All posts by z3u9t.icu

It’s not often that an Old Firm derby has little riding on it. However, when Celtic welcome their fiercest rivals to Parkhead on Sunday, that will be the unfortunate reality of the situation.

The Hoops have already relinquished their grasp on the SPFL, but they will be keen to exert their revenge at the very earliest opportunity.

On the chalkboard

At the end of the season, there could be plenty of change at Paradise. Neil Lennon has already walked and thus, a new manager will be coming to the club.

They could also see midfielder veteran Scott Brown depart.

The captain is out of contract at the end of the campaign and has already been tipped to hang up his boots and take up a coaching role.

Whether John Kennedy begins to faze him out between now and the end of the season remains to be seen. Brown has put in some very mixed displays recently. The midfielder scored a header and then delightfully assisted Albian Ajeti’s goal in the 4-0 win over Kilmarnock.

The 35-year-old impressed again a week later versus St Mirren. However, his performance have diminished again, something that was evident against Dundee United when Celtic’s midfield were made to look rather toothless.

On that occasion, he was hauled off with 12 minutes to go having completed just 77% of his passes, losing the ball 15 times.

The solution

Celtic will need to find a quick remedy if Brown departs. They have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy while Motherwell’s Allan Campbell is another to have been touted.

Though, by playing Ismaila Soro in the weeks to come, they could perhaps save themselves some cash.

Soro has been excellent when afforded a chance this term but the Hoops will surely be keen to know whether he’s up to the task of becoming Brown’s heir down the line.

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Throwing him in this weekend in the Old Firm, therefore, would be useful. He is an eye-catching midfielder and despite his small stature, he isn’t afraid to get stuck into the tackle.

In fact, the £11k-per-week earner can be just as aggressive as Brown. Blessed with “explosive power” according to his former coach Ori Guttman, the Ivorian made as many as ten tackles against Lille in Europe earlier this season.

The 22-year-old won a further eight in the 2-0 win over Hamilton and in his last five matches, he has made 17 successful challenges. Thus, if anyone is well equipped to deal with the champions on Sunday, it is Soro.

This is the type of stage he needs to really thrive on to take his game to the next level. John Kennedy has only fielded him for 12 minutes during his stint as interim boss; that has to change.

AND in other news, Forget Laxalt: Celtic must unleash never-seen 19 y/o next term, he’s “very talented”…

According to recent reports, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a summer move for Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

So far this season, Maignan has highly impressed over his 30 Ligue 1 appearances for Christophe Galtier’s side, with the 25-year-old keeping 16 clean sheets and conceding just 19 goals, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.03 – ranking him as the club’s sixth-best performer in the French top flight.

With Tottenham shot-stopper Hugo Lloris being heavily linked with a move away from north London this summer, L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) have recently claimed that Jose Mourinho could be keen on a move for Lloris’ French teammate, for whom Lille are reported to be asking for around €25m (£21.5m) to sell.

Transfer Tavern Take

While it would appear as if a move from Spurs for Maignan would depend on whether Lloris does indeed leave Tottenham this summer, the Lille ‘keeper would appear to already have admirers at Spurs in the shape of Joao Sacramento and Nuno Santos.

According to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), Mourinho’s assistants – who both left Lille to join Spurs – believe that the £18m-rated Maignan has “enormous” potential. Sacramento is said to praise the ‘keeper often, while Santos is one of the 25-year-old’s “staunch supporters”, with both coaches reported to be encouraging Mourinho to move for the Frenchman this summer.

As a result, should Lloris depart Tottenham at the end of the season, it would not be a surprising turn of events to see Spurs make a more concrete approach for Maignan.

In other news: Sources have revealed that Daniel Levy will be “all over” one club targeting multiple Spurs transfers this summer – find out more here!

Everton have a decision to make regarding Jonjoe Kenny’s future at Goodison Park as the defender nears the final year of his contract.

The Toffees had sought to sell their academy product in January but failed to find a suitor willing to spend £10m, with Burnley claimed to have baulked at paying out big on a player who was not a part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.

Kenny eventually sealed a last-ditch loan to Celtic where he has proven to be a pillar of the Hoops backline, but his efforts have failed to see a rise in the 24-year-old’s TransferMarkt valuation which has plummeted by 41% over the past 16 months.

