All posts by h716a5.icu

Celtic have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Eddie Howe this week…

What’s the word?

According to The Scottish Sun, the incoming Hoops boss has already started work on summer transfer targets, with the 43-year-old making Joshua King one of his first signings.

The pair were together at AFC Bournemouth and it is thought that Howe sees his former talisman as an ideal successor to Odsonne Edouard, who is unlikely to stick around at Parkhead past the current campaign.

King has struggled for game time at Everton since his January deadline day move, failing to start a single match and could well depart at the end of his £45k-per-week contract, opening the door for a reunion in Glasgow.

Source of encouragement

Howe is yet to be confirmed as Neil Lennon’s successor but is expected to be announced as early as next week, though he may not take the helm until the summer.

The former Cherries genius has a huge rebuild on his hands – long-serving skipper Scott Brown is following CEO Peter Lawwell out the door, four loan players are set to return to their parent clubs and several key stars are either entering the final 12 months of their contracts or are wanted by other teams.

So it’s hugely encouraging that he’s already ‘working flat out behind the scenes,’ as per the aforementioned report. This will please majority shareholder Dermot Desmond immensely, especially after the mooted setback earlier this week.

It suggests that Howe is set on taking the job, and that means Desmond has got his man, barring that official announcement, having been questioned over his own status recently.

He won’t be selling his shares as he’s clearly wanting to be a big part of this new era that Celtic Park is about to embark on.

Incoming CEO Dominic McKay will be taking up his role three months earlier than expected, so it’s now a case of getting Howe through the door sooner rather than later.

But the fact that the ex-Bournemouth manager is already eyeing up a target in King will prove to be music to the ears of many. It’s hugely encouraging and surely means the deal is all but done.

He’ll need to hit the ground running this summer and getting ahead now could be a masterstroke in the long run.

AND in other news, Howe and McKay could instantly save Celtic millions this summer…

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has revealed that Glasgow Rangers have failed to match UEFA’s wage-to-turnover ratio this season.

Maguire reveals UEFA issue

The Gers have spent £43.3m on wages across the 2020/21 campaign, which represents 73% of their turnover – UEFA want clubs to hit 70% or below.

However, speaking to Football Insider, Maguire believes the Gers have actually done well this term given the effects of the ongoing global pandemic. He said:

“The UEFA target rate is below 70 per cent. But given that the 74 per cent contains an element of Covid in the sense that they weren’t able to play all matches last season in front of a paying crowd.

“It would have been lower if that wasn’t the case. So I think it’s a pretty decent achievement all-round.

“West Ham’s was 94 per cent, Everton’s was 91 per cent and we’re seeing some horrendous numbers coming through south of the border.

“Given that the Scottish clubs are more reliant on ticket sales than English clubs because the TV deal is worth much less, it’s good work from Rangers.”

Still promising

Normally, those figures would be particularly alarming for Ross Wilson and co, and even in this current climate they will want to improve on those numbers as soon as possible. However, as Maguire explains, the Gers have been deprived of having fans at Ibrox, which is an important source of income for the 55-time Scottish champions.

An appearance in the Champions League group stage next season would only boost the Gers’ coffers. This is a promising time to be a Rangers fan or to be involved with the club – everyone must work to make sure the Gers remain on top of their finances.

In other news, some Rangers fans hammered this man’s performance against Celtic.

When Daniel Levy finally broke his transfer market hoodoo in the summer of 2019, there was always one eye on the future for Tottenham Hotspur.

The north London outfit are finally reaping the rewards from a £55m investment in Tanguy Ndombele, one of four signings to end a barren two-window run without signings under Mauricio Pochettino.

Jack Clarke, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon were the other names to join Spurs that summer.

The latter has been enjoying a loan spell at Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim this season, where he has been shining under the radar ahead of a potential return to Spurs’ first-team set-up.

Sessegnon has only featured 12 times for Spurs since his £25m move from Fulham, so the chance to impress at an elite level has surely done him the world of good.

Indeed, the 20-year-old, now valued at just £18m, has played 21 matches for the German side across all competitions, including the Europa League and has only just returned to the starting fold following injury.

