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Current Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has had mixed success in the transfer market during his time in the hot seat at Ibrox.

The likes of Aaron Ramsey and Cedric Itten, who flopped with the Scottish giants, have joined alongside the likes of Fashion Sakala, Calvin Bassey, and Antonio Colak, who have been or were excellent additions.

Transfers are often hit-and-miss for clubs with it incredibly difficult to judge how a player will adapt to a new environment, whether that's down to the country, his new teammates, or the head coach.

Rangers have had plenty of disasters in the market over the years and one player they had a howler with was Netherlands central defender Bert Konterman, who was signed by ex-Gers boss Dick Advocaat in the summer of 2000.

How much did Rangers pay for Bert Konterman?

The Light Blues reportedly paid a fee of £4.5m to sign the defender, which would be around £5.3m in today's market and in 2019 would have a potential value of £10.8m based on football inflation over the years.

Per Transfermarkt, the club have only ever signed one player for more than £10m and Konterman is listed as the club's seventh-most expensive transfer of all time.

He arrived as an international centre-back who had played 85 times for Feyenoord – including 12 games in the Champions League in the 1999/00 season.

However, the enforcer was unable to live up to the hype and struggled throughout his time at the club. Instead of displaying the qualities that would be expected of a big-money, international-quality, signing, the battler was disappointing.

During his first campaign with the Gers, the defender was dubbed the "master of disaster" – according to the man himself – as he endured a difficult year in Scotland and only made 16 appearances in all competitions.

The flop did score a stunning goal from distance in a cup semi-final clash with Celtic in 2002 and was described as a "hero" for that moment but that does not make up for the lack of impact over the course of his time at Ibrox for the significant fee that the dud came in for.

Konterman made 69 appearances in the Premiership and European competitions combined in three years in Glasgow before moving back to the Netherlands to join Vitesse on a free transfer in the summer of 2003 after the Light Blues agreed to cancel the final year of his deal.

The Dutchman failed to establish himself as a regular fixture in the XI during his time in Scotland and the club's decision to release him for nothing three years into a four-year deal sums up what was a howler of a transfer from Advocaat.

Everton have found themselves yet again struggling to retain their Premier League status this season and Sean Dyche will not only be working hard to secure survival over the remainder of the campaign but also looking at the ways he can improve the squad this summer.

The Toffees are currently 15th in the league table, two points clear of the bottom three, with just 11 games remaining to turn things around and there will surely be a huge focus on strengthening the attacking threat this summer considering the side have the second-fewest amount of goals scored (20) so far.

It is no secret that Everton have struggled over the last 18 months in front of goal with Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s ongoing injury issues, Richarlison’s move to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer and more recently, Anthony Gordon’s shock exit during the January transfer window, all of which have contributed to the troubles the side have faced.

Indeed, the powerbrokers at Goodison Park did acquire the services of Neal Maupay and Dwight McNeil in the summer, however, the attacking duo have failed to make the powerful impact needed to avoid another brush with potential relegation again this season – scoring a combined four goals so far.

As a result, the signing of a clinical and experienced goal-scorer is desperately needed whether the Toffees remain in the top flight or drop into the Championship for the first time ever during the Premier League era and continue to be linked with numerous forwards despite their fate uncertain.

One player who has been touted with a move to the blue side of Merseyside this week is Middlesbrough striker Chuba Akpom with talkSPORT transfer expert Alex Crook naming Everton as one of the potential suitors.

Who could replace Neal Maupay at Everton?

The 27-year-old could replace Maupay at Goodison Park as the gem has been a sensation in the Championship over the campaign so far and is not only the highest-scoring player in the league (21) this season but also broken club records – becoming the first player to score more than 20 goals for Middlesbrough in 33 years.

Over 29 appearances so far, Akpom – who the Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson claimed “can’t stop scoring” – has scored 22 goals, registered one assist and created one big chance, as well as averaging 2.6 shots on goal, 1.4 shots on target and 5.2 duels won per game, proving that he is in incredible form in front of goal.