Riding high on a wave of form with Bundesliga outfit FC Schalke 04 during a loan spell at the Veltins Arena last season, the reputable transfer market analysis website graded Kenny at a value of £10.8m in December 2019.

It was the highest that Kenny had ever been valued at throughout his career with a previous best while on Merseyside of £4.5m, and remains a personal high having hit a rapid decline in the year that followed.

By the end of his time in Germany, Kenny’s value had already fallen to £8.5m and continued to drop to its current fee of £6.3m in the subsequent months in line with Ancelotti looking elsewhere in his squad for his first-choice right-back.

Even when Seamus Coleman was unavailable, Ancelotti often turned to Mason Holgate – a natural centre-back – to slot in and even awarded minutes to midfielders Tom Davies and Alex Iwobi in the role.

It meant that Kenny joined Celtic having only played 313 minutes over eight appearances in all competitions this season, while starting just four of his outings – one of which in the Premier League coming between ankle and knee injuries.

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Game time has not been an issue for Kenny to secure at Parkhead with 11 outings to his name already, having not missed a single fixture, and he is keen to now use that platform as a chance to settle down at one club.

“Personally, I haven’t heard anything about my future. There are a lot of games to go and things to sort out. I just want to take it week-by-week,” he said, via quotes by the Glasgow Times.

“I’ve got to stay focus on what I’ve got to do, which is performing to the maximum of my ability every week. I think I’ve done okay on my loan spells. I’ve been to some great places and enjoyed it and had some good seasons.

“But as a player you want to have a home for the long-term, wherever that may be. I want to get the head down and really push on. The discussions will go on, but I need to go out and perform.”

It is unlikely that Kenny will find his long-term future at Everton and his desires of finding that home could now put suitors on alert, giving the Toffees’ Director of Football Marcel Brands room to work with and avoid losing the right-back on a Bosman deal next year.

Celtic pundit Colin Watt may have claimed Kenny has been “very impressive” in the Premiership, but Ancelotti clearly did not see enough from the defender during his time at Goodison Park and now has eyes on a host of alternatives.

Reports by the Daily Mail have also suggested that the Liverpudlian is expected to be moved on in the summer in what is surely a must, for a player whose value will only continue to dwindle the longer he remains under contract.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands could deliver Everton’s own Virgil van Dijk with £17.5m summer swoop…

Signing number one is already through the door for Celtic. On Wednesday afternoon it was confirmed that Liam Shaw would be a Hoops player next term after agreeing on a pre-contract.

Though, they cannot rest on their laurels now.

What’s the word?

This week Airdrie boss Ian Murray had some exciting news for Celtic supporters, confirming that young winger Thomas Robert had spent the last two weeks undergoing a trial at Lennoxtown.

Son of former Newcastle hero, Thomas Robert, the 20-year-old’s stint in Glasgow was a successful one.

In quotes supplied by the Daily Record, Murray said: “I can provide clarity on Thomas being in with Celtic and training with them.

“It’s brilliant for him personally and brilliant for the club because it shows that we are doing something right. It was a no-brainer to let him go on trial with Celtic. It was a chance for Thomas to showcase himself and train with top level players and coaches.”

The Bhoys were first linked with a move for Robert back in December. He has since attracted admirers from Rangers, Aberdeen and Dundee United too.

The youngster is out of contract in the summer so Nick Hammond has a great chance of securing his signature permanently.

Bye-bye Christie

Celtic have made a phenomenal effort in the last few weeks to snap up young talent. Shaw’s imminent arrival testifies that, while attempts are being made to tie down Wigan forward Kyle Joseph.

Robert is the latest player in a long list of potential arrivals, therefore.

However, as exciting as this move would be, it could be bad news for a certain Ryan Christie.

The winger has had a disastrous season at Parkhead, scoring just five times compared to the 20 he netted last term. His performances have been dwindling for a while now; scoring just two goals in his last 25 matches.

He’s had pundits on his way and it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he leaves. Frank McAvennie thinks an exit is on the cards and with Leeds and Arsenal interested during the winter window, he certainly has suitors.

Christie’s performances are only getting worse, putting in a diabolical display at Ross County. He had four attempts on goal that night but failed to convert any of them. The Scotland international even missed a sitter from a matter of yards out.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Robert might not be too clinical yet either but he’s a promising talent that plays in the same position as the Celtic forward. His four goals this term prove he can find the net and he certainly possesses plenty of energy too.

