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Celtic have been heavily linked with a move for former Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder since his Bramall Lane exit.

Reports claimed that the delay to the 53-year-old’s recent departure in Yorkshire was actually down to interest from the Hoops, but a potential move to Glasgow is yet to gather any real pace.

No Wilder approach from Celtic

According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are yet to make contact with Wilder, but an approach would reportedly prove hard to turn down.

The report claims that Wilder would miss out on a huge chunk of his United payoff if he made a swift return to management, with the Englishman still being paid by the club for the next six months.

Transfer Tavern take

Wilder is already looking around for vacancies, so it seems as if he isn’t too worried about losing a chunk of change from his former employers.

Bringing him in to replace Neil Lennon could be a smart move, as he has previous experience of rebuilding a side successfully. He took Sheffield United from League One to the Premier League after moving to the club in 2016, finishing in ninth position in the club’s first campaign back in the top flight.

A Parkhead rebuild appears to be on the cards both on and off the pitch this summer, and Wilder may be tempted to replicate his achievements with the Blades at Celtic Park.

In other news: Major Celtic appointment reportedly ‘90% done’ – find out more here. 

Steve Bruce must place his trust in Newcastle United prospect Elliot Anderson following injuries for Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron.

The Toon duo were both casualties of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Saint-Maximin sustaining a groin strain and Almiron forced off with an issue in his knee.

Bruce admitted that he fears the worst for Almiron after the game and that the pair would undergo scans on Sunday, but concerns have arisen that the Paraguayan’s season could be over.

If Almiron’s campaign has reached its end, Newcastle will lose their second-best goalscorer as the 27-year-old has provided four of his side’s 27 strikes over 24 Premier League outings. Bruce is also still without 10-goal top-scorer Callum Wilson for the next three to four weeks.

Being without Saint-Maximin as well will remove a vast quantity of United’s creativity, with the 23-year-old the Magpies’ second-ranked option for assists with three in 16 games to Wilson’s five in 21 outings to date.

These blows could open the door for academy product Anderson to make his full step up to the senior-fold, having been given his debut in the FA Cup away to Arsenal in January before featuring from the bench for his Premier League bow nine days later.

But Anderson has not been seen on the field since his three top-flight minutes at the Emirates Stadium, with Bruce only naming the 18-year-old as a substitute three further times before omitting the midfielder altogether.

Bruce had blocked all loan approaches for the North Shields-born talent during the winter transfer market, despite Luton Town wanting to take Anderson and give him regular game time in the Championship during the remainder of the season, per Chronicle Live.

The Magpies boss believed Anderson had a chance of establishing himself at St. James’ Park before United were engulfed in a relegation battle, yet should now give him that chance as attacking options dwindle.

Newcastle have high hopes for Anderson’s potential and Bruce has stated that he’s “delighted” with the progress seen. The United coach has also declared that the midfielder has a “big future” ahead of him, and he should now unleash the technically-gifted player.

Anderson is lauded for his knack of getting into the right positions to pose a threat on the edge and inside the box, and quickly earned the respect of the first-team dressing room with his efforts in training following his call-up earlier in the season.

He has often shown the touch in front of the goal that Newcastle will lose without Almiron and Saint-Maximin with the Toon’s Under 23s, and took his tally for the term to seven in nine games across all competitions with a goal during a 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion last week.

The Scotland U19 international has also provided one assist in the Premier League 2 this season, and captained Chris Hogg’s young United side in the EFL Trophy against League Two outfit Bolton Wanderers in November.

Bruce surely has to place his trust in Anderson offering that same option in the senior fold now. As if the loss of two first-team stars does not create that chance, when will it?

He might not want to start the youngster, but he should be trusted as a bench option at the very least.

AND in other news, Newcastle have joined the race for a sought-after “real talent” capable of “outstanding” displays…

Many Crystal Palace fans are reacting to the latest comments from manager Roy Hodgson in which he discussed his decision to substitute Eberechi Eze at half-time against Tottenham on Sunday night.

The Eagles boss replaced him for talisman Wilfried Zaha, who had just returned from injury, and with the teams level at 1-1 going into half-time, it seemed like a strange decision no matter the quality of thr Ivorian.

As per The Athletic journalist Matt Woosnam on Twitter, Hodgson said: “He wasn’t injured. Someone had to make way for Wilf and we decided Eberechi was the player who would make way on this occasion.”

