Tottenham are readying a double-your-money offer to sign a player who’s apparently keen to join Thomas Frank’s side, according to a fresh update.

Thomas Frank eyeing January deals amid Spurs pressure

Spurs are currently on a torrid run of form, having won just three of their last 11 matches in all competitions, and are also having to deal with a real injury crisis in certain areas.

To add to their woes in that regard, star winger Mohammed Kudus, who has been their arguable best attacking player this term, is set to miss several matches after picking up an injury against Sunderland.

A new forward was already reportedly high on Frank’s list of January priorities after selling last season’s top scorer Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace for around £35 million, but this fresh Kudus blow will now bring it even more to the forefront.

The Lilywhites have already seen an offer rejected by Antoine Semenyo, who has instead chosen to join Premier League heavyweights Man City, so it is back to the drawing board for Spurs as they pursue fresh attacking options.

Related Tottenham set for talks to sign AC Milan target "this week", offer being prepared

The Lilywhites are prepared to spend in January.

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Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are yet to return from their serious injuries too, and in the meantime, Frank has been left desperately short of numbers further forward.

Left-back Destiny Udogie has also missed their last seven matches due to a hamstring injury, meaning Tottenham have been forced to turn to veteran Ben Davies and Djed Spence to cover the Italian.

As such, it is believed that they are eyeing a January move for Souza as potential cover in that area of the pitch.

According to reports this week, the north Londoners are poised to submit a new and improved bid for the Santos left-back after seeing their initial £8.5 million offer rejected.

Now, as per a fresh update from journalist Eduardo Burgos this evening, Spurs have been given encouragement in their pursuit of the Brazilian.

Souza keen to join Tottenham as Spurs ready double-your-money offer

Taking to X, Burgos reports that Souza is keen on the idea of joining Tottenham for various reasons, like the sporting project on offer and the opportunity to live in London.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Spurs transfer insight Want the full transfer picture? Subscribe to the newsletter for clear, well-sourced coverage of Tottenham’s pursuit of players like Souza, practical analysis of squad needs, negotiation context and how signings would reshape the team.

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He also reveals that Spurs’ second bid for the teenager will be worth nearly ‘double’ their initial offer, with ‘busy days’ expected as Frank’s side try to get him over the line.

Souza, who made 29 appearances for Santos last season, bagging a goal and two assists from full-back, is very highly-rated amid reports that AC Milan and BlueCo are also pondering a move for him.

However, as things stand, it is Spurs who are in pole position to sign the Brazilian Serie A talent this month, and he could be their first arrival of the winter.

Related Tottenham now in contact to sign "phenomenal" £40m Premier League forward

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Liverpool have settled back down in the Premier League top four, and after Chelsea’s draw with Bournemouth on Tuesday, have the chance to go five points clear with a win over Leeds United at Anfield on New Year’s Day.

But there’s no denying Arne Slot’s side are a world away from their title-winning level of last season, and FSG will be looking to utilise the January transfer window to add an elite addition to the mix.

At Manchester City, they have Erling Haaland, while Arsenal’s formidable defensive structure is championed by Brazilian centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, who dominated as the Gunners thrashed Aston Villa on Tuesday evening.

With Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah winding down, Liverpool have recruited new stars-in-the-making, but it’s clear that the club still need a centre-back to rival the likes of Gabriel.

Liverpool ready to sign Prem star

Some Liverpool fans will be frustrated to miss out on Antoine Semenyo, with the Bournemouth forward among the most dangerous players in the Premier League this season.

But the Reds desperately need a defender. Slot’s system is one Van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate injury away from chaos.

Premier League Top Scorers (25/26)

Player

Apps

Goals

Erling Haaland

18

19

Igor Thiago

18

11

Antoine Semenyo

18

9

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

16

8

Hugo Ekitike

17

8

Danny Welbeck

18

8

Data via BBC Sport

With Giovanni Leoni sidelined for the season with a knee injury, it’s clear that addressing a lack of defensive depth should be the Anfield side’s first port of call.

