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Former Rangers star Michael Ball insists there will be plenty of pressure on John Lundstram if he does make the move to Ibrox to join the Scottish club.

The midfielder has left the Blades following their relegation to the Championship and is available on a free transfer this summer.

He has been heavily linked with a move to the Ibrox, where he would join up with Steven Gerrard following Rangers’ Premiership title victory.

Indeed, the Gers are looking to strengthen from a position of real power, having gone unbeaten throughout the campaign and won the title at a canter.

Lundstram made a total of 120 appearances for the Blades, scoring eight goals and laying on nine assists.

Last season, he managed to score five Premier League goals, though he endured a goalless campaign this term.

And Ball believes there would be huge pressure on him to succeed if he did move to Scotland.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “For players like John, it’s one of them where you go to a football club, a huge football club at Rangers, a massive pressure, you’ve got to perform week in, week out.

“Has he got the ability to do that? Only time will tell. But his wages will probably be a lot less and if you’re going up there, you’re going up there to work hard and win titles.”

Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed Southampton have had talks with Liverpool as they aim to keep Takumi Minamino at St. Mary’s Stadium next season.

The Lowdown: Minamino future up in the air

Minamino signed for Liverpool last January, but he managed just four goals in 31 games in his first 12 months at the club (Transfermarkt) before moving on loan to the Saints at the start of this year.

As of yet, it is not clear what the future holds for him.

The Latest: Hasenhuttl reveals extension interest

Speaking ahead of Southampton’s final match of the season versus West Ham, Hasenhuttl revealed Southampton are interested in keeping the Japan international on loan at the club next term. He said (via Hampshire Live):

“It is possible, definitely.

“We have had talks with them and they are not so sure what will happen with him because Liverpool may make some things happen in the transfer market.

“For him, it was important to play here. We gave him that chance to play and we have enjoyed having him here.”

The Verdict: More to give

Minamino’s spell on the south coast has been a mixed one. He scored twice in his first three games, but has failed to score in seven since then and has even come in for criticism from the club’s supporters. Still, he has only featured in nine matches overall – that is hardly the biggest sample size.

At Red Bull Salzburg, he scored 64 goals and provided 44 assists in 199 matches – he has 87 strikes throughout his career. While he may have been participating in an inferior league in the Austrian Bundesliga, two goals and three assists in the Champions League during the 2019/20 term indicate he can perform at a higher level. If Hasenhuttl can keep him at the club for another 12 months, Minamino could yet prove to be a valuable asset.

In other news, Southampton are interested in this goalkeeper.

Southampton have been linked with a move for exit-bound Burnley winger Robbie Brady recently and the Republic of Ireland international could be an excellent addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this summer.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mirror (15:27 in live blog), the Saints, Crystal Palace, Celtic and Watford are all considering a move for the 29-year-old, who is set to leave the Clarets this summer when his contract expires.

The left winger has plenty of Premier League experience with both Norwich City and Burnley and has earned 56 caps for his country, although he has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, preventing him from being a regular in Sean Dyche’s side.

Would he be a good signing?

If Brady can prove his fitness, he could definitely prove to be a solid addition to Hasenhuttl’s side this summer, as his performances in the three seasons between 2015/16 and 2017/18 emphasise that he can be a real threat in any team when he is on form.

The Irish winger is quite versatile, as he can play on either flank and also as a left-back. That immediately marks him out as someone who Hasenhuttl would love to have in his squad, especially with the dearth of left-backs currently available to the Austrian ahead of next season following Ryan Bertrand’s decision to leave the club.

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Former Ireland teammate Stephen Quinn was full of praise for Brady back in 2014, saying: “He is just an exceptionally talented footballer and I think that left wing-back position suits him because he is coming into plays, he will always attack and he gets goals like that.”

The 29-year-old could rediscover his best form if he was afforded a run of games, so given that he is available on a free transfer, you could argue that his signing would be something of a no-brainer for the Saints this summer.

