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Glasgow Rangers’ transfer business under former director of football Mark Allen was mixed at best. The likes of Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, and Joe Aribo have all been major successes in a Rangers jersey, with the Ibrox side even securing £10m for the Nigerian midfielder last summer.

However, there were more duds than success stories, with players such as Eros Grezda and Jake Hastie having next to no impact at the Light Blues and vast sums of money were wasted on transfer fees and wages during his two years at the club.

At the time, signing Filip Helander for £4m was looked upon as a deal that could benefit the Ibrox side for years to come, with the Swede aiming to form a solid defensive duo with Goldson.

Unfortunately, just three and a half years after his arrival, his valuation has plummeted due to a series of injuries that have seriously impacted his game time at the club.

What is Filip Helander worth now?

The 19-cap defender enjoyed a solid first two seasons at Rangers, playing 49 matches, and was an integral part of the side that secured the club’s first Premiership title in a decade during the 2020/2021 season.

Indeed, during that historic campaign, Helander featured in 22 league matches, averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.1/10 and forming a partnership with Goldson that saw the Gers concede just 13 league goals, a British record.

The 6 foot 3 titan made 1.7 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, and 2.2 clearances per game while keeping 13 clean sheets and winning 68% of his total duels, underlining just how important he was to Steven Gerrard and the onus was on him to continue this rich vein of form into the 2021/2022 season.

What should have been the cementing of a fine defensive duo at the club barely got time to showcase its true potential, as since the title-winning season, Helander has missed 89 matches.

He hasn’t played at all this term and with his contract expiring at the end of the current season, it is highly unlikely that Michael Beale will retain his services, especially when he spends more time on the treatment table than the pitch.

It’s a pity his Ibrox career has ended like this, as when he signed, the player was looked upon as someone who could become a key part of the future, however, the move has turned into a blunder with him missing so many games.

Gerrard once described the 29-year-old as a “big asset to Rangers” however over the previous 18 months, he has become more of a hindrance and this has seen his value plummet from £4m down to just €0.8M (£710k) according to Football Transfers.

The Ibrox faithful will remember his part in the title-winning campaign, overall, however, Allen looks like he made a blunder spending that much on a player who has played just 60 times for the club.

Liverpool have opened talks with promising Colombian youngster Kevin Mantilla over a summer move to the club, according to a new transfer report.

The Lowdown: Mantilla a huge talent

The 19-year-old centre-back is considered a player of huge promise, having already become a key figure for club side Independiente Santa Fe, making 25 appearances in their first-team.

Not only that but Mantilla is also catching the eye at international level, winning 15 caps for Colombia’s Under-20 side and scoring once for good measure.

He shone at the recent South American Under-20 Championship, and that appears to have alerted Liverpool.

The Latest: Liverpool begin talks

According to Football Insider, the Reds have ‘opened preliminary talks’ over the potential signing of Mantilla after being impressed with his international performances.

The club had officials at the Under-20 Championship and were blown away by what they saw, with a summer transfer now potentially in the works.

The Verdict: One for the future

Liverpool could do with fresh blood at centre-back from next season onwards, considering both Joel Matip and Joe Gomez have been linked with summer exits.

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The 6-foot tall Mantilla clearly wouldn’t be seen as an immediate key man but he could come in as fourth choice and learn from the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, playing in domestic cup games and maturing as a player along the way.

Building for the future is absolutely essential and Jurgen Klopp and the transfer experts at Anfield could see the Colombian as a long-term regular with a high ceiling.

Former Scotland footballer Peter Grant believes Rangers should axe Alfredo Morelos following his “disgraceful”  previous behaviour at the club.

The Lowdown: Morelos on the move?

Morelos’ situation at Ibrox has been well-documented, with the Colombian’s £33k-per-week deal expiring in the summer (via Salary Sport) and no extension in the works.

Despite the SPFL transfer window closing last month, Turkish side Konyaspor have been linked with a move for the 26-year-old according to reports in Turkey (as per The Scottish Sun), and with the Super Lig window still open, it could mean Morelos is on the verge of an exit this month should a deal be struck.

The Latest: Grant’s rant

Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show, former Celtic man Grant urged Rangers to consider bids that come in for their striker after claiming his behaviour in regard to his contract saga do not merit another chance to remain at Ibrox next season.

He said: “I wouldn’t be giving him a new contract, not for the way he’s carried on when you’re going to play the last four months of the season. Sorry, that’s not enough when you’re playing at a club that’s supposed to be challenging and trying to win things. And the way he went on with the last manager, which was disgraceful.

