All posts by n8rngtd.top

Despite having not yet been appointed as Celtic boss, Eddie Howe is reportedly already gathering a list of potential transfer targets and on it is Bournemouth defender Steve Cook.

According to The Sun, the former Cherries boss wants to bring the centre-back North of the border in what be a move that would hugely bolster their current options.

After all, Howe knows the 29-year-old extremely well having relied on him at the Vitality Stadium on several occasions, Cook going on to play 168 matches for the club in the Premier League following promotion in 2015.

It was even a relationship that led the manager to label the defender as “incredible” on numerous occasions.

Whilst not playing at the top level anymore, Cook continues to turn in some excellent performances.

[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!”]

He has made 39 appearances for the Cherries in all competitions this season, captaining the club as they attempt to make an instant return to the Premier League.

Although one downside could be his wages, as he’s amongst their highest earners on a reported £45k-per-week on the south coast.

According to WhoScored, he is averaging 0.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game this season, whilst also contributing 0.7 blocks and a huge 4.3 clearances. They are certainly numbers that would see him become a massive defensive presence at Celtic Park.

After all, the Hoops could certainly do with adding to their centre-back options.

Shane Duffy looks likely to return to parent club Brighton and Hove Albion following the expiry of his loan deal, whilst the likes of Christopher Julien and Kristoffer Ajer continue to be linked with switches away from Celtic.

Cook then could be the perfect addition.

Rated at £6.3m but available on a free transfer come the end of the 2020/21 season, the Hoops must make a move for the Bournemouth man should Howe arrive at the club as expected.

AND in more news, take a look at which current on-loan star the Hoops must sell in the summer…

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan is the latest to heap praise on Stuart Dallas following his weekend heroics.

Marcelo Bielsa picked up arguably their best win of the season on Saturday afternoon, clinching a dramatic 2-1 triumph away to Manchester City. Liam Cooper’s red card just before the interval saw Leeds have to battle with 10 men for more than half the game, but they dug deep at the Etihad Stadium.

Dallas was the hero on the day, scoring both of his side’s goals, including the stoppage time winner, as he again outlined his importance.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Dallas lauded by Whelan

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Premier League attacker Whelan waxed lyrical over the 29-year-old, describing him as an ‘incredible’ player:

“Just simply immense. He was my player of the year last season and he hasn’t let up since then. He has been exactly the same this year. The man is just incredible for Leeds United.

“Everything you want from a player, he has got: character, desire, hunger and professionalism. The last goal highlights that.

“He was busting a gut to get forward having done so much defensive work. He should have been drained and shattered but what a run.

“He is Mr. Leeds at the moment. Dallas can do no wrong, whatever position you play him in. His fitness levels are through the roof. When you are shattered, to produce a finish and run like that… Wow, incredible.”

Transfer Tavern take

Dallas may not be the most fashionable footballer, but there is no denying how influential he is for Leeds, proving to be such a key cog in the machine. His match average of 2.2 successful tackles is the fifth-highest at Elland Road, while just two players can better his 53 passes per game (WhoScored).

His versatility makes him a priceless squad member, allowing him to thrive in several positions, and his fitness levels and eye for goal – he has scored seven times in the league this season, joint-second at Leeds to Patrick Bamfod – also stand out.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa is set to build his team around one player next season – find out who it is here.

Former Leicester City striker Brian Deane has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that Kelechi Iheanacho should not be in the Player of the Season conversation despite the incredible run of form he is on.

This comes after Adrian Durham suggested on talkSPORT that the 24-year-old should be in contention for the award.

Iheanacho has come to life in this second half of the season, really finding himself among the goals of late. He bagged a hat-trick against Sheffield United in March and recently registered in the FA Cup semi-final versus Southampton, displaying his quality.

Evidently, his form has not gone unnoticed. Deane, albeit impressed, though, is not too sure about Player of the Season shouts.

On whether Iheanacho should be included in such talk, the ex-Leicester player told TT:

“Look, every time I see him now, it’s like a different player. You know, some of the goals he’s scoring are just ridiculous.

