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The saga involving Rangers and Derek McInnes rumbles on today after the Ibrox club were confirmed to have made an official approach for him earlier this week.

Aberdeen refused the Light Blues permission to speak to him and that’s sparked all sorts of speculation and reports this morning, including the fact that McInnes has not taken first team training and is set for showdown talks with Pittodrie chief Stewart Milne later on today.

It appears increasingly likely that the situation will come to a head either way soon, with the bookies making him odds on favourite to succeed Pedro Caixinha as manager, according to Oddschecker.

How do Rangers fans feel about it though? Well, to say they’re not convinced with the potential appointment is an understatement.

While they certainly appear to be enjoying rivals Aberdeen’s tumultuous week, many have taken to Twitter to emphasise that McInnes is not their first choice to take charge of the Light Blues.

Some have even pleaded with the club to reconsider and take the fans’ views into account…

It was a rough day for Manchester United. Not only did they lose the derby, conceding two sloppy set-piece goals and offering very little themselves in the way of attack, but they now find themselves 11 points behind the league leaders and probably too far back for victory.

There’s a long way to go, but the prevailing message to come out of Manchester City is certainly not one you could disagree with: they’d rather be 11 points ahead than 11 points behind.

But if United can feel disappointed by their position and their attacking effectiveness in relation to their neighbours, they can probably also feel down about their own side.

Despite having paid hundreds of millions of pounds for Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba, it’s these two players who arguably had the biggest impact on the derby from a United point of view. And that’s only because they were conspicuous by their absence.

Pogba’s absence is obvious. His suspension robbed United of a counter-attacking threat and a player with the ability to compete with City’s midfield three who ran the game.

Lukaku’s absence from the game certainly wasn’t expected, however. And even though he missed his side’s biggest chance of the game, the Belgian striker’s impact on the game was minimal at best outside of that moment.

With a grand total of two shots – one hit straight at Ederson from yards out, and with the goal gaping – and only 27 touches in the entire game, Lukaku clearly wasn’t in the thick of it. But more galling for the Red Devils was his passing stats. Over the whole 90 minutes, the former Everton striker attempted only 16 passes, and completed just 38% of them: that means only six times over the whole game did he find a teammate with a pass.

Indeed, even in the areas of the game where you’d have expected Lukaku to be effective against City, he simply wasn’t. Not only did the vast majority of his passes go astray, but he also managed to win only six of his 14 aerial duels – hardly what you’d expect from a towering 6’3” striker playing against Manchester City, one of the smallest sides in the league.

Lukaku’s involvement in both of City’s goals, as well as his miss in the second half, will draw most of the criticisms he’ll get this week. As will the fact that his record in big games is suspect. But perhaps the biggest negative was just how ineffective the Belgian was, and even when he did manage to get into the action, just how wasteful he was, too.

The defeat will hurt for United, but the fact that their biggest signing of the summer had such a bad game shows that Jose Mourinho’s side probably won’t lose the title because of the Manchester derby. They may well have lost it in the transfer market in the summer.

Rangers’ hopes of keeping the pressure on Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership table took a blow on Saturday as they slipped to a 3-1 defeat at home to St Johnstone.

The afternoon promised to be a good one for supporters after Alfredo Morelos scored after just five minutes, but the visitors equalised shortly afterwards thanks to Blair Alston.

In the second half, Tommy Wright’s side sensed a result was in the offing and scoring on the hour mark through Denny Johnstone before Graham Cummins made it three 20 minutes from time.

Fans were of course left disappointed with the result but they were enraged by some of the performances from their players, with plenty of criticism directed at veteran defender Bruno Alves.

The Portuguese legend could do little to contain the Perth side and looked well past his peak of performing at an elite level.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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According to a report from Football Insider, Leeds United forward Kemar Roofe has been linked with a move away from Elland Road this summer. The 25-year-old made the move to the Yorkshire giants back in 2016 and has since impressed for the Championship club, thus reportedly attracting interest from fellow second tier sides Sheffield United and West Brom. 

But given how influential the £3.15 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) was for the club last term, retaining his services should without doubt be a summer priority for Leeds and new manager Marcelo Bielsa.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while last season was something of a disappointment for the Whites given the position they found themselves in near the top during the autumn, 25-year-old Roofe again showed his credentials at second tier level by finishing as the club’s top goal-scorer.

The former Oxford United man bagged 14 times for the Yorkshire heavyweights in their run to 13th place in the Championship table, thus finishing the campaign as one of just two men, the other being Pierre Michel Lasogga, to reach double figures for the club.

And with Lasogga not set to return after his loan spell from Hamburg ended at the rear end of last season, Leeds have already lost a decent proportion of the goals they scored last term, and as such simply cannot afford to lose Roofe as well.

And if Bielsa’s side are serious about sustaining a promotion challenge this time round, it’s absolutely imperative that they have genuine strength in depth in the forward ranks, as over the course of a long, hard slog that is a Championship season, the squad will be pushed to the limit.

