All posts by h716a5.icu

According to The Liverpool Echo’s Phil Kirkbride, Everton right-back Jonjoe Kenny is heading to Celtic on a loan deal.

What’s the story?

With Jeremie Frimpong having sealed his transfer move to Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen, Neil Lennon has been left without a natural at right-back, with Anthony Ralston clearly not in favour.

Now, Kirkbride has claimed that Kenny could be the man Lennon has turned to solve his problem, and that with the Toffees unable to agree a permanent deal with fellow Premier League side Burnley, the 23-year-old looks set to head north of the border to join Celtic for the rest of the season.

Lennon will be buzzing

With the Hoops’ main rivals for Kenny’s signature out of the way, Celtic appear to have been handed a major boost in their bid to land the £6.3m-rated Kenny, and thus solve their crisis at right-back.

Kristoffer Ajer, predominantly a centre-half, has had to fill in there, and whilst he hasn’t exactly put a foot wrong, it certainly isn’t a long-term solution for Lennon.

In Kenny however, Celtic will be getting a man described as an “outstanding talent”, and one that has built up some top-level experience by playing for Bundesliga side Schalke last season – he played 31 times in the German top flight for the Gelsenkirchen outfit.

A loan deal just helps tide things over for Lennon until the summer, when they can focus on bringing some more permanent additions to the squad. For now, needs must, and Kenny’s signing would represent a solid capture.

As Celtic look to kick-start a new chapter in their history, Neil Lennon will be looking around for ways of building a more exciting future at Parkhead.

Ismaila Soro looks to be the kind of midfield prospect who the Hoops can rely on in the engine room, but getting a deal done for Sheffield Wednesday starlet Liam Shaw could give them the perfect partner for the 22-year-old.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has claimed that the Bhoys have expressed interest in signing Shaw, and that the 19-year-old would be available on a pre-contract now, although Wednesday are in talks with him over a new deal.

Dubbed a “very, very promising young player” by his old manager at Sheffield Wednesday, Tony Pulis, Shaw has begun to establish himself in the Championship side’s starting eleven over the past couple of months.

He’s featured in nine of out of the Owls’ last ten games in the league, including starting and completing the full 90 minutes in the previous matches against Middlesbrough and Derby.

Shaw’s ability to play as both a centre-back and in central midfield would give Lennon added flexibility, with his former Owls boss, Garry Monk saying of his versatility: “He has got the capability of playing everywhere. I am not 100 per cent sure what is going to be his final position. But what I do know with him is he definitely has the capabilities of playing in midfield and centre-back.”

Partnering him in the engine room alongside Soro would give Celtic a real strong presence that would compliment the Ivory Coast ace.

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 2, Shaw has won 3.3 duels per game in the Championship this season, with the 5 foot 8 Soro winning 4.5 per match. That little and large partnership would be almost akin to an N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic style seen at Chelsea, with both capable of sticking their foot in and screening the back four well.

Nick Hammond could clinch a perfect partner for Soro in Shaw.

Meanwhile, Celtic can clinch a bargain deal for this one League One sensation…

Glasgow Rangers will be looking to get back to winning ways on Saturday when they host Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.

Steven Gerrard’s side stumbled for the first time in four domestic games after being held to a 1-1 draw by Hamilton Academical at New Douglas Park.

However, Rangers will be without Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe and Jermain Defoe when Gerrard’s side return to Premiership action against Kilmarnock this weekend.

Roofe became the latest Rangers forward to give the manager a headache after being banned by the Scottish FA for two games after a challenge on Murray Davidson against St Johnstone.

With Morelos also suspended and Defoe having missed the past few games due to injury, Glasgow Live claims Cedric Itten is expected to lead the line in their absence.

Defoe did not play in the 1-1 draw with Hamilton and given they are playing a similar level of opposition, this could be a chance for the 24-year-old gem to stake a claim for a starting spot in Gerrard’s first XI.

Itten started against the Accies but struggled to make much of an impression, before being replaced by Roofe in the second half, only for this to backfire tremendously as he also failed to find the back of the net.

The 3-cap Swiss international has only featured for a grand total of 853 minutes this season, including a brief cameo against Celtic as well as just three starts in the Scottish Premiership, per Transfermarkt.

However Gerrard has previously expressed his admiration for the highly-rated 6 ft 2 Rangers starlet after the 4-0 win against Ross County. He said: “I thought Cedric was magnificent for his goal and he is a big help knowing that he can help kill teams off.

“He will get enough starting games and he will get enough cameos coming on and he will be a big, important player for us moving forward.”

Both Morelos and Roofe are suspended, whilst Defoe is also a doubt for the upcoming fixture, Itten could keep his place upfront in-between Ryan Kent and Ianis Hagi, as it would be wise to give him a run of games before the Europa League returns next month.