And according to Liverpool correspondent Lewis Steele, it may well be, with a list of centre-half targets compiled, and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi still sitting at the top.

Guehi is out of contract at the end of the season, and it’s felt that Eagles chairman Steve Parish would only let his side’s skipper go at the season’s midpoint if his £35m valuation is met. FSG, understandably, would be hesitant to meet that.

Why Liverpool should sign Marc Guehi

Guehi is accomplished as a Premier League defender, and in 2025, he has played a critical role in winning the FA Cup and Community Shield under Oliver Glasner’s wing.

A “monster in defence”, as has been said by Palace reporter Bobby Manzi, Guehi has fostered his clear qualities in south London over a number of years after being sold by Chelsea before he could show what he could do.

But Liverpool can see his talent and know that by signing the England international, they would land a centre-back with the perfect skillset for a career at the top of the Premier League and the top of European competition too.

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After all, he scrubs up well against someone like Gabriel, who data-driven site FBref actually reveal to be among his most comparable players.

Premier League 25/26 – Gabriel Magalhaes vs Marc Guehi

Stats (per 90)

Gabriel

Guehi

Goals

0.17

0.12

Assists

0.17

0.12

Touches

73.34

63.71

Pass completion (%)

88.5

84.8

Progressive passes

3.56

5.47

Progressive carries

0.50

1.18

Shot-creating actions

1.41

1.41

Ball recoveries

1.49

4.35

Tackles + interceptions

1.91

2.76

Clearances

5.55

5.29

Aerials won

3.31

2.76

Data via FBref

The 25-year-old has also shown that he is going from strength to strength. Sofascore data records that he has won 69% of his aerial duels in the Premier League this season, having only won 54% last term.

Liverpool boast the strongest aerial duel success rate in the division at 57.2% as a collective, and a large part of that is down to Van Dijk and Konate’s dominance in the skies. To lose this crucial defensive asset would be detrimental to a backline already struggling for stability, and Guehi would ensure that Slot’s project glides into the next phase, all the while adding a new flavour of on-the-ball quality.

Gabriel is the talk of the town, but at Liverpool, Guehi would elevate his qualities and his reputation, becoming something truly special and spearheading the Merseysiders to title-winning success.

Related Needed more than Semenyo: Liverpool leading the race to sign £34m talent

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Frederic Veseli joined Manchester United after being released by neighbours Manchester City. The Swiss under-20 star arrived at United with a big reputation and a lot of potential.

The youngster has all the attributes to make a world class centre half. He reads the game well, has good positional sense, strong in the air and strong in a tackle. Veseli also has an eye for a pass and can also adopt a role as an holding midfielder, as he has done several times for Manchester United’s reserves this season.

Veseli was playing in FC Lausanne-sport’s academy, when Manchester City scouted him and signed him in 2008. He initially joined City’s reserve side, but later on in 2008, that was to change to the Elite Development Squad. During his time with Manchester City’s Elite Squad, Veseli got disillusioned with the project as City’s philosophy had changed. With all the money, City were looking at buying experienced players to get them success.

On transfer deadline day in January 2012, Manchester City released Veseli and United acted quickly and signed the Swiss star.

Veseli has been a regular for his national side from the under-15s to currently playing for Switzerland under-20s. His career highlight to date was when he captained Switzerland under-17s to World Cup glory in 2009. The Swiss were playing the hosts and favourites Nigeria in the final in front of 60,000 people. The Swiss came out victorious beating Nigeria 1-0 and Veseli lifted the trophy.

Veseli’s under-17 coach, Dany Ryser, gave Veseli the captains armband because he felt Veseli had a great personality, very professional mentally, great technical qualities, always put the team first and because he was a leader.

The young star has been ever present for the under-21s this season. He was named in Sir Alex Ferguson’s pre season squad for their tour last season, and if he is included again this pre season, Veseli could be introduced into Sir Alex’s first team squad for next season.