Many Palace fans obviously would have wanted to see Zaha, but to take off one of their better creative assets in Eze instead of the more defensive attacking players in Jordan Ayew or Andros Townsend has frustrated much of the fan base. Hodgson’s plan clearly backfired as the Eagles lost 4-1, and it might perhaps teach him to not change something which was going to plan.

With West Bromwich Albion coming in their next fixture, many fans will be hoping they get to see both Eze and Zaha start so that they can boost their chances of victory.

Here is how Palace fans reacted to the comments:

“Eze was key in our goal. Had 3 touches, kept the ball under pressure, and made smart passes to keep possession. Then he gets subbed.”

Credit: @mendy_9

“He decided to go for it at the wrong time I think.”

Credit: @ChrissyPalace

“In that case, this was definitely a terrible decision from Roy. Not sure what he was thinking with this one. Id imagine in his mind he’s thinking we can kick on and go on to win with Wilf, but he’s made the wrong change.”

Credit: @palacecarlton

“It looked a strange decision. They obviously had a plan to bring Wilf on regardless of the state of the game. The goal before halftime should have put that plan on hold.”

Credit: @GaryMor86753184

“Can’t wait for this season to be over”

Credit: @LouisWhite_

“I give up”

Credit: @James0911CPFC

In other news, many Palace fans reacted to this transfer update!

David Moyes should urge West Ham United to sign Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal in the January transfer window as the Irons eye a replacement for Sebastien Haller.

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT, the Hammers are considering a move to bring Oyarzabal to the Premier League after selling Haller to AFC Ajax for £20m earlier this month.

Moyes is on the hunt for offensive reinforcements with Michail Antonio his only current recognised senior striker, and is claimed to have been in contact with four or five targets.

Oyarzabal played under Moyes at Sociedad in 2014 and is seen as an option that will complement the side the Scottish coach is building, as he can play outside to support Antonio with the five-goal hitman the clear number one in east London.

Oyarzabal was previously linked with a potential move to West Ham last summer, with it claimed in The Sun that Moyes would love to reunite with the 23-year-old after handing the 11-cap Spain international his breakthrough at the Anoeta Stadium.

The Txuri-urdinak captain is considered to be one of the major factors behind Real Sociedad becoming one of the most exciting young sides in La Liga, providing seven goals and four assists in 14 top-flight outings this term after a 10-goal, 11-assist haul in 2019/20.

Imagine him and Antonio

Moyes could forge a formidable front four at the London Stadium if he were to urge the West Ham hierarchy to break the bank to sign Oyarzabal this month, as Sociedad would no doubt be loath to lose such a key weapon in Imanol Alguacil’s arsenal on the cheap.

Oyarzabal has the potential to be more than just a Haller replacement if signed in the January transfer window, as his influence comes from across the field with the Sociedad product not a natural centre-forward.

By trade, Oyarzabal is a left-winger but is often given a free-roaming role at the Anoeta Stadium to drift around the field and pick-up possession wherever he can do the most damage, be it dropping deep and driving forward or by producing the vital final pass.

Alguacil lauds the impact Oyarzabal brings to his side, be it on the flank, through the centre or at striker, but also for the determination the “hungry” £36,000-per-week gem shows in the face of adversity.

Only five players have provided a higher number of accurate crosses in La Liga to date this term than Oyarzabal, who has produced 21 accurate deliveries – the same as 2014 World Cup winner Toni Kroos, per SofaScore.

The £63m-rated Sociedad star’s efforts in the final third have helped toward creating five big chances for his teammates to score, with an average 1.4 key passes while taking 1.9 shots and only missing two clear-cut chances to score thus far this season.

Only Antonio (2.2) currently takes more efforts on goal in Premier League games for West Ham compared to Oyarzabal’s La Liga exploits, with the Spaniard matching Jarrod Bowen (1.9), per WhoScored. Add in Said Benrahma (1.5), and Moyes would have a formidable front four, all capable of driving possession on and producing in the box, while upgrading the creativity of his side.

Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal lead the charts at the London Stadium for key passes per game among those who have featured more than five times with the full-backs each offering 1.5, but that figure drops to just 0.9 in Declan Rice, Bowen and Arthur Masuaku as the next-best options.

Oyarzabal, therefore, could ease the strain on Cresswell and Coufal to create and Antonio to score, but at a likely lucrative fee that West Ham may not be willing to spend in January.

