diff --git a/htdocs/header.php b/htdocs/header.php
index 3e9641e20793..9a6255ad2e9a 100644
--- a/htdocs/header.php
+++ b/htdocs/header.php
@@ -60,20 +60,7 @@
  */
 $icmsTheme = $xoTheme = &$xoopsThemeFactory->createInstance(array('contentTemplate' => @$xoopsOption['template_main']));
 $xoopsTpl = $icmsTpl = &$xoTheme->template;
-// no longer needed because of ticket #751
-// if ($icmsConfigMetaFooter['use_google_analytics'] === TRUE
-// && isset($icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics']) && $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics'] != '') {
-// /* Legacy GA urchin code */
-// //$xoTheme->addScript('http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js',array('type' => 'text/javascript'),'_uacct = "UA-' . $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics'] . '";urchinTracker();');
-// $scheme = parse_url(ICMS_URL, PHP_URL_SCHEME);
-// if ($scheme == 'http') {
-// /* New GA code, http protocol */
-// $xoTheme->addScript('http://www.google-analytics.com/ga.js', array('type' => 'text/javascript'),'');
-// } elseif ($scheme == 'https') {
-// /* New GA code, https protocol */
-// $xoTheme->addScript('https://ssl.google-analytics.com/ga.js', array('type' => 'text/javascript'),'');
-// }
-// }
+
 if (isset($icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_meta']) && $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_meta'] != '') {
 	$xoTheme->addMeta('meta', 'verify-v1', $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_meta']);
 	$xoTheme->addMeta('meta', 'google-site-verification', $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_meta']);
diff --git a/htdocs/libraries/icms/view/theme/Object.php b/htdocs/libraries/icms/view/theme/Object.php
index e1a4a205f48f..63711a32be96 100644
--- a/htdocs/libraries/icms/view/theme/Object.php
+++ b/htdocs/libraries/icms/view/theme/Object.php
@@ -210,19 +210,6 @@ public function xoInit($options = array()) {
 				$this->addMeta('meta', substr($name, 5), $value);
 			} elseif (substr($name, 0, 6) == 'footer') {
 				$values = $value;
-				if ($icmsConfigMetaFooter['use_google_analytics'] == TRUE && isset($icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics']) && $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics'] != '') {
-
-					$values = $value . "<script>
-  (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
-  (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
-  m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
-  })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
-
-  ga('create', 'UA-" . $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics'] . "', 'auto');
-  ga('send', 'pageview');
-
-</script>";
-				}
 				$this->template->assign("xoops_$name", $values);
 				$this->template->assign("icms_$name", $values);
 			} else {
diff --git a/htdocs/plugins/preloads/googleanalytics.php b/htdocs/plugins/preloads/googleanalytics.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ff4afab24043
--- /dev/null
+++ b/htdocs/plugins/preloads/googleanalytics.php
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * googleanalytics ga4.php
+ * Created by david on 13/02/2022 22:41
+ * Modified by skenow on 11 June 2023
+ */
+
+/**
+ * preload class to include the Google Analytics V4 tag in the Head of the webpage, after replacing the smarty variable with the GA4 property code
+ * This can certainly be improved by checking whether we can, based on the preferences by our users (GDPR and cookies)
+ */
+class IcmsPreloadGa4 extends IcmsPreloadItem {
+
+	function eventBeforeFooter() {
+		global $xoopsTpl;
+		global $icmsTheme;
+		global $icmsConfigMetaFooter;
+		global $xoTheme;
+
+		try {
+
+			if ($icmsConfigMetaFooter['use_google_analytics'] == TRUE && isset($icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics']) && $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics'] != '') {
+				if (substr($icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics'], 0, 2 ) === "G-") {
+					$tagvalue = $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics'];
+				} else {
+					$tagvalue = 'UA-' . $icmsConfigMetaFooter['google_analytics'];
+				}
+				$xoTheme->addScript('https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=' . $tagvalue, ['async'=>'async'], '', 'module', 2000);
+				$xoTheme->addScript('', '', 'window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
+    function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
+    gtag(\'js\', new Date());
+
+    gtag(\'config\', \'' . $tagvalue . '\');', 'module', '2001');
+			} else {
+				echo 'error getting icmsConfigMetaFooter';
+			}
+		}
+		catch (Exception $e) {
+			echo $e->getMessage();
+		}
+	}
+}