Since being promoted to the Premier League, Aston Villa have rarely been clear of trouble at the bottom, putting their supporters through a nerve-jangling campaign filled with relegation six-pointers.

It looked as though a similar narrative would play out in their last campaign as Villa were in 16th position under Steven Gerrard before the arrival of Unai Emery revived their season.

The four-time Europa League winner took them from the threat of relegation, utilising his managerial expertise to get the best out of every inch of his squad which saw them finish the season in a remarkable seventh place.

With Villa gearing up for another assault towards Europe, their rapid rise back to the top of English football is a testament to how quickly things can change in football.

In the two years that Steve Bruce was in charge between 2016 and 2018, he was expected to lead the Villans back to the promised land, but the man with four top-flight promotions on his CV ultimately failed to deliver that aim.

He was sacked in October 2018 with the club stranded in mid-table, leaving a trail of disastrous transfer dealings behind him with one of the few exceptions being the acquisition of John McGinn, a player who has been instrumental in their rise.

How much did Aston Villa pay for John McGinn?

While the veteran manager won't be remembered fondly by Villa fans – they will always be thankful for one thing – McGinn.

Having made several mishaps in the transfer window during his time at Villa Park, including the decision to shell out £12m on Scott Hogan, Bruce's final permanent signing – a £2.7m deal to sign the Scotland international from Hibernian in 2018 – proved to be his best.

During that summer, McGinn's boyhood club, Celtic, were chasing a deal to sign him and usually, when a player gets a chance to play for the club they support, they snap your hand off, however, Bruce had something special up his sleeve and used every inch of persuasion to lure him to Villa Park.

Speaking about how he managed to secure his services, he said: "How we got him out of Celtic, I don’t know because his grandfather was the chairman. It took a couple of games of golf at the Belfry with his dad until we could muster the money together."

Celtic's manager at the time, Brendan Rodgers, would be left bitterly disappointed that McGinn chose the Villans over his boyhood club with Bruce labelling this masterstroke as his "best ever signing", which is a testament to his achievements in claret and blue.

Is John McGinn an Aston Villa legend?

Since arriving at the club five years ago, the 28-year-old has been ever-present in every manager's plans, as Bruce, Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard and Emery have all taken a huge liking to the energetic midfielder.

Instrumental in their promotion to the Premier League in 2019 and now starring on the European stage, the "exceptional" McGinn – as dubbed by his former manager Smith – has gone from strength to strength since making the switch to Villa Park and while an influx of talent arrived this summer, the Scottish live wire has remained a constant fixture in Emery's starting XI.

Repaying the faith shown in him by scoring a 94th-minute winner against Bosnian side Zrinjski in their Europa Conference League clash last Thursday night, it's this sort of magic from McGinn that has etched him into Villa folklore.

While he has an influence on the pitch with his boundless amounts of energy, aggression and tenacity to win possession back for his team and cover every blade of grass, McGinn has also impressed his manager since stepping into the role as captain last year.

Hailed as a "perfect role model" by Emery, the midfielder's standards rarely ever drop and as per Sofascore, has recorded an average rating of 7.03 this season, recovered 3.8 balls, and made 1.1 tackles per game.

The £55k per-week dynamo, who has chalked up 46 goal contributions in 196 appearances for Villa, has also impressed with the creative side of his game this term, ranking in the top 7% against his positional peers in the Premier League for crosses into the penalty area and top 17% for passes into the penalty area, progressive passes and passes into the final third, as per FBref.

Demonstrating that he's the hub of Emery's creativity, despite the riches that have been spent this summer, if McGinn – who is now valued at £32m – can captain Villa to European glory by producing further match-winning moments, there is no doubt he'll be crowned as an Aston Villa legend once he hangs up his boots.

Newcastle United have been heavily linked with a move for Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips, and Fabrizio Romano has now delivered the chances of him moving to St. James’ Park in January.

How many appearances has Kalvin Phillips made for Man City?