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[cat_link cat=”manchester-united” type=”grid”]

Everton have had a season of nightmares so far, with the side almost falling into the relegation zone last night, only spared by Leicester’s second-half goals against Burnley, which gave the Toffees a lifeline just above the drop zone by one point.

There are so many factors that have come into the demise of the Merseyside club this season, with numerous injury problems to key players, managerial issues amid the sacking of Rafa Benitez in January, and a string of poor defensive performances that has seen the side score 13 fewer goals than they have conceded, winning only six league games out of 24 so far.

There is no doubt that the defensive issues are a huge problem for Everton, and new manager Frank Lampard must address the costly errors that his defensive line are constantly making.

Michael Keane, in particular, is proving time and time again that he hasn’t got the discipline in his position to assist the Toffees in their efforts to save the season and remain in the Premier League, becoming a huge hindrance in the team.

The £69k-per-week dud who was dubbed “sloppy” by BT Sport pundit Jim Beglin, made yet another error in Everton’s most recent Premier League defeat at Goodison Park last weekend that led to Phil Foden scoring in the last few minutes of the game for Manchester City.

His poor decision making and lack of concentration in the moments leading to Foden’s goal in the 82nd minute were scathed by former England goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, who told Football Insider;

“Keane suffers from lapses in concentration,”

“It happens far too often. This is not an isolated incident. This is not a one-off.”

“It is costing Everton dearly. These are errors that could be and need to be stopped.”

This isn’t the first time this season that Keane has let his team down. The defender set Everton back early into an away game against bottom of the table, Norwich City, opening up the scoring for the Canaries with an own goal in the 16th minute, leading to a 2-1 defeat that sparked protests and the sacking of Benitez.

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According to SofaScore, the 29-year-old averages 55.5 touches and loses the ball 9.9 times per game in the Premier League, meaning he is losing possession every five touches he makes. This lack of ball retention is a clear indication that Keane is not offering enough defensively to the side in a very vulnerable time for the team, and could play a huge part in a failed relegation battle if Lampard doesn’t ruthlessly axe him soon.

Everton must try to salvage and survive by any means possible in the last few months of the season, with another tough game away from home coming up in the league this weekend when the side travel to London to take on Tottenham Hotspur. Another defeat could be the final nail in the coffin for the team, and they could easily be inside the relegation zone by the end of the week if they don’t pick up points.

In other news: Lampard could find Digne replacement in loaned-out Nkounkou

Newcastle United’s fantastic run of form in the Premier League came to an end as they lost 1-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Eddie Howe’s side went into the match off the back of a nine-game unbeaten run in the division but they were unable to make it to double figures.

The Magpies battled hard throughout the match and had a strong shout for a penalty turned down as Jacob Murphy appeared to be pulled down by Trevor Chalobah in the box.

It was not given and then Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game, for Chelsea, as he ran off the back of Dan Burn before brilliantly bringing the ball down and poking it past Martin Dubravka.

Forget Burn

Whilst Burn may have been at fault for not tracking the German international for the winning goal, another player let the side down badly – Sean Longstaff.

Howe was almost forced to select the academy product with Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Willock and Joelinton all missing from the matchday squad.

He was handed a golden ticket to show that he deserves more game time, with an unprecedented set of absentees in his position, and – instead – showed why he has been on the periphery of the squad of late.

On and off the ball, he was caught lacking of what was required throughout the 90 minutes and Howe will surely be hoping that his other midfield options are back sooner rather than later.

Out of possession, he was weak. As per SofaScore, he lost 100% of his aerial battles and 50% of his duels overall, whilst failing to make a single clearance, block or interception. He also made one tackle and was dribbled past twice, which shows that Chelsea’s players were able to get the better of him more often than he was able to get the better of them.

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On the ball, he did very little. Via SofaScore, he gave the ball away every 3.2 touches as he lost possession ten times from 32 touches – completing 67% of his attempted passes. 25% of his long pass attempts were successful and he failed to create a single chance or manage a shot on target.

This shows that he did not offer any quality at either end of the pitch. Therefore, the dud did not grasp his unexpected, golden, chance to prove to Howe that he should be playing in the team ahead of those who missed out at Stamford Bridge.