“So all of a sudden you think two or three good games offers you that, and I said to you before, I said that’s my concern coming into the season, bangs a few goals in, you get sucked in again thinking, well, he’s changed, he’s turned the corner because he works really well with a manager.

“He’s done it too often. They say a leopard never changes its spots, and I’m all for giving guys another chance, but he’s had so many chances.”

The Verdict: Sell now?

With potential interest from Konyaspor, Rangers could avoid Morelos’ contract saga rumbling on any longer, with the side eighth in Turkey’s top flight desperate for goalscoring options given they’ve picked up just one point from their last five games.

It’s not a certainty that the Colombian will leave Glasgow, but the Daily Record’s report last month that his agent had offered his services to Inter perhaps shows where his preference lies.

An imminent move does seem unlikely given his nine starts in 11 games under Michael Beale potentially show his importance at Rangers, and with Antonio Colak still easing his way back to fitness and Kemar Roofe playing just 82 minutes of football all season, his place is key right now.

However, we would not be surprised if Grant’s view is one that resonates with sections of the Rangers faithful who may have had enough of Morelos’ attitude and behaviour during his time at Ibrox.

Liverpool have held talks with Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) over the potential takeover of the club, according to finance journalist and Alex Miller.

The Lowdown: FSG selling up?

It has been a hugely disappointing season on the pitch for the Reds, with supporters also showing signs of unrest at the general running of the club.

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have come in for criticism for a perceived lack of spending and reports of the current owners selling a part or whole of the club have generally been met positively.

The Athletic report however that there is no takeover offer on the table currently and zero sign of talks with suitors from Qatar.

The Latest: Journalist drops contray claim

Taking to Twitter, Miller, a finance writer and editor for The Mail on Sunday, claimed that the Reds have been in contact with QIA over the possibility of them buying Liverpool, disputing the claims from The Athletic:

“Mergers and acquisition people I am talking to, have confirmed there is definite interest (and talks) between QIA and @LFC – don’t forget QIA are potentially interested in “all big UK clubs”. Different sources with different info. It happens.”

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The Verdict: Likely to split opinion

The ownership situation at Liverpool is a complex one, in terms of who eventually replaces FSG and whether or not supporters want to effectively be owned by a state.

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The human rights records that exist with the owners of Manchester City and Newcastle United do not sit well with many, for example, and given the city of Liverpool’s reputation for being left-leaning, Qatari ownership would be controversial.

It has certainly reached a point where the Reds need FSG to sell up and move on, though, with the American owners simply not allowing enough funds to be available for new signings, particularly compared to their rivals.

Scottish champions Celtic have seemingly identified another potential centre-forward solution, amid reports that the Parkhead outfit have been keeping tabs on Polish starlet, Szymon Włodarczyk.

What’s the word?

According to Football Scotland journalist Mark Hendry, the 20-year-old is reportedly a player whom the Old Firm giants have shown an interest in of late, albeit with a move having yet to materialise despite at one stage looking ‘close’.

Writing on Twitter, the transfer insider stated: “I’d heard Celtic were interested in Szymon Włodarczyk of Gornik Zabrze. Faced a lot of competition. Podolski’s favourite teammate. There was a period it was close and Celtic knew £3.5m was fee club wanted. No movement since initial approach and Cho now priority.”

As Hendry alluded to, the Hoops do appear to have turned their attention towards the signing of Jeonbuk striker Cho Gue-sung, albeit with there seemingly yet to be a breakthrough in negotiations despite a £3m offer having been lodged by Ange Postecoglou and co.

Dream Cho alternative

Should Cho – who is also said to be attracting interest from Bundesliga outfit Mainz and MLS side Minnesota United – prove too difficult to obtain, the Glasgow side could seemingly secure a dream alternative in the form of Włodarczyk, with the latter man having flourished in his homeland of late.

The “highly talented” machine – as lauded by talent scout Jacek Kulig – has scored seven goals in just 15 league games for current side Gornik Zabrze so far this term, having blossomed since making the move from Legia Warsaw during the summer.

The Poland U21 international – who has been dubbed “one of the most talented young players” in his country in previous years by the aforementioned Kulig – had previously showcased his quality for Legia’s reserve side, with 25 goals and five assists in just 43 games across all fronts.

That has indicated that the youngster clearly offers a real clinical presence in the final third, with that ensuring he could well mirror the South Korean gem, who boasts 16 goals in 45 games for his current side.