The striker has earned consistent huge praise from his current manager over the season so far with Michael Carrick revealing what he believes is the key to the remarkable form that Akpom has found himself in:

“He seems to be bigger, quicker, playing free, you can’t underestimate the power of the mind. It can go the other way when you’re not playing so well, when players seem almost slower and lethargic because the mental state is different. Chuba is in a terrific place at the minute, backed by the whole group.”

If Everton could secure the signing of Akpom this summer and he can continue his outstanding goalscoring next season, there is no doubt that he would be a massively valuable asset to Dyche in his pursuit to improve the attacking threat at Goodison and would be a huge upgrade on current striker Maupay.

Over 20 Premier League performances, the Frenchman has only found the back of the net once, registering no assists and creating zero big chances, as well as only averaging 0.7 shots on target per game, along with five ‘big chances’ missed.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for the Everton hierarchy to snap up the services of Akpom ahead of next season as they could finally find the key to consistency in front of goal.

Maupay has not been able to provide enough quality in front of goal throughout the seasons so far and the Boro marksman’s form in the Championship indicates that he has the potential to make the step up and offer more at the top end of the pitch.

Reporter Joe Nicholson believes Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts will be involved for Sunderland against their former club this Sunday.

The Lowdown: Looking to get back to winning ways

Sunderland will be hoping they can bounce back and get themselves out of their recent slump in form that has seen them win just twice in the past nine matches, but heading to Carrow Road won’t be easy.

The Black Cats will be coming up against one of the in-form sides in the division on Sunday, with the Canaries having not lost any of their previous five games, scoring 11 goals in the process.

Tony Mowbray will be hopeful of some former Norwich players going back to haunt their old side on Sunday, with both Roberts and Pritchard remembered for their time in Norfolk.

The Latest: Roberts and Pritchard to be involved

While Roberts has indeed been more involved than Pritchard this season in terms of starts, Nicholson has admitted on The Roar podcast he expects both to play some part in the game on Sunday.

He said: “They’re two players that we’d probably expect to be involved. Whether they both start, Pritchard’s coming in and out the side the last couple of weeks, Roberts has been starting pretty consistently, so expect probably him to start as well.”

The Verdict: Sunderland need to put in a good performance

While winning and stopping the rot of three consecutive defeats is hugely important this weekend for Sunderland, their fans will be desperate for their team to put in a good performance and show they still care about this season.

Last weekend, they were torn apart by Stoke City as the Potters hammered Sunderland 5-1 at the Stadium of Light, and now with them seemingly not close enough to the play-offs or the relegation zone to have much going on in the final few weeks of the season, they’re in danger of seeing their season fizzle out.

However, if they can compete against an in-form and expensively assembled Norwich squad, their fans could regain hope that they’re at least heading in the right direction under Mowbray, and with players such as Roberts and Pritchard looking to prove Norwich wrong for letting them go, they could yet be hopeful of a decent display.

YouTube presenter and Leeds United supporter Joe Wainman has been left unimpressed at a managerial update from Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Skubala to continue

The Whites are yet to replace Jesse Marsch after parting ways with the American over a week ago. Michael Skubala, Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo took the Premier League meetings with Manchester United, and it has now been confirmed that Skubala and his team will continue to lead the first team for the club’s upcoming fixtures.

The Whites have two crucial fixtures coming up against relegation rivals Everton and Southampton, and it doesn’t look as if Wainman is overjoyed at this update.

The Latest: Wainman reacts

Wainman, host of the JustJoe Football Show, took to Twitter immediately after Leeds confirmed the news regarding Skubala. He didn’t appear to be happy with the decision, simply saying:

“Noooooo.”

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The Verdict: A gamble…

Skubala, Armas and Gallardo have done a solid enough job with two promising displays against Manchester United, however, many would have been hoping that Marsch’s successor was in the door with time to spare ahead of this weekend’s trip to Goodison Park.

That appeared to be the plan, so you can understand why Wainman has voiced his frustrations regarding this decision.

