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Ewan Henderson is set to sign a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Celtic, sources have told Football FanCast.

The youngster’s current deal expires in the summer with Henderson concerned about the amount of midfielders at the club and the pathway to the first team.

Those issues affected the development of his older brother Liam, who left Celtic a year ago for Bari before moving on to Verona.

Brendan Rodgers gave Ewan his first team debut last season, a month after his 18th birthday, and has gone out of his way to make him feel wanted.

The Celtic boss took the younger Henderson brother to Dubai with the first team squad then gave him game time in the matches against Airdrie and St Mirren. Against Airdrie he sent through the pass for Timo Weah to score his first Celtic goal.

With a new contract settling his future, Henderson will be looking to build on his recent first team appearances before assessing his prospects for next season.

Despite his obvious ability Henderson has only made four appearances for Scotland’s U17 and U19 squads.

Aston Villa’s owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens (NSWE) have promised new manager Steven Gerrard a huge January transfer budget, according to The Daily Record.

As to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Villa confirmed on Thursday morning that Gerrard has made the move to the Midlands, four days after the club parted company with Dean Smith.

Before the 41-year-old was officially appointed, The Daily Record shared a story claiming that Gerrard was set to become the best-paid manager in Villa’s history.

The report went on to add that Sawiris and Edens have guaranteed the new manager funds for the winter window despite the fact that Villa have spent more than £324m in the past two-and-a-half seasons following their return to the Premier League.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the claims regarding Gerrard becoming the highest-paid Villa boss along with the January transfer kitty.

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with many excited about NSWE’s budgetary promise.

“We are absolutely massive”

Credit: @tom_av1

“So excited to see who Gerrard brings in…”

Credit: @LordMillman29

“January window will be an exciting one.”

Credit: @LennanTomlins

“NEWCASTLE WHO???!!!!! STEP OUTSIDE”

Credit: @WazeUTV

“what a club”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“yessss”

Credit: @SadAVFC

“HERE COMES THE MONEY”

Credit: @avbiIly

In other news: Many Villa fans go wild over one man Gerrard could bring to Villa Park

With the first game of Eddie Howe’s reign in charge of Newcastle United just a couple of hours away as they take on Brentford at St James’ Park, all eyes will be on who he selects in his starting XI as he aims to get the Tyneside club out of the Premier League relegation zone.

Taking this into account, one player who should be in the starting XI on this occasion is Joe Willock.

Time to let Willock loose

After making two substitute appearances in Newcastle’s league games against Crystal Palace and Chelsea last month, the 22-year-old spent the entirety of the 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion watching from the bench.

Now that Howe has taken over at the club, this could be Willock’s opportunity to prove to the new Toon boss that he has what it takes to be a crucial figure in Newcastle’s midfield moving forward. However, the 43-year-old won’t be involved today due to a positive virus test, with Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones calling the shots this afternoon.

After originally joining the club on a loan deal last winter from fellow Premier League side Arsenal, he took Newcastle by storm by scoring eight goals in 14 league appearances.

The Magpies then secured Willock, who has been praised in the past by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta for the “special” qualities in his game, on a permanent move from the north London club on a six-year deal worth a reported fee in excess of £20m.

Although Willock, who is currently earning £80k-per-week according to Salary Sport, may not have started this season in the same goalscoring form (zero goals in 10 appearances) with which he ended 2020/21, he has still shown how capable an option he can be for the team by racking up an accurate passing average of 84% and an average of 2.8 tackles per game with 53% duels won.

With this in mind, today’s match against an off-form Brentford could be a great opportunity for Willock to get his season back on track after committing his future to the Toon, and potentially saving them from relegation if he can find his same goalscoring form from last season in the process.

In other news: Offer on the table: PIF working to land NUFC deal for beast which will leave fans buzzing…

As per reliable reporter Scott Burns, writing for the Scottish Daily Express, some news has come to light on Southampton’s transfer plans for January involving Rangers star Joe Aribo.

The Lowdown: Semmens eyeing winter moves?

As the winter window looms, Southampton chief Martin Semmens, who oversees the club’s transfer activity, has already hinted that the Saints could be active business-wise as he aims to bolster manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s chances of Premier League survival.

