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Celtic are reportedly closing in on the signing of Kawasaki Frontale defender Reo Hatate as the January transfer window approaches.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Mail (as relayed by the Daily Record), the Hoops are expected to bring the 24-year-old to Glasgow on a free transfer at the beginning of 2022.

Hatate’s contract is set to expire in January and he was left in tears as he said farewell to Frontale fans after their most recent title success, indicating that an imminent exit is on the cards.

Talks between Celtic and the attack-minded left-back are said to be “well down the road” as Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou continues his rebuild at Parkhead.

He would be a dream transfer for Ange

Securing Hatate’s signature could be a dream transfer for Postecoglou after the 56-year-old admitted that further reinforcements are needed following Thursday’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.

He said: “There is no doubt. We are still just four or five months into building a team and it was never going to happen in one transfer window.

“We know that we need more depth and players in certain areas that I think can help us to bridge the gap. You look at the Leverkusen side and they have quality all the way through.

“What we want to do is be able to compete at that level and we need to continue to look to improve our squad and add depth so that we can compete in lots of competitions.”

When taking into account just how impressive Hatate has been for Kawasaki Frontale in recent months, the former Japan under-21 international appears to be an ideal fit for Celtic’s ongoing revolution.

In his 29 J-League appearances throughout 2021, the £720k-rated gem bagged five goals and laid on a further two assists for his teammates, creating three big chances and providing 1.1 key passes per game along the way.

The player who Opta analyst Sacha Pisani claimed “has a rocket of a left foot” also impressed in the defensive aspect of his game, averaging 1.4 interceptions and 1.3 tackles per league match, while winning 5.3 duels per fixture.

Therefore, he could be an ideal acquisition over the winter as Celtic seek to reclaim their Premiership crown and end Rangers’ reign as Scottish champions.

In other news… Lost possession 21 times: £4.5m-rated Celtic passenger badly failed his manager v Leverkusen

Manchester United have received a boost in their prospective pursuit of Ajax manager Erik ten Hag as they continue to search for Ralf Rangnick’s long-term successor.

What’s the story?

Rangnick took charge of his first United game over the weekend after arriving at the club as an interim manager until the end of the season before taking up a consultancy role for the subsequent two years.

However, talk has already turned to who could replace the 63-year-old next summer, and Ten Hag appears to have opened the door to a potential switch, explaining that he feels he is ready for the next step in his managerial career. Speaking amid speculation with United, he said:

“I think I’m ready for it (to move to a top foreign club),” the Dutchman told de Volkskrant. “I would be happy to take up that challenge. But I’m not chasing it.

“If it turns out that that step will never come, I will not say that my coaching career has failed. But I think I have sufficient competencies to take on that challenge.”

Man Utd fans would love him

Current Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has been widely regarded as the favorite to take over the Old Trafford hot seat in recent months, but Ten Hag may prove to be a more appropriate appointment.

During his four-year stay at Ajax, the Dutch tactician has achieved a remarkable win percentage of 74% after coming out victorious in 139 of his 188 games in charge of the capital club.

Ten Hag has also shown himself to be capable of claiming silverware on a regular basis, winning two Eredivisie titles, two Dutch Cups and one Dutch Super Cup, while guiding Ajax to the Champions League semi-final in 2018/19.

And his entertaining style of play and success on the pitch has earned him several plaudits, including Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

“Erik (ten Hag) is rightly regarded as one of the most exciting coaching talents in world football at the moment because of the work he does with Ajax,” Klopp said in December 2020.

“Of course, it is a wonderful club – one of the stellar names of European football – but in this moment it is clear they have outstanding leadership of the organisation, and Erik is a big part of that.”

Meanwhile, former striker Pierre Van Hooijdonk lauded his ability to develop young players, citing the raft of exciting talent to be produced under his tutelage at the Johan Cruyff ArenA.

“What he is managing to do with such young players is remarkable,” former striker Van Hooijdonk told TV station NOS in May 2019 (as relayed by Planet Football).

“The likes of (Matthijs) De Ligt, (Frenkie) De Jong and (Donny) Van de Beek have only just come out of the academy and are already playing like veterans. Ten Hag deserves huge credit.”

Whether the United hierarchy make a move for Ten Hag at the end of the current campaign remains to be seen, but the club’s supporters would surely welcome his arrival with open arms.

The Red Devils fanbase would relish the 51-year-old’s arrival due to his reputation for playing fast, exciting, football, something the 20-time English champions have traditionally prided themselves in.

And, in other news…Murtough must seal MUFC deal for £40k-p/w beast who “fits exactly” what Rangnick wants 

Tottenham Hotspur chief Fabio Paratici must look to offload Steven Bergwijn amid interest in his signature ahead of the January transfer window.

