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Celtic may be closing in on a fresh campaign with a new manager at the helm but issues still plague the Hoops like a particularly nasty rash.

There was a sense of optimism when Ange Postecoglou was handed the keys to Parkhead but the same old issues still lie beneath the surface.

What’s the word?

Celtic play their opening Champions League qualifying match next week and they will do so with a lack of senior first-team players.

They may also face Midtjylland without the services of Kristoffer Ajer if he finally gets his wish of leaving.

Ajer was nothing but professional last season but he is reportedly finding life difficult at the moment after the Bhoys rejected bids from both Norwich and Bayer Leverkusen for his services.

It’s thought that Celtic are holding out for £20m but the centre-back hasn’t been left happy with the recent turn of events.

Taking to Twitter, the Cynic Wolf commented: “Understand from sources close to Kristoffer Ajer that he is absolutely furious with the way Celtic management has dealt with his situation the last two months.

“He feels there’s been broken promises, constantly moving goalposts and a lack of professionalism from club.”

Disaster on the cards

Peter Lawwell is no longer on the Celtic board but his mistakes of years gone by are still wreaking havoc with the club.

Clearly, he and his colleagues gave the Norwegian some assurances last term that with a year left on his current contract, he’d be given the freedom to leave this summer.

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Although they’re willing to let him go if their valuation is met, it’s a steep one for a Scottish based player with 12 months remaining on his deal.

This is the last thing that Postecoglou wanted to face when he was handed the job.

The Australian knew there’d be a rebuilding job to undertake but if anybody was going to kick up a fuss, it would be Odsonne Edouard.

After downing tools towards the end of 2020/21, the striker nearly joined Leicester until they turned their attentions elsewhere. Since then, the Frenchman’s camp has been rather quiet.

As for Ajer, there’s plenty of noise which is rather unhelpful as Celtic attempt to reclaim their dominance of Scottish football.

Supporters are never keen on seeing their best players leave the club but they should be particularly seething with this situation.

Once again, they’re staring at a situation at Paradise where the hierarchy have handled things incredibly poorly.

Those on the board have made countless mistakes in years gone by, with their hiring and backing of Neil Lennon a pivotal moment in their recent history.

Lennon was given the job despite Celtic claiming close to £10m in compensation fees for Brendan Rodgers. They then refused to sack the Northern Irishman despite poor form as the ex-Hoops manager decided to walk instead.

Just as the future looked a little brighter for the Glaswegian side, toxicity is surrounding the club once again.

Just one week out from their European qualification campaign, it does not bode well for a result.

AND in other news, Celtic submit bid for “fantastic” 5ft11 gem with “endless energy”, fans surely buzzing…

Jack Harrison, Raphinha and Pascal Struijk stood out as star performers in Leeds United’s crucial 3-2 win away to West Ham on Sunday afternoon.

The Whites picked up an enormous Premier League victory in east London, battling their way to a priceless three points after a thrilling game.

Harrison scored a hat-trick against the Hammers on a memorable afternoon for the winger, as the visitors dug deep amid more injury problems.

We’ve delved into the numbers from statistical website Sofascore to analyse the Whites’ three best performers from those to have played at least 45 minutes of action. No prizes for guessing who one of them was, but who else stood out against the Irons?

Jack Harrison – 9.0

There was no doubting who the best player was for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, as Harrison enjoyed arguably his best game for the club.

Aside from the headline-making hat-trick, the 25-year-old also won two tackles and four ground duels and played two key passes in a superb all-round display.

That’s now four goals in his last three appearances for Harrison, who appears to be returning to his best.

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Raphinha – 7.8

Raphinha has been Leeds’ best player so far this season and he was a constant threat to West Ham’s defence today.

The Brazilian was unfortunate to see a brilliant assist chalked off for offside but he still managed to play an incredible eight key passes against the Hammers.

Not only that, but the Brazilian created two big chances and hit the woodwork with a stunning free-kick, while also pitching in defensively by winning five ground duels and one tackle.

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Pascal Struijk – 7.3

Struijk has been limited to 10 league starts so far this season but he was excellent on Sunday, playing an important role in a huge win for Leeds.

The 22-year-old won all five ground duels that he contested at the London Stadium, summing up the dominant nature of his performance. The Dutchman also won five tackles and made one interception, not being dribbled past once in the whole game.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a move away from Elland Road. Find out who it is here.

Aston Villa could have Marvelous Nakamba back in a matchday squad for the first time since December today, with the Zimbabwe midfielder back from a knee injury which has ruled him out for nearly four months.

