All posts by h716a5.icu

The hunt for Celtic’s new manager seems to be taking a fresh twist every single day. Will Dermot Desmond ever find Neil Lennon’s successor? Time will tell.

One of the names so hotly tipped with moving to Parkhead is Roy Keane. The Irishman has reportedly been in discussions with the Hoops hierarchy over replacing Lennon in recent days.

It’s news that has gone down like a led balloon with the Celtic supporters, according to podcaster Paul John Dykes.

That being said, his wealth of experience and contacts in the football world could be game-changing for the Bhoys in the transfer window.

Here are seven players that could arrive if Keane walks through the door in the coming months…

Divock Origi

This is probably the most farfetched name on the list but there is every possibility that the Belgian forward could arrive at Celtic in the summer. Reports state that Origi could move in the opposite direction as part of a move that sees Odsonne Edouard head to Liverpool.

Origi has scored just once this term but has a habit of scoring big goals; netting against Barcelona in the 2018/19 Champions League and then scoring in the final too. He’d be a valuable replacement if Edouard does leave.

Siriki Dembele

Brother of Karamoko, the Peterborough winger could sign on a free transfer when the window opens. He is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with a move to the Hoops in previous weeks.

We’ve already tipped Dembele to replace the enigmatic Ryan Christie in the starting XI. He has severely underperformed this season, scoring just five times compared to the 20 he racked up last term. As a result, Celtic should be in the hunt for a new winger.

Declan Gallagher

Defensive recruits should be at the height of Keane’s agenda if he walks through the door this summer. Celtic have shipped 14 more goals than Rangers in the league and individual errors have been plentiful. Gallagher, who has been tipped with a move to the Hoops, could fix their problems.

The Motherwell centre-back has won 3.9 aerial duels per game this season, a tally that usurps Kristoffer Ajer and Stephen Welsh.

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Allan Campbell

Another star of the Motherwell team, Campbell has been touted as the heir to Scott Brown’s throne. The Hoops skipper will leave at the end of the season and will depart Parkhead with an enormous legacy. His departure will leave an open hole in the midfield, however, one Campbell can exploit.

He has won two tackles per match this season, a tally that betters Brown and Ismaila Soro.

Milan van Ewijk

Another area that should be of utmost importance to Keane is at right-back. Jeremie Frimpong left for Germany in January and Jonjoe Kenny is only on loan. Thus, Van Ewijk would be an important signing.

The Dutch full-back has been linked with Celtic in recent months and is an expert in the tackle, winning a whopping 3.3 per game in the Eredivisie this season. That’s considerably more than anyone in the Hoops team.

Romain Perraud

The French left-back has caught the eye of Celtic for the best part of two years now. Could Keane be the man to finally lure him to Glasgow? Quite possibly. With Diego Laxalt heading back to Milan at the conclusion of his loan spell, Celtic will be a little light on the left.

Perraud nearly joined the Bhoys in 2019 but has been the subject of interest again in recent months. FFC has already tipped him to be a like-for-like Kieran Tierney successor.

David Marshall

Another high priority for Keane or any new manager should be in goal. Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain and Conor Hazard have all been guilty of individual mistakes this term that have cost the team.

Barkas has been glaringly poor considering his £4.5m fee and if Keane arrives, the Irishman should replace him with Marshall.

He has recently been tipped to head back to Celtic and would be a valuable addition. After all, he already knows the surroundings having spent five years with the club between 2002 and 2007.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Edouard: Celtic must swoop for 28-goal “sensation” who’ll “go to the very top”…

Farhad Moshiri must rue giving Marco Silva the green light to sign Yerry Mina in 2018, as Everton will reportedly look to sell the Colombian at a loss to fund Kalidou Koulibaly’s arrival.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Toffees will listen to offers for Mina at the end of the season but expect to take a hit on the fee paid to FC Barcelona.

Mina moved to Merseyside for £27m during Silva and Director of Football Marcel Brands’ first window in charge and has made 72 appearances for the club across all competitions.

The 26-year-old has been a regular for Carlo Ancelotti this season, starting 19 of 24 available Premier League games, yet Everton are keen to cash-in on Mina to raise funds for the arrival of SSC Napoli centre-back Koulibaly.

Everton have made Koulibaly their top defensive target for the summer market, but face a €50m (£42.5m) asking price and potential competition from Bayern Munich and Manchester City, per La Repubblica via Football-Italia.

Ancelotti has targeted defensive reinforcements as he does not believe his current options have the ability to play together and while he is said to admire Mina’s physicality, privately has concerns that the 26-cap international is too erratic and error-prone.