The young England U21 international has been deployed all along that left flank throughout the season, which should make him an interesting proposition for when he comes back to north London.

At left-back, Jose Mourinho has a superb option in Sergio Reguilon but due to the nature of how they managed to clinch him, Real Madrid have a buy-back option to take him back to the Bernabeu at the click of Zinedine Zidane’s fingers.

Given this form, that scenario coming to fruition isn’t out of the realms of possibility as aside from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, the Spaniard has arguably been Spurs’ player of the season.

Sessegnon has displayed some key defensive attributes over at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena – in the Bundesliga, he’s proven to be a hard man to get past, averaging 1.5 tackles per game whilst his reading of the game is impressive too, managing 1.3 interceptions each outing, via WhoScored.

By comparison, this isn’t too much different to Reguilon, who has averaged two tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game in the Premier League this season.

Further up the pitch, Sessegnon has chipped in with four goal contributions (two scored, two assisted), whilst also managing to show a creative side with 0.6 key passes per game.

This figure is currently better than what Spurs’ no.10, Ndombele, is managing (0.5) in the English top-flight.

And only four members of Mourinho’s current squad have delivered more contributions towards goals.

Sessegnon’s main challenger may always be Heung-min Son but at times of injuries – like now – or periods of rest, it’s clear that the likes of Steven Bergwijn (zero goals scored) and Erik Lamela (as many goal contributions as red cards) have struggled to step up in his absence.

In the past, the young speed demon has drawn comparisons to Gareth Bale, so who better to learn off at such a young age – should the Welshman stick around for another campaign in N17.

Whilst ex-teammate Stephan Johansen dubbed Sessegnon a “huge talent” when he was just 17, also claiming that “the sky was the limit” for him.

Therefore, on the above evidence, the former Fulham starlet has every right to have a crack in the senior set-up next season and in doing so, Mourinho would help the club save millions as he’s a ready-made solution to any inbound problem – and even then, he’s a nice option to be able to call upon.

AND in other news, Spurs swoop for “unique” £34m-rated beast would deal a huge blow to Oliver Skipp…

David Moyes delivered a masterclass at West Ham United with the capture of Vladimir Coufal in October.

The former SK Slavia Prague right-back moved to the London Stadium for £5.5m just three days before the transfer market slammed shut for Premier League sides.

Moyes was on the hunt for a new option in the position after losing Ryan Fredericks due to a hamstring injury against Wolverhampton Wanderers and he targeted Coufal after tracking the Czech Republic international, and ex-club mate of Tomas Soucek, for a while.

The Irons boss described Coufal as “the type of player we want” as the 28-year-old is “hungry, ambitious and determined,” but accepted that he would need time to settle before proving what he could offer in claret and blue.

But it did not take too long for the 12-cap full-back to demonstrate his worth to the Hammers, with Moyes naming Coufal as his Man of the Match for restricting Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha during December’s draw with the Selhurst Park natives.

He again produced a superb performance as West Ham beat Aston Villa 3-1 on their travels in February, helping to keep a lid on Jack Grealish beside Fredericks. After that game, football.london claimed it would cost four times as much as the Irons paid if any side wished to take Coufal away from the London Stadium now.

Dean Smith even had to move Grealish to the opposing flank and later through the centre of the field to try and get his captain into the game. And it was a similar story on Saturday, as Coufal kept Manchester City’s €23m (£21m) summer signing Ferran Torres quiet.

The ex-Valencia winger earned the joint-lowest SofaScore match rating by a Sky Blues player with a 6.5 out of 10, and he was taken off by Pep Guardiola just after the hour mark having made little impact.

Torres took two shots but only directed one on target, while he was unable to deliver a single cross and he lost five of his eight ground duels. Riyad Mahrez attempted four crosses, two shots and won four of his five ground duels on the opposing flank up against Ben Johnson.

Coufal played a key role in Torres’ troubles, with the defender – who Moyes has described as “unbelievable” – covering every blade of grass on the right-hand side of the Irons’ territory, but with the confidence to push forward.