Hasenhuttl has suggested in recent months that he will consider more experienced signings after being won over by Theo Walcott this season, and considering that Brady is younger and more versatile than the former Arsenal man, there seems little reason for Saints CEO Martin Semmens not to sign the Irishman this summer should he prove his fitness.

In other news… Ralph handed golden opportunity to axe £11.7m Saints flop, Gao surely buzzing

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has exclusively told Football FanCast that he wants to see teenage sensation Carney Chukwuemeka given first-team opportunities moving forward.

The 17-year-old midfielder, who’s a target for both Manchester United and City, has been on the bench for Villa twice this season, although he’s yet to make his senior debut.

Chukwuemeka was an unused substitute against both Leicester and Manchester City having caught Dean Smith’s eye following some impressive performances in the FA Youth Cup.

He followed up his brace against Burton with a hat-trick against Newcastle, and has also gained valuable experience by playing 90 minutes on two occasions in the EFL Trophy earlier this season.

Despite the first-team’s victory at Everton on Saturday, Smith’s team are likely to fall short in their bid for European football, with the gap to seventh-placed Liverpool currently six points.

And Hendrie wants Chukwuemeka, who’s scored seven times and provided five assists in 22 outings this term, to be given some minutes in Villa’s five remaining Premier League matches.

He told Football FanCast:

“I kind of go off the fans’ views – I know he’s been scoring goals in the Under-18s. When someone is scoring goals, they’ve showed they’re a massive threat, it does attract football clubs and when you’re getting Manchester City and United hovering around the vicinity and are trying to take the young players away.

“This is where I feel if he’s that good we need to see him filtered through to the first team especially at this stage of the season.

“We’ve seen the likes of Louie Barry, who I felt would have had more of a chance this season, and I would put him in that category. I’d like to see more of him playing, because if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.”

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Josh Windass wants to stay at Sheffield Wednesday despite their relegation to League One.

The 27-year-old still has more than 12 months remaining on his Hillsborough contract, but has been linked with several Championship clubs since the Owls officially dropped into the third tier earlier this month.

Windass’ nine goals and six assists in 41 league appearances weren’t enough to save Wednesday from going down but have caught the eye of West Brom and Fulham following their own relegation.

The attacker has only ever played at Championship level since leaving Rangers back in 2018, and his impressive numbers in a struggling Owls side would explain why he’s on the radar of some of the division’s best.

Windass contributed to more than 35 percent of Wednesday’s league goals this term, which means the Hillsborough outfit might consider cashing-in on one of their best players to avoid a situation where he could leave for nothing next summer.

But Windass senior told The Transfer Tavern that his son’s focus remains on Sheffield Wednesday until told otherwise:

“I’ve got no positive information. I know that he’s had a meeting with Darren Moore, and those discussion will stay with Darren, Josh and myself. Darren wants to keep him, and Josh wants to stay.

“Yes, there’s a lot of speculation about a lot of football clubs that are after him, but he was very upbeat and positive about his meeting with Darren.

“There’s speculation these clubs are after him, but he’s chilling out in Portugal and will be back for pre-season training unless he gets told any different.”

Kevin Phillips believes Glasgow Rangers striker Jermain Defoe must take a pay-cut if he wants to stay at Ibrox beyond this campaign.

Phillips says Defoe must take pay-cut

Defoe’s current deal with the 55-time Scottish champions is set to run out at the end of this season (Transfermarkt), but the 38-year-old has revealed he wishes to stay with the Gers (via Glasgow Live).

However, speaking to Football Insider, Phillips believes the former England international will need to take a pay-cut if he wants to stay at the club. He said:

“I’m sure he wants to stay, at this stage of this career he’s earning good money.

“It’s comfortable for him up there and he knows that if he’s called upon he can still perform because he’s still sharp and fit. 

“Do I see Rangers offering him a new deal on with his current wage? I don’t think they would. 

“They could look to free that wage up and bring in a younger version of Defoe or bring in a couple of new players in other areas. 

“I’d be very surprised if he was to be on those terms next season considering the age he is as well.”