The Toffees would only be expected to fetch up to £20m through Mina’s sale, and would use the funds to sign an alternative high-calibre option should Koulibaly prove out of reach.

Gianluca Mancini had been linked with a potential move to Goodison Park earlier in the month, although AS Roma have since declared the Italian non-transferable and are due to hold discussions over a new contract with the 24-year-old’s agent.

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Should Everton sell Mina?

With Ancelotti seemingly in the market for a new centre-half who can better complement his other current options of Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate, selling Mina would make a great deal of sense for Everton given the Italian’s alleged concerns.

Ancelotti’s supposed issues with Mina being error-prone and erratic also do not sit well with the 6 ft 4 enforcer being Everton’s joint-highest earner, with the injury-prone Colombian and Bernard both on £120,000-per-week deals, per Spotrac figures.

Moshiri will no doubt rue the prospect of the Toffees parting with Mina for a significant loss, however, so will likely urge Brands to take his time in finding a suitor willing to pay as close to the £27m sent to Barcelona three-years ago.

But the Blues owner will be kicking himself most of all for sanctioning Silva’s swoop to make Mina one of his first arrivals at Goodison Park, having potentially seen £24.5m go to waste.

With Everton only expected to make £20m from Mina’s sale, £7m will have gone down the drain before accounting for the £17.5m that the defender will have earned by the final game of the Premier League season away to Manchester City in May.

It will have been 145 weeks since Mina’s arrival on Merseyside when the Blues travel to the Etihad Stadium to close out the campaign, seeing that he will have earned close to what Everton paid Barcelona for Lucas Digne (£18m).

But while Digne signed a new contract last month to stay with the Blues through to 2025, Mina – who Paul Robinson claims can produce “outstanding” performances – may soon be shown the door.

AND in other news, Everton land a huge boost but face PL competition for a £26m star who’s “grown so much”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who is a Newcastle United Hall of Famer, claims that giving Dwight Gayle a new three-year contract makes no sense given his performances and the club’s current situation.

Gayle has been handed just three Premier League starts this season, with his latest coming against Tottenham Hotspur which the Magpies drew 2-2, however their former number nine missed two very good chances.

Before the Spurs game, Gayle’s last start came in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in which the £40,000 per week striker was deployed as a left-winger, while Ryan Fraser was preferred to play through the middle.

Speaking on the decision to hand Gayle a new deal, which was presumably signed off by the likes of Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley, could mean for the young players coming through and how he doesn’t deserve it, Lee told FFC:

“I’d say it’s confusing from a player’s point of view because you’d look at it and think over the last 18 months he hasn’t played much, and when he has the goals haven’t been there and he’s rewarded with a three-year contract.

“If I was a player coming through I’d be questioning what has he done to earn that contract? I don’t know why they are signing him now because we’re in a relegation battle, and I don’t get why you would be signing players up unless they are planning to play in the Championship next season?”

The last time they were in the Championship, Gayle propelled the Magpies to the Championship title as he finished as the club’s top scorer with 23 goals.

With eight games left Newcastle are just three points and one place above the relegation zone with a tough run of fixtures around the corner.

Leeds United youngster Robbie Gotts has been tipped to leave the club this summer, with Marcelo Bielsa not seeing him as part of his plans.

The 21-year-old is currently on loan at Salford City, having moved to the League Two club in January, affording him more regular first team football.

Gotts’ current Leeds deal expires at the end of next season, raising question marks over what the next chapter in his career will be.

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Gotts could leave Leeds, claims Hay

According to The Athletic‘s Phil Hay, the youngster is unlikely to convince Bielsa to be part of his future plans, with a move elsewhere appearing to be on the cards:

“He’s [Gotts] a lovely lad and a good player but I got a distinct impression that he suspects his future lies elsewhere. Bielsa always keeps his leading under-23s close to him. He’d rather they trained at Thorp Arch than played elsewhere on loan.

“This naturally concludes that anyone who is allowed to leave on loan is a fair distance from his plans.”

Gotts has managed three appearances for Leeds to date, making his debut away to Arsenal in the FA Cup third round in January 2020.

Transfer Tavern take

In truth, it makes sense for all parties for Gotts to find a new permanent club moving forward, with the midfielder once described as ‘excellent’ by Richie Wellens.

If Bielsa can’t guarantee him a regular squad role, he risks growing stagnant in his career, so being a key man at a different club makes far more sense.

Leeds are now at a level where they are a mid-table Premier League club with aspirations of improving further – Gotts doesn’t appear to be at that standard in Bielsa’s eyes.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with an outrageous move this summer – find out who the player in question is here.

Many Arsenal fans have been left to fume at some comments made by Bernd Leno before their UEFA Europa League tie away at Slavia Prague.