Standing well over 6 ft 2 in tall, the towering colossus should have no trouble filling in for the aforementioned trio, as he’s already given Rangers fans a glimpse of what he has to offer the first team in the past. After all, he opened the scoring against Lech Poznan in the Europa League from the centre-forward position.

In the absence of his more experienced teammates, it’s time for Itten to step up to the plate.

AND in other news, Rangers outcast Brandon Barker sends Steven Gerrard timely reminder…

Celtic may now be without Neil Lennon but that hasn’t stopped them thinking about ways to improve their chances in the SPFL next season.

Liam Shaw has reportedly agreed a pre-contract with the Bhoys but other rumours are busy swirling around.

On the chalkboard

Mo Elyounoussi has once again been linked with a permanent move to Glasgow with his value plummeting to around £5m.

However, another winger on their radar is thought to be Burnley’s Robbie Brady. The Bhoys tried to land the 29-year-old on a free transfer last summer before he signed a one-year contract extension at Turf Moor.

He is out of contract again in a few months time and it looks as though Celtic could revive their interest in the Irishman this summer.

If they do indeed pursue him, it would be a quick way to save millions in the transfer market.

Elyounoussi on the way out?

A massive rebuilding job will present itself to whoever the new Celtic manager is. As many as 12 players could walk out the door in the summer and one of those is Elyounoussi.

The Norwegian is only on loan from Southampton at the moment and is currently in his second stint with the club. However, a third-year at Parkhead feels like it could be out of the picture.

That’s because a move for Brady could all but end his career at the club. The Irish winger, someone who’s earned immense praise from former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill, is capable of playing in similar positions.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-on-celtics-managerial-vacancy” title=”Check out the latest on Celtic’s managerial vacancy!”]

Brady has played on the right of midfield for Burnley this term but has enjoyed a productive career on the left-hand side for the most part, being hailed for his delivery of the ball by O’Neill.

That being said, the 29-year-old’s numbers are some way down on what Elyounoussi has provided. He is Celtic’s second top scorer this season with 13 strikes for instance.

Losing him, therefore, would surely be a blow? It would say a lot about Celtic’s ambition and where they are as a club if they opt for a free agent with one goal all season compared to a free-scoring winger worth £5m.

Of course, they’d be wise to learn from the mistake of forking out on Vasilis Barkas but Elyounoussi is proven in Scottish football. Even if Brady has 54 caps to his name, it’s hard to suggest he’d be an upgrade on the Norwegian attacker.

AND in other news, Desmond could revive Celtic by hiring “very smart” 47 y/o, he’s shades of Rodgers…

After tasting defeat to ten-man Sheffield United in mid-week, Aston Villa would no doubt have been keen to get back to winning ways when Wolves came to town on Saturday night.

Dean Smith’s side have seen their momentum stall somewhat in the Premier League over these past few weeks, with the 0-0 draw against Wolves meaning they have picked up just one win in their past five top-flight games.

And, one man who really let his manager down was Bertrand Traore.

The Burkina Faso international, like Villa, has been in a bit of a rut in recent weeks, and should have been dropped based on his real lack of form – he’d managed just one goal and one assist in his past eight games before the clash against Wolves.

His display against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side just added another piece of evidence of why Smith might be wise to take him out of the firing line as he delivered a completely anonymous display.

As per Sofascore, he had fewer touches than goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, which really told the story of just how ineffective he was over the course of the game, with Wolves’ back-five finding it easy to just squeeze him out.

He failed to complete a single dribble, a far cry from his season average in the Premier League of 1.2 per game. He also made the second-lowest amount of passes of any Villa starter, which would surely have frustrated his manager, who desperately needed the winger to try and provide some service for the likes of Ollie Watkins up top.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece said: “Showed some trickery and linked up with Elmohamady on occasion with the two working well against Saiss, Jonny and Traore.

“The winger wasn’t in the game enough here and was all too casual to allow Neto to cross as Coady struck the post. His knee jarred in the turf which forced his substitution in the second half. Villa’s forward play wasn’t there in the second half and Traore was, in truth, non-existent.”

If Villa are serious about finishing in a European place this season, 0-0 draws at home just aren’t going to cut it. And performances like the one delivered by Traore are nowhere near good enough.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith could rekindle a magic Villa partnership by signing this £36m-rated star…

Southampton face a tough trip to the Etihad on Wednesday evening where they’ll face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Premier League.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side picked up their first win in 10 Premier League games with a 2-0 victory at Bramall Lane at the weekend, whilst City saw their impressive winning run come to an end at the hands of arch-rivals Manchester United.