Sitting just six points above the drop zone, Hasenhuttl’s men will potentially be looking to strengthen if the right opportunity arises, with links emerging to a few names like Angers wonderkid Mohamed-Ali Cho.

Now, as per an update from north of the border, another claim has emerged on the Saints’ transfer plans.

The Latest: Semmens eyeing Aribo bid…

According to Burns, Southampton, and by extension Semmens, are ‘weighing up a move’ for Gers star Aribo and they even had a representative sent to watch him in action at the weekend.

Standing out for the Teddy Bears this season, Southampton already have a number of reports on the midfielder as they keep tabs on his situation ahead of January.

The Verdict: Time to move?

The 25-year-old has been one of Rangers’ players of the season so far, making more SPFL appearances than anyone in their squad so far whilst averaging the second-highest rate of dribbles completed per 90 and scoring the second-most goals (WhoScored).

His contract is also expiring in 18 months, putting some pressure on the Ibrox side to contemplate a sale while they still can.

The Nigeria international, lauded as ‘red hot’ by pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor for his form this season, could well be an astute purchase for Southampton if they can negotiate a realistic price.

In other news: ‘Worst player we have’…Southampton fans blast ‘terrible’ player after recent ‘stinker’, find out more here.

Aston Villa look set to pip the likes of Chelsea and Everton by winning the race for Dundee United defender Kerr Smith.

That’s according to The Daily Record’s Scott Burns, with a number of Villa fans reacting to the news on social media.

Villa have lost a centre-back this month with Axel Tuanzebe cutting his season-long loan short in order to join Napoli but appear to be closing in on Everton left-back Lucas Digne.

That leaves Steven Gerrard with Kortney Hause, Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings as senior options, but it appears as if they will bolster their academy ranks with the acquisition of Smith.

Burns has revealed that Johan Lange has struck an agreement with Dundee United for the 17-year-old centre-back in a deal that could rise to £2m.

Smith is now set to travel to the Midlands to undergo a medical and finalise a ‘dream move’, with Villa pipping the likes of Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton and Southampton.

The youngster will initially integrate with Villa’s Under-23 side, despite making 12 senior appearances for Dundee United.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the update regarding Smith on Twitter. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with one labelling the defender as a ‘beast’.

“£2m? Scottish club? Tasty”

Credit: @Jannetts_

“He’s a beast on football manager, so I’m more than ok with this”

Credit: @DaleAC93

“BOOM! Love this.”

Credit: @PhilHRoberts

“Him, Digne and a DM and I’m absolutely buzzing, 10/10”

Credit: @TomC2312_AVFC

“Good deal, very good deal”

Credit: @_VillaJack

“my football manager CB hero coming home, there’s a tear in my eye”

Credit: @tiwari0216

In other news: ‘This is a shock’ – Many Villa fans ‘buzzing’ as club confirm ‘big’ news. 

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Hannes Wolf to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by German publication Bild, who claim that Celtic, as well as Trabzonspor and Rapid Vienna, are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Borussia Monchengladbach attacking midfielder ahead of a potential swoop in the winter market.

The report goes on to state that the 22-year-old is not currently used by Adi Hutter, as well as claiming that, despite having splashed €9.5m (£8m) in order to sign the Austrian from RB Leipzig this summer, the Bundesliga side are willing to sanction his departure in the January transfer window.

Postecoglou must move

While it is true that Wolf has not enjoyed the best of campaigns with Gladbach this season, the youngster nevertheless proved during his time with Red Bull Salzburg that he would make a fantastic addition to Ange Postecoglou’s options in attacking midfield ahead of the second half of the current campaign.

Indeed, over his 22 Austrian Bundesliga appearances – only 15 of which came as starts – back in 2018/19, the £13m-rated man scored a highly impressive eight goals, registered seven assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.1 key passes and taking 1.9 shots per game.

These returns saw the Austrian earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, efforts which, alongside the likes of Erling Braut Haaland and Takumi Minamino, saw his side clinch their league title at a canter.