Since putting pen to paper at the Etihad Stadium from Leeds United last summer, Phillips has only made 26 appearances, and he’s really struggled for game time this season having made zero starts and just three substitute appearances in the Premier League (WhoScored – Phillips statistics).

Pep Guardiola’s defensive midfielder still has another five years remaining on his long-term deal (Man City contracts), but due to him clearly being extremely low down in the manager’s pecking order, it’s understandable that he could want to move to a club where he’ll receive more regular minutes.

According to iNews, England’s international has emerged as a target for PIF and Eddie Howe in the northeast, alongside top-flight rivals Everton, as they weigh up their options ahead of January, and the outlet claim that the Sky Blues are willing to put the 27-year-old up for sale due to him being on the fringe of the action.

Kalvin Phillips transfer update

Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano shared a transfer update on Kalvin Phillips and admitted that despite there being rumours regarding a move to Newcastle and Everton, they are, as it stands, not in any concrete talks:

“Kalvin Phillips – Despite links with Newcastle and Everton, I’m not aware of concrete talks on this one. Phillips wanted to stay at City this summer despite some approaches, so he’s still focused on doing his best for City and then a decision will be made later, like November or December.

"Newcastle won’t decide anything on transfer targets before they know what happens in their Champions League group.”

How much does Kalvin Phillips earn?

In M11, Phillips currently pockets £150k-per-week (Man City salaries), which he isn’t really earning considering that he’s not been able to force his way into the starting squad, but should he make the switch to Newcastle, he could definitely flourish under Howe, especially considering that he would surely relish the opportunity to begin a new adventure.

Direct free-kicks

Aerial duels

Ball interception

Discipline

Blocking the ball

(All data via WhoScored)

Tackling

The 2022 World Cup participant is currently recording a 90% pass success rate which highlights his calmness and composure on the ball, but he also loves to get stuck in having won all of his tackles made in the top-flight so far this season (FBRef – Phillips statistics).

Phillips, who has the versatility to operate in three roles in the midfield as well as at centre-back, can even contribute to efforts in the final third having clocked up 28 involvements, 14 goals and the same number of assists, since the start of his career (Transfermarkt – Phillips statistics), so this could be a risk worth taking for the Magpies hierarchy.

When Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season, there was an air of inevitability about the outcome, an acceptance that it was going to happen sooner rather than later.

The Saints were one of several sides that lurked dangerously close to the trap door year after year, surviving by the skin of their teeth on numerous occasions, finishing no higher than 15th in four of their last five campaigns.

One reason for their plight was St Mary's becoming a hunting ground for the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, who continuously bled the club dry of its best talent, including Luke Shaw, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane.

While Southampton made a habit out of unearthing gems from leagues across Europe or unleashing stars from their youth academy, the 2018 summer transfer window, in particular, saw them struggle to replace the previous quality that was lost.

Jannik Vestegaard, Angus Gunn, Stuart Armstrong and Danny Ings all arrived, but the biggest disappointment of them all was the acquisition of fleet-footed Basel winger Mohamed Elyounoussi, who arrived when his stock was at its highest having shot onto the scene as a highly-rated winger.

How much did Southampton pay for Mohamed Elyounoussi?

Southampton suffered the devastating £10m loss of Dusan Tadic to Ajax in the summer of 2018 and replaced him with Mohamed Elyounoussi from Basel for £18m.

At the time, the Saints thought that fee was a steal. The fleet-footed winger had produced incredible numbers in the Swiss Super League, posting an eye-watering 53 goal contributions in 84 appearances for Basel across two seasons, including a goal and an assist in the Champions League knockout stages against Manchester City.

The Morocco-born star was destined to become a world-beater and had the hallmarks of a player who could take the Premier League by storm. The searing pace, low centre of gravity to glide past defenders and ability to perform on the big stage all pointed towards Elyounoussi making a mockery of the price tag.