The Villans host Tottenham Hotspur in the late kick-off and will look to return to the top half of the table with a victory.

Villa manager Steven Gerrard confirmed that the 28-year-old is in contention to feature today after playing for the under-23s last Friday, saying: “He has played for the under-23s. So you couldn’t rule out the possibility of him making the matchday squad soon. If not for the Tottenham game, then he’s certainly going to be available for that Leicester fixture.

“But he has an outside chance of being involved in the matchday squad this weekend, although it wouldn’t be a start.”

Although there are doubts regarding Nakamba’s fitness, Gerrard should definitely consider reintroducing the Zimbabwean back into his team if possible.

On the chalkboard

It’s fair to say that the Villans have endured an inconsistent campaign in 2021/22, although a top-half finish is still very achievable.

Therefore, the final eight Premier League games of the season should be taken seriously, with this stage of a campaign sometimes seen by players as an opportunity to take their foot off the gas when there seems little to play for other than pride.

Having as many players fit and available as possible will certainly be vital to ensure a strong conclusion to the season, and Nakamba’s return will be incredibly welcome.

In the 28-year-old’s absence, the regular midfield trio of John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey has borne fruit on occasion, but there is a lack of competition in the middle of the park.

After Nakamba and those three, Morgan Sanson is the only other senior central midfielder in the squad, with 18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka being slowly integrated into the first team. The Frenchman has disappointed this term and could well depart in the summer, with Nantes reportedly interested in him.

Moreover, Luiz was poor against Wolves last week, with SofaScore handing the Brazilian a 6.4/10 match rating.

Although the Zimbabwean – who has previously been described as “outstanding” by former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor – may not start every game until the end of the season, his presence should certainly encourage the other midfielders to remain consistent in order to avoid losing their place in the team.

Prior to his injury, Nakamba had started all of Gerrard’s first five games in charge and certainly has an admirer in the 41-year-old, who was a world-class midfielder as a player.

His is a timely return, even if it is to be from the bench this evening as the manager has hinted, and Aston Villa should certainly benefit from having the £34k-per-week midfielder back in action as they look to secure a first top-half Premier League finish in 11 years.

In other news: Aston Villa’s “crazy” £22.5m-rated talent could now leave, fans will surely be fuming

An exciting update has emerged on Newcastle’s transfer plans ahead of the upcoming January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Magpies reporter Liam Kennedy has claimed that PIF will make multiple ‘marquee’ signings and has admitted that they could come in January, although they may wait until the end of the season.

He told GIVEMESPORT:

“I think Newcastle will make a couple of marquee signings, it might not be in January, although I do think they might try and do something in January.”

Buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be buzzing with this claim from Kennedy as it suggests that they can look forward to some exciting transfer business in the next two windows.

Although he has not said that they will 100% go for a marquee addition in January, he does believe that it will come eventually and that they will still try to bring players in during the winter market.

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It would sensible for the club to make a few shrewd additions in January to bolster the squad in order to achieve survival, rather than splashing out the cash instantly. If they are able to sign the right players to keep the club in the Premier League then they could go into next summer in a better position to tempt stars into joining, rather than coming to them with the prospect of six months in a relegation battle.

For example, the Magpies may choose to wait for the summer months and go for someone like Dusan Vlahovic. He has recently been linked with a move to Tyneside and he could fit the profile of the marquee addition needed to lift the team to the next level.

The Serbian international is not playing Champions League football with Fiorentina and, therefore, could be more open to the move than, say, a player competing at the very top with Real Madrid or Manchester City. However, he has the performance levels to suggest that he could be an extravagant signing, with 29 Serie A strikes since the start of last season.

For now, though, Newcastle supporters will be elated at the prospect of an exciting January transfer window speculating over who may or may not arrive.

Hopefully, Eddie Howe and his team will then provide the goods in reality during the window to bolster the squad and improve the displays on the pitch in order to stave off relegation to the Championship.

AND in other news, “My future…”: NUFC transfer target makes big statement that’ll leave fans gutted…

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side have been handed a huge boost ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash, with bad news emerging from the opposition camp.

What’s the latest?

In his pre-match press conference prior to Rangers’ Europa League quarter-final clash against Sporting Braga this evening, Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed that, following his withdrawal at half-time in the 4-0 win over St Mirren last weekend, Filip Helander now looks set to miss the remainder of the season due to injury.

Regarding the centre-back’s knock, the Dutchman said: “Filip Helander’s injury is not good, we won’t have him for the remainder of the season.”

Postecoglou will be buzzing

Considering that the key Rangers duo of Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi have also been ruled out for the rest of the club’s 2021/22 campaign, the news that the Light Blues have suffered yet another injury setback is sure to have left Postecoglou buzzing.