The 24-year-old is reportedly wanted by Eredivisie champions Ajax this winter, just two years after joining from their top-flight arch-rivals PSV Eindhoven in a £25m deal.

It’s fair to suggest that the Dutch winger has been far from inspiring since his arrival and that much is reflected by the fact that he has played just 13 minutes under Antonio Conte, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo last month.

De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij even revealed that the Italian has previously rejected the chance to sign Bergwijn at Inter Milan and, since taking the helm in north London, he has barely spoken to the 24-year-old, which only goes to show how little his manager thinks of him.

“Conte is also the one who opposed Bergwijn’s transfer from PSV to Italy. Inter were an interested club at the time, but Conte did not need him. “Conte has only said two words to Bergwijn in two weeks at Tottenham Hotspur,” he told the Dutch newspaper’s podcast (via Sport Witness).

It’s not as if the £19.8m-rated dynamo was doing the business under Nuno or even Jose Mourinho, who was Tottenham’s manager at the time that he was signed. The Portuguese even revealed that he wasn’t keen to sign the player in quite a damning revelation during his time at Hotspur Way.

“Initially – and I’m always very honest on this – he wasn’t my first option when we decided to make a movement in the winter,” he told reporters (via the Evening Standard).

Indeed, it appears that Mourinho’s original fears have come to fruition as Bergwijn’s poor returns have seen him deliver only four goals and nine assists from 62 appearances, per Transfermarkt. That’s a direct contribution once every 244 minutes, which is pretty abysmal for an attacking player, even more so after averaging a goal or assist every 136 minutes at PSV.

That could suggest that he’s simply not up to the standard of the Premier League, as is often the case as the Dutch top-flight is some way off those levels. For instance, Sebastien Haller, who flopped at West Ham, is now scoring for fun at Ajax.

When factoring in his reported £73k-per-week wages, the Dutchman has cost Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and the club around £32.3m in total, meaning he has cost £8m per goal and £2.5m per goal or assist. Very poor value for money, it has to be said.

He is out of favour and isn’t in great nick either, as relayed by Lilywhites insider John Wenham to Football Insider, where he claimed that “Bergwijn has been terrible all season,” so it could be very wise to make a brutal decision to cut short his time in north London.

Ajax are reportedly keen, so Paratici and co would be foolish to not let him go for whatever they can recoup.

AND in other news, Conte could finally unlock Harry Kane with Spurs swoop for “incredible” 6 ft 1 beast…

BBC radio pundit Noel Whelan has been reacting to the news that Celtic will be without Jota for ‘a few weeks’.

The Lowdown: Jota’s form

The Portuguese maestro has been a regular under Ange Postecoglou after joining on loan on transfer deadline day over the summer, making 18 appearances in all competitions.

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The 22-year-old has been involved in 14 goals and picked up the Premiership Player of the Month award for October.

Celtic want to exercise their £6.5m option-to-buy clause for the winger before the end of the season as a result of his impressive form, but Postecoglou will be without Jota over the coming weeks.

The Latest: Jota out; Whelan reacts

The Hoops manager confirmed over the weekend that the 22-year-old will be missing for ‘a few weeks’ with a hamstring issue. Should that indeed turn out to be a fortnight, he could well be missing for the League Cup final with Hibernian on December 19; and if it extends into the New Year, he might also miss the derby against Rangers on January 2.

Whelan, who regularly contributes for BBC Radio, was talking to Football Insider about Jota’s injury. He labelled it as a ‘massive blow’ and described the attacker as ‘pivotal’ in recent months, saying:

“It’s a massive blow, he’s the one who is flying high at Celtic at the moment.

“He’s full of confidence, on loan and eager to make an impression – and the manager wants to keep him.

“Jota has been pivotal to their performances for the past couple of months – with goals, assists, creativity.

“To be missing him will be huge. Especially as you’re coming up to a big cup final. The tough fixtures over Christmas and the Old Firm game in January will also be in Postecoglou’s mind.

“You always want to have your best squad available for such massive games.”

The Verdict: Time for others to step up…

Jota has been a mainstay in the Celtic side due to his excellent displays, but his absence will now provide others with their chance to impress Postecoglou.

Mikey Johnston was handed a rare start against Dundee United in favour of Liel Abada, so you’d expect that the two youngsters could battle it out for a spot with Jota ruled out and James Forrest on the right.

Johnston and Abada may need to impress Postecoglou immediately if they want to feature more when Jota returns, though, and they could have up to four more games to do just that.

