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The search for a new manager at Celtic seemingly has a new face in the frame every single day. If only the Bhoys hierarchy could actually find the right man.

Roy Keane emerged as the frontrunner last week but Thierry Henry and Lucien Favre have now both stated their availability.

What’s the word?

Fresh claims from reliable transfer guru Alan Nixon state that there is now a serious contender in the mix to take over at Celtic.

Taking to Twitter this week, The Sun journalist revealed the following information when asked if Eddie Howe to Celtic was a viable option: “He’s a candidate. A serious candidate.”

The former Bournemouth boss has been in the hunt for several months now with rumours first surfacing all the way back in November.

At that point, it was thought Howe had a chance of becoming Neil Lennon’s successor but his name had gone under the radar in the last few weeks.

However, with Keane now less likely to become the new manager at Parkhead, it appears the hierarchy are turning their attentions to Howe once more.

Great news for supporters

If fans could choose between Keane and Howe, there would surely only be one option; the latter.

The news that the Manchester United legend could take charge of Celtic went down like a led balloon with fans according to Hoops podcaster Paul John Dykes and it was recently theorised the news was leaked in order to seek supporter opinion.

Dermot Desmond now has his answer; the masses don’t want him.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Therefore, the news that Howe is now a major candidate to take over should be great news. After all, the Englishman has a number of known qualities that could revive the Bhoys.

Howe has achieved plenty in his managerial career to date, taking Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League in two separate spells as boss.

He is also known as a meticulous thinker on the training ground, someone who takes charge of sessions and demands the very best from his players.

One of Howe’s ex-players, Simon Francis, once noted: “He is meticulous. He does not leave any stone unturned. And he instils that work ethic into the players. Because you know that he is buying into it. Not turning up late, not strolling out onto the training pitch late, he is always the first. You can never question anything he does.”

This is the polar opposite of Lennon, a manager who was rather shockingly still doing elements of Brendan Rodgers’ training.

He’d not only be an upgrade on the Northern Irishman, but he’d also be a much better option than Keane.

AND in other news, Celtic have already sold their Scott Brown heir, Rodgers thought he had “good ability”…

Speaking to football.london in a Q&A, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has shed light on Marcel Sabitzer and his possible move to north London this summer. 

The Austrian, who is believed to be a prime target for chairman Daniel Levy and manager Jose Mourinho, has impressed in the Bundesliga but hasn’t signed a contract extension with RB Leipzig.

Gold drops enticing Tottenham summer transfer message

This could put the Lilywhites in a strong negotiating position given his current deal expires in 2022, as Leipzig potentially risk losing him as a free agent at the end of next season.

However, as Spurs reportedly take a keen interest, one supporter seemed concerned whether the 27-year-old would still be a target if the club part ways with under-fire boss Mourinho.

Gold, responding to this query, candidly explained that Sabitzer will be chased regardless of who is at the helm.

“I believe Sabitzer is a target that Spurs have long admired and is also someone Mourinho likes,” explained the journalist (via football.london).

“He would be someone they attempt to sign in the summer regardless of who is manager.”

Transfer Tavern take

News that Spurs will likely be targeting the midfielder, a stance irrelevant to Mourinho’s position, could come as music to the ears of some supporters.

He’s averaged an impressive 2.1 shots and 1 key pass per 90 in Germany this season from midfield, all whilst notching six goals and two assists (WhoScored).

Tottenham arguably still haven’t replaced Christian Eriksen’s creative influence in midfield since the Dane’s departure, with Giovani Lo Celso often in and out the side due to injury.

If Spurs land Sabitzer this summer, the signing could propel Mourinho’s side to another level.

In other news: BBC pundit says these four first teamers will leave Spurs, find out more here.

Chelsea earned themselves a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, which should give Thomas Tuchel’s side a great chance of progressing to the Champions League final when the two sides meet again at Stamford Bridge next week.

Christian Pulisic gave the Blues an early lead at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium as he latched on to Antonio Rudiger’s long ball before keeping his composure to round former Chelsea man Thibaut Courtois and fire into the net.

However, it wouldn’t take the hosts too long to level, as Karim Benzema showed the goalscoring instinct that Timo Werner lacked earlier in the game to fire home an emphatic volley after it broke to him in the box.

Unfortunately for the German international, it was another disappointing performance on Tuesday night as he struggled to get involved at all, whilst he also missed a great early chance as he inexplicably volleyed straight at Courtois when found by Pulisic inside the six-yard box.

As per SofaScore, the former RB Leipzig man would earn a disappointing 6.6/10 rating for his performance, which was the joint-worst rating, along with Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva, of any outfield Chelsea player who started the game.

During his 66 minutes on the pitch, the 25-year-old striker had just 21 touches of the ball, which was the least of any player who started the game, including Chelsea shot-stopper Edouard Mendy, who had 24.

