Arfield on Rangers’ radar
● Scottish-born midfielder could sign pre-contract agreement but £20,000 per week wages may prove a stumbling block
Rangers have identified Burnley’s Scott Arfield as a transfer target and could attempt to sign the former Falkirk midfielder on a precontract agreement.
Scots-born Arfield, who represents Canada at international level, has started 15 times for the English Premier League club this season but could leave Turf Moor in the summer.
It is unclear who will be the manager of Rangers after the season ends but the club’s director of football Mark Allen is continuing with recruitment plans.
Arfield, 29, was linked with a move to West Ham United in January, and another two unnamed English Premier League sides were also reportedly interested but Burnley manager Sean Dyche was hopeful of the former Huddersfield Town player signing a new contract.
Dychesaidatthetime:“we’ve had talks with [Scott]. He’s sat tight on an offer so we’ll keep open minds, as will he I hope, to what comes next.
“I’vebeenkeenforhimtostay for a long time. Scott knows where it all stands, he knows the club’s situation and he’s been a very good player for us and continues to be.”
Three months on, Arfield is still to sign a new deal with the side sitting seventh in the English top flight and on course for
0 Scott Arfield is out of contract at the end of the season after four years at Burnley. their highest Premier League finish.
Rangers, who are understood to have looked at the midfielder during the last transfer window, are admirers of the former Scotland Under-21 international. However, Arfield’s wages – thought to be in the region of £20,000 per week – could be a stumbling block.
The experienced Arfield has made more than 270 league appearances in England since leaving Falkirk in summer 2010. He spent three seasons with Huddersfield, helping them win promotion to the Championship, before moving to Burnley.
He helped the club win promotion to the Premier League in his first season at Turf Moor. They were relegated after one season in the top flight but bounced back immediately, winning the Championship. Arfield was an ever present in midfield and scored eight goals from midfield.
They finished 16th in the Premier last season and have never looked in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle during the current campaign, and still have hopes of catching Arsenal and finishing in the top six. Theo Walcott’s second-half winner against Newcastle moved Everton up to eighth – their highest position in the Premier League table since August.
In the first match since Everton fans were asked by their club to rate manager Sam Allardyce out of 10, Walcott’s strike six minutes after the interval at Goodison Park elevated them to a place they had not occupied since the second game of the season. The 1-0 victory also ended Newcastle’s fourmatch winning streak.
Despite the upturn in form under Allardyce, there was a visual indicator of the fans’ feelings towards him when a banner was unfurled before kick-off that read: Our survey says... get out of our club.
An early Everton goal may have silenced the critics, but Cenk Tosun sliced wide after the ball had broken to him when Paul Dummett almost caught Walcott with his attempted clearance.
After 31 minutes, Everton had two opportunities of note. Magpies goalkeeper Martin Dubravka was stranded when Michael Keane met Wayne Rooney’s corner with a header that Jonjo Shelvey blocked. When the ball came back in from Rooney, Keane again met it with a header he guided to central-defensive partner Phil Jagielka, who poked the ball over the crossbar. In the final act of an opening 45 minutes where the home side failed to register a shot on target, Walcott also blazed over.
However, after Ayoze Perez had fired wide early in the second half, an effort was finally directed on Newcastle’s goal and Walcott made it count. The goal came from Yannick Bolasie’s deep cross and, although Walcott was unable to bring the ball under control originally, it came back off Deandre Yedlin and the ex-arsenal winger smashed it into the roof of the net. Both managers made changes after that, and Newcastle substitute Dwight Gayle should have levelled. Shelvey’s corner was headed on by Jamaal Lascelles and Gayle hooked a great chance off target from close range.