Therefore, should this weekend’s meeting with Everton go the way of Sean Dyche’s side, Leeds officials could come in for more criticism from the likes of Wainman, making this latest call a big gamble.

Tottenham are now readying a bid to sign Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs linked…

The north Londoners are looking for a long-term Hugo Lloris successor as he enters the final 17 months of his contract at Spurs.

Antonio Conte’s favourite is currently sidelined through injury but has been criticised for some Premier League performances this season, leading to Fabio Paratici’s search for a goalkeeping heir.

Bono is one of the names to have been linked with a move to N17 with reports suggesting he is a firm transfer target for Tottenham.

The Latest: Tottenham plan Bono bid…

According to reports out of Spain, as shared by Sport Witness, the Lilywhites are planning to make a €20 million (£18m) offer for Bono.

It is claimed that Spurs are one of three teams set to lodge a bid for the Morocco international, who starred for his nation at the 2022 World Cup.

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The Verdict: Perfect candidate?

There are few names who could filly replace Lloris considering his phenomenal tenure as Spurs number one overall.

The Frenchman has been a mainstay since joining from Lyon in 2012, but as the time nears to say goodbye, Bono could at least come as a safe pair of hands.

The 6 foot 4 shot stopper made a name for himself in Qatar, standing out as one of the keepers of the tournament with manager Walid Regragui calling Bono ‘one of the best’ in world football.

As well as this, after his showings for Morocco, members of the media branded Sevilla’s keeper one of football’s ‘rising stars’ as Bono swiftly rose to prominence.

£18 million for such a player would come as a real steal for Spurs but it remains to be seen if Sevilla are willing to accept.

Andrew Musgrove believes that Jacob Murphy will start for Newcastle United this weekend.

The Lowdown: Guimaraes to be replaced

Eddie Howe is certainly facing a selection headache ahead of Newcastle’s clash against West Ham this weekend with Bruno Guimaraes set to miss the game, which will likely see Joelinton move into midfield.

Therefore, Howe must decide who he deploys on the left-hand side of the front three with the options likely being between Allan Saint-Maximin, Anthony Gordon or Murphy with the latter having featured in every single gamer this season.

Despite only starting five times in the league this season, Murphy has indeed featured more often than Saint-Maximin overall, so it may not be a huge shock if he was handed the starting berth by Howe.

The Latest: Murphy to be handed a start

Musgrove has admitted on the Everything is Black and White podcast he believes Murphy will be given the nod by Howe ahead of Saint-Maximin, despite him being subbed on and then off again on Tuesday night.

He said: (37:00) “I spoke about this off camera with Aaron [Stokes] the other day about Saint-Maximin’s performance on Tuesday and we didn’t really want to bring anyone down because it was such a wonderful moment, Newcastle off to Wembley.

“But I just felt there were moments of his performance, especially when Newcastle went down to 10 men, that he didn’t really cover himself in the best of light, whereas Murphy comes off the bench and he did a bit more running about and a bit more effort in my view.

“So I think, he’s probably played his way into starting against West Ham.”

The Verdict: Howe has a huge decision to make

Given that Joelinton – who’s been performing admirably well on the left – will be dropped back into the midfield three alongside Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff, it would offer Howe a very easy way to get Saint-Maximin into the team.

The Frenchman has been a very important player for Newcastle over the last few years ranking near the top for both goal and shot-creating actions but his injury woes have seen him lose his sport in the side this campaign.

Howe has seemingly been unwilling to move Joelinton away from his newfound left-wing role, but with Guimaraes out it would be a huge sign of Saint-Maximin’s bleak future on Tyneside if Murphy – who’s got just 13 goal involvements during his time on Tyneside – was afforded a start ahead of him.

Tottenham Hotspur are still looking to add quality to Antonio Conte’s squad before deadline day next week.

That’s according to the ever-reliable Alasdair Gold of football.london as he recently provided an update on the Lilywhites’ plans, having already brought in Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal and are closing in on a permanent swoop for Sporting CP wing-back Pedro Porro.

“Spurs still looking at other potential signings beyond those right wing-back and attacker priorities. Also need to get a few out the door,” he tweeted.