It was from the right-back’s cross that Michail Antonio scored the Hammers’ initial equaliser, too, with Jesse Lingard only able to divert the Czech sensation’s delivery toward the back post for a tap in.

Coufal also won seven of his 12 ground duels and registered a match-high three key passes, far eclipsing his average 1.3 goalscoring chances created and four ground duels won per game in the Premier League this season.

Grealish offers the most key passes per game in the top-flight with 3.45 along with the most ground duels won (8.5), a category in which Coufal ranks second only to Arthur Masuaku at the London Stadium among players who have featured on five or more occasions.

West Ham could have been far weaker at right-back this season if Moyes had not pursued a deal for Coufal in the summer, with his decision consistently proving to have been a masterclass in the transfer market.

AND in other news, West Ham have been given a potential boost in hopes to sign a 19-goal striker this summer…

Leicester City came from behind to claim a point against Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday evening.

Kelechi Iheanacho got the all-important goal to haul the Foxes level following Matej Vydra’s early opener.

Brendan Rodgers’ men probed for a winner in the second-half but could not get past a stubborn Burnley rearguard – the catalyst of all of their creativity being winger Marc Albrighton.

The former Aston Villa man was only introduced in the 67th minute of the game as he replaced Iheanacho but he certainly left an impression during his brief cameo.

He managed to get 21 touches of the ball according to WhoScored – six more than Foxes star Jamie Vardy who played the full game – and was extremely positive in going forwards.

He made two key passes during the match, as well as having two shots at goal, one being a powerful effort that was just kept out by Burnley stopper Nick Pope.

Albrighton’s general play was also very crisp and composed, too, racking up a 93.8% pass accuracy which was only bettered by fellow Leicester substitute Sidnei Tavares.

It was certainly an impressive performance then from the £4.5m-rated Leicester man and may well see him earn a few more starts as the season begins to draw to a close.

With regular wideman Harvey Barnes set to be out injured with a knee injury for a few more weeks according to Brendan Rodgers, it now gives Albrighton the perfect opportunity to stake a claim in the starting XI and build on his Turf Moor appearance.

After all, his season statistics are not the most convincing having only scored once and provided three assists in all competitions.

But, the winger’s energetic and lively display after coming off the bench against the Clarets on Wednesday should surely see Albrighton become an excellent option for the Foxes over these coming days.

In other news, Leicester links to Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim continue to baffle…

According to Leeds Live, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are unlikely to make any major signings in the remaining days of this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have linked the Premier League side to numerous players, including Fiorentina duo Erick Pulgar and Christian Kouame.

But now, amid suggestions the Whites also had a eye on Marseille left-back Jordan Amavi, Leeds Live have revealed that as well as there being no interest in the Frenchman, “there remains no interest in completing any major incoming transfers at United”.

Bielsa will be fuming

The fact that Leeds were linked with moves for players in three different positions – left-back, holding midfield and up front – and look set to bring in no-one, must surely have Bielsa tearing his hair out.

The Whites boss has worked wonders in ensuring the club’s return to the Premier League has seen them firmly avoid any hint of a relegation battle this season, with the Elland Road side even looking up at an incredible European place – a long shot perhaps, but they remain only seven points behind sixth-placed Tottenham.

So for director of football, Victor Orta, not to even strengthen this Leeds squad and give Bielsa the best possible platform to challenge the rest of the chasing pack for the second-half of this season just seems like a horrendous mistake.

With the nature of the Premier League this season, and the circumstances surrounding it, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do the unthinkable – get promoted and finish in a European spot in your first year back.

Taking a back seat like Orta appears to be doing is frankly unforgivable. There have been shock results all across the board, and whichever side has the courage to take that extra step in this January transfer window could be massive winners come the end of the campaign.

At the moment, Leeds look like they won’t be that side, and that will surely have Bielsa fuming.

Meanwhile, Leeds are risking Marcelo Bielsa’s wrath with this decision…

According to Glasgow Live, Rangers outcast Jordan Jones could be used as a transfer makeweight to help secure a move for Aberdeen star Scott Wright before the transfer window closes this week.

What’s the word?