In other news: Sky Sports share more Celtic news with £20k-p/w colossus now ‘open’ to Parkhead exit

An exciting Newcastle United transfer update has emerged, regarding the upcoming January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Athletic journalist David Ornstein has claimed that the Magpies are not going to have a quiet month as they attempt to bolster Eddie Howe’s playing squad. It will be the club’s first opportunity to spend under their new ownership and they are seemingly set to make a splash in the water.

Speaking on The Athletic Football Podcast: Ornstein said:

“Newcastle are going to be busy. They’re in a mess and they genuinely have irons in fires.

“They are very actively looking and already trying to make moves in the market.”

Buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be buzzing with this update from Ornstein as it brings with it the prospect of an exciting month for the supporters in January.

There is no hiding away from how poor the Magpies have been this season and it is going to take some effort to turn things around in the second half of the campaign. They have picked up a measly 10 points from 16 Premier League matches so far and now face Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton before the turn of the year.

Only Norwich (34) have conceded as many goals as Newcastle, having played one game more, and only Burnley (1) have failed to pick up more wins than the Toon Army (1) in the league.

This highlights the severity of the situation and explains why it is vital that PIF hit the ground running and enjoy a successful transfer window. The facts are that the current playing squad have struggled this season under Steve Bruce, Graeme Jones and Howe, suggesting that there is a quality issue.

Therefore, reinforcements are needed and the club need to get them in as quickly as possible. English teams do not benefit from the luxury of a winter break to do their business without worrying about matches and the longer they wait to make signings the more points they could potentially miss out on.

This is why Newcastle fans will be buzzing with Ornstein’s claim that they already have ‘irons in fires’ as it reveals that work is well underway and that the owners will not be wasting any time heading into January.

They appear to be laying the necessary groundwork and supporters should be excited to see what they are able to do.

AND in other news, Forget Joelinton: “Complete” £70k-p/w Newcastle gem has been revived under Howe…

A number of Liverpool fans have bemoaned Divock Origi’s injury absence ahead of the Reds’ Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Leicester City.

The Belgian has become a hugely popular figure at Anfield down the years, etching his name into Liverpool folklore time and time again.

Origi has been famed for scoring some truly iconic goals during Jurgen Klopp’s tenure, including a double at home to Barcelona in the 2018/19 Champions League semi-finals and a goal in the final over Tottenham.

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Most recently, the 26-year-old netted a last-gasp winner away to Wolves earlier this month, sealing a precious 1-0 victory in the Premier League title race.

Unfortunately, Origi will be unavailable for Wednesday’s visit of Leicester, with the club’s official Twitter channel confirming that the striker is still absent after missing the Spurs game through injury.

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Liverpool fans unhappy with Origi news

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to react to the news, with many left gutted that Origi won’t feature against the Foxes.

“Why why…. Lord Whhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyyy?!”

Credit: @7wenkosi

“Football without Origi is nothing”

Credit: @ORIGAMII

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @TheOrigin__96

“Another one of those minor knocks that keeps players out for a month”

Credit: @dshanahan930

“What’s the point?”

Credit: @CraigieLFC98

“Null and void it”

Credit: @SachinNakrani

In other news, some Liverpool fans are also fuming about another update that has emerged. Read more here.

Newcastle United have reportedly now ‘established contacts’ over the potential signing of Issa Diop in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Not a regular

Diop has not been a regular for West Ham United at all so far this season, and his recent starts (injuries to both Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma at centre-back.

Thus, he may want a move away from the London Stadium in order to gain more regular football, especially when those two players come back.

If he wants to stay in the Premier League, St. James’ Park may well be an ideal destination for him given the Magpies’ own defensive struggles.

The Latest: Contacts made

As per Foot Mercato journalist and transfer expert Santi Aouna, both the North East club as well as Watford have now ‘established contacts’ over signing Diop next month.

However, they may face competition from AC Milan for his signature, as Sport Witness shared the news from Aouna with the additional information that the defender was also linked with leaving east London during the summer.

The Verdict: Get it done

The Tyneside outfit have conceded no fewer than 42 goals in the top flight so far this season, the joint-most along with bottom-placed Norwich City, and so it is clear that their defence needs strengthening.

Diop, who already has the Premier League monster’ back in 2018 after dominating so many duels against his Manchester United team.

Nonetheless, he is also capable with the ball at his feet and is comfortable with playing out from the back, emphasised by averaging more passes (39.8) at a higher success rate (82.9%) than Ciaran Clark, Fabian Schar, and Jamaal Lascelles in the top flight so far this campaign (WhoScored).

Given that he knows the demands of the division, Diop could be perfect for a relegation battle.