Equally, like the latter man – who has been described by journalist Pete O’Rourke as a “real handful for defenders” due to his 6 foot 2 frame – Włodarczyk can also offer a real focal point in attack, with the emerging ace an imposing presence as he also stands at 6 foot 2.

With Postecoglou and co seemingly looking to replace the powerful figure of Giorgos Giakoumakis this month, amid speculation linking the Greek international away from Scotland, it would surely be an astute move to firm up their interest in the Polish sensation sooner rather than later, particularly if progress can’t be made in the race for Cho’s signature.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka could still stay at Manchester United despite being linked with a move away, TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has suggested.

What’s the word?

The defender had hardly played until the World Cup, but has slotted into the Man United side well in recent games.

Wan-Bissaka looked certain to leave in January, but with a number of Premier League clubs thought to be interested in a deal for the right-back, Crook feels his improved form could give him a lifeline under Erik ten Hag.

Speaking on the TalkSPORT Gameday Podcast, Crook claimed that with no replacement on the horizon, United could save a bit of money by continuing to use Wan-Bissaka more and keeping him at the club.

“It’ll be interesting to see what Manchester United do with Aaron Wan-Bissaka. He’s a player that Wolves, West Ham and Crystal Palace are all keen on in this window,” he stated.

“Actually, he’s playing quite well for Manchester United, and with no sign of a replacement coming in, I wonder again, if he may just have prolonged his Old Trafford career until the end of the season with his recent performances.”

A short-term solution

This could come as a bit of a surprise considering the fact that Ten Hag is supposedly open to getting rid of the defender.

Although Wan-Bissaka could provide adequate cover for Diogo Dalot until the end of the season, United should use the summer window to find a suitable replacement for the 25-year-old.

Wan-Bissaka will not improve without regular minutes, and when Dalot is fully fit, he is evidently preferred by Ten Hag, and a player more similar to Dalot should be targeted.

In the short term, keeping him allows United more time to find a replacement, but in the long run, unless he establishes himself as first-choice before the end of the season, the club should move on from the former Crystal Palace defender.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has personally set his sights on Torino wing-back Wilfried Singo, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Conte chasing Spurs glory…

A serial winner at each of his previous clubs, the Spurs head coach is looking to make a success of his time in north London, having guided them to a top four Premier League finish last season.

If he is to repeat the feat this campaign, and potentially add silverware, Conte will need the backing of both chairman Daniel Levy and sporting director Fabio Paratici.

The Lilywhites are said to have many different transfer targets heading into January, including the likes of James Maddison, and it appears Conte has personally set his sights on an upgrade at wing-back.

The Latest: Conte eyes Singo move…

Reports out of Italy claim the 53-year-old is a huge fan of Singo as Torino set a bargain price tag for his sale.

Despite possessing a market value of £12 million, Tuttosport (via Sport Witness) claim his club are willing to sanction the defender’s exit for a fee between ‘£8.6-£10m’.

This comes as Singo is ‘really liked’ by Conte and Spurs hold an interest in his signing.

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The Verdict: Make the move?

Conte is reportedly looking for upgrades on both Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal as both players face the Spurs axe next month.

Singo may well be an astute option for a fairly reasonable price with members of the media calling him a ‘really impressive talent’.

However, the same could be said of summer signing Djed Spence who has barely featured under Conte this season.

Tottenham, when considering a formal bid for Torino’s 21-year-old, should certainly take that into account.

West Ham United have seen a few of their players feature already at this World Cup, with Declan Rice likely to demand the most attention, having put in an impressive display as England cruised to victory,

However, it is with the lesser nations where it is arguably more impressive to see a star perform, especially when the gulf in quality is as dramatic as between Croatia and Morocco.

Whilst the European outfit reached the final of this competition just four years ago, the African nation had qualified for only their second World Cup since the turn of the century this year.

There also marked a ten-team gap between the two in the FIFA world rankings.

Despite this, in what was admittedly a poor game of football, both sides were held to a goalless draw.

This will have pleased Morocco far more, especially their staunch back four who defended like warriors to deny the likes of Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic a first win of the competition.

Whilst Dejan Lovren earned the best rating of anyone on the pitch, it was the Hammers’ centre-back Nayef Aguerd whose 7.3 rating was the most impressive of any Moroccan.

This was well-earned, as his statistics denote a player who gave his all defensively to prohibit an opposition boasting immense quality.