The £27k-per-week forward also impressed in the Europa League that year, scoring one goal, providing three assists and creating four big chances over his 10 appearances in the competition, playing a crucial role in his side’s run to the round of 16.

As such, it is easy to see why Ralf Rangnick made a move to sign the 22-year-old for RB Leipzig, with the now-Manchester United manager stating of Wolf: “Hannes caught our attention due to his prominent development, which is reflected in his numerous national and international outings, in spite of his young age. His strengths make him a versatile option across the attacking midfield. He stole the show with [Amadou] Haidara in the Europa League [in 2018/19].”

As such, with winning the league title and going deep into European competition undoubtedly being two of the biggest objectives of Postecoglou’s tenure at Parkhead, something which Wolf is clearly capable of helping his side achieve, it would indeed appear highly advisable for the 56-year-old Hoops boss to do all he can to land the attacker in January – as he could be one of the final pieces to Postecoglou’s first-team puzzle in Glasgow.

In other news: Big blow: Celtic dealt huge injury setback ahead of Dundee Utd, Ange will be gutted

Celtic duo Albian Ajeti and Osaze Urhoghide could leave Parkhead in January to make room for winter transfer window additions, The Daily Record have reported.

The Lowdown: Out of favour…

Neither of those has made the impact they may have hoped for under Ange Postecoglou.

The Hoops brought in four attacking additions over the summer in Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis, which has resulted in Ajeti starting just five games all season when options have been limited.

The 24-year-old cost the Hoops £4.5m from West Ham, but he last started a league game back in September.

Urhoghide, who was a beast for former employers Sheffield Wednesday, was Celtic’s first signing under Postecoglou, but he is yet to kick a competitive ball for the Hoops’ first team, and it seems as if the pair could depart in the New Year.

The Latest: A busy January?

The Daily Record shared a story on Saturday, looking at six players who could be in line to leave the club to make room for new additions that Postecoglou has promised.

Two of those were Ajeti and Urhoghide, with The Daily Record claiming that the Hoops are ready to cut their losses when it comes to the Swiss forward.

Meanwhile, they suggested that the young defender, labelled as ‘quick’ by Postecoglou when he signed in the summer, could be shipped out on loan after struggling in his early months at Lennoxtown.

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The Verdict: Correct calls?

With no director of football or head of recruitment in place, you’d expect that interim CEO Michael Nicholson will be the man in charge of incomings and outgoings in January.

It appears to be a wise move on both players, especially with Ajeti, who is picking up £18,000-a-week in Scotland and hardly contributing. Celtic are thought to be in for Japanese forward Daizen Maeda, so moving on the Switzerland international, even if it is for less than £4.5m, would seem to be a smart call.

Loaning out Urhoghide, who was playing regular first-team football in the English Championship last season, could also be a shrewd move.

If a temporary move materialises, hopefully it could benefit the centre-back as it would afford him the opportunity to play senior football on a regular basis, which could then give him a better chance of featuring at Celtic Park next season.

In other news: Hart and Juranovic delighted as Celtic announce more official contract news

West Bromwich Albion have been expected to make moves in the transfer window this January, after a disappointing start to their Championship campaign that has seen them struggle to keep up with their competitors for the promotion spots in the first half of the season.

Luckily, the Baggies have already done some business to add a new player in a vital position during the opening day of the transfer window, which will be welcomed by the fans.

What’s the word?

On Saturday evening West Brom confirmed the signing of Orlando SC and former Barnsley striker, Daryl Dike, in a deal that secures the forward for four and half year deal.

The £9m-rated striker who has a “rocket right foot” according to former teammate Jordan Williams, joins the Baggies after an impressive run of performances in the MLS, with 18 goals and four assists this season for his former club, and is no stranger to Valerien Ismael.

Dike was signed for Barnsley in a loan deal this time last year and scored nine goals in the five months he spent under the management of the French manager, with the 21-year-old returning to America in the summer and Ismael making the move to manage the Midlands club.

Time to go

The signing has prompted further fuel to the rumours that Jordan Hugill’s loan deal at the Hawthorns will be cut short and the forward will return to Norwich City this January.