A must

Defoe has done well for Rangers since making the move north of the border. In 67 games, he has managed 30 goals and 10 assists, whilst also providing much-needed experience to some of the younger players in the squad – he has even proven himself to be a fan favourite. Keeping him for at least another 12 months as the Gers embark on a Champions League run would be beneficial.

However, Phillips is right – there is no way the Gers can continue to give him the same wage when he is unlikely to be a regular starter. Defoe is currently earning more than £30,000 a week at Ibrox, making him one of the best-paid players at the club. Part of that outlay could be put to good use elsewhere as the Gers look to improve the squad this summer.

Hopefully, both the club and Defoe can come to an agreement.

In other news, Paddy Kenny has urged the Gers to consider the sale of this man.

The threat of a European Super League has rocked football to its very core but for Celtic and those associated with the Bhoys, they currently have more important things to worry about.

The Hoops are not a part of this breakaway but even if they were, they’d still need to find a new manager.

What’s the word?

This has become a real merry-go-round for Celtic with no successor for Neil Lennon even looking close to completion at the moment.

Roy Keane has come and gone while the same eventuality may well fall into the arms of Eddie Howe.

The 43-year-old is the favourite to take on the job but the longer things go on, the more unlikely it feels that he’ll be sat in the Parkhead dugout next term.

A number of reasons are playing a factor in this, not least Howe’s agent who seems to think he can still land a job in the Premier League.

And speaking to This is Futbol, Peterborough director of football Barry Fry shared his take on proceedings, insisting that a move within England could be on the cards.

He said: “I think Eddie Howe can take any pressure that’s thrown up to him; there’s no question about that. It’s whether he feels that, you know, it’s a big enough challenge because basically it’s Celtic or Rangers in Scotland, so it’s either one or the other.”

With Fry possessing an extensive list of contacts within English football, we should take his words pretty seriously.

Desmond will be sweating

This has been a torrid time for Celtic’s majority shareholder. He’s witnessed protests from the Green Brigade outside Parkhead and he’s even been questioned over his shares within the football club.

For now, however, Dermot Desmond is staying put in Glasgow. Time will tell whether that decision is vindicated but appointing the right manager would do a great deal to getting the fans back on side.

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They have been forced to witness a complete collapse this season with any hopes for ten in a row being completely washed away. They’ve not only lost their grasp on the league but they will also finish the campaign without a trophy.

Thus, for Desmond to hear that Howe isn’t convinced that Celtic would be a big enough challenge for him should be devastating and crushing news.

If anything, this should represent one of the most challenging set of circumstances in European football.

The Bhoys have lost their decade-long dominance of Scottish football to their biggest rivals and they’re not only facing uncertainty at board level, but also among the playing staff.

Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer have both been linked with the exit door while Scott Brown is off to Aberdeen and could be joined by Leigh Griffiths.

On that evidence, Howe shouldn’t take it because of how challenging things could be.

This has become a very complex case for Desmond and the Celtic hierarchy; they need to find a resolution from somewhere.

AND in other news, Worse than Kenny: £7.2m Celtic gem was “abysmal” on Sunday, Hartson said he “does nothing”…

Leicester City have, in recent years, earned a reputation as one of the masters of the transfer market.

That title is well-earned too, with the Foxes having unearthed a few bargains and earned a considerable amount in big-money sales.

As a matter of fact, pundit Jason Cundy has reserved special praise for the recruitment department at the King Power Stadium, stating that there is an “endless list” of success stories.

Whilst that is tough to disagree with considering the bargain fees that it has taken to bring the likes of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante and many others to the East-Midlands, the Foxes’ list of recruitment failures is even more shocking.

Since the club earned promotion to the Premier League in 2014, they have produced an outlay of approximately £480m in the transfer market, with a lot of the more expensive players making little to no impact at the club.

A long list of strikers including Andrej Kramaric, Islam Slimani and Ahmed Musa were all then club-record signings following their respective arrivals. Costing just over £55m between them, they could only score 23 goals at a cost of approximately £2.3m per strike.

That poor recruitment continues into midfield where the likes of Gokhan Inler, Vicente Iborra and Adrien Silva have all been secured at huge expense, the latter being even costlier considering his inexplicable and infamous late registration. Embarrassingly, both the Portuguese ace and Inler were let go on free transfers.