While it is true that Helander had not been a regular in Van Bronckhorst’s starting XI this season – with the 28-year-old making just six Premiership appearances due to a long-term knee injury – the Sweden international has nevertheless proven just how important a player he can be for the Gers.

Indeed, over his 22 league outings in 2020/21, the £3.15m-rated defender played a key role in Rangers’ title-winning campaign, helping his side to keep 13 clean sheets, along with making 0.7 interceptions, 1.7 tackles and 2.2 clearances and winning seven duels (at a success rate of 68%) per game.

These returns saw the £14.5k-per-week centre-back average a very impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Gers’ 12th-best player in the Scottish top flight.

As such, the fact that Helander will not only miss the Scottish Cup semi-final clash with the Hoops this Sunday but also the Old Firm meeting in the league on May 1, plus Rangers’ remaining four Premiership fixtures this season, will undoubtedly come as a huge boost to Postecoglou and his Celtic side.

AND in other news: Sold at £6m, now worth £25m: Celtic will be having nightmares over £35k-p/w “unicorn”

If Thursday night was a trial, then mooted West Ham target Paul Onachu would have hardly passed with flying colours.

In fact, his performance may be enough to put new Irons head of recruitment Rob Newman completely off making a move as the 27-year-old struggled against the east London outfit in the Europa League.

The Hammers dominated Belgian outfit Genk and came out on top with a 3-0 victory at the London Stadium to maintain their 100% record in the competition.

According to the Daily Mail, West Ham are among many clubs interested in a move for the Nigeria international, who is thought to be valued at around £20m.

There is said to be competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, whilst Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid have also been linked by the report.

Well, luckily for David Moyes and co, they got to witness his credentials firsthand, and on that basis alone, he could struggle to have much of an impact in England as the Irons absolutely silenced him with their two backup central defenders.

Onuachu may have bagged 11 goals in 15 appearances beforehand, providing a total of 56 goals in only 85 games for the Jupiler Pro League outfit, but there is a vast difference in the quality of opposition.

The £19.8m-rated forward, who was once dubbed a “goal king” by former Wimbledon star John Fashanu, looked rather poor against the Irons.

Both Issa Diop and Craig Dawson dealt with his 6 foot 7 stature and usually impressive aerial ability (he has won 3.6 aerial duels per league game this term) with aplomb.

Onuachu was hooked after 73 minutes, having failed to make any sort of impact. As per SofaScore, his two attempts on goal were fired off target, with one of those a particularly weak effort with what was a golden chance for the visitors, whilst the towering striker also won only 50% of his battles in the air and managed just one successful dribble from three attempts.

It’s no secret that Moyes needs another frontline addition to help provide backup to Michail Antonio, who was not even in the squad on Thursday night, but on that midweek showing, the answer may not be the Genk talisman.

Newman must steer West Ham clear of the 27-year-old or else risk making a major transfer blunder.

AND in other news, Moyes handed fresh injury blow to key West Ham star ahead of Spurs…

Lots of Wolves fans have been left reacting on social media as a transfer update emerged on Noni Madueke.

As per Sky Sports, the PSV ace is attracting interest from the Midlands club, as well as both Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City.

However, he has a current valuation of between £30-34m, which may prove to be too expensive.

Madueke scored no fewer than nine goals and supplied a further eight assists in 32 matches in total over all competitions in the 2020/21 season, which is very impressive considering that he often operated on the wing (Transfermarkt).

Dubbed a ‘very explosive’ player by former PSV midfielder Tommie van de Leegte, he could certainly add a new dimension to Bruno Lage’s attack, but they may now have to sell a few players first in order to be able to afford him.

Wolves fans on Madueke transfer update

These members of the Molineux faithful gave their reactions as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, and while they were generally excited by the link, some feel as if it would be unrealistic to sign him:

“Won’t be this window but that would be amazing”

Credit: @CaritaMejor

“If we pull this off”

Credit: @Wolvoryan04

“Yes yes yes yes”

Credit: @charliewwfc_

“Would be some signing but idk if its worth the risk of selling Adama to afford him”

Credit: @OscarWWFC_

“All good being linked with these class wingers but we still need a CB and CM this window”

Credit: @PedroBackOfNeto

“If we sold Adama his money would be enough but I don’t really wanna sell Adama”

Credit: @Wolvoryan04

In other news, find out what injury news has been bemoaned by Wanderers here!