Upon his arrival, Saints boss Mark Hughes was excited about the possibility of working with such a talented player and was confident that the then 23-year-old could reach the potential that his formative years promised.

He said: “Mohamed is another very exciting addition to our attacking options. He has got an outstanding record of goals and assists in two different countries, and we have been extremely impressed by the intelligence he has shown in his play from a tactical point of view.

“He’s still at a young age as well, so we’re confident he can continue to improve and fulfil even more of his potential with us."

The Norwegian signed a five-year deal with Southampton which outlined their European ambitions.

How did Mohamed Elyounoussi perform at Southampton?

For all of the hype and excitement surrounding the transfer, the Saints were to be let down by the impact Elyounoussi made across his difficult five-year spell.

Known for unleashing his box of tricks and frightening the life out of defenders with his electrifying pace, supporters anticipated entertainment in full flow and would have envisaged him becoming the next big-money player developed into a world-class talent by the club.

Elyounoussi's Southampton career would spiral into the opposite as lacklustre performances on the field saw him become a shell of his former self, registering zero goal contributions in his first season at the club which led to him going out on loan to Celtic.

Although performances improved in Scotland, albeit playing against lesser quality opposition, the former Molde winger was still subjected to criticism by several media outlets and was described by Hoops podcaster Paul John Dykes as a "passenger", a word that rung true during his time at St Mary's.

During his time at Southampton, Elyounoussi made 90 appearances and only chalked up a disappointing nine goals and six assists as Southampton ultimately paid the price.

Whilst he was under contract at the club, his total earnings totalled £9m but if you add that to his initial transfer fee of £18m, he drained the Saints of a whopping £3m per goal, as per Capology.

Elyounoussi threatened to become a world-beater as a youngster but failed to live up to the hype in England and supporters will have been glad to see the back of him this summer as he joined Copenhagen, recently scoring against Galatasaray in the Champions League.

England allrounder Moeen Ali has called the recent Australia team “rude” and that they are the only one he has “disliked” following the 2017-18 Ashes series and a previous tour three years ago.Shortly after the Ashes, which Australia won 4-0, they were sent into crisis by the ball-tampering saga in South Africa which led to 12-month bans for Steven Smith and David Warner and a nine-month ban for Cameron Bancroft.Cricket Australia commissioned a review into the culture around the team while much criticism was leveled on them, both for what happened at Newlands and also the environment that built up beforehand.”Everyone you speak to . . . they are the only team I’ve played against my whole life that I’ve actually disliked,” Moeen told the in an interview with Mike Atherton. “Not because it’s Australia and they are the old enemy but because of the way they carry on and [their] disrespect of people and players.””The first game I played against them, in Sydney just before the 2015 World Cup, they were not just going hard at you, they were almost abusing you. That was the first time it hit me. I gave them the benefit of the doubt but the more I played against them they were just as bad, the Ashes here [in 2015] they were worse actually. Not intimidating, just rude. Individually they are fine and the Aussies we’ve had at Worcester have been fantastic, lovely guys.”Asked about the subsequent events in South Africa, Moeen said: “I’m someone who generally feels sorry for people when things go wrong but it’s difficult to feel sorry for them. This ODI series they were very good actually; they’d been…humbled.”Moeen endured a poor Ashes series in Australia and was eventually dropped for the final Test against New Zealand in March and has since conceded he should have been left out before that. He returned against India at the Ageas Bowl last month with a match-winning nine-wicket haul to seal the series.Australia’s one-day series against England earlier this year was their first outing since the ball-tampering scandal and a new-look side lost 5-0. They will shortly play their first Test cricket since South Africa when they take on Pakistan in the UAE next month. The Test squad includes a number of new and recalled faces in the absence of Smith, Warner and Bancroft alongside injuries to pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

Top-order batsman Will Fraine has left Nottinghamshire to sign a three-year contract with his home county