Werner also managed to complete just seven passes during the game, which is significantly worse than the 20.3 passes he has averaged per game in the Champions League this season, which emphasises just how little he was involved on Tuesday evening.

The summer signing, who was dubbed “frustrating” by Rio Ferdinand earlier in the season, also failed to contribute a single dribble or key pass during his time on the pitch, which again suggests that he needs to do more in Chelsea’s build-up play.

Considering the Blues’ impressive start to the game which could have seen them establish a more comfortable lead, you could definitely argue that Werner let Tuchel down because of his inability to finish and his general ineffectiveness in Madrid. If he had performed better, Chelsea would be taking more than one away goal back to the Bridge.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who made 561 appearances for Wolves, believes Raul Jimenez will be able to come back the same player despite fracturing his skull earlier this season, but thinks we’ll have to wait until next season to see the Mexican in full flow.

Jimenez suffered a fractured skull against Arsenal in November last year but is now back doing some training with the first team as he speeds up his recovery, and potentially aiming to get some game time before the end of the season.

The Mexican’s injury has left a huge void in Wolves’ side which has been clear to see by their results and performances this season with Jimenez being the club’s talisman and a Nuno Santo favourite, having netted 47 times in 110 games for the Midlands side.

Speaking on how the £31.5m-rated Jimenez may come back after his injury and if we will see the same player which Wolves relied so heavily on before his injury, Bull told FFC exclusively:

“I think it’s going to be tough because once you’ve been hit in the head with a 10-tonne hammer and you’ve cracked your skull, you’re going to be wary.

“I’ve interviewed him a few times and he is very mentally prepared, so I think he’ll be very cautious when he first starts playing.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“I think he will come back the same player. However, I doubt it will be this season. I think it’ll be next season because I think Nuno will gradually break him in this season to get his confidence up, and then get him ready for next year.”

Despite not playing since November, Jimenez is still Wolves’ third top scorer with four, only behind Ruben Neves and Pedro Neto who both have five respectively.

In his two previous seasons with Wolves, Jimenez had reached scored 13 and 17 goals respectively. However, he also registered eight and six assists across those two campaigns highlighting how important the Mexican is for Wolves’ general game plan to work.

Leeds United have been linked with central defender Nicolas N’Koulou as they head into the summer transfer window. The Whites are browsing for new defensive personnel to stack up their options after injury woes have left them short this season.

For a large chunk of the 2020/21 campaign, Marcelo Bielsa has been without summer recruits Robin Koch and Diego Llorente due to their respective fitness problems. This has forced the boss to deploy Luke Ayling at centre-back and whilst he has been reliable in an unfamiliar role, Bielsa cannot rely on him for the inevitable. It’s paramount that Leeds assert their dominance once again on the transfer market and make sure that they are fully prepared for another exciting season in the Premier League.

Calciomercato reports that N’Koulou is on Bielsa’s radar, having already worked with him in Marseille (via TEAMtalk). Currently at Torino, the defender is close to running down his current contract and will become a free agent in the summer, nulling his £6.3million valuation. Despite racking up a total of 128 appearances for his current club, he has somewhat struggled for game time this season, being demoted to the bench for 11 Serie A fixtures, as per Transfermarkt.

Should Leeds sign Nicolas N’Koulou?

With Bielsa already clued up on N’Koulou’s attitude and style of play, he is an ideal scoop for Leeds. With 72 caps for his native Cameroon as well, he is a typical veteran of the game both domestically and internationally.

Looking closer at his stats, WhoScored shows that the 30-year-old has averaged more interceptions and clearances than both Liam Cooper and Koch this season, as well as giving away the least amount of fouls per game. He averages the same amount of blocks as Koch and N’Koulou also boasts a higher passing accuracy out of the three.

For Andrea Radrizzani, it should be an easy decision when looking at a proven international who has already worked with Bielsa and won’t cost him a penny come the summer. The Whites need to add depth to their squad and it should be easy work to entice a free agent to the Premier League to play for a very exciting club that could push for Europa League football.

In other news, Leeds must prepare to sign replacement for exit-linked Struijk…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Tottenham captain Gary Mabbutt has backed his old side to overcome the challenge of Dinamo Zagreb before securing a positive result against Arsenal in the north London derby.

Jose Mourinho’s side take on the Croatian outfit in the first leg of their last-16 Europa League tie then follow that up with a trip to the Emirates to face their rivals in a big week for the club.

And Mabbutt, who rates the squad Mourinho has at disposal very highly, is confident they can pick up some good results.

Discussing the upcoming fixtures in an exclusive interview with FFC, Mabbutt said:

“Don’t even look at the form book at the moment.