And sanctioning Roofe’s departure this summer would leave the Whites with just Caleb Ekuban, Marcus Antonsson, and Tyler Roberts in the striking department – there simply isn’t enough goals in that trio.

Thus, while Roofe still somewhat divides opinion among Leeds fans up and down the country, the Whites would be a much weaker outfit going forward were they to let him leave this summer – the creativity might be there with Samu Saiz, Pablo Hernandez, and Ezgjan Alioski, but they still need someone to put the ball in the back of the net.

As such, retaining the 25-year-old’s services absolutely must be a summer priority for new boss Bielsa and the club’s hierarchy.

Leeds fans… what do you think? Let us know!

According to Sport Witness, reporting via Turkish publication Sabah, West Ham have outbid Everton and Liverpool in the pursuit of Domagoj Vida.

Vida, who plays his club football with Besiktas, reached the World Cup final this summer, and put in a string of good displays in Russia.

His performances on the world stage have earned him Premier League admirers, and now West Ham look to be leading the way in the race for the 29-year-old’s signature.

According to the aforementioned report, Everton have already lodged a bid for the centre-back.

Now, Marco Silva must decide whether or not to take his interest in Vida any further, or chase an alternative option instead. 

The Breakdown

Following Swansea’s relegation from the Premier League last season, Alfie Mawson may be open to an immediate return to the top flight. Everton should prioritise making a push for the 24-year-old, with Premier League experience, over Vida.

Signing Mawson now would give the Toffees a base to build their defence on for the foreseeable future. The acquisition of such an accomplished ball playing defender would also help Silva to instil the passing philosophy he likes his teams to play with. 

Transfermarkt value the Englishman at £13.5 million, making him potentially even cheaper a purchase than Vida too.

If Silva is serious about building a new Everton, who play better football than before, then Mawson is a much bigger step in that direction than Vida. 

Sheffield Wednesday have had a pretty quiet summer on the transfer front, but Barry Bannan’s latest comments are the best news fans could possibly hear.

It’s pretty normal for your best players to be linked with moves away in the transfer window, but Owls fans were annoyed earlier this summer when both Bannan and Fernando Forestieri were linked with Championship rivals.

The 27-cap Scottish midfielder has now quashed any concerns about a possible departure though, telling the Sheffield Star he wants to finish his career at Hillsborough.

The 28 year-old made the switch from Crystal Palace in 2015, and has consistently been one of the Owls’ best players whenever fit.

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Having him not only at the club but fully committed and connected with the club is a huge boost, so fans are absolutely loving these comments.

“I know I’ve got a year left on my contract but there is plenty of time to sort it out,” the midfield ace told The Star.

“I’ve made it clear I want to finish my career here if I can. I love it here.”

Bannan grabbed a goal and three assists in all competitions last season, averaging over one tackle and one interception per game. With just 12 months left on his contract, fans are desperate to get a deal tied up.

While the lack of any real spending money for incoming transfers might be infuriating, the Bannan comments are music to fans’ ears, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

According to L’Equipe, West Ham United are interested in signing Nicolas N’Koulou from Torino in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

To suggest that West Ham have been active in the transfer market this summer would be a slight understatement.

There has been no messing around from the capital club, with no less than seven players arriving at the London Stadium ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

It is understood that new head coach Manuel Pellegrini is still in the market for fresh blood, however, with the Chilean believed to want another centre-back.

Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena have both arrived this summer to boost that area of the field, but according to L’Equipe, the Hammers are also interested in Torino’s N’Koulou.

Newcastle United are also believed to be in the mix for the 28-year-old, although there is no question that West Ham would be in a better financial position to get the deal done.

What are N’Koulou’s credentials?

A 72-time Cameroon international, N’Koulou started his professional career with Monaco, and played 78 league matches for the principality outfit before moving to Marseille – where he made more than 200 appearances.

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The centre-back then joined Lyon in 2016, and played 22 times for the French club before moving to Torino on loan for the 2017-18 season.

N’Koulou played in all but one of Torino’s Serie A matches last term, and is now permanently contracted to the Italian club until the summer of 2020.

According to L’Equipe, however, N’Koulou could be on the move again, with Torino facing a difficult task to keep the Cameroonian ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

Tall, strong and quick, N’Koulou is a very talented central defender, and it would be another huge statement of intent if West Ham managed to bring him to the London Stadium in this summer’s transfer window.

According to a recent report from The Daily Express, it seems unlikely that Rangers will be able to do a deal for Dominic Solanke this summer. The Liverpool striker has been on the peripheries of the first team at Anfield since his move there 12 months ago and as such has been linked with a move away this summer, with Steven Gerrard’s Gers one side reportedly keen on the 20-year-old.

However, reports suggest that the one-time England international is not on Jurgen Klopp’s list of possible departures this summer, which is why Gerrard’s Rangers must turn their attentions towards his compatriot and Reds teammate Danny Ings in a bid to boost their striking ranks.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Rangers made it through to the second qualifying round of the Europa League last week with a 2-0 aggregate success over Shkupi, although manager Gerrard was somewhat frustrated that his forward players didn’t get on the scoresheet.