However, it will still be a huge ask for the Saints to come away with anything from the game on Wednesday night, as Guardiola possesses incredible strength in depth at City, and he will be more than happy to make changes after the slip up against the Red Devils at the weekend.

Unfortunately, injury problems have seriously exposed Southampton’s lack of strength in depth, and with several players having only just returned from injury against Sheffield United, the Austrian has hinted that the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters and Ibrahima Diallo could be rested against City.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line his side up against the champions-elect, with five changes from the team that started against Sheffield United…

Fraser Forster continues in goal after earning another clean sheet in the win at Bramall Lane.

There’s one change in defence, as Walker-Peters is rested. That sees Mohammed Salisu returning to the side at centre-back, with Jan Bednarek moving back to right-back.

There are three changes in midfield, as Takumi Minamino is rested after recovering from his own injury problems to play against Sheffield United, with Moussa Djenepo replacing him on the left, and hopefully, he can replace the Japanese international’s pressing intensity, with Jurgen Klopp dubbing him a “machine” for his work rate earlier in the season.

Stuart Armstrong also deserves a rest after featuring a lot recently, with Nathan Redmond coming in on the right-hand side.

If Diallo is also not risked at the Etihad, then it seems likely that Alexandre Jankewitz could replace him alongside James Ward-Prowse, and hopefully, the youngster has a more enjoyable trip to Manchester than his last one, where he was sent off within two minutes at Old Trafford.

Finally, in attack, Che Adams replaces the injured Danny Ings to start alongside Nathan Tella, who should keep his place after another impressive display against Sheffield United.

And, in other news… Deadwood: Hasenhuttl should axe £10.8m-rated flop if he wants to rebuild this summer

David Sullivan must strive to see West Ham United seal a deal with Watford for Craig Dawson, after David Moyes voiced his intent to retain the defender beyond his loan spell.

What’s the word?

Speaking following Monday’s 2-0 win over Leeds United, via quotes by football.london, Moyes praised Dawson for his performances and confirmed that he is likely to sign with the club on a permanent deal.

Dawson moved to the London Stadium on a season-long loan in October as a last-ditch domestic transfer, in a move long-said to include a £2m option to purchase.

Moyes has stated that the terms struck with Watford also include a clause dependent on the number of appearances Dawson makes throughout the 2020/21 campaign, a total which the £42,000-per-week enforcer is getting close to.

Monday’s affair marked the centre-half’s 14th outing with the Irons across all competitions, having featured in all bar one fixture since making his debut at Southampton in December.

Moyes now hopes to have the 30-year-old to call on next season, regardless of Dawson reaching the set number of games needed for the clause to be activated.

“There is a good chance, although we are not quite there yet, but there is a clause in it after a certain amount of games and we are getting very close to that number. His performances, his attitude and determination are certainly worthy of that anyway,” the Irons boss said.

“We brought him in, it took him a while until the Southampton game – I think it was – before he got a start, but that was because of the form of Fabian Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna – but he has come in and added goals to us as well and his experience has been really important, and he is playing really well this season.”

Should West Ham retain Dawson?

Moyes has clearly been impressed with what Dawson has brought to West Ham since October, and is rightly keen to retain the Watford enforcer who is not out of contract at Vicarage Road until 2023.

Thankfully for the Irons, they have a clause in their deal with the Hornets to purchase the £3.5m-rated titan after a set number of games. But Sullivan should be lining up a permanent switch even if, for whatever reason, Dawson fails to trigger the terms already agreed.

The Telegraph’s Matt Law lauded the defender for producing an “outstanding” performance against Leeds on Monday, having denied the Elland Road natives a goal despite a result being there for Marcelo Bielsa’s side to take.

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton also praised the impact Dawson has had on West Ham’s defence, telling BBC Radio 5 Live (8/3, 20:56): “West Ham had a dreadful defensive record last season, and I think that shows how important Craig Dawson has been. He is a calming influence on them.”

He offers more than just being a leader to his teammates too, with Dawson doing the gritty work to keep opponents out, such as his goal-line clearance to deny Leeds that BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks claimed “must have sickened” the Whites.

The display Dawson produced was typical of the 30-year-old in claret and blue, as he claimed a sixth Premier League clean sheet in 12 games as well as a third goal – West Ham only kept eight shut outs all season during the delayed 2019/20 campaign.

If Moyes and Sullivan were to suddenly pass up on keeping a player who has helped turn around the club’s fortunes so much, questions would rightly be raised.

AND in other news, West Ham eye summer swoop for £35k-p/w gem with “boundless energy”…f

Alasdair Gold could only slam the display of Serge Aurier as Tottenham Hotspur lost 3-0 away at Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Europa League, with the journalist dropping his player ratings after the match.

