Rangers face one of their toughest tests of the season tonight, travelling away to Hibernian at Easter Road in the Scottish Premiership. The Light Blues are in the midst of their best form of the season having won three matches in succession but Neil Lennon’s side are sure to provide stern opposition.

Graeme Murty has named his side to face the Hibees and there are a few surprises for supporters.

The interim boss has made two changes from the weekend with Alfredo Morelos and Jamie Barjonas coming into the starting line-up in place of Daniel Candeias and Carlos Pena.

Ross McCrorie also makes the match, having been an injury doubt this week.

Fans are delighted to see Barjonas play. The 18-year-old hasn’t started a game all season, last being trusted back in May in an away win against St Johnstone.

Can he impress enough to retain his place in the side?

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

The Tottenham Hotspur fans in the Transfer Tavern are hoping that Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy will use the club’s resources wisely this summer, but recent reports from the Daily Mirror suggest questions need to be asked about the current strategy. 

The Breakdown

According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, Tottenham are interested in signing one of the star’s of the World Cup so far, namely Benjamin Pavard. The French marauding right-back has impressed throughout the international tournament with his assured defensive displays and willingness to support the attack, however, his breathtaking equaliser against Argentina in the last-sixteen was his most eye-catching moment so far.

At just 22-years-old, Pavard looks set to develop into one of the finest defenders on the continent in the years to come, but with Serge Aurier, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker-Peters already on Tottenham’s books, the club need to ask themselves: is the signing of Pavard really necessary?

Considering the strength in depth they possess in that position, the answer can only be a resounding no. A fair counter argument would point towards the fact that he predominantly plays at centre-back for Stuggart, but with Juan Foyth knocking on the door for a chance in the first-team there’s little place for another centre-back in Tottenham’s squad – unless Toby Alderweireld leaves of course.

Either way, Spurs should turn their attention towards the second-striker conundrum and find a player who can support Harry Kane at the spearhead of the attack.

Both Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen have failed to perform whilst playing the role of Kane’s understudy – a notion which suggests Pochettino should sign a versatile attacker rather than a natural centre-forward this summer.

Tottenham’s fluid style of play allows for interchanging in the final-third so the presence of a natural centre-forward is not pivotal to their success.

With that in mind, Tottenham should make a bid to sign Anthony Martial (valued at £58.5 million by Transfermarkt) this summer rather than splurging huge sums of cash Pavard.

Martial has been linked with a move to Tottenham for a number of months but no official bid has yet materialised. His Transfermarkt valuation suggests that Levy will need to break the club’s transfer record to bring him to North London and, although that will certainly go against his natural instinct, it’s a decision which would pay dividends in the long-term.

There’s no doubt that Martial has desperately underachieved so far in his career; he is a brilliant technical talent with bags of potential and devastating pace to bring to the table, but he has failed to demonstrate his true ability on a consistent basis.

His goal-scoring record of 36 goals from 136 Manchester United appearances serves to prove that he has plenty to improve upon in the penalty area but, under a manger of Pochettino’s expertise, Martial should be well-placed to realise the full extent of his potential.

A quality back-up for both Son on the left-wing and Kane at centre-forward, Martial represents Tottenham’s perfect transfer target this summer, so the club should prioritise his signature over Pavard’s to ensure they utilise the full extent of their financial resources.

Tottenham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

West Ham fans in the Transfer Tavern can’t wait for the new season to begin to watch their new stars in action.

Manuel Pellegrini has been extremely busy since taking over from David Moyes in the West Ham dugout. The Chilean has sealed three signings thus far – landing Ryan Fredericks on a free transfer as well as Lukasz Fabianski and Issa Diop for £7m and £23m respectively. To our punters’ amusement, the latest reports have linked the Hammers with a sensational move for former star Dimitri Payet.

With Manuel Lanzini sidelined for around six months, signing a new playmaker may be top of Pellegrini’s priority list. However, adding a new forward should also be high on his agenda. Javier Hernandez has failed to impress and needs to be replaced if the Hammers are to challenge for Europe.

Instead, they should attempt to sign Liverpool forward – Divock Origi. Valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, the Belgian spent last season on loan at Wolfsburg. He endured a dismal spell in Germany, scoring just six goals in 31 appearances. Therefore, the 23-year-old will not be challenging Roberto Firmino for a starting berth at Anfield any time soon.

With just one-year remaining on his deal on Merseyside, Klopp may decide it’s time for Origi to move on and West Ham should look to put themselves at the front of the queue for his signature. He remains a forward with plenty of potential and his spell in Germany is not indicative of his talents.

He netted double figures in his final season with the Reds, highlighting the danger he could pose to Premier League defences. A fresh start at the London Stadium could be just what he needs to rediscover his best form.

West Ham fans, thoughts?

Manchester City have completed their first significant transfer deal of the summer – spending £60m on Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez.