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2018Yorkshire have signed Will Fraine on a three-year contract. Fraine, a top-order batsman, made 11 appearances for Nottinghamshire during 2018 after signing a summer contract.Fraine was previously involved with Yorkshire’s age-group teams, and captained Durham’s MCCU team. He has been described as “a medium to long-term signing” by Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, with the club looking to rebuild after a difficult season.Notts, who have signed established batsmen Ben Slater, Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke for 2019, had offered the 22-year-old a new contract but Fraine has chosen to return to his home county.”There’s always that pull of being a Yorkie lad,” Fraine said. “All my friends speak of one day playing for Yorkshire. I never thought it would happen because I made my own way elsewhere.”It was a difficult decision but the opportunities and the place where the club is going, was too much of a pull. Settling back in with the lads that I’ve known growing up makes me very happy with the decision I’ve made.”Yorkshire have a rich history and, despite the supporters and club being aware of transition, with the new talent they’ve brought in and the existing quality that is already there, it could be a really exciting place to be within the next two or three years.”After recovering to finish fifth in the Championship, Yorkshire face a transitional period with a number of players coming and going. Opener Alex Lees has departed for Durham, while Liam Plunkett and Jack Brooks left for Surrey and Somerset respectively – although the club were buoyed by Adil Rashid signing a new one-year deal.On Fraine’s signing, Moxon said: “He’s a talented young batsman. He’s very much someone with the future in mind and hopefully he’ll develop in to an outstanding cricketer for us. He’s Yorkshire born and bred and has been in our system as a junior, so it’s good to have him back. He’s looking forward to getting back here with us and we’re looking forward to having him back with us.”We’re trying to build a squad for now and for the future. He’s a medium to long-term signing for us. He’s going to be challenging for places for us but there’s no guarantees. We see him as someone for the future and we’re building up a group of really good young batsmen that we’ll see the best of in coming years.”

The allrounder will also miss the Mzansi Super League to undergo a procedure on his right shoulder, after he aggravated a pre-existing injury

Liam Brickhill16-Oct-2018JP Duminy will miss both South Africa’s upcoming limited-overs tour of Australia and the Mzansi Super League to undergo surgery for an injury to his right shoulder.Duminy had been announced as the marquee South African player for the Cape Town Blitz in the MSL, but he will now be replaced by Quinton de Kock. Duminy’s time out for surgery means that South Africa will be without two of their most experienced players on their trip to Australia. Earlier this week, it was announced that Hashim Amla would also not be touring as he is given time to fully recover from a finger tendon injury picked up during the Caribbean Premier League.”JP aggravated a pre-existing shoulder injury during the recently-concluded series against Zimbabwe,” South Africa team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee said. “The injury will require surgical management, thus ruling him out of the immediate tour of Australia and the upcoming MSL. At the moment, we can’t say how long he will be out for, that is dependent on the results from the surgery.”South Africa’s squad for the Australia tour, consisting of three one-day internationals and a solitary T20 international, will be announced later this week. The tour begins with a warm-up game against a Prime Minister’s XI on October 31, while the MSL kicks off on 16 November and runs until 16 December.

Manchester United are starting to slowly climb the Premier League table and one man in particular has impressed in the part he has played under Erik ten Hag across recent weeks.

Man Utd summer signings…

In the summer, much excitement engulfed Old Trafford as Manchester United and Ten Hag got to work in the transfer market, bringing in some high-profile signings such as Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat, among others, in a period that saw the Red Devils spend just under £180 million on incomings.

Man Utd's summer signings

Player

Previous club

Fee

Rasmus Hojlund

Atalanta

£72 million

Jonny Evans

Leicester City

Free transfer

Andre Onana

Inter Milan

£47.2 million

Mason Mount

Chelsea

£60 million

Sergio Reguilon

Tottenham Hotspur

Loan

Sofyan Amrabat

Fiorentina

Loan

Altay Bayindir

Fenerbache

£4.3 million

Following their EFL Cup triumph and top-four finish last term, there was optimism that the Red Devils could get closer to the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal at the top end of the Premier League standings; however, that hasn't quite transpired the way many would've hoped so far. Nine games have passed so far in the English top flight and United have only just started to get themselves off the canvas after losing three of their five opening Premier League fixtures. They now sit eighth in the division, eight points behind league leaders Tottenham Hotspur.