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has been handed a significant injury boost ahead of his side’s Premier League clash against Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the story?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of the game against the Reds, the 41-year-old confirmed that the likes of Danny Ings, Matt Targett and Morgan Sanson look all set to be available for selection.

He said: “We’ve got Danny Ings back which is a real positive. People who have been coming back from injuries a few weeks back are getting fit and stronger and are pushing for places so there’s a load of positivity going around at the moment.

“Matty Targett has trained all week. He’s ready to go. Danny’s trained as well but we obviously have to be really respectful to where he’s at given the setback he had from the previous injury but he’s trained the last two sessions and has looked really strong so he’ll come back into the squad.

“We have a couple of kicks from yesterday, but we think they’re all going to pull through. Morgan Sanson wasn’t feeling too well but we’ve had good news this morning that he’ll be back in to train. Obviously, Bertrand and Leon will be missing.”

Huge injury boost for Villa

Make no mistake about it, having the trio back for the match against Liverpool later today is a significant shot in the arm for Gerrard as he looks to continue the team’s revival under his watch.

The new Villa boss has masterminded a real turnaround in form since his arrival as Dean Smith’s replacement a few weeks ago, but he will know that there is arguably no stiffer test in the Premier League than a trip to Anfield to face high-flying Liverpool.

Ings, who of course has played for the Reds himself and boasts a formidable scoring record in recent campaigns, will surely be chomping at the bit to make his mark today, while the returns of Targett and Sanson bring some more experience and quality at left-back and in midfield respectively.

Villa fans will surely be buzzing with this latest injury update from the manager as he goes back to Merseyside this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a promising Aston Villa update…

Newcastle United had to settle for a point at home to Norwich City in the Premier League on Tuesday night after Ciaran Clark was sent off early on.

Callum Wilson actually put the hosts in front from the penalty spot before Teemu Pukki equalised as the score finished 1-1.

While there were some spirited performances from Eddie Howe’s team, a few seemed to struggle, as The Transfer Tavern uses statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the St. James’ Park faithful:

Joe Willock

Although Ciaran Clark (3.0) and Ryan Fraser (6.4) both ranked poorly by SofaScore, they did not play at least 45 minutes, and so Willock comes in third with a 6.4 rating.

The former Arsenal man was hauled off for Isaac Hayden in the 73rd minute, as he lost out on five of his duels, and also failed to record a single shot on goal from midfield, while he lost possession of the ball six times.

Javier Manquillo

Manquillo was also given a 6.4 rating by SofaScore, but comes in second place here because he played the full 90 minutes.

The Spaniard lost three duels, and recorded no successful dribbles, blocked shots, tackles, key passes, crosses or accurate long balls from right-back.

He was also guilty of losing the ball on no fewer than on 20 separate occasions in the match, the most out of any player on the pitch.

Jamal Lewis

Lewis was ranked as the worst player on the night for the North East club to have played at least 45 minutes, as SofaScore gave him a 6.3 rating.

The left-back lost seven of his duels in total, and also failed to record a successful dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball, losing possession 10 times.

In other news, find out who could be back for NUFC earlier than expected here!

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming as a transfer update emerged on Owen Otasowie.

As per The Daily Telegraph, the USA international, who has just a year left on his current deal, has reportedly rejected a contract offer at the Midlands club.

He could leave Molineux for around £6m before the summer window shuts, with both Wolfsburg and Anderlecht interested in his signature.

At 20 years of age, Otasowie is a player who has a lot of potential, even though was only sporadically used in the first team by former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo last season, playing just six games in total and supplying one assist (Transfermarkt).

Wolves are pretty scarce in the central midfield position as well, and so it would seem like a strange move to let him go when he could be a valuable member of Bruno Lage’s squad over the coming months.

Wolves fans on Otasowie transfer update

These Wolves supporters fumed as the exit rumour was shared on Twitter, with one claiming that it would be ‘awful’ if Otasowie is sold and another venting their frustration at Nuno for giving him precious little game-time:

“Nahhhhhhhhhh I’m actually vexed – I really liked the kid and I’ll never forget how he made Kante look like a small boy in that Chelsea game”

Credit: @__Grav

“THIS ISN’T THE NEWS WE WANTED”

Credit: @_TightWadBill

“We’ll regret this if he does leave”

Credit: @AdamWWFC_

“Nuno you actual fraud”

Credit: @Mowiiiiiii

“Would be extremely poor if we let him go. If he wasn’t injured I’d imagine he would challenging for a starting role with how Lage plays.”

Credit: @parker_bradley

“This would be an awful loss.”

Credit: @Millenwwfc

In other news, find out what pre-season event had these Wolves fans fuming