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Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has enjoyed a rather impressive hit rate with regard to recruitment during his Parkhead tenure thus far, with the 57-year-old having typically proven an astute operator in the transfer market.

Despite that near-on “perfect” record in terms of incomings, as per pundit Alan Hutton, one addition that has failed to work out is the signing of Danish midfielder, Oliver Abildgaard, with the 26-year-old having become something of a forgotten figure in Glasgow of late.

Having signed on a season-long loan deal from Russian outfit Rubin Kazan on deadline day during the summer, the towering asset has since gone on to play a peripheral role for the Scottish champions thus far, having featured just nine times in all competitions this season – totalling just 156 minutes.

That lack of action has seen the one-cap international fail to start a single games across all fronts this term, with even the injury absence of captain Callum McGregor prior to the World Cup break having not led to a more prominent role in the side at the base of the midfield.

According to pundit Frank McAvennie, something is simply “not right” regarding the 6 foot 4 dud’s situation with the Hoops, with that coming amid reports that Postecoglou and co will look to terminate his temporary deal this month.

The Scottish Premiership outfit appear to have identified an ideal replacement who can help hasten Abildgaard’s departure from the club, following speculation that the Bhoys are interested in signing Korean midfielder, Kwon Hyeok-kyu.

According to reports in his homeland – via journalist Barry Anderson – Celtic are believed to have “made an offer” to sign the 6 foot 3 colossus from K-League side Busan IPark, with the 21-year-old named as one of his nation’s “bright prospects”.

The towering youngster would clearly be able to mirror the physical attributes of Abildgaard as a result of his height, while also offering the benefits of his “high-tempo play, technique and physique”, in the words of Anderson.

The South Korea U23 international illustrated his defensive prowess in the recent K-League campaign after averaging 1.6 interceptions and 1.0 tackles per game, with those numbers a superior record to that of Abildgaard who has averaged just 0.2 and 0.5 for the same two metrics, respectively.

With the latter man something of a spare part under Postecoglou at present, it could well make sense to replace the Dane with an up-and-coming asset such as Kwon, whom the title-winning coach can help to nurture and develop.

Chelsea return to Premier League action for a London clash against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, in a fixture that desperately calls for a home victory.

Having assumed the managerial role in the maiden period of the campaign, Graham Potter has been plagued by a barrage of issues, with the injury department at its brim and confidence depleted.

Against Palace, the Blues must bounce back from the 2-1 defeat away to rivals Fulham – their seventh defeat from ten outings across all competitions – and look to mount a charge back towards Champions League contention.

This season, Potter’s top Premier League goal-scorers are £50m summer signing Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz, both with four; for comparison, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has 21 strikes in the league alone.

With that in mind, three points are certainly paramount in order to combat the ailing fortunes.

Here is how Football FanCast expects Potter to field his starting 11 today against Crystal Palace, with as many as three changes…

Kepa Arrizabalaga will deputise between the sticks once again, having started the past four league matches, while Potter might maintain the back-three in defence – which worked well against Fulham despite defeat, so Trevoh Chaloba, Kalidou Koulibaly and Thiago Silva remain.

Marc Cucurella, however, will move back into a left wing-back role, replacing the blossoming 18-year-old gem Lewis Hall, while stalwart Cesar Azpilicueta will retain his deployment down the right flank.

The £50m “class act” that is Jorginho – as once lauded by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher – will partner Mateo Kovacic in the centre of the park, dictating the play, with Denis Zakaria – on a loan deal from Juventus – withdrawn in the previous outing with a suspected injury.

With recent signing Joao Felix suspended, Kai Havertz might be shifted out wide to accommodate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has found the back of the net just three times since his summer move from FC Barcelona, while Mason Mount will look to drift out to the left in search of a sliver of creative ingenuity to steer his club to success.

Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Koulibaly, Silva; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella; Havertz, Aubameyang, Mount.

Tottenham Hotspur have won just three of their last nine in the Premier League and now face second-placed Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium this evening.

Antonio Conte will be looking to see his side bounce back from Sunday’s comprehensive north London derby defeat to Arsenal, whilst the same goes for Pep Guardiola and his men, having also lost in their recent clash with arch-rivals United.

