wolves will be hoping for a fresh start now that newly-appointed head coach Julen Lopetegui has taken the reigns and the Spanish manager will have the January transfer window to look to in an attempt to tackle the challenges the club are facing.

Lopetegui has already outlined his expectations and some of his plans for the transfer window going forward when Wolves return to action after Christmas in his first press conference this week:

“I agree because my responsibility is to try and improve. When the market opens we have this possibility and I think we are going to do that. I am not going to speak about names out of respect for our players.”

“We have to play the next four matches with this squad. We believe in this squad and we believe we can improve their performance.”

Although the manager will be thinking about incomings that can improve the team he will also need to consider the players that aren’t capable of providing Wolves with the consistency and quality they desperately need to retain their Premier League status not only this season but in campaigns to come.

One player who has struggled to make his presence known at Molineux is Ki-Jana Hoever, who this season was sent on loan to PSV Eindhoven after failing to impress former manager Bruno Lage but is now failing to make his mark in the Eredivisie either.

The Netherlands-born defender who was signed by Wolves for £13.5m from Liverpool back in 2020 has only made five appearances in the Eredivisie and the former PSV manager Aad de Mos questioned Hoever’s defensive capabilities, labelling him as such:

“Hoever is vulnerable on the inside. He is a central defender. He is brought in on the basis of his international games with the Dutch junior team, the Dutch U19 team and the Dutch U17 team.”

“To the eye, he is a nice player, but his weakness is of course his defensive qualities.”

Despite registering two assists this season, the Wolves youngster averages 0.8 interceptions and 0.6 clearances while only winning possession 0.2 times per game. Furthermore, he has only won 50% of his aerial duels, proving that he is not solid in his defensive play.

With that being said, Lopetegui must ruthlessly ditch Hoever when an opportunity arises to move the player on.

He is clearly not a defender who has been deemed a good fit for the club due to his loan move and the youngster is still struggling to prove to Wolves he has a chance at first-team football whilst on loan too.

Southampton transfer target Goncalo Ramos has enjoyed an impressive start to the season and will be “high on confidence” following his World Cup inclusion with Portugal.

The Lowdown: A stellar start

After being linked with a move away from Benfica in the summer, Ramos stayed put and has developed tremendously this term.

After a solid first full season as a regular for the side last term, the 21-year-old has followed up with a staggering start, registering nine goals and 1 assist in just 11 Primeira Liga appearances – that is two more goals than he registered in 29 appearances for the Lisbon-based side last season.

The Latest: Sought-after striker

As per transfer reporter Dean Jones, Southampton could be a potential destination for Ramos, with Wolverhampton Wanderers also mentioned.

The Saints were linked with a summer move for the international but a transfer failed to materialise.

The two Premier League outfits “would both be looking” to bring in the World Cup star when the transfer window re-opens for business in January.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said: “Yeah, his scoring record has been pretty special this season. And he’s gone to the World Cup too, so his profile is growing.

“I’m sure his confidence is too. They both need a player who’s high on confidence, so I can see why they would both be looking at him.”

The Verdict: Worth a try, but doubtful

Benfica have somewhat managed to fill the gap that Darwin Nunez left when he departed for Liverpool, with Benfica youth graduate Ramos rising to prominence in the absence of the Uruguayan.

Southampton would majorly benefit from the addition of a presence akin to the 21-year-old up-top, but it is unlikely that the Portuguese giants would allow him to leave, especially midway through the season.

£34million Ramos has also enjoyed his Champions League football this season, scoring five and assisting two in 10 appearances to help Benfica top Group H.

It’s a worth a try, but it is highly unlikely in January.