Jones previously made headlines for all of the wrong reasons having been handed a seven-game ban by the SFA for breaking coronavirus protocols.

The Northern Ireland winger has served his suspension after being charged over the incident but is yet to to receive a minute of playing time for Steven Gerrard’s side this year.

Rangers have now made it clear they’re ready to offload him this month and Glasgow Live reports that he could find a new home with Derek McInnes’ side.

Get rid of him

After suffering a goal drought stretching back to the 3-2 win over Standard Liege in the Europa League last year, Ryan Kent ended his barron spell with a fine finish against Ross County.

Speculation is rife over his future at the club, but Kent looked to have his focus back against the Staggies in Saturday’s 5-0 win.

Whilst Gerrard is in dire need of options out wide, this doesn’t mean that he should turn to Jones. Indeed, it would be better for the Ibrox boss to simply offload the Northern Irishman – either permanently or on a temporary basis with an option to buy.

Jones has struggled to have any real impact for Rangers since he signed a four-year pre-contract deal with the 54-time Scottish champions in 2019.

The 26-year-old’s slump is stark – he has gone three games without a goal and has netted just once in 19 games for the Gers. Alarming figures for a forward who was once considered to be “a great talent” by his former Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke. This is a poor return by any player’s standards, especially when you consider the fact that he earns around £9,100-per-week at Ibrox, which is more than regular starter Joe Aribo.

For context, this is even fewer goals than Brandon Barker, who himself faces an uncertain future at the club having struggled for game time under Gerrard this season.

His salary could be used to pay for Wright’s imminent arrival with Gerrard seemingly eager to bring the 23-year-old left-winger to Ibrox before the transfer window closes this week.

However, the Dons are holding firm, as they are reluctant to part ways with one of their star players immediately, so Jones could be used to sweeten the deal instead.

AND in other news, Rangers are close to securing Scott Wright from Aberdeen…

Thanks to two wins on the bounce, Neil Lennon lives to see another day as the manager of Celtic Football Club. The Hoops have seriously struggled this season and have looked a shadow of their usual, dominant self.

With a mammoth 13 points between them and rivals Rangers, the chances of them winning their tenth consecutive Premiership title are becoming bleak. And following their early exit from the Europa League, a lot of things are uncertain in the Celtic camp.

If – or more likely when – the Bhoys finish as runners-up this season, the only way Lennon has a chance of keeping his job is if he has a promising January transfer window.

Celtic eyeing up Bright Osayi-Samuel of QPR

Recent reports have linked the Hoops with a move for 22-year-old winger Bright Osayi-Samuel. The Nigerian is approaching his final six months under contract at Queens Park Rangers and will be available for talks in January. However, Lennon is keen to get things moving faster than this and wants to bring the attacker to Parkhead in the upcoming window.

If Celtic plan their move for Osayi-Samuel, who tallied five goals and nine assists in the Championship last season, they must act fast. The playmaker has attracted interest from a lot of clubs, including neighbours Rangers.

Lennon is walking a very dangerous tightrope as talks of his exit continue to circulate. If Celtic can win their remaining matches of the year and secure a strong transfer window, the board could back him as the man to take them forward.

Signing Osayi-Samuel wouldn’t cost the club must, as he is currently valued at £3.15million by Transfermarkt. He would also be an extremely valuable recruit, as the Hoops do not currently have a recognised senior right-winger on their books. His creativity on the right will allow midfielders to be midfielders and maximise creativity for the likes of Odsonne Edouard.

He was recently lauded by manager Mark Warburton, who believes that the attacker is “destined for the Premier League”, whether that be with QPR or another club.

In other news, Mauricio Pochettino move could benefit both him and Lawwell…

Southampton centre-back Mohammed Salisu has recently been linked with a loan move back to Real Valladolid but Ralph Hasenhuttl has suggested that he will be staying with the South Coast club, something that the Austrian should reconsider.

What’s the word?

According to a report by GhanaWeb, via Hampshire Live, the 21-year-old has been linked with a loan move back to Real Valladolid, having joined Southampton from the Spanish side during the summer.