AND in other news, Newcastle must swoop for £52k-p/w colossus in the summer, he’ll be an upgrade on Burn…

Newcastle United will be looking to continue their fantastic run in the Premier League as they travel away to face Southampton at St. Mary’s tonight.

The Magpies are on an eight-game unbeaten run in the division and now play two games in the space of four days with a chance to go ten matches without a defeat in the top-flight.

Eddie Howe’s side won 2-1 in their last outing as they beat Brighton last weekend. Ryan Fraser and Fabian Schar scored the goals as the Toon stayed 14th in the table.

How many changes will Howe make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with Javier Manquillo, Bruno Guimaraes and Miguel Almiron all coming in.

The first change may come at right-back with Manquillo replacing Emil Krafth. Against Brighton, the Swedish defender lost four of his seven duels and only completed 59% of his attempted passes, whilst Manquillo has won 64% of his duels and completed 71% of his passes this season in the Premier League.

This suggests that the Spaniard would be more reliable on and off the ball with his ability to retain possession and his physicality in individual battles. Therefore, Howe could opt for the ex-Liverpool man in the only change we are predicting to the defence.

In midfield, Bruno Guimares could finally be named in the starting XI for the first time since his January switch from Lyon. Joe Willock struggled badly against the Seagulls and could have taken out of the team for this match as a result.

As per SofaScore, the dud, who Freddie Ljungberg previously dubbed “passive”, lost seven of his ten ground duels and was dribbled past a staggering five times, whilst also committing one error directly leading to a shot at Martin Dubravka’s goal. In an attempt to avoid burning the ex-Arsenal man out, Howe could start the Brazilian January signing in his place.

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FFC published an article explaining why Jacob Murphy should be axed from the team, although Allan Saint-Maximin may not be fit enough to start.

This could offer Miguel Almiron, who was dubbed a “manager’s dream” by Steve Bruce, the chance to come in on the right. The ex-Norwich man would then be able to rest and be fully prepared for the clash with Chelsea, where he could be needed to run his socks off to track Thomas Tuchel’s flying full-backs.

AND in other news, Game-changer: Howe must finally unleash “exceptionally talented” £27m-rated NUFC star…

Everton have never been shy when it comes to spending money on bringing new players to Goodison Park over the past few years.

However, as happens at a lot of clubs but probably more so with the Toffees, not every deal that takes place ends up being a successful one.

One particular example of this for the Merseyside club is with winger Yannick Bolasie, who Everton splashed out a fee of £25m for from fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace back in the 2016 summer transfer window.

Having scored 13 goals and provided 30 assists during his time at Selhurst Park, it’s easy to see why Everton were originally keen to add him to their squad.

However, in his first two seasons at Goodison Park, the Congo international made just 32 appearances across all competitions but could only find the back of the net twice. That means it cost the club £12.5m for every goal he delivered for the Toffees, making it a very expensive signing for them with very little return in terms of what he gave on the pitch.

Before eventually leaving the Merseyside club on a free transfer to Turkish club Caykur Rizespor back in the previous summer window, the winger had loan spells with clubs such as Aston Villa, RSC Anderlecht, Sporting Lisbon and Middlesbrough.

With 78 appearances under his belt for those sides, the former Palace star racked up just 13 goals, showing that his time away from Everton before leaving on a free transfer wasn’t that successful either.

Even with 20 appearances for his new club so far this season, the attacker has only found the back of the net on one occasion.

Back in January 2018, Transfermarkt rated the winger’s market value listed at £18m, the highest it has been throughout his career, whereas it now stands at a measly £788k, showing the significant decline it has taken as a result of his tumultuous period at Goodison, where he was picking up a weekly wage of £71k-per-week.

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Taking all of this into account, it’s hard to deny that Bolasie’s move to Everton was a very bad one for all parties.