Even the cheaper arrivals such as Yohan Benalouane, Ron Robert-Zieler, Bartosz Kapustka, Filip Benkovic and Rachid Ghezzal all must go down as poor buys.

Whilst it is somewhat unfair to have expected every transfer at the King Power Stadium to have been a success, Leicester’s list of failures is quite extensive, accumulating approximately £135m in wasted fees. Whilst that is not the most extortionate amount compared to Premier League rivals, it is simply unsustainable for a club the size of Leicester.

The East-Midlanders may well be deserving of their transfer market masters tag and indeed Cundy’s praise but this “endless list” of successes that he mentions is accompanied by an equally lengthy list of poor purchases too, which should not be overlooked.

AND in more news, have a look at which Barcelona star the Foxes need to look into signing again…

Fans of Sunderland have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which Jordan Jones reflected on the Black Cats’ recent draw with Peterborough United.

Having joined Sunderland from Rangers on a three-month loan deal back in January, Jones has impressed over his 11 League One appearances for Lee Johnson’s side, with the 26-year-old winger scoring two goals and providing four assists for the club, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.03 – ranking him as the Black Cats’ joint fourth-best performer in the third tier.

And, following the club’s recent draw with Peterborough United, Jones took to Twitter, claiming he felt that the result was a “good point” on what was a “tough pitch”, before stating that his and his team’s “full focus” is now on Saturday, when Sunderland face Charlton Athletic.

In reaction to his tweet, fans of Sunderland flocked to have their say on the matter, with many taking the opportunity to beg for Jones to remain at their club beyond his current loan spell.

So, what exactly did these Sunderland fans have to say in reaction to Jones’ latest comments?

“Get it signed.”

@swainyFTM

“Obviously subject to promotion… or is it? Be a part of something beautiful, my friend.”

@ChrisMacBP

“Keep running at those defenders lad and sign permanently.”

@Micky_A_Lawson

“Exactly. Get out of there unscathed and move on. Brilliant.”

@DavidGl13279946

“SIGN THE CONTRACT.”

@SAFCLJ25

“Please stay.”

@DJfenwick

In other news: Loads of Sunderland fans gushed as the club confirmed this ‘huge’ news – find out more here!

There appears to be a big summer rebuilding job ahead of Liverpool due to their disastrous title defence.

A number of players have been linked with a switch to Anfield, whilst a few current Reds are rumoured to be heading for the exit door.

Amongst those potential departures appears to be striker Divock Origi, with the Mail Online suggesting that Michael Edwards is actively inviting offers for the 25-year-old.

Despite his cult hero status at Anfield for his memorable brace against Barcelona and his goal in the Champions League final victory over Tottenham, it is about time that the Belgian was jettisoned.

Since signing for the club from Lille in 2015, Origi has failed to establish himself as a viable option in the attacking positions, a statement that is supported by his woeful record in front of goal.

In 157 appearances for the Reds, he has netted just 35 goals. For context, Roberto Firmino, who is regularly criticised for his lack of goal threat, has scored more than double that with 84 despite having arrived in the same summer as his Belgian teammate.

Of course, it is harsh comparing Origi with Firmino, who when fit plays every match. However, the Belgian appears incapable of taking his chance even when presented to him.

In four starts this season, Origi has not managed to score. Meanwhile, he is barely contributing elsewhere with just 0.8 shots and 0.2 key passes per game this season according to WhoScored – a huge reason as to why he has fallen down the pecking order under Jurgen Klopp.

Considering his woeful form, surely it is time for the Reds to sever ties with Origi, claim at least some of his £14.4m-value and bring in someone else who might actually be a more realistic and productive back-up option at Anfield.

The only challenge might well be convincing another club to buy Origi considering that he still has three years remaining on his £60k-per-week Liverpool contract.

His departure, though, might well be the first step in the club’s rebuild.

AND in more news, a current Bundesliga star could be the perfect Origi replacement should the Belgian depart Anfield…