“He’s put [Jamie] Vardy in, he’s put other people in and he’s playing like a Rolls-Royce at the moment. But, no, I don’t think it would be fair to say he’s a Player of the Year [contender].

Given Iheanacho made very little impact during the first half of the campaign, often forced to settle for a role on the bench, you can understand why some may feel Player of the Season talk is a bit of a stretch.

If Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores one more goal this season, he will join a very elite club at Goodison Park.

In the Premier League era, only two Everton players have scored more than 20 goals in a single campaign across all competitions.

For all of you trivia experts out there, you’ll be able to name Romelu Lukaku and Yakubu as the lucky individuals to manage such an accomplishment.

Lukaku managed to rack up more than 20 strikes in three consecutive campaigns but not since 2017 have the Toffees had a consistent scorer.

Calvert-Lewin finished last term as their top marksman with 15 but this season he has played like a man possessed.

Signed for just £1.5m from Sheffield United in 2016, he spent his first campaign in the shadows of Lukaku.

After the Belgian powerhouse departed, he has been afforded plenty of opportunities but Marco Silva struggled to ever get the best out of the forward.

He scored 16 goals across the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons but he’s come alive under Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian has extracted unprecedented levels from Calvert-Lewin and has helped him reach a level in his game that he probably never thought he had.

The 24-year-old has bagged 19 times this term and as a result, has seen his value rise astronomically.

He is now worth £40.5m according to Transfermarkt, a rise of £39m from when he signed five years ago. It is also an increase of £13.5m from what he was valued at just 13 months ago.

It has been quite the journey for Calvert-Lewin over the past year but it’s easy to summarise why he’s valued so highly.

The striker scores goals on a regular basis and is now a regular in the England set-up. Such is his wonderful campaign that he’s also found the net on four occasions in seven outings for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions.

He may have to usurp Harry Kane in order to become England’s main striker but the £72k-per-week earner is surely a shoo-in for a place at this summer’s European Championships.

A physical forward, Calvert-Lewin knows how to stretch defences while he can also come short and hold the ball up. The forward is also a mesmeric sight in the air, rising like a salmon to emphatically head home.

In the words of his teammate Richarlison, he is the “complete striker.”

In an interview with FIFA (via talkSPORT), the Brazilian said: “I remember when I got here he was nothing like the player he is today.

“It’s down to the work he’s put in. He’s in the gym every day, he’s always working on his finishing. And playing under [Carlo] Ancelotti he’ll keep getting better and better.”

Richarlison added: “He’s had a superb start to the season and without doubt deserved his England call-up. He must be a nightmare to play against and he has an incredible leap on him like Cristiano Ronaldo.”

To be compared to a player like that sums up how far Calvert-Lewin has come in the last few years. He’s not quite an elite striker yet but he is very quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

AND in other news, Everton could finally replace Idrissa Gueye by signing £27m beast who “has it all”…

According to recent reports, Glasgow Rangers are plotting a deal for a top-class centre-forward this summer, should Alfredo Morelos leave Ibrox.

The report by Football Insider claims that Rangers sources have revealed that the club’s recruitment team are assessing a number of potential targets in the upcoming transfer window, and are “laying the groundwork” for a “blockbuster” signing in anticipation of Morelos’ potential departure this summer.

One target mentioned is Peterborough United centre-forward, Jonson Clarke-Harris, who has scored a quite remarkable 25 goals, as well as providing three assists, over his 37 League One appearances so far this season, with the 26-year-old averaging a highly impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.29 – with Darren Ferguson dubbing the Posh hitman an “outstanding” player.

Last weekend, Football Insider reported that Rangers had sent scouts to watch the £225k-rated striker in Peterborough’s recent clash with Accrington Stanley, a game in which Clarke-Harris undoubtedly impressed, bagging a hat-trick in a 7-0 win.