In other news: Forget Pickford: “Dangerous” dud who lost 60% duels must never play for Everton again

Everton have had a difficult season in the Premier League this time around, having won just seven of their 27 played games, drawing four and losing 16 along the way.

One other worrying factor of their campaign is the lack of goals they’ve managed to score, with the Toffees finding the back of the net just 29 times, leaving only Norwich City, Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion with fewer goals.

This could be down to the fact that the Merseyside club have had to go through the majority of the season with striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the sidelines through injury after he managed to score 16 league goals in the previous campaign.

To make things worse for Frank Lampard’s side, recent reports have claimed that the club are willing to sell their English striker in the summer, with fellow Premier League sides Arsenal and West Ham United reportedly interested in him.

With that in mind, if Everton were to cash in on the 25-year-old in the coming months, this could pave the way for the club to make a swoop for another striker that they have been recently mentioned with.

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet AS (via TEAMtalk) Real Madrid are looking to get rid of Luka Jovic in the summer, with Everton being mentioned as a potentially interested party to sign the striker, who has been dubbed as “magical” by Lionel Messi.

Having scored just three goals in 49 appearances for the La Liga giants since his arrival back in the 2019 summer transfer window, it’s easy to see why they would be looking to move the 24-year-old on.

However, having found the back of the net 40 times in 93 appearances with Eintracht Frankfurt, the £16.2m-rated ace has shown that he is capable of being a consistent goalscorer, which is something that the Toffees have desperately needed in this campaign.

Moving forward, if Calvert-Lewin does end up making a move away from Goodison Park this summer, then Farhad Moshiri could then use the money raised for the Englishman to potentially give Jovic the chance to put an end to his nightmare in Madrid and have a go at playing in the Premier League, which could be a very tempting prospect for the Serbian.

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From Lampard’s point of view, having a fairly young striker in his ranks that has experience of playing across Europe and scoring goals that can be a long-term feature at the club, this should be a dream deal for the club to complete.

Having been fairly active in the previous January transfer window, bringing in the likes of Dele Alli, Donny van de Beek, Nathan Patterson, Vitaliy Mykolenko and Anwar El Ghazi, Everton certainly have the means to back their managed once again in the summer, if they manage to avoid getting relegated.

In other news: Lampard may have found Everton’s new Rooney in “top quality” £7.2m-rated “boy wonder”

Tottenham Hotspur could reportedly now ‘come back’ for Lautaro Martinez in the summer.

The Lowdown: Tried before

Spurs have reportedly tried to sign Martinez last summer, but he has of course remained put at Inter Milan, where he has scored 16 goals and provided two assists in all competitions this term.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-copy/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Of course, he is a player that Antonio Conte knows well having managed him last season, even winning the league together, and it looks as if the Italian manager wants to work with him again.

The Latest: Could return

As per Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), the North London club could now ‘come back’ for Martinez after an ‘unsuccessful attempt’ last summer.

Fabio Paratci reportedly made a bid of €70m (£59m) to take advantage of Inter’s financial situation, but was ultimately told no.

However, the Serie A giants would now ‘think about’ accepting if the same offer was made this summer, and a call from Conte could be an ‘important magnet’ to bring him to Hotspur Way.

The Verdict: No-brainer

If Martinez becomes available at that price, it is surely a no-brainer for the Lilywhites to sign him.

Conte could then replicate the 3-5-2 system that he had at Inter by pairing the Argentina international with Harry Kane, after he previously played with now Chelsea star Romelu Lukaku, who has called him a ‘beast’ in the past.

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At just 24 years of age, Martinez has already scored a total of 111 senior goals for club and country combined, and so a new partnership with Kane would be such a mouth-watering prospect, with Son Heung-min dropping in just behind.

A player hailed as ‘spectacular’ by none other than Lionel Messi, the striker would certainly excite those at N17.

In other news, find out who THFC have now held talks over signing here!

Glasgow Rangers were urged to dip into the market to sign Hearts central midfielder Cammy Devlin after their loss at Tynecastle in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Journalist Jonny McFarlane stated that the club’s “first order of January business should be to tie up Stuart Findlay and Cammy Devlin on pre-contract deals” because they are both due to be out of contract at the end of the season.