Murray commented back in December: “He [Robert] showed his class again against Clyde with the corner kick, but it wasn’t just that, in the first half he was excellent, his touches on the ball, his movement, his timing in the releasing of the ball, the way he picked up space, was excellent.”

If you’re looking at the perfect model to replace Christie, that would be it. Robert is a talented forward who is capable of not only playing on the right, but also on the left and in central areas.

On a free transfer, Robert would be a no-brainer for the Bhoys. He may even force Christie out too.

AND in other news, Celtic manager search takes fresh twist; it should be good news for Hoops supporters…

Speaking exclusively with Football FanCast, former England international Carlton Palmer says that West Ham United would be taking a backward step by signing AS Roma striker Edin Dzeko.

The Irons have been linked with a swarm of attacking options since selling Sebastien Haller to AFC Ajax earlier this month, with that decision leaving Michail Antonio as David Moyes’ sole remaining senior centre-forward.

Reports over the weekend touted Dzeko as the latest in the long line of strikers to be linked with a potential mid-season move to the London Stadium, with claims from Italy suggesting the Bosnia and Herzegovina star had been offered to West Ham.

Dzeko’s future at the Stadio Olimpico was thrown into doubt after the Bosnia and Herzegovina star was stripped of the Giallorossi captaincy after a falling out with head coach Paulo Fonseca, with their relationship now in complete tatters.

West Ham were not alone in being linked with Dzeko as Everton, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers were also credited with an interest.

Palmer thinks Moyes and his side should look elsewhere ahead of February 1’s deadline, as Dzeko is coming toward the end of his career and he thinks that his usefulness would be limited.

When asked if it would be a good move for West Ham, he said:

“No, not really. No. I think you’ve seen the best of him when he was last in the Premier League. That wouldn’t be a good move at all. It’s a backward step that,” Palmer told FFC.

“No disrespect to Dzeko, we all get to that stage where you just become, I wouldn’t say become a journeyman, but you’re past your best. You can still do a job, but you’re not going to, let’s say, set the world on fire as what you did before.

“So, no, not a good move, in my opinion.”

Dzeko has scored seven goals in 15 Serie A appearances this season, of which he started 14, but he was omitted from the matchday squad that beat Spezia Calcio 4-3 on Saturday following his falling out with Fonseca.

The £7m-rated veteran further found the back of the net once and provided one assist over the Giallorossi’s Europa League Group Stage efforts, having been called upon only from the bench against the likes of BSC Young Boys, CSKA Sofia and CFR Cluj.

No current West Ham player has scored as often this season as Dzeko with Jarrod Bowen, Tomas Soucek and Antonio the top-scorers in Moyes’ squad with five strikes each across all competitions, while Haller had found the back of the net seven times before his £20m move to Ajax.

But only three of Haller’s goals had come during Premier League fixtures, while Bowen, Soucek and Antonio are yet to score outside of the top-flight this term.

Despite him having more goals than any current Hammer, Palmer thinks West Ham should forget about Dzeko and look elsewhere for a new forward.

AND in other news, West Ham see bid rejected for £13.5m-rated target who’s played just 88 minutes of league action this season…

Leeds United will be reeling off the back of two consecutive defeats in the Premier League after Arsenal and Wolves came away with all three points. Their defeat to the latter will be hugely frustrating for the team, given that the goal that came against them was a freak Illan Meslier own goal.

Focus now shifts to this evening’s match against Southampton and Marcelo Bielsa will not take kindly to settling for anything less than three points. However, the Saints held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s last Saturday and will be hoping to expand on this positive result following six successive top-flight reverses.

Leeds will host Southampton at Elland Road at 6pm – here’s how Football FanCast has predicted the Whites to lineup…

Ezgjan Alioski was dropped against Wolves because of his poor performance against Arsenal in their 4-2 defeat. However, the £15,000-a-week man may return to the lineup this evening so Stuart Dallas can rejoin his usual position in midfield. This will also pave the way for Diego Llorente, who has been out of action since a ten-minute appearance against Newcastle back in January, to return.

If he starts today, he will be making only his third first team appearance since joining the club in the summer, as per Transfermarkt. The £22,000 per week signing has been sidelined with a groin and hamstring injury, but has returned to training ahead of fellow centre-back Robin Koch.