AND in other news, a £22.5m-rated West Ham man will not be a part of David Moyes’ plans for the rest of this season…

Tottenham Hotspur left it late to progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side had to come from behind to overcome a battle-hardened Wycombe Wanderers outfit at Adams Park. Indeed they sealed the victory with three goals in the final seven minutes.

The Championship side took the lead after 25 minutes when Fred Onyedinma slotted past Joe Hart before Gareth Bale marked his rare start with a hooked finish right on half-time.

Spurs then needed an array of changes from the bench to spark them into life, none more so than Tanguy Ndombele’s introduction as he bagged a six-minute brace in the dying embers having only been introduced in the 68th minute.

Whilst midfield enforcer Harry Winks received the Man of the Match award from BT Sport’s Steve Sidwell, who was on commentary duty and dubbed the out-of-favour Englishman the “driving force” in the middle (25/01, 21:37pm).

However, another player may have actually stolen the show and as a result, changed the game completely in Spurs’ favour – that being Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who came on for Japhet Tanganga at half-time.

It was a risky ploy as it saw fellow central midfielder Moussa Sissoko pushed out to an unnatural right-back position in the absence of Matt Doherty (injured) and Serge Aurier, who was seemingly too ill to start or feature here.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-and-rumours” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, injury latest and more!”]

Though, the switch paid dividends as the Dane’s imperious influence in the middle was instantly felt. In the first half, Spurs had only won five more duels than the Chairboys – you could be forgiven for thinking they were doing well in the Championship, but instead, they are actually rock-bottom.

That changed through the introduction of Hojbjerg as the £15m summer signing won 80% of his ten duels in the second period, which saw Spurs also record 14 more duels won this time, per SofaScore – hardly a coincidence as they now had that ruthless presence in the engine room.

Indeed, the £45m-rated (€50m) powerhouse also recorded four clearances, a figure well above his Premier League season average of 1.7 per game, which makes those resolute 45 minutes all that more impressive.

Hojbjerg also made more passes (35) than Gareth Bale (24), who played the full 90, Lucas Moura (32) and Erik Lamela (34), who both played until the 68th minute, which only goes to show how strong of an influence the 25-year-old beast had in Buckinghamshire.

His game was topped off by one key pass which provided the fourth and final Spurs goal of the game in injury time.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick graded the £65k-per-week Denmark international a 7/10 and claimed: “Provided a midfield platform for Spurs’ forward in the second half, which was essentially a contest between attack and defence,” which merely reinforces the point of him being an integral change.

Whilst Ndombele and Winks will take the plaudits in the press with a trio of simply sublime goals, it was Hojbjerg’s introduction that swung the game’s control in their favour as outlined throughout this piece.

He did the dirty work, and that is often so vastly underrated.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Hojbjerg: Mourinho can seal perfect Spurs unit by signing £22.5m “beast”…

Steve Bruce will avoid a major tactical blunder by unleashing Newcastle United defender DeAndre Yedlin on Fulham in Saturday night’s Premier League encounter.

The Toon host Scott Parker’s relegation-threatened Cottagers in the 20:00 kick-off, looking to bounce back from a humiliating 5-2 thrashing at Leeds United on Wednesday night.

Fulham will arrive on Tyneside as one of the top-flight’s most out of form units, with only West Brom, Arsenal and Sheffield United claiming fewer points over the past six games.

Newcastle can move 11-points clear of Fulham with a win, but any hopes of victory will hinge on Bruce correcting for his Elland Road horrors and fielding Yedlin at right-back for his first start of the Premier League season.

Yedlin was given his first minutes of the campaign as a late substitute for Miguel Almiron at home to West Brom last weekend, but was not named in the 18-man squad to face Leeds with Bruce omitting the United States international for a ninth time this term.

Emil Krafth could only make the bench after holding the Magpies back in the 2-1 win over the Baggies, with Jacob Murphy instead called on to play out of position after providing the inch-perfect delivery for Dwight Gayle’s winner over a then-Slaven Bilic led side.

Murphy fared reasonably well when pushing forward against Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites during the week, yet was caught out too often defensively for Bruce to see any reason to retain the 25-year-old for Saturday night’s clash at St. James’ Park.

Yedlin, therefore, is the only solution Bruce can put forward at right-back to beat Fulham, with Javier Manquillo still on the sidelines through injury alongside fellow defenders Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar.