In fact, the Light Blues boss even admitted that he may have to delve into the transfer window if the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Josh Windass don’t prove their worth in the early phase of the campaign, which is likely why interest mounted in Solanke.

However, with a deal for the 20-year-old seemingly unlikely this summer, Gerrard must seek to land his Liverpool teammate Ings, who appears to be one man who will be allowed to leave Anfield.

The 25-year-old has struggled with injury ever since making the move to Liverpool back in 2015, with the Englishman mustering just 25 senior appearances for the Reds in the last three years.

And with the front three of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah producing the goods for the Merseysiders, first team football is unlikely for Ings at Anfield, hence he has reportedly been made available for transfer this summer.

Yet one mustn’t forget that the one-time England international earned a move to Liverpool as a result of netting 11 goals in 35 Premier League games for Burnley in the 2014/15 season, so the striker clearly has pedigree in front of goal at top-flight level, and as such would certainly be an asset to Gerrard and his Rangers side this term.

Whether Rangers are able to financially bring Ings to Ibrox remains to be seen, but the increased likelihood of first team football alongside the chance to work with Gerrard may well be of keen interest to the 25-year-old, as he bids to get his career going again.

Thus, with a move for Solanke unlikely, Rangers must turn their attentions to fellow Englishman Ings in pursuit of much-needed striking reinforcements.

Rangers fans… what do you think? Let us know!

West Ham have signed Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Jack Wilshere, Issa Diop, Lukasz Fabianski, Fabian Balbuena and Ryan Fredericks this summer, but Manuel Pellegrini’s work in the transfer window does not look finished yet.

Another midfielder could still be brought in ahead of deadline day with Cheikhou Kouyate having recently been sold to Crystal Palace, while West Ham continue to be linked with a move for a new striker.

As well as up front, though, the Hammers may attempt to strengthen the positions behind the striker even further.

The Breakdown

Pellegrini has already added both Anderson and Yarmolenko to his squad to improve his attack but, according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, the former Manchester City boss is keen to see Brazilian Bernard arrive at the London Stadium before the transfer window closes.

Bernard, who is valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, is a free agent following the expiration of his contract at Shakhtar Donetsk last month and is attracting interest from a host of clubs in Europe.

Bernard has probably not reached the heights expected of him since arriving in Ukraine from Brazil, but the 25-year-old is still a very skilful and tricky player that still has time to reach his potential, although West Ham may not be the place for him to do so.

On top of summer acquisitions Anderson and Yarmolenko, the Hammers also have Marko Arnautovic, Robert Snodgrass, Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini once he returns from injury to call upon.

Bernard, however, with the ability he possesses, may fancy his chances. But from a West Ham point of view, while the Brazil international would undoubtedly be a good signing, the club’s priority for the remainder of the transfer window should be elsewhere.

West Ham could do with at least one more face arriving at the London Stadium before the return of the Premier League, but Bernard should not be the first name on their list.

According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, West Ham are on the verge of sealing a deal for forward Lucas Perez. The 29-year-old currently plays his football at fellow Premier League side Arsenal and has done so since the summer of 2016, although his lowly position in the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium saw him shipped out on loan to Deportivo La Coruna for the entirety of last season.

Yet it appears that Manuel Pellegrini is on the verge of completing a £4 million deal for the forward, a deal which could well prove to be the shrewdest of an already excellent summer transfer window at the London Stadium.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, things haven’t gone at all well for Perez since his move to Arsenal back in 2016, what with the Spaniard managing just 21 appearances for the Gunners in the 2016/17 season, of which only 11 came in the Premier League.

And with just one goal to show for his efforts in English football’s top-flight, many could be forgiven for thinking that West Ham are wasting £4 million on the 29-year-old, yet his efforts in other competitions for the Gunners, alongside a fine season last term in Spain, suggests that it could prove to be money very well spent indeed.

Perez actually netted a hat-trick for Arsenal in their Champions League victory over Basel to complete an excellent group stage campaign for Arsene Wenger’s side back in 2015, while he netted once and laid on two assists to help the North London giants win the FA Cup later that season.

Add in that the one Premier League goal he scored was an absolute beauty against Bournemouth, and one wonders whether regular football in the top-flight could well get the very best out of Perez, as was seen at Deportivo last time round.

The Spaniard, who left the La Liga outfit to join Arsenal two years ago, scored nine times and laid on eight assists in 37 appearances for the club but ultimately wasn’t able to keep them in the top-flight, comfortably finishing the season as the club’s top-scorer in a side that struggled for goals, which itself is surely a good sign.

Thus, in a team with the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Manuel Lanzini, and indeed new signings Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, the 29-year-old could be a huge asset to Pellegrini as he seeks to take West Ham forward this summer – and for £4 million, it could be prove to be a masterstroke.

As such, while some may be unsure about Perez given his previous Premier League exploits, a £4 million deal for the forward could well prove to be Pellegrini’s shrewdest of the window so far if Perez re-discovers his Deportivo form at the London Stadium.

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!