Former Baggies striker, Carlton Palmer, spoke out earlier this week to GIVEMESPORT in favour of the termination:

“Well, he’s scored one goal, so it’s not worked out for either party in terms of goals. His work rate, his endeavour and his effort has been fantastic, but what they need is goals, so for both parties, it frees up money.”

The £36k-per-week flop has failed to make an impact on the Championship side since he was signed on a season-long loan deal in the summer from newly-promoted Premier League side, Norwich.

According to data taken from SofaScore, Hugill has made 20 appearances, with only one goal and zero assists, missing nine big chances and a 0.4 average per game for shots on target.

For a team that is trying to boost their chances of promotion, Albion have the least amount of goals scored in the top six, it is a dismal record.

However, judging by the attacking statistics the 29-year-old Hugill has displayed, he is not helping the cause at all and should be axed from the team in place of a much more prolific goal-scorer like Dike.

In other news: Carlton Palmer weighs in on potential Dwight Gayle signing

Fabrizio Romano has dropped a key update in Manchester United’s pursuit of Ajax boss Erik ten Hag.

The Lowdown: United closing in…

The Red Devils appear to be closing in on bringing Ten Hag to Old Trafford after holding ‘positive’ discussions last month.

Sky Sports revealed on Wednesday evening that the Red Devils, who have also spoken to Mauricio Pochettino, are now close to finalising a move for Ten Hag.

The report claims sources from the Dutchman’s camp have shared details regarding a compensation package and how Ten Hag will be announced after impressing United chiefs in an interview.

The Latest: Romano’s big update

Romano has now weighed in with a significant update on Ten Hag moving to England, posting on Twitter on Thursday morning.

He insisted that interim manager Ralf Rangnick has given his approval over a move for the 52-year-old in ‘private conversations’.

“While Man Utd sources insist no final agreement has been reached yet with any manager, even Rangnick has approved Erik ten Hag in private conversations.

“Rangnick is not involved in any negotiation – it’s up to the club to discuss details of the project with ten Hag.”

The Verdict: Good news…

United have stressed that no managerial appointment is imminent, but it looks as if Ten Hag will be the man to come in ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

It is easy to see why Ten Hag is wanted by United chiefs too, averaging an impressive 2.36 points-per-game with Ajax since 2017. He has successfully rebuilt the Dutch giants after losing several star men after their run to the Champions League semi-finals back in 2019, winning the double last season.

Hopefully, Ten Hag will be the man to turn United’s fortunes around, but he’ll have a lot of work to do over the coming months to make an instant impact at Old Trafford.

In other news: Sky Sports man: Fresh Man Utd ‘concern’ after Romano shares ‘bad news’ at Old Trafford. 

Wolves could be a victim of their own success if they lose star midfielder Ruben Neves this summer, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Neves a wanted man

The Portuguese maestro has found his best form again this season after a dip in 2020/21, playing a big role in Wanderers pushing for European football.

Neves’ performances have reportedly caught the eye of a number of top clubs, however, with a summer exit from Molineux far from out of the question.

The 24-year-old, who has picked up nine Premier League bookings this season, will see his current Wolves deal expire in the summer of 2024.

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The Latest: Expert makes key assessment

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that Wolves’ brilliance this season could ironically lead to them losing Neves:

“It is the price of success when your players are wanted by bigger clubs.

“As soon as you’re rising like Wolves have been, you’re always going to get to a point at some stage where teams start picking off your best players.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]

The Verdict: Hard to call

There is no denying that Wolves’ form under Bruno Lage and Neves’ own performances have played a part in raising his profile, but that is the brutal nature of football.

Unless you are one of the very biggest clubs in the world, there is always the risk that your star men excelling with eventually see them earn a move elsewhere, as happened with Diogo Jota, for example.

It is certainly easy to see the same occurring with Neves, and while it would be devastating to lose such a talented player at this stage of his career, it would be hard to begrudge him a move to one of Europe’s leading teams.

There is still hope that he will extend his stay at Molineux, though, which is something that has to be priority number one off the pitch in the coming weeks and months.

In other news, Jones has also dropped a key claim regarding another Wolves player. Read more here.