Yedlin impressing at home to Fulham could easily see the £4.5million-rated full-back save his Magpies career, too, with reports Toon chiefs are open to offers to avoid losing him for free at the end of the season when his £30,000-per-week contract expires.

A move away was possible in the summer, as well, but no suitable offers arrived despite interest from Major League Soccer and Turkish clubs, following which Bruce said he had no issues with Yedlin sticking around.

“The most difficult job that I’ve got is keeping everybody happy. Ultimately, we have to make the decision on 22 players. There’s the difficult situation itself,” he said in September, via quotes by the Chronicle.

“I am sure that DeAndre wants to play regularly. We have three recognised right-backs at the club which is not really that healthy, to be honest. However, DeAndre is somebody I like, as a pro, as a player. He just wants to play. I can understand that.”

Bruce must now give Yedlin that chance to play after three months in the wilderness, or risk setting Newcastle up to be attacked when Fulham visit St. James’ Park.

AND in other news, Mike Ashley must block Steve Bruce from making a knee-jerk decision on an “instrumental” Newcastle gem.

Steve Bruce can discover Newcastle United’s next Steven Taylor with the capture of Hull City prospect Jacob Greaves in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, Newcastle are among a host of English sides monitoring Greaves’ situation at the KCOM Stadium as the young centre-half continues to catch the eye.

A number of Championship outfits have been scouting the 20-year-old this season after Greaves established himself in Grant McCann’s first-team squad, starting all 12 of his League One appearances as the Tigers strive to secure an immediate return to the second-tier.

McCann awarded Greaves his step up to the Hull first-team in October after a successful season on loan with Cheltenham Town in League Two last term, and could soon be on the move again as more and more suitors descend on Humberside.

The Tigers boss expects Greaves will enjoy a strong career in professional football, having returned to the fold a better player and with more experience after his brief spell away.

“I’ve been really impressed. We saw a lot of him last year at Cheltenham and he won the EFL player of the month award the first month he was there. It’s brilliant to see him play two games and play like he has done. It’s a testament to him,” McCann said, via quotes by Hull Live.

“We see him every single day and we know what he has got. He has all the capabilities to go on and have a tremendous career. He’s come in and looked very assured in and out of possession, he’s been brilliant.”

Newcastle’s next Steven Taylor

Bruce urging Mike Ashley to sanction a January deal for Greaves to join Newcastle could see the Magpies discover their next Taylor, who proved an outstanding player in black and white during his 12 years in the Toon first-team.

Taylor made 268 appearances for Newcastle across all competitions before joining Portland Timbers in 2016, having proven a hit following his graduation from the Magpies academy in 2004 when awarded his senior debut under Sir Bobby Robson aged 18.

Bruce could have his own Taylor in Greaves, who has helped Hull to keep five clean sheets in League One this term with 0.8 successful tackles a game, plus 1.3 interceptions, 4.3 clearances, 1.8 ground duels won, 4.3 aerial contests won and is dribbled past just 0.3 times a game, per SofaScore.

The 20-year-old has also proven to be a safe bet in possession with 35.9 accurate passes a game, while penning an 88% completion rate for passes played in Tigers territory, and is yet to commit an error that has led to a shot, goal or penalty be awarded in the third-tier.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce is keen to sign a “fantastic” £15.5m-rated brute for Newcastle United…

Carlo Ancelotti must afford Anthony Gordon his time to shine at Goodison Park amid reports Everton will not sanction a mid-season loan for the “quality” midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Gordon has attracted keen admirers from both at home and abroad but will be denied a potential temporary switch away from Merseyside in the January window.

Everton chiefs held firm in rejecting loan approaches for the 19-year-old talent throughout the summer and are expected to similarly rebuff any inquires at the turn of the year, despite chances to feature being few and far between under Ancelotti thus far this term.

The Italian has afforded Gordon just 32 minutes of Premier League football and been omitted from five of his 18-man squads, while also left out of the matchday plans for October’s 4-1 Carabao Cup rout of West Ham United after recording three assists in the prior two rounds.

Gordon is said to be relaxed over his situation at present and confident that he will regain a spot in Ancelotti’s thinking, providing he maintains high standards in training with the ex-Real Madrid boss placing a great deal of importance on the sessions at Finch Farm.