In other news, find out who NUFC are now ‘exploring’ to sign here!

West Ham United have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture against Norwich City.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Claret & Hugh, with the West Ham insider recently revealing that David Moyes is having to delay his team selection until the very last minute prior to the clash against Norwich on Wednesday evening, as the 58-year-old is facing something of a selection dilemma due to several players carrying knocks, as well as new concerns regarding the ongoing viral pandemic.

In the update, Claret & Hugh said: “David Moyes will delay his team selection until the very last minute tonight for the match against Norwich at the London Stadium. We understand several players are carrying knocks and that [the pandemic] may still be affecting some as we head into a game [that] could see us go back into the top four above Arsenal.”

Moyes will be fuming

With recent reports claiming that all of Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell look set to miss the visit of the Canaries this evening – despite Zouma and Cresswell appearing close to making a return to first-team football – the fact that Moyes could be without further players due to injury and illness is sure to have left the 58-year-old manager fuming.

Indeed, despite securing back to back wins in their most recent Premier League outings against Watford and Crystal Palace, as well as sealing their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Leeds United last weekend, injuries to some of the Hammers’ most important players saw the club endure a disastrous end to 2021 – with West Ham losing four, drawing two and winning two of their last eight league games of the year.

As such, should Moyes indeed have fresh injury concerns – as Claret & Hugh suggest – ahead of a fixture that could see the Irons move back into the Champions League places this evening, it will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to the Scottish manager and his side – who will certainly be looking forward to the returns of Zouma and Cresswell in the coming days.

In other news: Moyes could land his next Lingard as source reveals WHU contact for £41m “playmaker”

Former Wolves favourite Matt Doherty could re-sign for the club this month after a failed spell at Tottenham, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Doherty struggles at Spurs

The right-back traded Wanderers for Spurs back in 2020, seemingly seeing it as a step forward in his career, not to mention a fresh challenge.

Things haven’t panned out the way Doherty would have hoped in north London, however, and he has been limited to just 99 minutes of Premier League action this season.

The 29-year-old has been strongly linked with a return to Wolves in the January transfer window and a potential move has now been endorsed further.

The Latest: Journalist backs Wolves return

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke said he could see the move coming to fruition:

“I’m sure if Wolves were interested in him, it’s something he would seriously consider, to go back to the club because that’s where he made his name and enjoyed such a great time to win that move to Spurs in the first place.”

The Verdict: No-brainer for Wanderers

Doherty was a wonderful servant for Wolves over a long period of time, providing endless quality from full-back, and scoring 28 goals and registering 41 assists for the club. He was once described as ‘sensational’ by Jermaine Jenas.

For that reason, bringing him back to Molineux makes sense for all parties, allowing the 27-cap Republic of Ireland international more playing time, even though he will have to battle with the ever-improving Nelson Semedo for minutes.

Spurs will seemingly be happy to get rid of Doherty, given his squad status, so it is a move that appears to be a match made in heaven for all parties.

In other news, Tim Spiers has made an important Wolves transfer claim. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly now enquired over the possibility of signing Benjamin Mensah in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Right wing-back wanted

It is no secret that Spurs are targeting a new right wing-back this month, with Adama Traore the most prominent name to be sounded out as a potential signing.

Matt Doherty has been heavily linked with a move back to Wolves, which would leave Antonio Conte a little light in that position, while Emerson Royal has not exactly impressed since his summer move, registering just one assist in 14 Premier League appearances from the right flank.

Thus, it is an area of the pitch that they will look to strengthen before the window closes.

The Latest: Mensah enquiry

As per Sky Sports (13 Jan, 12:46), the Lilywhites have now made an enquiry to Peterborough United about Mensah, who can play as a right wing-back as well as on the right of a traditional back four.

He would go straight into their U23 set-up, although there are a number of other clubs interested in his signature, so it’s not a done deal yet.

Mensah made his debut for the Posh in a 2-1 win at home to Cambridge United in the EFL Trophy back in 2019 at just 16 years of age, and went on to play in three more games in the tournament.

The Verdict: Preparing for first team

It will be good for the North London club to get in a player for the U23s who can play as a right wing-back, so that they can play a system that would best prepare them for the first team under Conte.

Of course, Mensah is one for the future, but the 19-year-old will have aspirations of breaking into the first team should he perform well – there aren’t exactly a whole host of world-class options in front of him.

Nonetheless, having made his senior debut at such a young age, he is certainly heading in the right direction, and could well turn out to be a gem that can be unearthed at Hotspur Way.

In other news, find out which ‘phenomenal’ ace THFC are now eyeing here!