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Glasgow Rangers podcasters Heart & Hand have shared that Tom Lawrence has suffered an injury setback, and has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

The Lowdown: Long-term injury

Lawrence has been ruled out since August with a knee injury, and so has not seen much action at Ibrox since signing from English League One side Derby County in the summer.

He started off the season well, with three goals and two assists in nine games in total across competitions (Transfermarkt), but has struggled with his recovery.

The Latest: Injury setback

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Heart & Hand have shared part of of the ’embargoed’ section of Michael Beale’s pre-game press conference ahead of their match at home to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership, saying that Lawrence has ‘broken down’ in training and requires another operation, that he has now been ruled out for the rest of the campaign:

“From the embargoed section of today’s presser – Tom Lawrence has broken down in training and requires another operation. Will be out until just before start of next season.”

The Verdict: Hammer blow

Lawrence’s latest setback that has ruled him out for the rest of the season is a hammer blow for both him and the club.

Gers supporters will be desperate to see more of him in a light blue shirt, especially given the impressive of start to the term that he had.

However, for Lawrence, it is now about managing his injury, and for the club, making sure that he takes as much time as he needs to get back full fitness and match sharpness.

Former Glasgow Rangers defender Alan Hutton says the latest injury to John Lundstram will be a ‘worry’ for the player, Michael Beale and the Ibrox outfit.

The Lowdown: Ankle injury

Beale confirmed that Lundstram rolled his ankle on Saturday, which forced him off in the Gers’ 2-1 win over Ross County.

The manager claimed that the injury was a ‘nasty’ one and needed a scan, after the central midfielder was spotted leaving Ibrox in a moon boot.

The Latest: Big ‘worry’

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton says that Lundstram’s injury will be a big ‘worry’, adding that it is a ‘real shame’ for him with the level of competition he has in the middle of the park:

“The biggest worry will be for John Lundstram.

“He will know that there is competition that has come in. It is a real shame for him, it was a poor ball into the midfield and he chased back to try and correct his mistake and he gets caught on the ankle.

“I think he is still a key member of that squad. Raskin coming in and Hagi coming back, there is options there for the manager. Hopefully it is not too bad because you want a fully fit squad.“

The Verdict: Hopefully not serious

Beale will be hoping that Lundstram’s injury is not a serious one, as he has been a revelation under the new boss.

His performance in the 3-0 win against Hearts last week has been praised in particular, while he has also been keeping the likes of Ianis Hagi and new signing Nicolas Raskin out of the starting line-up.

With Partick Thistle coming to Ibrox in the Scottish Cup on Sunday afternoon, it gives Beale an opportunity to take Lundstram out of the team in order to work on his fitness, with the extent of his injury yet to be determined.

Arsenal are reportedly ‘very likely’ to make another move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the summer.

The Lowdown: Arsenal interested in Vlahovic

It was reported that Arsenal would make a return for the Serbian in January, having failed to sign him last year before he left Fiorentina for Juventus.

Following the injury to Gabriel Jesus, the Gunners instead opted to sign winger Leandro Trossard from Brighton and Hove Albion cover for the frontline. However, they may look to strengthen in the attacking third again this summer, especially as they look likely to qualify for the Champions League given that they are top of the Premier League table.

The Latest: Another Vlahovic move?

As quoted by Juve News, transfer expert Niccolo Ceccarini says that Arsenal are ‘very likely’ to make another move for Vlahovic in the summer.

He stated: “Arsenal had already tried to take him before the transfer to Juventus. The idea has remained and at the end of the season a new attempt is very likely. In England, however, he is not the only one, Manchester United has also started to move. In short, the situation is evolving.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Vlahovic would add some more firepower to Arsenal, and it will be needed if they want to compete for the Premier League title again next season and make an impact in the Champions League.

BBC pundit Micah Richards gave a glowing reflection of the striker upon watching him at Fiorentina, describing him as having ‘lightning’ pace and saying: “He is lightning. It’s ridiculous. He has got 16 in 18 this season. His left foot is like a wand. I am telling you now, he is everything, he is everything you need.”

Serie A journalist Siavoush Fallahi has also described the Serbian as a ‘beast’ and ‘like an animal in a cage’, in reference to his impressive physical stature.

He clearly has all of the attributes to thrive in the Premier League, and with 78 senior goals to his name for club and country combined by the age of 23, the striker still has a very high ceiling which could hopefully be reached at the Emirates Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move to bring Milan Skriniar to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

That’s according to a recent report by Italian media outlet Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), who claim that Inter Milan have made the centre-back a final contract renewal offer of €7m (£6.2m) per season – roughly £120k per week – although it is said that the Serie A giants are not overly confident that the 27-year-old will accept these terms.