Among the potential signings could be AS Roma attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, a familiar name with the Hotspur faithful given his past links to the club and he appears to be one player that is likely to be on the move before the window slams shut.

Spurs have once again been registered with an interest but they face competition from Serie A giants AC Milan, as well as AFC Bournemouth, surprisingly, via Sky Sports.

He’s likely to cost around €30m (£26m), according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

Fabio Paratici could end the window with a bang by launching a late move for him, in a similar vein to last year, when he secured deadline day swoops for both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Both Porro and Zaniolo could follow in the former Juventus duo’s footsteps, going from dubious signings to fan favourites in less than a year.

The former is going to finally hand Conte a creative threat down the right flank, having delivered 26 goal contributions since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

The latter, meanwhile, could provide the Italian with a versatile threat, one capable of playing in a multitude of roles in his current 3-4-3 system. Indeed, the Roma sensation is capable of playing centrally as either a no.10 or secondary striker, as well as out wide, primarily on the right.

Having been lauded as a “frightening talent” by CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs in the past, Zaniolo has been compared to the likes of Marcus Rashford and Gabriel Martinelli, in terms of FBref’s statistical profile, which should bode well for his potential transition to the Premier League and subsequently, raise excitement levels over his ability.

The Italy international enjoyed a phenomenal season in 2021/22, helping Jose Mourinho’s side on their way to the Europa Conference League title. Across all competitions, he provided eight goals and nine assists, via Transfermarkt.

Returns of one goal contribution every 177 minutes is pretty respectable for a player that some don’t seem to believe has a creative bone in his body, even despite previously being dubbed a “lethal playmaker” with a “deadly left foot” by journalist and analyst Zach Lowry.

Pairing Zaniolo with Porro before Tuesday’s deadline could therefore be a stroke of absolute genius from Paratici, with time now running out, he must look to get this one over the line, just imagine the two under Conte heading into the remainder of the season.

AND in other news, After Danjuma: Spurs could be set to seal a “huge statement” signing with £40m “special talent”…

Southampton could look to sign Villarreal winger Nicolas Jackson this month, according to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

The Lowdown: Jackson a wanted man

The 21-year-old has matured into an impressive young footballer, becoming a key figure at Villarreal, scoring and assisting twice apiece in La Liga this season.

Jackson certainly isn’t without suitors currently and there has been recent interest from the Premier League, with Aston Villa arguably the front-runners to sign him and Saints linked, too.

Now, a new update regarding Southampton’s interest in the attacker has emerged.

The Latest: ‘Save themselves’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Sheth said that Jackson could be a long-term addition for Nathan Jones’ side but is already good enough to save them from relegation:

“I think Nicolas Jackson will be one of those players that not only would they look at: yes, he can help us in the future, but in the short-term, could his goals and performances help Southampton get out of that bottom three and just, just save themselves from relegation.”

The Verdict: Ticks lots of boxes

Jackson could be a really astute signing by Southampton, hopefully in the January transfer window, adding the firepower that they need in the final third.

Granted, last weekend’s vital 2-1 win away to Everton has eased some pressure on Jones, but there is a dearth of goals in attack, with Che Adams the highest-scoring attacker with four in the league.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has said Jackson is having a ‘great time’ this season, and the versatile speedster could spearhead Saints’ attack between now and the end of the season, and beyond.

Newcastle United have entered the January transfer window with a new central midfielder at the top of Dan Ashworth’s to-do list.

What’s the word?

The Magpies have been handed a number of injury setbacks in midfield already this season with Bruno Guimaraes missing a number of games and Jonjo Shelvey barely featuring through his respective injury. Setbacks in a key area of the pitch to big players which seem to have left Eddie Howe feeling slightly short in midfield.

This is according to the reliable Toon correspondent Craig Hope, with the Daily Mail journalist claiming a new midfielder is now the ‘absolute priority’ for the Magpies this month:

“You know central midfield, from what I’m hearing and again that was reinforced by one or two conversations today [Saturday], is the absolute priority,” Hope said on his YouTube channel.