Pep Guardiola was a huge admirer of the Algerian and attempted to bring him to Manchester last January. The Citizens were ultimately priced out of a move at the time and dropped their interest. Guardiola reignited the transfer when the summer window opened and the 2016 PFA Player of the Year finally made the switch official on Tuesday evening.

The Spaniard said he wanted two major signings as City look to retain their title. Mahrez was one, and Napoli’s Jorginho was expected to be the second before Chelsea stole a march at the final hour. The ex-Barcelona must now switch his attention to building for the future and land one of the most promising youngsters in world football – Jann-Fiete Arp.

Valued at £6.75m by Transfermarkt, Arp is considered the hottest prospect emerging through Germany’s youth system. He played 18 league games for Hamburg last season, scoring three goals, but couldn’t prevent his side being relegated. His goal record for the U17 is phenomenal – Arp netted 37 goals in 45 appearances.

His performances have not gone unnoticed, and reports suggest Bayern Munich have agreed on terms with the youngster. The Bavarians are yet to settle a fee with Hamburg for their prized asset meaning the race is not over for signature and City should attempt to bring him to the Premier League.

With Arp and Gabriel Jesus up front, their attack is complete for the next decade.

Manchester City fans, thoughts?

Arsenal manager Unai Emery should turn attention to free agent Bernard as he looks to improve the width in his team.

What’s the word?

On Monday, Andersinho Marques of Premium Sport tweeted that Bernard has a choice of three Premier League clubs to sign for this summer.

Arsenal are among them, as well as Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool.

West Ham United were also heavily linked with the Brazilian’s signature, but it has been widely reported that Bernard rejected an offer to join the East London club.

The last five years for the attack-minded player have been spent at Shakhtar Donetsk, but he is now looking for a fresh challenge having come to the end of his contract.

Bernard is versatile in that he can play on the left wing or as an attacking midfielder.

If needed, the Brazilian can also be used on the right, but he is more comfortable doing his runs and taking on players down the opposite channel.

Why would Arsenal benefit?

The Gunners have some deadly attacking options in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, but with the likes of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain no longer at the club, the threat from wide areas is lacking.

Bernard may not be a world beater, but he has the speed and skill to provide service to Aubameyang.

Last season, the Brazilian made 29 appearances in all competitions, and in that time scored 10 goals and registered four assists.

Throughout his entire professional career, Bernard has provided more goals than scored them as he has created 54 assists and found the back of the net 44 times.

There is a risk to this deal, but taking into account the fact that Bernard will be a free transfer, it is worth pursuing for Arsenal.

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Time is running out in the transfer window for Tottenham Hotspur in their bid to strengthen ahead of the new season, but a recent report from Spain suggests they have failed to recognise a rare opportunity to secure a perfect replacement for Mousa Dembele.

According to the Spanish media outlet Marca, Mateo Kovacic remains determined to leave Real Madrid this summer in search of first-team football, with Man City, Man United, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Liverpool all lining up to secure his signature.

There is no explicit mention of Tottenham’s interest within the article, but based on the potential of the Croatia international there’s plenty of reason to suggest that they should join an array of Europe’s most prestigious clubs in the race for his signature.

First and foremost, the timing of Kovacic’s availability could not have arrived at a better moment for Spurs: the 24-year-old should be able to step straight into the first-team to replace Mousa Dembele if he departs before the end of the window, and the fact they have a new awe-inspiring stadium to present to Kovacic could play a crucial role in swaying his decision.

Naturally, Madrid’s asking price could prove to be too extortionate for Daniel Levy, but as the window develops the Spanish giants could be tempted to slash their asking price in order to steer clear of the prospect of having an unhappy player disrupting the club next season.

Interest from some of Europe’s top clubs will also provide Levy with some stiff competition, but Kovacic has strongly expressed his desire to play first-team football next season and, considering Tottenham are likely to need a new midfield lynchpin to replace Dembele, they would have a fantastic opportunity to fend off interest from elsewhere.

Kovacic’s stats from last season do not depict Kovacic in a particularly impressive way as, like Demebele, he struggles to make a decisive impact in the final-third. But there are plenty of qualities which stats cannot illuminate which Kovacic can bring to the table: a tremendous engine to move play a box-to-box midfield role, an extensive range of passing, the willingness to drive at opponents with the ball at his feet, defensive solidity and, above all, an enormous potential to grow into one of the most effective midfielders in world football.

Times of change are looming on the horizon for Tottenham Hotspur, so it’s about time Levy secured a huge coup for the club and proved Spurs mean business ahead of the new season with the signing of Kovacic.

Tottenham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Arsenal have had a brilliant summer so far, with the Gunners really backing new manager Unai Emery after the departure of Arsene Wenger. They’ve improved up and down the pitch, with major signings including Bernd Leno and Stephan Lichtsteiner.