Throughout his 90 minutes, he managed to make three clearances, one block, one interception and one tackle, maintaining a 100% success rate in the four duels he competed in (via SofaScore).

He would also marry this with an impressive 87% pass accuracy as he looked to show a cutting edge despite his side only boasting 35% possession.

Having signed in the summer for £30m, the fee raised eyebrows after the 26-year-old had impressed for Rennes.

However, with displays like that, the monetary value will become inconsequential.

He is yet to really kickstart his career at the London Stadium, with injuries having limited him to just four appearances for the Irons.

For many, this will mark their first real chance to view their top defender in action. Should he continue to play like this, fans will be desperate for him to get back to playing under David Moyes.

West Ham United continued their poor run of Premier League form away from the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with David Moyes’ side narrowly losing out 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

However, much like the 1-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield earlier this month, it was arguable that the Hammers deserved at least a point from the meeting with Erik ten Hag’s side – if not all three – with David De Gea making a series of world-class saves late on to deny the Irons a share of the spoils.

And, despite Sunday’s result making it five losses from seven games away from home in the league this season, there were nevertheless a number of eye-catching performances on display for the visitors, with Declan Rice typically running the show from the middle of the park and Saïd Benrahma again looking lively on the left wing.

However, while both Rice and Benrahma were impressive, it was arguably the performance of Kurt Zouma that will have most pleased Moyes on Sunday afternoon, as the centre-back was very much at his imperious best at Old Trafford.

Indeed, over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £26m-rated Frenchman was near faultless in a defensive capacity, making five clearances and winning one aerial duel – keeping Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes largely quiet in the first half.

And, after the interval, the £125k-per-week centre-back also proved to be one of the Hammers’ most dangerous players going forwards, launching a number of counter-attacks through his three long balls and 43 completed passes, as well as taking two shots at the United goal – most notably being denied a late headed equaliser by a sensational De Gea save.

These efforts saw the 55-touch “machine” earn a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.9, while football.london’s Jonty Colman awarded the 28-year-old an eight in his own player ratings – the best of any West Ham player on the day – with the journalist going on to state of the 11-cap international’s performance:

“Hardly put a foot wrong before half-time, making countless interceptions and winning anything that came at him aerially. Keen to start counters as often as possible and gained plenty of yards when getting forward. Was a great attacking threat late on and forced David De Gea into an excellent diving save with a header with just over five minutes remaining. Very impressive throughout.”

As such, while it is true that the Hammers ultimately left Old Trafford empty-handed, Zouma’s performance in the heart of defence will have greatly encouraged Moyes, while it is also likely that the France international’s display will have boosted his chances of securing a late spot in Didier Deschamps’ World Cup squad this winter.

The defender has been capped 11 times by his country but hasn’t been seen in the French set up now for nearly a year, suggesting that he will need to produce a few more performances like this in order to earn a place in the squad.

Leeds United have made plenty of high-profile transfers over their illustrious history, many of which were bound to be blunders.

However, trawling back to before their 2004 relegation, there were a clear number of missteps that resulted in their surprise demotion.

Whilst one might be losing key men, another certainly has to be some of their questionable incomings that financially hampered the club.

One such transfer was when David O’Leary decided to fork out £4m in 1999 on Darren Huckerby.

Brought in to solve their striker crisis, he offered little in the way of goals across his season-and-a-half stay in Yorkshire.

Having just scored a respectable nine Premier League goals for Coventry City the season prior to his move, it was thought he might provide an answer to their prayers.

Instead, he would score just six times across 56 appearances for the Whites and would be shipped off no sooner than he had arrived.

The fact they managed to recoup anything for him was sensational, given how awful he was for them.

Regardless, they still had to pay £650k for every goal he scored for the club before his exit.

It is clear that he was not solely disappointing for O’Leary though, as he butted heads with Glenn Roeder during his stint at Norwich City.

He had just produced what he described as a “horrendous” performance, something which Leeds fans would be well used to, to which he received a dressing down far worse than anything he had ever received from a manager before.

To his credit, whilst playing at Elland Road he was competing with the likes of Alan Smith, Mark Viduka and Michael Bridges, who are some of the better strikers that have graced that pitch.

However, when he was handed the chance to be their main man, he floundered.

It marked a shocking piece of business, which surely will have contributed to their need to sell off their key assets.

This would end in relegation, whilst Huckerby actually scored a respectable 31 goals in 82games for Manchester City, only adding further insult to injury.