Jamie Shackleton’s lacklustre display against Wolves could see him demoted to the bench. With Dallas likely returning to midfield, he will link up with Mateusz Klich in the middle of the park. Behind them will be Pascal Struijk, who will protect the backline in the absence of Kalvin Phillips.

All eyes will be on star wingers Jack Harrison and Raphinha as fans urge them to put in an influential performance alongside Patrick Bamford. They will need to catch Southampton on the back-foot, as they will undoubtedly be fancying another result today following on from their strong showing against Chelsea.

In other news, Leeds run high risk of losing Raphinha the more he shines…

Swansea will be looking to move into the automatic promotion spots when they take on Luton Town in Saturday’s early kick-off in the Championship.

Steve Cooper’s side were held to a 1-1 draw against Blackburn Rovers in midweek, with Andre Ayew finding the net from the penalty spot once again, with the Swans having struggled to score from open play in recent fixtures.

Swansea are currently level on points with second-placed Watford in the table, although they have a game in hand on the Hornets.

With Norwich City running away with it at the top of the league, it is imperative that Cooper’s side pick up three points against a Luton side who are well in the bottom half of the Championship.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Cooper to set his side up against Luton on Saturday, with three changes from the team which started against Blackburn…

Despite the lack of clean sheets in recent fixtures, Freddie Woodman keeps his place in goal, and he should perhaps be confident of a shut-out against a side who have just 28 goals in the Championship so far this season.

There are two changes in defence, as after returning to the bench in recent fixtures, Ryan Bennett comes back into the side in place of Ben Cabango, with Cooper perhaps taking the opportunity for rotation amid the glut of fixtures.

Meanwhile, Ryan Manning comes in for Jake Bidwell at left wing-back, having impressed there in the 2-1 win against Stoke City recently.

There is one change in midfield as Korey Smith replaces Jay Fulton, whose ineffective display against Blackburn was characterised by a team-low 14 passes, and he features alongside the more attack-minded Matt Grimes and Conor Hourihane.

Ayew keeps his place up front but the Swans will have to start sharing the goals around more if they want to go up automatically, so Jamal Lowe will be hoping to end his rotten streak with a goal against the Hatters.

To put things bluntly, Leeds were terrible when they faced Crawley last Sunday.

Having been so free-flowing and full of spark in the Premier League, you’d have expected them to win at a canter. However, they lost 3-0 and suffered one of their most embarrassing defeats in recent history.

On the chalkboard

Marcelo Bielsa’s team selection last Sunday was an intriguing one. It combined youthful exuberance with a host of their experienced stars. Kalvin Phillips, Helder Costa, Pablo Hernandez and Kiko Casilla all started while club-record signing Rodrigo was also in the team.

The Spaniard was given a rare chance to play in a central striking role but struggled considerably.

He was brought off at half time after a pretty hopeless performance leading the line. Rodrigo made just seven passes and touched the ball on only 11 occasions. Furthermore, the 29-year-old sent both of his shots off target.

For someone who cost £30m, you’d expect him to score plentiful against Crawley. His performance, though, was ineffectual.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t for the first time this year. Against Tottenham, the Spain international struggled as well. Bielsa clearly wasn’t best pleased with him because he was brought off after 65 minutes.

Rodrigo provided two key passes and managed only one dribble, being bullied by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the park. The Spurs midfielder won five tackles and a colossal 11 ground duels.

The solution

Bielsa hasn’t been afraid to leave Rodrigo out of his starting XI this season – appearing as a substitute six times – so, he must take him out the firing line again on Saturday.

Brighton are likely to sit back more than Tottenham did so Rodrigo could enjoy plenty of possession but after his last two performances, he deserves a rest and an opportunity to rediscover his focus.

The 29-year-old has been poor and thus, the manager needs to bring in someone like Pablo Hernandez. In completing a woeful 66% of his passes, a number that was down 12% from his season average, he didn’t have the best of afternoons v Crawley.

That being said, he did create three goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. That’s a tally seldom replicated by Rodrigo this term, someone who has managed more than two key passes in a match just twice.

Of course, it was League Two opposition, but at least Hernandez did his best to create chances, something very few players managed against Crawley.

He deserves a chance to prove himself in the top-flight. It might be ruthless given Rodrigo scored three games ago, but he hasn’t been good enough in 2021 so far.