“I would look at his players and the group of players and the way those players are playing as individuals and as a team, the confidence within the squad, the camaraderie within the squad, and I think we have all of those. So, you know, I’d be going into these games with confidence that we can get two positive results.”

Indeed, the north London club have certainly been performing of late after a difficult period, with Gareth Bale being one player who has really stepped up during this resurgence.

The Welshman was on fire in that recent 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace, managing to grab two goals for himself. And he was joined by a usual suspect in Harry Kane, who was also able to find the back of the net on two occasions.

If both players can carry this sort of form into the games against Dinamo Zagreb and Arsenal, then there is a good chance that Mourinho will get the results he wants from these two important fixtures.

Reliable Irons insider ExWHUemployee claimed on The West Ham Way podcast earlier this week that FC Porto striker Moussa Marega is being lined up for a potential move to the London Stadium.

Hammers boss David Moyes should be urging David Sullivan to seal a summer switch for the soon-to-be free agent in order to land proven support for Michail Antonio without breaking the bank.

The claret and blue side will have to target a striker in the next transfer window after Moyes opted against using the £20m made from Sebastien Heller’s move to AFC Ajax to bring in a replacement during the winter market.

West Ham’s decision to keep £15m-20m aside for the summer left Antonio as Moyes’ only senior striker, and require Andriy Yarmolenko and Jarrod Bowen to occupy centre-forward roles on occasion.

Marega could join that group in the off-season with his £34,000-per-week Porto contract due to expire in June, and ExWHUemployee suggesting that his situation has caught the interest of the Hammers.

Recent reports in Turkey had suggested that Fenerbahce have offered Marega a €1.5m-a-season (£25k-per-week) deal to join the Super Lig giants, although O Jogo have since poured cold water on the claims.

A source close to Marega is said to have informed the Portuguese publication that the Mali international is waiting to see what other offers arrive between now and the end of the season, with Porto open to a new contract but on lesser terms.

Marega, who Porto boss Sergio Conceicao described as a “competitive beast” earlier in the year, will turn 30 in April and has always had aspirations of one day playing in the Premier League.

This summer could represent his last realistic chance of sealing a move to England, one which West Ham should look to present three years after Marega snubbed a deal due to his loyalty to Porto.

Marega may not be a prolific centre-forward with a high resale value given his age, but he would offer Moyes a wealth of European experience and depth, while still having funds spare to acquire a young and hungry centre-forward to further bolster West Ham’s ranks.

The £12.6m-rated summer free agent has represented Porto 182 times across all competitions over the past five seasons, scoring 71 times and providing 33 assists.

Twenty-two of those appearances have come in the Champions League, along with eight of his goals and seven assists, including one struck against Juventus in the last 16 to help eliminate the Serie A giants from this season’s edition of the tournament.

West Ham are in with a reasonable shot at qualifying for European football for next season with the Irons only two points outside of the top four places in the Premier League table, so a player like Marega – who has faced some of the best clubs in the world – would have an added bonus if targeted.

It is something Blackburn Rovers’ Adam Armstrong would not bring to the London Stadium in the summer, as Moyes’ alleged top striker target has only cut his teeth as a Championship sensation with just 15 games of top-flight experience to his name thus far.

AND in other news, West Ham are adamant a deal to sign a £100k-p/w “revelation” will be reached…

It appears Glasgow Rangers have been handed yet another transfer blow in their hopes of signing Wigan Athletic striker Kyle Joseph this month after it was revealed that he has suffered an injury and now faces a spell on the sidelines.

What’s the word?

With Jermain Defoe and Greg Stewart entering the twilight of their careers, Rangers have been linked with a number of strikers across Europe as Steven Gerrard seeks to breathe new life into his squad in January.

Joseph has been one such name, with reports in recent weeks revealing Rangers have entered the race to sign the teenage striker from Wigan, with Championship club Barnsley and Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur also among the interested parties.

The 19-year-old is out-of-contract at the end of the season and will be available to sign for free once his current deal expires in the summer. However, the League One strugglers find themselves in financial difficulty due to the unprecedented circumstances and could be persuaded to sell the Scotland U21 target man if he agrees a deal with another club.

But the best-laid plans often go awry, as The Sun’s Alan Nixon confirmed he has picked up an injury, which has seemingly ruled him out of a possible move this month.

Ross Wilson will have to wait

A dream move to his home country could’ve been on the cards for a teenager tipped for the very top by Leam Richardson.

It’s fair to say that Joseph has been one of the standout performers for the struggling Latics this season and with less than six months left to run on his current deal, he could’ve been in line to complete a move to the Govan side of Glasgow.

Yet, despite playing 70′ minutes on Tuesday in the 5-0 defeat to Blackpool, Nixon revealed he has sustained a knock which may have put paid to any potential transfer.