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering the fact that Rangers were heavily linked with a move for the then-Peterborough striker, Ivan Toney, last summer, only for the 25-year-old to eventually join Brentford, where he has scored 28 goals and provided nine assists over 36 Championship appearances so far this season, it would appear as if there is a very clear lesson for Rangers to learn from their failed attempts to lure Toney.

Unless the club want to miss out on another diamond in the rough, it would appear highly advisable that Rangers’ transfer team should be doing all they can to convince Clarke-Harris of a move to Ibrox, which could lead the 26-year-old becoming the “blockbuster” signing Gers are looking for this summer.

In other news: this ‘superb’ £6.2k-p/w star lifted the lid on talks with the Rangers hierarchy – find out more here!

Noel Whelan believes Steven Gerrard will be ecstatic to hear of interest in Glasgow Rangers ace Ianis Hagi.

Whelan discusses Hagi

Hagi, who only signed for the Gers last summer on a permanent basis from Genk, is said to be of interest to Lazio – it is has even been suggested they would pay €13m (£11.3m) for his services (Sport.ro).

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan thinks Gerrard will be happy with this interest. He said when asked if it would be a blow to lose the Romania international:

“Yeah, it would be.

“Gerrard will be extremely ecstatic about how every squad player is being targeted. Even those who haven’t been playing regularly. 

“Hagi’s been in the squad and had to fill in at times but the way he’s gone about his professionalism, his job, his performances, I think that shows the harmony Rangers have.

“It also shows Gerrard’s man-management skills. It’s not easy to keep players happy when they’re not playing and to still get that top performance out of them.

“Will he let him go though? He’s been so influential off the bench and when he’s been given an opportunity. Gerrard will see a future for him at Rangers.”

Future at Ibrox

Hagi has not been a regular starter for the 55-time Scottish champions and has come in for criticism at times from Rangers supporters, but he has enjoyed a solid first full campaign at the club. He has managed seven goals and 13 assists throughout the term (Transfermarkt), which is far from a poor record.

This has been a successful season for Rangers as they have clinched the Premiership title – their first major trophy in 10 years – and that has led to speculation surrounding plenty of the club’s players. While interest in Hagi shows the 22-year-old himself and Gerrard have done something right, the former Liverpool captain will surely be looking to hold on to the youngster at least for another season.

In other news, Gerrard makes this transfer admission.

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Graham Roberts has told Football FanCast that the players at the club will have rebelled against Jose Mourinho’s methods, leading to his sacking.

Spurs confirmed on Monday that they had sacked the ex-Chelsea boss after a dramatic slide down the table.

Towards the end of 2020, Spurs were top of the Premier League, but they are currently seventh, and have won just one of their last six games in all competitions.

Mourinho appeared to fall out with a number of players, jettisoning both Harry Winks and Dele Alli from his team, and giving Gareth Bale precious few chances to prove his worth while on loan from Real Madrid.

And Roberts believes that the decisions that Mourinho made in terms of man-management will have alienated the squad.

Indeed, he has told FFC that the manager’s methods are outdated, even though he thought that Mourinho would bring success to north London when he was first appointed.

He said: “I think there was pressure. I think it’s come inside the club as well from players, leaving players out, so I’ve got to say, when he joined, I thought he was a good appointment, I thought we would win trophies but football’s gone forward now, you can’t aggravate players, because they’re all mates.

“If you upset one or two, the next one thinks, ‘well, you’re going to upset me’.”

There may only be two games left of the current season but for Celtic, they cannot afford to be on the beach just yet.

This Hoops side have had a disastrous campaign but they need to show their supporters that there is something to be positive about heading into next season.

After the Bhoys’ 4-1 drubbing last time out, there is an even greater need to respond.

A clash against St Johnstone on Wednesday evening presents the ideal opportunity to do so but they will have to do it without two of the club’s mainstays in recent months.

John Kennedy has a few selection issues so how could Celtic shape up this evening? Here’s our predicted XI…

We’re tipping the interim manager to make three changes to the side that was hammered against Rangers last time out.

Teo of the replacements are enforced, firstly with experienced midfielder Callum McGregor missing through suspension.