Costa came into this game as the prime candidate to be ousted judging by his lacklustre display last weekend, but Rodrigo must end on the bench beside him.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Casilla: Leeds must swoop for “outstanding” 26 y/o, he could be game-changing…

Celtic are currently considerably off the pace domestically.

11 points behind their arch-rivals, the Hoops have struggled to follow the script in a season where they have the potential to win a tenth Scottish Premiership in a row.

Issues are rife in Neil Lennon’s side, but how do they go about fixing some of the matters at hand?

On the chalkboard

This has not been a good campaign for Lennon and his team.

They have conceded 13 goals in the SPFL, ten more than Rangers and after being knocked out of the Champions League, they are now bottom of their Europa League group.

They were dealt an incredibly tough set of fixtures, having to face Lille, AC Milan and Sparta Prague and thus, they simply have to win when they go to the Czech Republic on Thursday evening.

Defensively, they have been abject at best, especially at right-back.

Jeremie Frimpong is someone that Lennon has previously claimed is the best youngster he’s worked with but he’s dropped off in 2020/21, leading to questions about his place.

The 19-year-old was caught out against Hibernian, making just one tackle and losing the ball 18 times. On top of that, he failed to produce a single accurate cross despite spending much of the game in the opposition half.

The solution

Well, there is only one man to fix the void at right-back. It’s an area Kristoffer Ajer has previously featured in for the Bhoys but it’s not him that should be seen as Frimpong’s replacement.

Instead, Lennon should look towards Israel international Hatem Elhamed, a man with just four league starts and 31 European minutes under his belt this term.

Despite his minimal action, the Celtic powerhouse has already provided two assists and is performing at a similar level to Frimpong in the attacking third.

Elhamed has performed 0.9 successful dribbles a game compared to his rivals’ 1.2 per match for instance.

However, the key to this decision is his experience. At the age of 29, the defender has now been around for a fair while and still has tremendous athleticism, two things that could be game-changing in turning Celtic’s season around.

After his move to Parkhead, Elhamed’s fellow countryman Boni Ginzburg typified him perfectly: “Hatem is strong, quick and fast. I hear Celtic want to play him at right-back, and he has the pace and power to do that. There is no concern over him handling the speed and physical nature of the Scottish game,” he said.

Those attributes are near perfect in replacing Frimpong. Lennon simply has to consider him permanently going forward.

In other news, Hammond made a UNFORGIVEABLE mistake with one 2020 transfer target…

When Tom Cairney left Leeds as a 16-year-old back in 2007, few at the Yorkshire club would have expected the midfielder to go on to establish himself as a Premier League captain.

The Scottish midfielder was with Leeds between 1998-2007, when he was released, before joining Hull City (per Transfermarkt).

A move to Blackburn Rovers followed in 2014, where he would spend just one season, before completing a move to Fulham the summer of 2015 for an undisclosed fee.

Since then, he has established himself as a crucial part of the Cottagers’ side, having made 215 appearances for the West London side in his five years with the club, in which he has contributed 37 goals and 28 assists.

He has proved himself to be a creative force in England’s top two divisions since leaving Leeds United, having contributed 51 goals and 55 assists across his time with Hull, Blackburn and Fulham.

The Scotsman was made Fulham captain ahead of the 2017/18 campaign and since then, he has helped the Cottagers to two promotions to the Premier League, scoring in their play-off final win against Aston Villa in 2018 (per Fulham).

Cairney has also made a promising start to the 2020/21 campaign in the Premier League, having averaged a 7.01 rating across his eight appearances in the top-flight so far (per WhoScored).

If he were to replicate that form in the Leeds United squad, it would see him rated as the Whites’ third-best player in the top-flight, ahead of every midfielder in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad, so it could definitely be argued that he would have been a good player to have at Leeds.

Earlier this year, Scott Parker was full of praise for the midfielder after his goal against Bristol City in the Championship, saying:

“Tom Cairney took his goal superbly and was outstanding throughout the game. I thought he was head and shoulder above every other player.

“We all know his quality on the ball, but in the last three games he has showed much more than that and today it was a complete performance.” (per FourFourTwo)

Therefore, it definitely seems as if Leeds made a mistake in letting him go for nothing all the way back in 2007, as although it is impossible to predict whether he would have enjoyed the same success if he had stayed with the Yorkshire club, there is no doubting his talent as a footballer.

And, in other news, Leeds may already have the heir to Kalvin Phillips’ throne in teenage prodigy wanted by PSG…