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Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left gushing over some off-field news which has emerged.

As per the club’s official website, they have now appointed Zeb Jacobs as of Head of Coaching within their Academy, with the role set to commence from 1st January.

He is joining the Scottish champions from Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp, where he was Talent Co-ordinator and Head of Development in their Academy.

Jacobs is an expert in child pedagogy and is recognised as being ‘one of the brightest and most innovative young football educators in European football’, in the words of Rangers’ official correspondence on his arrival at Ibrox.

Of course, with the Academy doing so well at the moment, it is an inspired appointment aimed to nurture the young talent that the Light Blues have at their disposal, and given his past pedigree, Jacobs will likely be able to develop the players to the best of their abilities.

Rangers fans on Jacobs’ appointment

These Gers fans gushed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one supporter claiming that it is a ‘brilliant’ move by the club:

“Another great appointment!”

Credit: @Kankagroup

“Laying the foundations for a solid future! Michael Beale had a part in identifying him also”

Credit: @LBeattie92

“Very exciting appointment”

Credit: @Cammy26_2

“Doing bits outside of transfer windows is good content, carry on”

Credit: @PenaCartel

“Brilliant”

Credit: @MDangerbouse55

“Making moves!”

Credit: @ScottishRajko

In other news, this Academy development also had lots of Gers fans buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly still eyeing up a move to sign Franck Kessie in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Shining at AFCON

Kessie is currently shining at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Ivory Coast, recently putting in a man-of-the-match performance against reigning champions Algeria with a goal that helped knock them out of the group stages.

He is ranking highly among his teammates in terms of average shots, key passes and dribbles per game so far in the tournament (WhoScored), and will now look to continue his impressive performances in the knockout stages.

The Latest: Tottenham lurking

As per The Daily Telegraph, Spurs are now getting ready to make their swoop for Kessie this month, despite his contract at AC Milan running out in the summer.

This is to fend off the inevitable competition for his signature once his deal expires and he becomes a free agent.

The Verdict: No-brainer

It is certainly a no-brainer for the North London club to sign Kessie up in January, as they could potentially get a bargain with only six months left on his contract.

Yes, that bargain becomes even more enticing if he is free at the end of the campaign, but there’s no telling which other teams will be interested, and who will be able to offer Champions League football.

Described as a ‘devastating’ player by AC Milan legend Antonio Cassano, the sky is the limit for the Ivorian, who is only 25 years of age.

Antonio Conte is even said to be a ‘huge fan’ of his, and he should know all about him having watched him in the Serie A while managing rivals Inter.

Nonetheless, as pundit Kevin Campbell has previously pointed out, it would no doubt be an ‘exciting’ move for the Lilywhites should they be able to pull it off.

In other news, find out whose THFC future is to be decided ‘this weekend’ here!

When Everton raided Swindon Town for their academy graduate Lukas Jutkiewicz in 2007, few may have forseen how poorly things would turn out for the striker at Goodison Park under David Moyes.

But after a nomadic career having failed to make the grade on Merseyside, the Polish forward found a home for himself at Birmingham City in 2017 on the back of an initial loan spell.

Life at St. Andrew’s has been good for Jutkiewicz in most, and on Sunday he reached a landmark by making the 500th senior appearance of his career in a 1-0 win over Rotherham United that moved Lee Bowyer’s side nine points clear of the relegation zone.

It was 15-years ago this month that Jutkiewicz made his senior debut for Swindon in a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City, just two weeks after his 17th birthday, but his efforts as the season petered out failed to prevent the Robins from being relegated to the fourth-tier.

Yet it was in League Two that Jutkiewicz caught the eye of Everton and Moyes, who agreed to hand the then 18-year-old a lucrative contract as part of a £1m move, after an impressive campaign with five goals and two assists in 33 appearances despite only starting 13 times.

Action was much harder to secure at Goodison Park, even with Moyes claiming in 2008 that the Southampton-born centre-forward “is certainly in our thoughts” after showing progress behind the scenes, with the only appearance of his Toffees career lasting just four minutes.