Time to shine

It is noted that Gordon did not hesitate to accept an offer to feature in David Unsworth’s Under 23s as they beat Chelsea last Sunday, having struggled to regain a spot in Ancelotti’s plans, but his exceptional display showed the teen star to now be performing at a higher level than the Premier League 2.

If Everton chiefs are thinking along the same lines, Ancelotti must realise that it is time to see Gordon shine in the senior side on a regular basis rather than drip-feeding him minutes on a here-and-there basis that will not allow the Liverpool-born prospect to settle.

Ancelotti has spoken admirably of Gordon’s potential when the academy graduate has featured for the first-team previously, noting in July via the official Everton website: “Anthony is doing well. He is young but showing good personality and character, when he plays from the start or goes on as a substitute.

“I have a lot of confidence in him. He is a player for now and for the future. He just needs to play to increase his confidence. He has quality. He can improve his knowledge, but he is ready to play in the Premier League without a problem.”

Ancelotti again spoke highly of Gordon in September, when the wide midfielder knocked on his door seeking answers to why he had been overlooked on the opening weekend of the season.

“He wanted an explanation and so I explained to him the squad is really competitive and sometimes it can happen that the players are not involved,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

“But this doesn’t mean I don’t believe in them. I believe and so he had the opportunity against Salford to show us his quality, he took the opportunity because he played really well.”

Chances have continued to be scarce since those comments and if Everton are to reject loan approaches for Gordon in January, then Ancelotti must afford the £4.5m-rated prospect far more chances than he has currently offered.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is set for a major £18m boost over Everton’s “courageous” dynamo.

With no wins in their last five Championship games, things are looking rather bleak for Nottingham Forest at the moment.Chris Hughton’s side are on the slide, and find themselves hovering in the relegation zone, and just four points off bottom-placed Sheffield Wednesday after 16 games.The weekend saw them slip to yet another defeat in the league, falling 2-0 to Reading. Their cause wasn’t helped by the fact Ryan Yates got himself sent off after 15 minutes, with a penalty from Lucas Joao, and a second-half strike from Michael Morrison enough to claim all three points for the Royals.But whilst Yates will understandably come under fire for his red card, another Forest player arguably let Chris Hughton down just as much: Anthony Knockaert.The winger, signed on loan from Fulham in the summer, has struggled immensely to find his feet at the club, providing just one assist in 13 games, and not even finding the back of the net once.And on Saturday, he was as bad as he has been all season. As per Sofascore, he had no shots on goal whatsoever over the course of the 60 minutes he was on the pitch, provided just one key pass, and only made 12 successful passes in total.His performance even saw some fans insist that they never want to see him play for the club again, calling for the club to get rid of him when they can.

Whilst Yates may get his fair share of the criticism – and rightly so – Knockaert shouldn’t be let off for his awful performance either.

Tottenham’s official Twitter account has dropped an intriguing two-word teaser over Gareth Bale and his impending Premier League return.Â

Bale, who returned to north London in a sensational loan move over the summer window, is yet to feature for Tottenham but has been widely tipped to make his debut this weekend.

Tottenham’s Gareth Bale teaser

Jose Mourinho’s men face West Ham United in their first game back since the international break and they’ll be looking to build upon their head-turning 6-1 victory against Man United at Old Trafford.

As the Welshman’s second club debut nears, Tottenham have dropped a two-word teaser coupled with Bale in training action, with the caption of ‘preparations continue’.

Given this latest update on the superstar’s progression, Lilywhites could have reason to get excited with the club’s hint that he may well feature against the Hammers.

After the domestic transfer window shuts tomorrow at 5pm, Tottenham will know the make-up of their squad for certain until the market reopens in January, with both Bale and fellow arrival Carlos Vinicius now ready to make their first appearances since signing.

Transfer Tavern take

Lauded as ‘spectacular’ by Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, even despite their alleged fall-out, pundit Danny Mills has also suggested that Bale ‘wants to play for Mourinho’ – potentially a key reason why he rejoined Tottenham.

It’s no secret that many supporters have been eager to see him return and this hint from the club suggests they could see Bale back in action for Spurs very soon.

As explained by reliable Football.London correspondent Alasdair Gold, a front three of Bale, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min certainly bodes well for the upcoming season.

Lilywhites, are you excited for Bale’s potential debut against West Ham? Have your say in the comments down below…