The reporter also claimed that the Australian midfielder “dominated” Nicolas Raskin in the middle of the park with his impressive play, which is why the Gers should look to snap him up in 2026.

Why Rangers need their own Cammy Devlin

Devlin was incredibly combative in midfield against Rangers on Sunday. Per Sofascore, he won 100% of his tackles (2/2), made five interceptions, made four ball recoveries, committed only one foul, and won six of his ten ground duels.

These statistics illustrate how effective he was at disrupting play and breaking up the game to prevent the away side from gaining any momentum, which was key for the hosts in the second half as they clung on to claim all three points.

The Light Blues do not have a similar type of central midfielder in their ranks to perform that same task for Danny Rohl’s side, hence why Mohamed Diomande and Raskin were “bullied”, as writer Michael McEwan noted.

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With this in mind, recently appointed football consultant Stig Inge Bjørnebye should use the upcoming January transfer window, which opens for business next week, to bring in the club’s own version of Devlin to bolster the squad for the second half of the 2025/26 campaign.

The star who could be Rangers' own Cammy Devlin

Last month, Football Insider reported that the Light Blues are keeping tabs on Kilmarnock central midfielder David Watson, whose contract is due to expire at the end of this season.

Speaking to Football Insider, journalist Pete O’Rourke said: “Yeah, it’s a potential move that could happen for Rangers, as you said.

“The contract situation at Kilmarnock for Watson, opens the door maybe for Rangers to land the player for a cut price fee in the new year. Obviously, Kilmarnock are facing a battle to keep hold of him because no deal has been agreed to keep the player at Rugby Park and they could be forced to let him go.”

The Scotland U21 international could be an attractive target for Bjørnebye in January because, as O’Rourke explained, Kilmarnock may be forced to cash in on him next month before they lose the starlet for nothing in the summer.

At 20, Watson is seven years younger than Devlin and does not have the same level of experience in football or the Premiership, which means that he is not quite at the level of the Hearts star, yet.

However, his performances for Kilmarnock this season show that he has the potential to get there in the future, to be the midfield anchor that the Light Blues are currently lacking in the middle of the park.

The 20-year-old starlet, whose running with the ball was hailed as “unreal” by analyst John Walker, is a combative central midfielder who can also chip in with a few goals, having scored against Celtic back in September.

Subscribe for deeper transfer analysis on Rangers Get the newsletter for in-depth coverage of transfer targets, scouting breakdowns and recruitment analysis. Subscribe to follow why combative midfielders like Cammy Devlin or prospects such as David Watson matter for Rangers’ midfield planning. Subscribe Subscribe for deeper transfer analysis on Rangers Get the newsletter for in-depth coverage of transfer targets, scouting breakdowns and recruitment analysis. Subscribe to follow why combative midfielders like Cammy Devlin or prospects such as David Watson matter for Rangers’ midfield planning.

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Watson has already shown that he can offer more as a goalscorer than Devlin from a midfield role, with seven goals in the Premiership since the start of last season, per Sofascore, compared to the Hearts star’s zero.

25/26 Premiership

Watson

Devlin

Appearances

17

18

Goals

3

0

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.9

7.0

Dribbled past per game

1.4x

1.9x

Blocks per game

0.4

0.1

Duels won per game

5.6

8.1

Fouls won per game

2.0

2.4

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Devlin has superior defensive statistics pretty much across the board, but that does not make Watson’s defensive contributions poor by comparison.

For example, his 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game are more than Diomande (1.8) and Raskin (2.6) have managed per game in the Premiership this season for Rangers, which shows that he would add more steel to Rohl’s midfield mix.

Given that Devlin “dominated” Raskin and Diomande at Tynecastle on Sunday, signing a young and combative midfielder like Watson, who could develop into a Devlin-level player with more experience under his belt, could make a lot of sense.

Related £7m Rangers duo have been so poor they make Miovski & Chermiti look good

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