From what the journalist suggests, therefore, it sounds like he will be staying put at the DW Stadium as he works his way back to fitness, which will come as a big blow for Ross Wilson, who is making steps to reduce the squad’s average age, which is still high despite the pre-contract signings of Scott Wright and Jack Simpson.

Having a player like Joseph at their disposal could have been a shrewd investment for the future as Stewart seems destined for the Ibrox exit.

The centre-forward, who has scored five times in 16 appearances across all competitions this season, is held in high regard by his Wigan teammates with former Rangers youth prospect Kal Naismith effusive in his praise for Joseph.

He said: “He’ll be a top player, a really, really good player and he works his nuts off not just in the games but all week in training as well, he has a great appetite for the game and a great attitude – I enjoy playing with him, he did a lot of work for me in what was my first game back after not having a lot of training.”

AND in other news, Rangers can sign their Steven Davis successor in Bournemouth’s Nnamdi Ofoborh…

Sam Allardyce needs crucial additions at West Brom this January if he’s to even stand a chance at upholding the impressive feat of never being relegated from the Premier League, though one target is far from the answer next month…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Steve Madeley, the 66-year-old has former centre-back Mamadou Sakho high on his shortlist going into the transfer window.

The Frenchman is a player Big Sam signed for Crystal Palace from Liverpool in January 2017 for £26m, despite reported interest from then-Baggies boss Tony Pulis.

It’s claimed that he would command a sizeable loan fee as well as a commitment to pay the majority of his £100k-per-week wages, and there is even a prospect to buying him permanently after the loan should they stay up.

Transfer disaster?

It’s no secret that a new central defender should be among the top priorities for Allardyce in January, but perhaps he should be looking elsewhere to the hardly-seen 30-year-old.

Over the course of the past 18 months, Sakho has only managed to start 14 times for Roy Hodgson – for good reason too, he’s failed to average over 0.8 tackles or even 1.5 aerial duels won per game, via WhoScored.

For someone that is 6 foot 2 and was once a first-choice under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, that is a shocking return.

Earlier in the current campaign, Sakho came under fire from the Exiled Eagles podcast. One of the pundits dubbed the veteran a “liability,” he said via This is Futbol:

“At the time we signed him, I remember saying that that was not a signing the manager wants, that’s a signing [Steve] Parish made to appease the fans after the loan spell – simple as. He’s a liability, he’s gone downhill – another one – we cannot give him away. Who is going to sign him?”

Sakho is far from your conventional defender, a maverick who is more reckless than not – something backed up by his poor disciplinary record – and that is exactly what the Baggies need to steer clear of if they are to survive this current plight.

If Luke Dowling has any sense, he’ll reject this suggestion at the first point of asking.

AND in other news, West Brom exclusive: Sam Allardyce tipped to sign forgotten PL man in January…

Celtic are currently enduring their worst season in nine years. The Hoops were eager to reach their tenth consecutive Premiership title but a disappointing run of form has seen them fall to the sword of the unstoppable Rangers.

The reigning champions trail by a gargantuan 20 points after failing to live up to high expectations. Because of their poor run of form, Nick Hammond will need to seriously put in work once the January transfer window opens. Not only do the Bhoys need some fresh meat to bolster their squad, but they must try and keep hold of their flagship names.

Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer have both been linked to moves away from Parkhead in the past few months. The latter is seemingly wanted by several elite level clubs, including AC Milan who were plotting a potential move last summer, according to the Daily Record, while the same source provided another update on a possible switch to Italy last month.

The £10,000 per week centre-back is in high demand thanks to his colossal presence in Celtic’s backline. But as the Hoops continue to disappoint with their recent results, it seems that it’s only a matter of time before the Norway international leaves for pastures new.

If Lennon loses Ajer, he will be in a serious predicament. Celtic have been leaking goals at an alarming rate this season, shipping 19 in the Europa League and managing to put just four points on the board, finishing rock bottom of their group. They conceded the most amount of goals in the group stage of the competition, matched only by Ludogorets and Dundalk.

Ajer was recently one of the 14 senior players forced to self-isolate due to a positive Covid-19 test in the camp. Upon his return against Livingston last time out, the 22-year-old played out of position and occupied the right-back role. This was after Lennon dropped Diego Laxalt for Greg Taylor and also opted to leave Jeremie Frimpong on the bench.

According to Sofascore, Ajer completed an impressive five dribbles whilst operating on the right. This was higher than any other player on the pitch, which is a very impressive statistic considering his colossal 6 ft 5 frame.

His versatility has painted him in a different light and this will only make it even harder if he does decide to call it quits on his time with Celtic.

In other news, Celtic will be making huge mistake by signing James McCarthy…