Speaking in the pre-game press conference ahead of the match, the Germany international said that he is ‘open to everything’, and added ‘maybe for a new adventure’ when asked about his future at the Emirates Stadium.

The fact that he has not ruled out leaving Mikel Arteta’s team has angered several members of the Gunners faithful, with some even going as far as to question whether they sold the wrong goalkeeper in Emi Martinez, who is now thriving at Aston Villa.

Leno could be questioned for not being 100% committed to the North London club at this moment in time after these words, and Gooners will be hoping that that does not translate onto the pitch as they face a crucial second leg in Prague off the back of being held 1-1 at home in the first meeting.

Arsenal fans on Leno comments

These AFC fans fumed upon reading the comments made by Leno on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that the 29-year-old is a ‘fraud’:

“He hasn’t earned the right to talk like this”

Credit: @jamser428

“Pls. Average at best GK!!!”

Credit: @arsenalmad37

“Emi always clear than this fraud”

Credit: @AyZhar_

“What a weird and non-committal thing to say about a club that has shown so much faith to you”

Credit: @thegoonersnews

“Bin him immediately. Another overhyped player not good enough for Arsenal.”

Credit: @Matteo_Olie

“Get rid.. poor attitude”

Credit: @chadfoster_9

In other news, find out what Arteta update from Fabrizio Romano has been slammed by Gunners here!

According to reports, Leeds are eyeing a summer move for Real Madrid starlet Miguel Gutierrez.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are enjoying a fine return to the Premier League after several years away, with their weekend victory over Manchester City seeing them enter the top ten of the table.

Now, TEAMtalk claim that the Whites already have one eye on the summer transfer window, and have earmarked 19-year-old left-back Gutierrez as a player of interest.

The report adds that Gutierrez has been offered to director of football, Victor Orta, and that Leeds would be open to signing the teenager on loan with a view to a permanent deal.

Orta’s golden chance

The 19-year-old is highly-rated at both club and international level, with a profile done by Madrid’s official club website saying: “Miguel has a great ability to play the ball out from the back and is a real bonus when attempting to unlock things if games become stagnant. He’s technically very good and reads the game well to cover for his teammates.”

Spain’s U17s manager, David Gordo, has meanwhile raved about his prodigy, declaring: “If they give him minutes and he plays games, he will be a top left-back. He has the characteristics of the perfect left-back for Real Madrid. He has quality, ability to get forward, a nice strike, he is ambitious and he has a winning mentality… he has a very bright future.”

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Given that Madrid themselves have offered Orta the chance to sign him, everything is all perfectly set up for Gutierrez to make his way to Elland Road for next season.

A loan deal gives Leeds that extra security knowing that they don’t have to splash out a big sum of money straight up, and can instead see whether he’s cut out for Premier League football.

Meanwhile, Leeds must unleash this starlet if Raphinha is injured…

Leicester City strengthened their grip on a place in the top four with an utterly dominant 3-0 victory against West Bromwich Albion at the King Power Stadium.

The Foxes turned in an exhilarating first-half showing in the East Midlands, with Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans and Kelechi Iheanacho getting the goals for the home side.

Whilst he did not manage to get on the scoresheet, Timothy Castagne was arguable the star turn for Brendan Rodgers’ men. Deployed at right-wing back, the Baggies simply could not contain the 13-cap Belgium international.

In all, he produced two tackles, one clearance and one interception according to WhoScored in what was relatively trouble-free evening. However, it was Castagne’s attacking play which was his standout feature.

He was rampant down the right flank, racking up a game-high five key passes throughout the 90 minutes, one more than mercurial midfielder James Maddison. For comparison, the rest of the Leicester team only managed to contribute 10 between them (WhoScored). Meanwhile, no single player in the entire Leicester side could beat the full-back’s 92.2% pass accuracy.

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Castagne’s attacking instincts certainly bore fruit for Leicester in the game. After being released by Youri Tielemans in the first half, he was able to produce a perfect centre for Vardy to smash home. It was the former Atalanta man’s third assist of the season, and his first since he’d notched two in his opening three games of the campaign.

The £21.6m-rated defender was also very unlucky not to get on the scoresheet himself before the break, once again finding acres of room down the right but he could only send his low effort onto the base of the post.

Having praised Castagne for his “brilliant” debut in the reverse fixture at The Hawthorns way back in September, Rodgers will certainly be exhilarated with another fantastic display from his full-back in what was a dominant win at the King Power Stadium.