Jutkiewicz featured on the bench in dribs and drabs between his arrival in 2007, loan spells with Plymouth Argyle, Huddersfield Town and Motherwell before eventually leaving in 2010 when sold to Coventry City. But his only outing for Everton came as a late substitute when replacing Tim Cahill in a 3-0 win at home to Sunderland in December 2008.

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His time with Coventry failed to make Everton regret his departure with Jutkiewicz only scoring 18 goals in 69 games across all competitions before joining Middlesbrough, where he would again attract Premier League interest – this time from Burnley.

The Clarets spent £2.5m on Jutkiewicz in 2014 but would fail to see the forward find the back of the net in any of his 35 appearances, but did offer three assists – including one in a 3-1 defeat to Everton to equalise after Samuel Eto’o had opened the scoring.

That was the closest Jutkiewicz has ever come to making the Blues regret his exit, having gone on to round out the first 500 games of his senior career by establishing himself as a solid if not remarkable Championship centre-forward with Birmingham.

In 213 games across all competitions for the second city side, the now 32-year-old has hit 51 goals and offered 23 assists, with personal-best league returns of 14 goals in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns.

Jutkiewicz currently has five goals in 39 games this term as the £10,000-per-week frontman enters the twilight years of his career as a two-time Premier League flop, having failed to fulfil the promise that first caught Everton and Moyes’ attention more than a decade ago.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti faces a selection dilemma after a £16m-rated Everton star’s error-strewn weekend horrors…

Rangers’ James Sands failed to impress journalist Jonathan Moar against Motherwell on Saturday. 

The lowdown

Sands, who can operate as a centre-back and a midfielder, is adjusting to life at Rangers after making an 18-month loan move from MLS outfit New York City FC in January.

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He’s made a total of 10 appearances so far, starting three times in the Scottish Premiership and twice in the SFA Cup.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst named the American amongst the substitutes for Saturday’s 3-1 win over Motherwell but handed him a chance to impress when he introduced in him place of Scott Arfield in the 68th minute.

The latest

In Moar’s player ratings piece, Sands earned a rating of just four out of 10 for his cameo.

That was the same rating as Leon Balogun, who received a straight red card after less than half than hour.

Meanwhile, Moar handed three players eight out of 10 – midfielder Steven Davis and attacking duo Fashion Sakala and Scott Wright.

The verdict

What do the stats say about Sands’ performance?

Well, the £3.6million-rated 21-year-old won three out of the five ground duels he contested, so that at least was a positive (via SofaScore).

But on the other hand, he misplaced three of the four passes he attempted, leaving with an accuracy of just 25%. And overall, he lost possession with more than 44% of his touches.

From that point of view, then, Moar was right to be underwhelmed.

And it’s hard to argue that Sands has significantly improved his starting chances, even with Van Bronckhorst seemingly inclined to make changes around the Europa League semi-finals.

In other news, Andrew Dickson ripped into this midfielder.

John Collins has shied away from backing his former colleague John Kennedy for the Celtic manager’s job full-time, warning that it’s a ‘different ball game’ to his prior roles.

Collins and Kennedy both supported Ronny Deila when he was in charge at Parkhead between 2014 and 2016.

The 37-year-old is now interim manager at the club after Neil Lennon tendered his resignation in late February.

Is Kennedy a long-term candidate?

Whilst he is a stop-gap solution on paper, Kennedy could theoretically force his way into long-term contention with a strong run of results.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, of course, was only placed in temporary charge of Manchester United but was able to convince the club’s hierarchy that he could be a permanent solution after impressing in a caretaker capacity, and he is still at the helm more than two years on.

Collins hailed Kennedy as a ‘terrific coach’ but ultimately doubts his credentials for one of the biggest jobs in Britain.

“He’s got vast experience on the training pitch,” he said on BBC’s Sportsound. “There’s no doubt he’s a terrific coach. But it’s a different ball game stepping up to be manager, I think.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

At this stage, it remains too early to cast a definitive judgement on Kennedy, who has scant experience as a first team boss.