The report adds that, with the Slovakia international’s current deal at the San Siro set to expire at the end of the current campaign, there is a very real chance that Skriniar could leave the Nerazzurri on a free this summer, with Spurs and Paris Saint-Germain both claimed to be keeping a very close eye on the defender’s situation.

With this in mind, Simone Inzaghi’s side are believed to already be drawing up a shortlist of potential candidates to replace the centre-back ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. One target is believed to be Tottenham’s own Japhet Tanganga, about whom the Nerazzurri have already contacted Spurs in order to determine whether they would be open to selling the 23-year-old.

“Unreal”

Considering just how much success Antonio Conte has enjoyed with Skriniar in the heart of his defence in the past, coupled with the 27-year-old who PSG reportedly lodged a €70m (£62m) bid for last summer now looking to be available to sign for nothing this summer, the argument that the centre-back would be an unreal signing on a free is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 32 Serie A appearances in the Nerazzurri’s title-winning campaign back in 2020/21, the £53m-rated defender was a rock in Conte’s backline, helping Inter keep 12 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.5 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 2.7 clearances and winning 3.5 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per game.

The £95k-per-week talent also impressed going forwards that season, hitting the back of the net three times, in addition to playing an average of 2.6 long balls, making 0.3 key passes and completing 62.2 passes – at a success rate of 92% – per match.

These returns saw the 54-cap international who FotMob’s Andy Castell labelled “unreal” and journalist Siavoush Fallahi dubbed a “monster” average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.07, ranking him as the seventh-best performer in Conte’s squad that term.

As such, considering just how well-suited Skriniar quite clearly is to the 53-year-old’s particular tactical setup and style of football, coupled with the fact the defender – who was the subject of a £62m bid just a matter of months ago – likely to be available to sign on a free transfer, it is indeed easy to argue that signing the Slovakian would be an unreal coup for Fabio Paratici to pull off next summer.

Liverpool attacker Roberto Firmino has shared an update regarding his injury situation ahead of the Merseyside club’s upcoming Premier League game against Leicester City. 

The Lowdown: Firmino’s injury situation

The Brazilian was ruled out of Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup with a calf injury, and ultimately had to miss their recent 3-1 league win over Aston Villa.

Prior to that, the 31-year-old has scored nine goals and delivered four assists in 21 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side this season.

With the Reds set to take on the Foxes at Anfield tomorrow, Firmino has taken it upon himself to share an update on his fitness.

The Latest: Firmino’s update

Speaking to talkSPORT (via Liverpool Echo), Firmino had this to say about his fitness situation, revealing he expects to be back to face Brentford on January 2.

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“I’m already healed, thank God. I’ll probably train tomorrow. Then all being well I’ll be ready not for the next game [Leicester] but the one after that [Brentford]. So all great.”

The Verdict: Good news for Liverpool

While it’s unfortunate that Firmino is likely to miss Friday’s clash against the Foxes, seeing him make a return for Liverpool’s next league outing after that against Brentford will surely be a big positive for the team.

With seven goals and three assists under his belt in 13 league appearances this season, the Brazilian also has the second-highest rate of goals per shot (0.21) at Liverpool, as well as the second-highest total of shots on target (20).

His overall league performances have earned Firmino a solid season rating of 7.2/10 from WhoScored, making him the second-highest rated player in Klopp’s ranks.

This shows just how much of an important attacking figure the 31-year-old is for Liverpool and why having him back fit again will be a big boost for the Reds, who will be hoping that they can get past Leicester without him in the team.

West Ham United have reportedly identified Torino’s industrious midfielder Sasa Lukic as a viable January target to lure to the London Stadium this winter.

As per Tuttosport, Hammers boss David Moyes is singling the 26-year-old out as a top winter target, and with the Torino ace reportedly available for £13m, it is a deal that certainly could cross the finish line – although with increasing interest this figure may start to creep upwards.

With Lukic’s contract with his Italian club is set to expire in the summer of 2024, meaning that unless a renewal can be agreed there will be a desire to cash in on a player that has been an ever-present in the starting line-up since arriving from Partizan Belgrade as a 19-year-old in 2016.

But the hierarchy at the east London outfit will indeed need to act swiftly if they are to take the lead in the race for the Serbian sensation, with Calciomercato claiming that Leicester City, AS Roma and Napoli are all eyeing a move. 

Imagine him and Lucas Paqueta 

Torino currently sit in ninth place in the Italian top-flight, and Lukic has been integral to the team’s success, recording an average rating of 6.95 and flourishing with his crisp passing and assured presence, serving as a pivot and offering both defensive fortification and attacking flair when an apt opportunity arises. 