A number of names have already been linked with a potential move to Tyneside ahead of this month’s transfer window with the likes of Youri Tielemans among the list of potential winter targets.

Another name which is believed to be on Ashworth’s radar is the 21-year-old Moises Caicedo from his former club, Brighton & Hove Albion who he signed from Independiente in 2021 for a fee of around just £4.4m.

Ashworth is also said to have set his radar on options from across Europe with Ajax’s Edson Alvarez a potential option alongside the brother of Marcus Thuram, Khephren Thuram, who is currently showcasing his talent out in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice.

Area for improvement

Newcastle’s midfield has certainly become one of their strengths under Howe with the signing of Guimaraes seeing the Brazilian become one of the most impressive players across the league in that position.

The Brazilian has been a revelation on Tyneside having as he finds himself in the top nine percentile for non-penalty goals, completed dribbles, tackles and blocks (via Fbref).

And alongside him has been his fellow Brazilian, Joelinton, whose improvement under Howe has been nothing short of remarkable with the 26-year-old’s turnaround being hailed by Jamie Carragher in recent days.

However, Shelvey’s absence has left a gap in Howe’s three-man midfield which has not exactly been claimed with any real conviction by either Joe Willock nor Sean Longstaff.

Willock’s goal-scoring prowess shown during his loan spell under Steve Bruce is now a distant memory with the Englishman scoring just four goals under Howe.

And Longstaff has been slammed for his display in the 0-0 draw against Leeds United on Saturday as the Englishman squandered opportunities to snatch all three points.

With the Magpies flying in the Premier League and Champions League football a real possibility this season, it does feel like a quality partner for Guimaraes and Joelinton could be a big addition for Howe.

Newcastle United are believed to be targeting exciting young talents who can help to strengthen the squad for the long-term, with Magpies sporting director Dan Ashworth having already secured the signing of 18-year-old Garang Kuol ahead of the January transfer window.

The Tynesiders could well add to that by bringing in fellow teenager Matheus France from Flamengo, with Globo reporting that Ashworth and co are interested in signing the promising Brazilian prospect.

The 18-year-old is believed to have a €100m (£87m) release clause in his existing deal with his current club, although previous reports have suggested that fellow Premier League outfit Crystal Palace were eyeing a move for closer to £15m.

That latter fee could represent something of a steal for the “special” talent – as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – with the exciting forward having already scored six times in just 25 senior appearances to date.

The Brazil U20 international also offers remarkable versatility due to his ability to feature through the middle or in a midfield role, with the aforementioned Kulig having previously stated: “Great midfielder, great striker, he can play almost everywhere. One of the most exciting teenagers in Brazil at the moment.”

Interestingly as far as the St James’ Park outfit are concerned, Franca also shares a number of stylistic and statistical similarities with another reported Newcastle target in the form of Goncalo Ramos, according to FBref.

The Benfica gem was seemingly a “top target” for the Magpies during the summer, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, while transfer insider Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that Ashworth and co are still interested ahead of 2023.

The 21-year-old – who could cost around €120m (£105m) due to his release clause – has been in prolific form this season with 15 goals and six assists in 22 games for the Lisbon outfit, having also scored four times in just five games for his country at senior level.

However, the “remarkable” predator – as described by Gary Lineker – could well prove expensive due to that aforementioned asking price, hence Newcastle potentially needing to look at Franca as a suitable alternative.

The duo’s likeness is illustrated by the fact that Ramos ranks in the top 8% in the Men’s next eight competitions for pass completion, while the Flamengo gem is only just behind as he ranks in the top 16%, showcasing their quality in possession.

Equally, while the latter ranks in the top 6% for non-penalty goals, Ramos is only just ahead as he features in the top 5% in that regard, with the pair proving especially ruthless from open play.

As such, turning to Franca could well be an ideal alternative to the Portuguese gem in the New Year, with the teenage Brazilian starlet set to be a prospective signing who could well sparkle for the Magpies for the long haul.