Nevertheless, back-to-back wins over Brentford and Sheffield United, despite having to field a side representative of a squad decimated by injuries at Man Utd, have given the Red Devils some crucial momentum to build on coming into a congested run of games.

One man who has enjoyed a bright start to his career at Old Trafford is Denmark international Hojlund. Brought in from Atalanta, Hojlund has notched three goals in his opening nine appearances for the club, with all of his strikes coming in the Champions League (Hojlund statistics – Transfermarkt).

Man Utd; Rasmus Hojlund latest

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed an Man Utd update on Hojlund and how his start is viewed within the walls of Old Trafford, detailing that the Red Devils are pleased by his progress and excited by his "incredible potential". Speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano said:

"They are very, very happy. They believe that they signed an important player for the present and also the future. They know very well – and we also know here in Italy because we saw him at Atalanta – that this boy has incredible potential. He needs to play, but he also needs to improve and fight, so it will take time. But the potential is really, really important."

Despite having yet to break his duck in the Premier League, the signs have been there for Hojlund, evidenced by the fact that he has averaged around 1.8 shots per outing for Manchester United (Hojlund statistics – WhoScored).

Hojlund appears to have a considerable amount of potential and may continue to learn the ropes over the course of 2023/24 with regular game time, which Manchester United fans will hope can help him find the back of the net regularly in the English top flight.

Respected transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that a 28-year-old "can be considered an Arsenal player on a permanent transfer" in 2024.

Who have Arsenal signed 2023?

The north Londoners were very busy in the most recent summer transfer window, backing manager Mikel Arteta with an array of impressive additions. Spending north of £200 million on the quartet of club-record signing Declan Rice, Netherlands international Jurrien Timber, former Chelsea star Kai Havertz and loanee goalkeeper David Raya, their ambition in the market has contributed to Arsenal's excellent Premier League start.

Arteta's side sit joint-top of the league with cross-town rivals Tottenham; boasting an identical unbeaten record of six wins from their opening eight matches. Rice has played exceptionally since joining from West Ham for around £105 million, while Raya has managed to usurp long-standing number one Aaron Ramsdale in-between the Emirates Stadium sticks.

Ramsdale, speaking to the media recently (via 90min), revealed that the Spaniard even helps to pick him up when he's feeling deflated in training; as the pair push eachother to be ready for the Arsenal challenge.

"We work professionally really well together" said Ramsdale. "We push each other in training and there's days where I come in and I'm down because of the situation and he picks me up.

"And for whatever reason there might be a day where he's down and even though I'm suffering and hurting for not playing I have to stand up and be able to push him and make sure he's ready for the weekend if he’s picked to play."

David Raya transfer update

Raya is said to be impressing Arteta behind-the-scenes in north London, with the Gunners boss apparently "very happy" over his start to life. That is according to reliable transfer reporter Romano, who shared a Raya transfer update this week. Speaking on the Here We Go podcast, the journalist claims that while the former Blackburn keeper is only here on a temporary deal as things stand, Raya "can be considered an Arsenal player on a permanent transfer" next year.

“David Raya is very happy at Arsenal," said Romano. "We had an interview with Aaron Ramsdale in the Daily Mail about wanting to get back into the team.

"At the same time, David Raya is doing very well, Mikel Arteta is very happy with Raya, the feeling since they closed the deal is that it’s a loan deal, but all parties believe this formula was agreed just for Financial Fair Play and that in reality Raya can be considered an Arsenal player on a permanent transfer starting in 2024."

The shot-stopper has provided great competition at Arsenal since joining from Brentford, and has been hailed for his "very aggressive" style of goalkeeping.