He is tremendous across a variety of roles, possessing the whole gamut of requisite attributes to prosper in the Premier League.

His particular skill set could merge nicely with that of Lucas Paqueta, who has failed to live up to the £51m price tag thus far, following his move from Olympique Lyonnais in the summer.

Paqueta, a robust and industrious maestro with a keen eye for a forward pass, has recorded an average Premier League rating of 6.93, which is by no means disappointing, but there is a feeling that there is a lot more to offer, and Lukic could aid the rise to the brim of his potential at the London Stadium.

The Brazilian maestro has failed to score for the Hammers, and having clinched 11 goals and seven assists last season in France, here is evidently far more attacking prowess yet to truly be unleashed on English soil.

Lukic could attack as an anchor, an effective counterpoint at the beating heart of the West Ham squad, to entwine with Paqueta’s toolkit and form a deadly partnership, with the respective 89% and 81% passing accuracies creating an elite level of control; additionally, journalist Josh Bunting lauded the 35-cap gem as “outstanding” for his work in protecting the defensive players of his side.

With both players sturdy conductors with eyes for goals, indeed Lukic has netted 11 goals for Torino since the start of the 20/21 campaign, the dynamism from the centre could reap rewards for Moyes’ dwindling Hammers side, lifting the club away from their lowly 16th place in the Premier League and towards brighter endeavours once again.

Everton have been handed a more definitive date for the return of James Garner…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to injury specialist Ben Dinnery, who does not expect the 21-year-old to return until February.

Having missed the Toffees’ final game before the World Cup due to a “back problem”, Dinnery has now followed up on Frank Lampard’s initial assessment.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “So, this was an update from Frank Lampard again, [Garner suffered] an injury picked up in the Carabao Cup and missed out on game week 16. Subsequently, he didn’t travel on the club’s mid-season tour of Australia. 

“The initial sort of prognosis was relatively okay, but subsequent evaluations and testaments reveal that it’s probably going to be towards maybe the end of January or even early February before Garner is back in contention.”

It’s a huge blow

The timing of this injury seems eerily similar to Nathan Patterson’s need for ankle surgery at the back end of last season, where he had finally started to stake his claim for a starting birth before being struck with a lengthy lay-off.

Despite signing in the summer, Garner had not featured in any of their opening nine Premier League matches before finally making his debut against his old club Manchester United.

Although it was only a short cameo, he boasted a liveliness that saw supporters demand an increase in minutes.

He would come off the bench in every game following, with his play time increasing with each game week.

It seemed like things were building towards his first league start before his injury, which will now see his progress halted.

What will frustrate Lampard even more is that his options in midfield seem to be swiftly dwindling, and a position that seemed bustling with talent has been whittled down to the bare bones.

Tom Davies was also sent home from their Australia tour for a scan on his knee, leaving just Alex Iwobi, Amadou Onana, the underperforming Abdoulaye Doucoure and an ageing Idrissa Gana Gueye as Lampard’s options.

The Garner injury in particular marks a huge blow, as he really could have begun to force his way into the first-team plans following the conclusion of this domestic football hiatus, just as Patterson did last season. However, he will now have to wait.

Tottenham Hotspur have now been linked with a move for Edouard Mendy as their search for a long-term Hugo Lloris successor continues…

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the Chelsea shot-stopper is one of several candidates being considered as a potential replacement for the long-serving France veteran, who will turn 36 in December.

Lloris is currently at the World Cup in Qatar, alongside Mendy, and has emerged on the radar at Hotspur Way.

It remains to be seen whether the Blues would allow their backup goalkeeper to leave to a direct Premier League rival and for how much, however, the Senegal international is currently valued at €50m (£43m) by CIES Football Observatory, two and a half years after his £22m move from Stade Rennes.

Lloris replacement?

Not only is Lloris getting on a bit but his consistency between the sticks has regularly been called into question over the last couple of seasons.

Back in 2021, his display in the 5-4 defeat to Everton in the FA Cup saw talkSPORT pundits Trevor Sinclair and Jason Cundy slam him as “a weak link” and as having “lettuce wrists.”

More recently, Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer slammed him for a “stupid” mistake as his former side, Newcastle United, beat Spurs last month.

Mendy would be an intriguing alternative to the Frenchman’s throne, particularly given their links to Leeds United’s Illan Meslier and Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid, and the fact that he has lost his place to Kepa Arrizabalaga since Graham Potter took the helm.