However, Hasenhuttl has seemingly rubbished these rumours, reiterating that the Ghanaian is the ‘future’ of Southampton, saying:

“He has so much potential and I think it was important for me, as I said, to not bring him in because the team is not really settled and it would be too difficult I think.

“But at the moment we are calm, I am happy he’s here and he shows with every session that he can help us.

“Sali is the future at this club and this will take time.”

Hasenhuttl U-turn?

Whilst the young centre-back might be seen as the future of the club, he is yet to make a single appearance for the club since joining, as he struggles with fitness and injury issues.

Salisu was ruled out of the game against Liverpool recently after picking up a muscle injury, so it doesn’t appear that he will be making his first appearance in a Saints shirt any time soon.

It had seemed as if he might get his chance when Jannik Vestergaard was injured in December but since Jack Stephens has come in, Hasenhuttl’s side haven’t conceded a goal.

Saturday’s planned game with Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup had seemed the ideal time for Salisu to start before his injury, so perhaps when that game is rearranged after being called off due to the current viral outbreak, we will see the Ghanaian finally get his chance.

However, it seems clear that on current form, Salisu is not going to be starting Premier League games for Hasenhuttl’s side this season and with Vestergaard potentially set to return in late January, he will surely fall further down the pecking order.

Therefore, even though Hasenhuttl has suggested that he won’t be leaving, the South Coast club should definitely consider loaning him out this month, as it can’t be helping his potential or his confidence being sat on the bench at the very best every week for Southampton.

And, in other news, Southampton academy sensation can take advantage of “horrible” Djenepo blow…

Marlon Harewood has exclusively told Football FanCast that Aston Villa midfielder Ross Barkley would have been a “very good” signing for his former side West Ham United this summer.

Barkley joined the Villans on a season-long loan from Chelsea in a deal boss Dean Smith believed represented “a real coup” for the Birmingham-based outfit, who staved off the threat of relegation to remain a Premier League side on the final day of last season.

The 26-year-old had featured three times for Chelsea this term prior to leaving Stamford Bridge, but has gone on to be a regular for Aston Villa with six starts from six top-flight fixtures while providing a goal and an assist.

Smith is expected to be without Barkley for Aston Villa’s trip to West Ham on Monday night after the 2018/19 Europa League winner sustained a hamstring injury in the first minute of last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion.

The blow will prevent Barkley from displaying his talents front and centre under David Moyes’ watch, who has held a long-standing interest in reuniting with the 33-cap England international he previously worked with at Everton.

Moyes failed to land Barkley’s services this summer before the midfielder joined Aston Villa, with West Ham said to have rejected the potential of a swap deal involving the Chelsea talent and Declan Rice.

Harewood firmly believes the Hammers would have acquired an ideal option in Barkley had a deal been struck with Chelsea, as the £19.35m-rated star is perfect for what the east London outfit hope to achieve.

“He would have been a good player for West Ham to sign,” Harewood told Football FanCast. “I don’t know how close they were, [or] what the situation was there, but he would have been a very, very good player for West Ham to go forward in what they want to achieve.”

Barkley has certainly enjoyed his start to life with Aston Villa having played every minute of top-flight football on offer before limping off early on at home to Brighton last weekend, while providing a hand in two goals.

Only Jack Grealish (22) has played more key balls (17) than Barkley in the Premier League among the Villans’ first-team thus far this season, too, while ranking third behind Grealish (161) and Matt Target (93) for accurate passes in the final third (80), per SofaScore.

Barkley’s efforts would be enough for the 26-year-old to rank second to Aaron Cresswell among all West Ham players for key balls (18) and third to Cresswell (91) and Rice (85) for accurate final-third passes.

Only Arthur Masuaku (21) and Michail Antonio (13) have registered a higher number of successful dribbles (12), as well, while Antonio (9) is the sole man to better Barkley for shots on target (6).

So, going by his numbers at Villa Park, Barkley would certainly have made a useful addition to Moyes’ squad this summer.

AND in other news, David Moyes would not be getting his next Tomas Soucek in a £16m West Ham target likened to David Luiz.