"You can't have a strong mentality if you don't have any setbacks," said Bees boss Thomas Frank. "I know setbacks are different to a lot of people, but his clear and obvious abilities in terms of playing with his feet, high position, very aggressive in terms of his positioning and going for crosses, he definitely deserves this."

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery could be dealt a huge blow in his endeavours to keep hold of one of his star men in January after his recent positive form, according to a report.

Aston Villa updates: Watkins for England, Soler links

Speaking to Sky Sports, pundit Jamie Carragher has given a glowing endorsement regarding Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins' future at international level and had indicated that the free-scoring 27-year-old should be second in command to Harry Kane for England.

Carragher stated via The Daily Mail: "Even when he doesn't score he can play a big role and you can see that. As the game has gone on he runs in behind. When he stand alongside him, I thought he was taller. He has that presence and the pace.

"If Harry Kane is injured, he is England's centre-forward. Him and [Moussa] Diaby look like they're trying to combine. The set up means he doesn't need to come deep, you can see it all and it's all about getting it central. He doesn't need to go deep, he can create space between the lines."

According to reports, Emery's men are keen to bolster their engine room in the January transfer window and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Carlos Soler has been identified as an Aston Villa transfer target.

Claims indicate that Spain international Soler is believed to be keen on a new challenge in 2024; however, both Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion and La Liga outfit Valencia will rival the Villans to bring in the 26-year-old.

Club captain John McGinn has urged his teammates to target a top-four finish and subsequent qualification for the Champions League this term after Aston Villa defeated West Ham United 4-1 on Sunday, stating via BBC Sport: "This is a demanding place to play but the manager has educated the fans a bit. He has pleaded with them to be patient. Hopefully we can try and disrupt that top four, top six. It is not going to be easy, but why not? Why can't we challenge them and do what Newcastle did last season?"

Aston Villa's next five fixtures – all competitions

Competition

Opponent

Venue

Europa League

AZ Alkmaar

AFAS Stadion

Premier League

Luton Town

Kenilworth Road

Premier League

Nottingham Forest

City Ground

Europa League

AZ Alkmaar

Villa Park

Premier League

Fulham

Villa Park

Aston Villa transfer news – Douglas Luiz

According to an update on Douglas Luiz's future from 90min, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is personally keen to bring the Brazil international, who he holds a personal relationship with after working with the midfielder at Manchester City, to the Emirates Stadium in the January transfer window.

Despite both Arteta and Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar being huge fans of Luiz, the Villans have no intention to listen to any offers for the in-form 25-year-old as they aim to secure Champions League qualification.

From midfield, Luiz has enjoyed a blistering start to the campaign so far for Aston Villa, netting six times in his opening 14 appearances across all competitions (Luiz statistics – Transfermarkt).

Aston Villa will be desperate to keep hold of Luiz and will imaginably pull out all the stops to ensure he remains in the West Midlands for the time being, so it would be a massive blow if Arsenal can wiggle their way in and convince NSWE to sell.

Glasgow Rangers started their new era under Philippe Clement with a dominating performance in the Premiership.

The Ibrox side defeated Hibernian 4-0 in Glasgow and the performance, while far from perfect, was a massive improvement from the regular lacklustre showings under Michael Beale.

The 43-year-old had led the club to a woeful start to the 2023/24 season, failing to qualify for the Champions League group stages along with suffering a defeat to Celtic and the writing was on the wall that his tenure could be over sooner rather than later.

Indeed, a dreadful home loss against Aberdeen was the final straw and he was sacked at the start of October.

Steven Davis was placed in interim charge of the Gers for two matches and despite winning only one of these ties, the faith he had in several youngsters was refreshing to see and proves that the chances are there for talented youth products who have shone for the academy recently.

One name stands out more than most, however, as Zak Lovelace has the potential to become a regular in the Light Blues starting XI over the coming years.