Last season, though, the Senegal star registered the fourth-best save percentage of any other keeper in the Premier League, via FBref, whilst the 6 foot 4 titan also stopped more crosses than all but four other keepers, both of which were better than Lloris.

The Chelsea outcast will also be six years younger than Lloris at the turn of the new year, so he could certainly be a viable option for several seasons, should manager Antonio Conte hold genuine interest.

“Chelsea have gone up a level since Mendy’s come in, the shot-stopping is excellent. When I think of Kepa I think of a highly strung goalkeeper, with Mendy he’s always in control,” claimed BT Sport’s Chris Sutton only last year. “Some of these saves are incredible. He’s agile, he’s good with the ball at his feet. He is to Chelsea what Alisson has been to Liverpool.”

If Spurs can bring that sort of player in, then they would surely be in safe hands for the foreseeable future, so any move for Mendy – or any goalkeeper – could mean that Conte finally ditches the long-serving “legend.”

AND in other news, Spurs swoop for £43m “phenomenon” is still “open”, he’d be a dream for Conte…

Wolves’ decision to sign Willy Boly on a permanent deal sadly backfired as the centre-back was never able to really reproduce the levels of performance that he showed during his loan spell at Molineux.

The towering 6 foot 6 Ivorian centre-back joined Wolves on loan from Porto for the 2017/18 campaign and was a huge part of their Championship title-winning season. He made 36 appearances in the second tier, contributing three goals and two assists, and he earned a superb 7.52 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This ranked him as the top performer in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side for that season, so it was something of a no-brainer for the Old Gold to sign him on a permanent deal ahead of their return to the Premier League, with Boly joining in a transfer worth £10m.

That fee looked to be something of a bargain when the Ivorian was one of Wolves’ outstanding players in their 2018/19 Premier League campaign, averaging a strong 7.12 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Sadly, an ankle injury proved to be the beginning of the end for Boly the following season, as he was limited to just 22 appearances in the top flight, before making 21 in the subsequent campaign.

Ruben Neves spoke highly of the defender upon his return from injury in March of last season, saying: “He’s a great player, of course. I think we have a great squad. He’s been an important player for us and unfortunately got some injuries, but the players who were playing did a fantastic job as well.”

However, it was clear that, when Bruno Lage arrived at the club, the former Porto man became more of a backup. He made just 11 appearances under Nuno’s successor before he was sold to Nottingham Forest during the summer, with the Reds paying a mere £2.25m for his services.

Given Wolves’ defensive woes this season, which have arguably come about after the exits of important centre-backs such as Boly, Romain Saiss and Conor Coady, the Old Gold would have perhaps been better off keeping the Ivory Coast international at Molineux, especially considering that they made such a significant loss on him.

Rangers were heavily linked with a move for Danilho Doekhi during 2022 and the centre-back would have been the perfect man for Giovanni van Bronckhorst amid his current defensive crisis.

The Dutch defender was first linked with a move to Ibrox in January but the Teddy Bears were told that they would have to pay £2m to prise him away from Vitesse, so gambled on being able to sign him on a free transfer in the summer when his contract with the Eredivisie side expired.

Unfortunately for Rangers, he would join Bundesliga side Union Berlin in May, where he has played a big part in their remarkable success so far this season.

Urs Fischer’s side currently sit top of the German top flight, ahead of the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, after winning eight and drawing two of their opening 12 domestic fixtures.

The German side could also progress to the Europa League knockout stage this evening as they face Union Saint-Gillioise in their final group stage fixture, so it is clear that something special is brewing at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

Doekhi has certainly been a hit since his arrival in the summer, as he is currently ranked as their second-best player in both the Bundesliga and the Europa League according to WhoScored, after averaging an impressive 7.32 and 7.23 rating in each competition thus far.

In his eight appearances this season, Union Berlin have conceded just three goals and lost only once, which emphasises just how impressive the 6 foot 3 defender has been.

Rangers, meanwhile, have shipped 11 goals in the Premiership and conceded a ridiculous 22 times in the Champions League group stages after some defensive horror shows, so having a player such as Doekhi in the side would have surely made them more secure at the back.

Former Vitesse manager Thomas Letsch was full of praise for Doekhi during his time with the Dutch side, saying:

“He already played fantastic last year and this season he has performed at the highest level in every game. Danilho makes almost no mistakes and is an absolute team player, a very calm player.”

Injuries to Ben Davies, Filip Helander and Conor Goldson have made things worse for Van Bronckhorst but the Dutch manager will surely be wishing that Rangers had won the race for Doekhi during the summer given his impressive form so far this campaign.

He may well have been the man to take Gers further in Europe.