We mustn’t forget that he has only overseen two matches at this point – the first a 1-0 win over fourth-placed Aberdeen and the second a goalless draw away to Dundee United.

If he were to guide his team to victory in Sunday’s Old Firm and go onto win on the Scottish Cup, Celtic would have to at least consider him.

However, you could understand if supporters demanded a more established name instead, and Collins’ reservations seem legitimate.

In other news, this former Celtic boss endorsed Kennedy on Monday.

Sheffield Wednesday have agreed to let Liam Shaw cut his Sheffield Wednesday deal short by two weeks in order to join Celtic [Sheffield Star].

Of course, Shaw signed a pre-contract with the Glasgow giants back in February [The Scottish Sun].

Seeing out the 2020/21 campaign at the Owls, the midfielder was originally scheduled to head north of the border upon the expiration of his contract on July 1st [Sheffield Star].

However, reports have now emanated that indicate the Sky Bet League one side chose to terminate his deal imminently, in return for a swift compensation fee said to be around the £300,000 mark [Sheffield Star].

The boyhood Wednesday fan was officially unveiled at as a Celtic player yesterday [CeltsAreHere]. Nevertheless, receiving an instantaneous financial bonus will provide a positive boost for the Hillsborough faithful.

No wonder many Sheffield Wednesday diehards took to Twitter to voice their opinion on recent events.

Sheffield Wednesday fans react:

Here is how some of the Sheffield Wednesday faithful summarized their feelings upon hearing the news:

“So we get paid, and don’t pay a player during the period he’s not playing…dare I say it, but was that sensible business from Wednesday?”

Credit: @HatScarfShirt”That’s 3,000 2019/20 ST refunds #swfc”Credit: @DaddyIbbo”If true, it’s the cleverest financial move DC has made in years at the club.”Credit: @NJBanbury”Good move by the club that, especially given the cash flow issues, making the most of the (self-afflicted) bad situation.”Credit: @ploehmann”Still, shows some positive thinking and ability to engage and negotiate with others. It all is starting to feel a bit different. I’m worried I’m feeling optimistic, I’d forgotten that feeling. Shaw will do well at Celtic I’m sure, very happy for him”Credit: @YesWeCrann”Interesting. Didn’t know they were able to do this. Smart move for both clubs and the player. We move on”Credit: @MattSummerhillIn other news, a Liverpool duo could miss crucial 2021/22 fixtures.

Former Tottenham Hotspur hero Graham Roberts insists that Tanguy Ndombele needs to leave the club this summer after failing to adapt to life in the Premier League.

Ndombele endured a difficult season at Spurs in the 2020/21 season under the management of Jose Mourinho.

The £200,000-a-week France international made a total of 28 starts in the Premier League but completed the 90 minutes just six times.

In total, he scored three goals and laid on two assists in the league and he remains the most expensive player to ever join the club, with the north London side having paid £53.8m to bring him in from Lyon two summers ago.

Roberts, though, remains unconvinced by the talents of the 24-year-old, who signed a long-term contract and is tied to the club until 2025.

He is valued at £45m by Transfermarkt and reports have suggested that he is being eyed by Real Madrid, who appear to have been convinced by his talents.

And Roberts thinks he ought to move away from the club in a bid to relaunch his career.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think Ndombele needs to move on because I think he can’t get the pace of the Premier League.”

Keith Gillespie has exclusively told Football FanCast that Leicester City defender Jonny Evans is still good enough to start for Manchester United.

Having come through the ranks at Old Trafford before winning 11 major honours, including the Champions League and three Premier League titles, the centre-back was sold to West Brom by former United boss Louis van Gaal back in 2015.

Evans spent three seasons with the Baggies before making the switch to Leicester following West Brom’s relegation back to the Championship.

The Foxes are looking good to finish in the top-four and on course to win the FA Cup for the first time, with Evans one of their most consistent performers this season.

And Gillespie, who played with Evans at international level, is still surprised that Manchester United got rid of him, and believes he would get into Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s current defence.