The bad result after extra time meant that Spurs went out of the competition after winning the first leg 2-0 at home, with plenty of players to point the finger at in the North London club’s dressing room.

Gold was particularly critical of the performance of Aurier, who was given a torrid time down his side by Mislav Orsic, who ended up scoring a quite sublime hat-trick for the Croatian outfit.

Writing in his latest player ratings piece for football.london, the journalist claimed that Aurier ‘struggled’ down his flank and gave Orsic ‘so much time and space’ to score his first goal.

Gold also pointed out that the former Paris Saint Germain man was ‘sloppy’ in attack as well, as he let Orsic breeze past him to complete his treble, giving him a mere 3/10 overall rating, the joint-lowest out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch along with Dele Alli.

Aurier struggled all night

As Gold points out, Aurier struggled to deal with Orsic, and his overall game was not the best at all for such an experienced player.

The Ivory Coast international lost out on three of his duels and also failed to block any shots or make any key passes in the match, while also losing possession of the ball no fewer than on 20 separate occasions, the fourth-most out of any Lilywhites player (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, he will have to perform much better than that if Jose Mourinho is going to keep him in the side in the longer term.

In other news, find out which global star Daniel Levy will be offered a chance to sign here!

Noel Whelan has slammed Glasgow Rangers’ Leon Balogun following his performance in the Old Firm derby on Sunday.

Whelan slams Balogun

Balogun was selected to play at right-back in the absence of James Tavernier against Celtic. In what was an unfamiliar position for the 32-year-old, he struggled to deal with the Bhoys’ attacks on that side of the back four.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan was particularly critical of the Nigerian’s display as he said:

“They massively missed Tavernier. If you’ve got a player like that missing, you’re missing your captain, your leader.

“You could see Celtic targeting that as well. They could see there was a weak link in the defence and that’s where it was.

“When you’re missing a key player like Tavernier, you’re gonna feel it. Celtic, fair play to them, they recognised that and used it to their advantage.

“I think it showed just how much they miss him and just how good he is in that department. He gives you everything, defensively, in midfield, quality going forward.”

Hard to disagree

There is no doubting that Balogun was out of his depth, as Whelan has hinted. He was taken off after just 56 minutes to be replaced by 19-year-old Nathan Patterson, who had been an injury doubt in the build-up to the game (Daily Record). Clearly, Steven Gerrard’s decision to play the Nigeria international in that role backfired, even though he did move to justify Balogun’s inclusion afterwards and praised him for his “fantastic” involvement in Alfredo Morelos’ equaliser (rangers.co.uk).

Obviously, the absence of James Tavernier is a big blow to the 55-time Scottish champions. With 17 goals and 15 assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt), he has been a huge attacking threat, while he has also contributed defensively to a team which has conceded just 10 goals in the league this season (BBC). Balogun may be an experienced defender, but he was always going to have a hard time replacing the Gers captain.

In other news, this Rangers man has been tipped to be the club’s Player of the Year.

The upcoming international break marks five years since Danny Drinkwater made his England debut whilst he was a player at Leicester City.

Fresh off of the Foxes’ title triumph and at the peak of his powers, he has since endured a dramatic fall from grace following his move to Chelsea.

His switch to Stamford Bridge is a chief example of the mastery and excellent decision making from Director of Football Jon Rudkin that has seen Leicester City become one of the transfer market masters in recent years.

Since earning promotion to the Premier League in 2014, the Foxes have raked in approximately £323m in transfer fees by selling key players all whilst seemingly still managing to improve their squad.

The Foxes sold Drinkwater for approximately £35m in 2017, then a club transfer record for Leicester – a fee which has consequently been eclipsed by the sales of Riyad Mahrez and Harry Maguire.

For context, it only took £40m for the Foxes to bring Youri Tielemans in from AS Monaco just two years after the Englishman left for the capital.

The two midfielders have certainly had completely different career trajectories since.

Whilst the Belgian has been key to the Foxes’ assaults on the UEFA Champions League places, Drinkwater has failed at Chelsea and has endured poor loan spells at Burnley and Aston Villa. He now finds himself stuck in the wilderness of the Turkish Super Lig with relegation-threatened Kasimpasa – about as far out of the England picture as it is possible to get.

Since his big-money move from Leicester, he has played just 34 matches. Tielemans meanwhile has taken to the pitch more than that in just the 2020/21 season alone.

From his reported £35m transfer fee, Drinkwater is now rated at just £2.88m – a dramatic fall for a player who is just 31 years of age.

Leicester then will be delighted that they elected to sell to Chelsea when they did, showing the type of timing that has only enhanced their sparkling reputation in the transfer market, especially as sellers, five years on from Drinkwater’s international bow.

AND in more news, have a look at which Foxes star could worry Rodgers with a potential absence from his national side…