He was shown a red card against the Gers and is unavailable to be picked in midweek. Consequently, Ismaila Soro returns to the fray to earn his first start under Kennedy and his first start since February.

There is also a rare outing for Vasilis Barkas. The Greek goalkeeper has had a troublesome first campaign at Parkhead but with Scott Bain injured, he earns his chance.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-mcgregor-mccann-tierney” title=”Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Barkas hasn’t played since January so could be a tad rusty as he looks to prove his worth to the Green Brigade.

The third and final change is at right-back where Anthony Ralston plays for only the second time all season in the first-team.

Ralston’s only appearance in 2020/21 came during the 0-0 draw with Livingston all the way back in January but with £15k-per-week Jonjoe Kenny so out of form, he gets an opportunity.

The latter has been particularly abject of late, being described as a “horror show” by podcaster Paul John Dykes after Celtic lost to Rangers in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

With nothing to play for, Kennedy may as well throw a few fresh faces into the line up this week.

AND in other news, Forget Brown: Celtic must axe £15k-p/w “nightmare”, he lost possession 21x last week…

According to a report by ‘transfer insider’ Graeme Bailey, writing for TEAMtalk, West Ham United and GSB have been watching Championship forward Daryl Dike closely – who has impressed on loan at Barnsley from MLS side Orlando City.

West Ham eyeing Dike

The 20-year-old, having already earned an international cap for the USA national team, has turned plenty of heads since his arrival in England – scoring five goals so far after joining on loan in early February.

Barnsley also have an option-to-buy clause inserted into the temporary deal at £17 million with a 20% sell-on – but only promotion to the Premier League is likely to tempt the Yorkshire side into activating it.

It is understood by Bailey, writing for TEAMtalk, that Dike has attracted interest from half of the English top flight, with GSB and West Ham among the sides taking note of his exploits at Oakwell.

Transfer Tavern take

Dike has received plenty of plaudits through the media, plenty of which come from one of his former coaches in the United States, George Gelnovatch.

Indeed, Gelnovatch oversaw his development at College side Virginia Cavaliers and quickly noticed his sky high potential – branding him ‘relentless competitor’ and ‘ruthless guy’ (ScoreCiti.com).

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 2, Dike’s swift adaptation to life in England has prompted interest from West Ham – but only time will tell whether they take it a step further.

In other news: West Ham fans buzzed at this news, find out more here.

Manchester United earned another three Premier League points as they overcame Burnley 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday.

A brace from Mason Greenwood was added to with a late strike from Edinson Cavani, securing victory for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils despite James Tarkowski briefly giving the hosts a scare.

Greenwood was in exhilarating form throughout the afternoon, giving the Clarets a constant headache and continuing his hot form. He has now scored in each of his last three Premier League games, taking his season haul to nine goals in all competitions.

His strikes were of completely different types as he first scored lethally after an extremely clever dummy from Bruno Fernandes.

Meanwhile, his second strike, a late one with just five minutes of normal time remaining, was a left-footed effort that took a deflection off of Jack Cork and ended up settling into the far corner. The 19-year-old will certainly not be disgruntled by that though.

Away from his two goals, Greenwood, who earns £75k per week at Old Trafford, was a constant threat to Burnley.

He managed to have five shots throughout the game according to WhoScored, managing to get three on target which was more than any other player who took to the pitch.

His threat was not just in his efforts towards the goal though. The forward also produced one key pass and a dribble, whilst also attempting a further cross.

Greenwood was also highly effective in the air for the Red Devils too. He won two aerial duels against the Clarets, only Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba winning more in the entire Manchester United team.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news-from-old-trafford-lingard-de-gea-pogba-bailly-johnstone” title=”The latest Man United transfer rumours and news from Old Trafford…”]

Having hailed Greenwood as “top class” just a few weeks ago, Solskjaer will certainly be thrilled with another excellent performance from the striker as he continued his fantastic form in the Premier League.

AND in more news, read how one of Manchester United’s recent signings has seen his transfer rating tumble at Old Trafford…