He told Football FanCast:

“I played with Jonny with Northern Ireland, so I know how good he is. I remember Jonny’s debut against Spain. We’d lost on the Saturday to Iceland 3-0 and he put Jonny in at left-back, and he was absolutely unbelievable. We ended up winning that game as well.

“He’s like a Rolls Royce. Left-foot, right-foot, his distribution is good, he wins headers. His reading of the game is good.

“Why Manchester United got rid of him is beyond me. I think Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer said recently that he was surprised that Louis van Gaal got rid of him.

“Jonny went to West Brom and was fantastic, and Man City and Arsenal were in for him. And you’re thinking, why did you get rid of him? I’d have him in the Man United defence now. You know what you’re going to get from Jonny. He’s a fantastic player, who;s just got better and better with age.”

Whilst Caglar Soyuncu and Wesley Fofana have more than played their part, Evans really has stepped up in the absence of Harry Maguire, and his form is a major reason as to why Leicester have done so well over the last 18 months.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts is not sold on the prospect of the club hiring Brighton & Hove Albion boss Graham Potter as their new manager, telling Football FanCast that he is not the kind of appointment that will keep Harry Kane at the club.

The England international has been linked away from Spurs ahead of the summer transfer window, with The Athletic reporting that he wants to take on a new challenge this summer.

Spurs sacked Jose Mourinho earlier this season after a desperately poor season that saw the club fall to ninth at one stage.

Potter has been linked as a potential appointment and Football.London have reported previously that Spurs’ players have been impressed by Brighton’s approach whenever the two sides have met.

However, Roberts thinks that a manager with a bulging trophy cabinet is required to ensure that Kane feels the club are moving in the right direction following Mourinho’s exit.

Asked about how Kane would feel if Potter, or Scott Parker who has also been linked by the same Football.London report, became the new boss, he told FFC:

“I think that would be a bad thing for us.

“If you’re Harry Kane, you’re looking for a top manager coming in now, somebody that’s won trophies and those two haven’t won trophies.

“We haven’t won any trophies so we can’t go shouting our mouths off. That’s what Harry wants to win.

“He won the London trophy (Player of the Year at the London Football Awards) the other day and it was all about ‘no, I want a team trophy, I don’t want individual ones, I’ve got them, yeah, they’re good but I want that team one’.”

Many Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been sharing their delight on Twitter following the news that Saido Berahino has completed his move to the club from Zulte Waregem.

Starting his career at West Bromwich Albion, the 28-year-old arrives at Hillsborough with a big reputation after registering 84 goals in 300 appearances between first team and underage level [Transfermarkt].

Berahino has plied his trade in Belgium since 2019, rebuilding his reputation as a clinical centre-forward. In his time at Zulte Waregem, the Burundian chipped in with 14 goal contributions in 34 appearances, in the form of 10 goals and four assists across three seasons [Transfermarkt].

He has previously worked with Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore at West Bromwich Albion, whilst he will beef up the manager’s offensive options as the Yorkshire club aim to win promotion to the Championship this campaign.

In light of this news, plenty of Sheffield Wednesday supporters took to Twitter to celebrate Berahino’s arrival at Hillsborough.

Sheffield Wednesday fans react

Replying to the club’s official Twitter channel, here is what some fans had to say about the “incredible signing”:

“Buzzing with this, UTO”

Credit: @lukepeo1867″Incredible signing. Let’s hope he gets his career back on track here! Welcome to Hillsborough!”Credit: @andymcelwaine

“HE’S MAGIC YOU KNOWWWW”

Credit: @BrxdSWFC

“Incredible. So much potential still and bags of talent. Has gone through so much & matured. Perfect fit for Darren Moore to get best out of him. We’ve built a great Championship side for League One. Welcome to the club Saido.”

Credit: @SteveJ2403″Solid signing especially in League 1,  time to allow the new squad to gel a little and get some cohesion going. Got a better squad of players now than last season”Credit: @RossSiddons”Welcome to S6″Credit: @litherland_saraIn other news, many Owls fans criticised one player over a recent performance. Find out more here.