One thing that the Gunners are still lacking, though, is depth going forward, particularly on the wings. The departure of Alexis Sanchez has left a rather gaping hole in the club’s squad, and it is one that Unai Emery has yet to plug.

Between now and the end of the transfer window, then, perhaps bringing in a new winger makes sense – and the Gunners may find the perfect choice in Lyon ace Bertrand Traore.

Traore is best known for his time with Chelsea, where though he failed to make an impact in the first team, he displayed just a part of the talent that he possesses. He impressed for the Blues during his time in the first team in pre-season, and at one point he looked likely to make an impact in the first team. That, obviously, didn’t happen – though the club are more to blame than he is.

Since leaving London, he’s proven with Lyon that he’s one of the more talented young players in Europe.

Best suited to a role on the right-hand side of the attack, Traore offers brilliant technique and quality going forward. He’s a tricky player, and he often looks to move forward and beat players with a sudden turn or skill move. He’s an unusual sight in that he’s quite tall and fairly robust, which would transfer well to the Premier League.

Having enjoyed a few successful years on loan preceding his permanent move to Lyon, Traore has proven his ability on a number of levels.

Is he the finished article? Certainly not, but the Burkinabe attacker has bags of potential – and under Emery, he could be just the ticket. He’d offer a fantastic option down the wings, and alongside the likes of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he’s got a great chance of developing further.

Arsenal fans – thoughts?

Let us know below!

According to reports in The Mirror, West Ham United want Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez and have seen a £27m bid rejected for the £35m-rated centre-forward, and their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur must hijack any deal.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Mirror report that Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini is determined to ensure that his squad doesn’t lack any depth when the transfer window slams shut on August 9, and the Chilean obviously feels that he needs another striker if reports are to be believed.

Despite having Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez, Toni Martinez and Jordan Hugill currently available – although the latter is expected to go before the deadline – the former Man City man doesn’t appear to be satisfied – especially with Andy Carroll also yet again on the sidelines through injury.

It is no surprise that Gomez has caught his eye following a stunning debut season in La Liga with Celta Vigo, in which he scored 18 goals and provided a further five assists in 36 appearances, before playing back-up to Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani for Uruguay at the 2018 World Cup.

Why must Tottenham hijack any deal?

Well, reports in The Evening Standard suggest Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino wants to offload both Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen before next Thursday with both struggling in their role as back-up to Harry Kane previously, and Gomez certainly looks as though he would be a step up.

The 21-year-old has all of the attributes and the goalscoring prowess to be a success with the north London outfit, and with the quality and potential he has given his age it would certainly be third time lucky for Pochettino, who can save his team’s transfer window by sealing a major cut-price deal, when it comes to signing big-money strikers.

He certainly looks to be worth the £35m fee, given he is already showing he is good enough to allow Kane to have the rest he often looks as though he requires during the busy season.

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Sunderland fans are delighted with what could be their final piece of summer business, as they signed Max Power on loan with a view to a permanent deal.

Sunderland have been extremely busy this summer, and they rounded their business off with a bang on deadline day by signing Power.

The former Wigan ace will only join on loan until January, but is expected to make the move permanent after that.

Jack Ross and Stewart Donald have done a fair bit of shopping already, but fans are particularly excited by this deal.

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The 25 year-old, who scored 11 goals in 126 league appearances for Wigan, could be the final piece of Ross’ puzzle, especially as he has already earned two promotions as a player.

He will bring a fantastic balance and energy to the midfield, an area that was sorely lacking going into the summer.

EFL teams can still make loan moves, but this may be the last of the Black Cats’ summer business, and fans are loving it.

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You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

West Ham have been very active this transfer window, bringing in eight players to improve Manuel Pellegrini’s squad.

The Chilean manager has returned to the Premier League after a brief stint managing in China and has the task of rejuvenating a side that had a poor season last year.

As it stands, West Ham have Lucas Perez, Chicharito, the injury-prone Andy Carroll, and Marko Arnautovic as the club’s likely forward options.

Although it would seem that the club are pretty much set for strikers, according to Italian news outlet, CalcioMercato, West Ham have joined Crystal Palace in the hunt for AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca.

With the signing of Gonzalo Higuain, Bacca has fallen down the pecking order.

The Breakdown

The 31-year-old spent a season on loan at Spanish side, Villareal last year where he scored 18 goals in the league.

The Colombian striker has been a consistent performer, especially during his time at Sevilla which was where he caught the eye of most fans in Europe.

Since he joined AC Milan, Bacca has scored 31 goals in the league and is a very underrated player.

However, with West Ham having so many forward options at the moment, it seems unlikely that the east London club will splash any money on a deadline day move for Bacca.

Moreover, the reports claims that Bacca himself wants to return to Villareal and therefore, there seems no chance of any deal before the end of the transfer window today.

West Ham fans, what do you think?