How much did Zak Lovelace cost Rangers?

Lovelace made his first team debut for Millwall aged just 15 back in December 2021 after enjoying success in their youth teams and he became the second youngest player in their history.

With Rangers aiming to recruit some of the brightest talents in Britain, Lovelace was earmarked as a potential signing and Giovanni van Bronckhorst secured his signature in the summer of 2022, and due to cross-border rules, the teenager cost the Light Blues just a £100k compensation fee.

It could eventually turn out to be a bargain due to his seemingly limitless potential, and he has already made his mark at Ibrox.

How many appearances has Zak Lovelace made for Rangers?

It didn’t take long for the Dutchman to give the former Millwall starlet his senior bow for the Gers. Just a couple of months or so after joining, Rangers faced Queen of the South at Ibrox in a League Cup tie and Van Bronckhorst heavily rotated the starting XI.

Lovelace came on with just 14 minutes left to make his debut for the club and showed flashes of just why the Light Blues wanted to lure him north of the border.

Throughout the remainder of the campaign, the teenage sensation netted 18 goals for the B team across all competitions – including two in the UEFA Youth League – along with helping himself to ten assists, and it was a stunning start to life in Scotland.

Beale rewarded him by giving the player a cameo against Celtic in May and so far this season, he has featured twice in the Premiership.

He started off brightly against St Mirren, causing their defence plenty of trouble on the right wing and came close to setting up an opening goal with a wonderful pass across the face of the St Mirren goal.

16 years 1 month

16 years 4 months

16 years 4 months

16 years 5 months

16 years 7 months

Lovelace made one key pass and was fouled once, yet he had to go off before the half-time break due to injury and it is unclear when he could add to his four Rangers appearances.

The Belgian will be keen on allowing the young talents to flourish over the next few months and could he even repeat Rangers’ Lovelace masterclass from 2022 as the club are keen on a player who is making a splash down south – Mason Cotcher.

Are Rangers interested in signing Mason Cotcher?

According to the Sunderland Echo, Rangers are showing a keen interest in the 17-year-old who plays for the Sunderland U18 side, but he is yet to feature during the current season.

Clement could face some stiff competition for the youngster however, as Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion are also keeping tabs on Cotcher and the Gunners may have just secured the upper hand with regard to securing his signature.

The teenager was named in the starting XI for Arsenal’s U18 side against Middlesbrough as a trialist just a few days ago as they appear to be stepping up their interest in the striker and Mikel Arteta is trying to lure some of the finest talent in the country down to London.

What is Mason Cotcher’s best position?

The youngster is quite versatile and can feature across the front three, but it appears as though playing through the middle is his favoured position, and certainly the one he has scored the most goals from.

For the Sunderland U18 side last season, Cotcher netted nine goals and grabbed one assist across 21 matches, a more than solid return for the striker, and he could certainly follow in Lovelace’s steps by moving from the Championship to Scotland.

The 17-year-old has also earned national recognition, playing twice for the England U17 side, and he will be keen to make progress up the age groups as fast as possible.

Due to the teenager being on a scholarship deal at the Black Cats, he could technically move away at any time and with the cross-border rules allowing Rangers to potentially exploit situations like this, could they perhaps be in the best position to sign him?

Considering Lovelace only cost £100k, it is possible they could sign the Sunderland gem for a similar fee and much will be made of how interested Arsenal and Brighton are, as they will have to fork out more for his services.

Clement already looks to be eyeing future signings that will add some depth to his youth squads and having given young winger Ross McCausland a run out against Hibs on the weekend, there is a clear pathway from the B team to the starting XI of the first team if players work hard.

This could only be an advantage when going after teenage starlets from English clubs as there is a chance at playing in front of a full house at Ibrox, while potentially featuring in European competition and this is something Cotcher will need to weigh up when deciding his next move.

If he does move to Rangers, it could be the catalyst for plenty more teenage sensations arriving in the coming months.