AND in more news, take a look at which former transfer target Leicester must reignite their interest in…

Former Premier League striker Stan Collymore has aimed a dig at Leeds United on Twitter, before swiftly deleting the social media post.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side earned promotion to the top-flight last season, following a title-winning campaign in the Championship that saw them amass 93 points.

Leeds have then flourished during their first year back in the big time, sitting ninth in the table and taking five points off Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United in their last three games.

It has been one of the most impressive seasons from a promoted side in recent memory, with some claiming they were best of that ilk during the Premier League era, as reported by MOT Leeds News.

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Collymore takes swipe at Leeds

Collymore didn’t take kindly to that opinion, however, taking to Twitter to claim it was ’embarrassing’ to compare them to the likes of Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United, before deleting the comment soon after:

“Finished third, score 72 goals, win 22 games, single number losses, +29 goal difference, inflict the champions first home loss in a year and score seven away in one game, then let’s talk,” he wrote.

“Geordie’s finished third too when they were promoted. Embarrassing question.”

Transfer Tavern take

It seems a needless dig from the controversial Collymore and his decision to delete the tweet suggests he knows he was out of line.

Such is the subjective nature of football, supporters will all have differing opinions on who the best promoted side are, but there is no denying that Leeds have shone this season, and perhaps to some their style of play outweighs the achievements of past promoted teams.

They have become a team that neutrals love watching, with their matches providing plenty of entertainment – Leeds matches have seen more goals than any other side this term – and they have backed it up with positive results, too.

In other news, a former Leeds player has made a big claim regarding the future of a current Leeds favourite. Read more here.

Aston Villa are eyeing a summer move for Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge, although they are set to face significant transfer competition for him.

What’s the story?

Reports from Eurosport in recent weeks suggested that Villa are one of the clubs keeping a keen eye on Berge’s situation with the Blades, with Paul Heckingbottom’s side having their relegation from the Premier League confirmed in recent weeks.

The Athletic have now claimed that, along with Dean Smith’s side, both Arsenal and Tottenham are also “following matters closely”, although it’s suggested that the Blades “would dearly like to keep their record signing”.

A midfield general for Dean Smith

With the Blades having been relegated, Villa are in a real position of strength when it comes to signing Berge, with the Yorkshire club now more likely to cash in on a player with real Premier League quality and potential – something their former boss Chris Wilder was quick to hail.

He said: “Sander has been unique. He is the one who has stood out for us. He is a complete midfielder. He can play as 8s and as 6s. He can play in different formations. The wonderful thing about Sander is his attitude.

“Complete midfielders are like that. Look at Jordan Henderson (FWA’s Footballer of the Year last season). Sander should gain enormous confidence that he can play so well in various positions in the Premier League.”

Albert Stuivenberg, Mikel Arteta’s assistant at Arsenal, said about the £35m-rated ace: “He is already very mature. He is intelligent, reads the game well, and takes the initiative. He has the potential to become a future leader.”

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While it is unknown what price the Blades will demand, their relegation should mean they won’t be able to command the kind of fee they would have expected for him had they stayed up.

Johan Lange could really strike gold for Villa by signing Berge this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa are eyeing this Premier League star who “doesn’t stop running”…

After all the drama that came out of the training ground bust-up between Matt Ritchie and Steve Bruce a few weeks ago, it’s fair to say that things have worked out fairly well since then for Newcastle.

Reports back in early March suggested that the two were involved in a heated confrontation, with the Scotland international even going as far as calling the Magpies manager a “coward”.

Fast forward a couple of months later, and things on the pitch are going far more swimmingly, with Ritchie instrumental in a superb 4-2 win over Leicester in the Premier League on Friday night.

The left wing-back was his usual snarling self, bombing up and down the flank and not being afraid to dish it out either to his teammates or the opposition.

As per Sofascore, Ritchie completed two of his three attempted dribbles on the night, which was a number only bettered by Allan Saint-Maximin (five). He also had the most touches and crosses of any Newcastle player – that’s not to mention the absolutely superb delivery from the corner which Paul Dummett headed the visitors’ second goal.

The vocal leadership was also something which was clear to see, with the Magpie 24/7 fan channel tweeting that he “didn’t stop shouting all night” and that “the difference he’s made to this team since that Brighton defeat isn’t commended enough.”

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Shields Gazette, Liam Kennedy gave him an eight, saying: “A typical all-action display down the left. And, for a change, didn’t look open defensively. Two more assists to add to his tally for the campaign.”

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While many of the plaudits will naturally go towards the goalscorers on the night, Ritchie deserves plenty of credit for the way he set the tone with his intensity and energy.

He may not have been wearing the captain’s armband, but the £45,000-a-week machine was the leader the Magpies needed, and arguably Bruce’s real hero on the night.