It’ll be no easy feat with pressure and uncertainty starting to mount over the future of the Italian head coach, though he could do himself some favours by axing his underperforming stars.

One of which should be Heung-min Son, who has been woefully out-of-sorts for the majority of the campaign and against the Gunners, with whom he usually has a good record, his influence waned once more.

Indeed, the South Korean dynamo has scored just one Premier League goal this season, besides a hat-trick versus Leicester City, with both of his assists also coming before mid-October. It means he has provided only a solitary goal contribution across his last eight top-flight outings, per Transfermarkt.

He has misfired in some of the biggest games of the season too, notably in both fixtures against the Gunners, as well as Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham United, which makes his prospects of hurting the defending champions a lot bleaker.

It was only last season that Son emerged as one of the most prolific and exciting forwards on the planet, taking a share of the Premier League Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah.

Fast forward to now and his goals-per-shot ratio (0.08) is the lowest since his move from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. In fact, it’s been double that in all but one campaign and it’s not because of a lack of service as he’s averaging the most shots on target per 90 in the same time frame, via FBref.

His own creative influence has regressed from last season as well, seeing a lower average of progressive passes, key passes and shot-creating actions per 90 in the English top-flight.

All of the above is clearly contributing to Spurs’ lacklustre time in the final third, so with Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison back fit from injury, and Bryan Gil catching the eye in his last few appearances, it would make sense for Conte to make the bold and arguably brutal decision to drop Son from the starting XI.

The £36m-rated whiz was once dubbed an “absolute beast” by rapper and renowned Lilywhites supporter AJ Tracey but he is some way off that level right now, given the evidence above. If Conte keeps the faith in him, then he’ll only be contributing towards his own immediate downfall at Tottenham.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Bentancur: Conte can form “incredible” Spurs duo with £30m-rated “beast”…

Broadcaster Kweku Afari has admitted live on Sky Sports that Aston Villa target Arnaut Danjuma could be the goalscorer they need this season.

The Lowdown: Emery looking for a reunion

It has been reported that Danjuma has been in England as he looks to hold talks with Premier League clubs about a January move, while Villa are said to be interested in the winger – who worked under Emery at Villarreal.

However, they certainly aren’t alone, with the likes of Bournemouth, Everton and Newcastle United also said to be keen on the attacker.

Journalist Patrick Boyland believes the winger would be a ‘gamechanger’ for the Toffees, so Villa will be very aware of his talent and how highly he’s regarded within the Premier League.

If Villa were to sign Danjuma, it would almost certainly be a signing pushed by Emery given the existing relationship with Danjuma, as he was the person that got him firing on all cylinders in the Champions League last season.

The Latest: Villa need more goals

Afari has spoken live on Sky Sports about how Danjuma could be Villa’s answer to scoring more goals given they’re set to lose Danny Ings, while both Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey haven’t been prolific in front of goal since joining the club.

He said: “In terms of a goalscorer, someone to put the ball in the back of the net on a consistent basis, I don’t think they’ve got that.

“Ollie Watkins provides so much for a team, but scoring goals is not necessarily his forte at this level, and Leon Bailey is a winger who’s now operating down the middle.

“We know Unai Emery likes to operate with different formations that are quite unique in terms of how he sets his team up, but I do think they will need somebody to score – and Danjuma could be that answer.”

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The Verdict: Danjuma is the man for Emery

It’s very clear that Emery brings the best out of Danjuma, as last season, he managed to register 20 goal involvements, whereas this season, the Dutchman only has nine to his name – a run which has coincided with Emery leaving Spain.

Therefore, if Danjuma has a choice of which club to go to, the one being managed by his former boss will likely be the most appealing one, especially when he’d be able to link up with other exciting talents such as Jacob Ramsey, Bailey and Emiliano Buendia.

Despite the interest from other Premier League clubs, Villa should have faith in Emery’s decision-making as well as the trust he has in Danjuma to get this deal done quickly if they want him to come in and hit the ground running.

Newcastle United are in the market to add depth to their impressive squad this month and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on a potential transfer target.

What’s the latest?

According to talkSPORT transfer insider Alex Crook, Newcastle have had an approach rejected for Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay.

As per the report, the Red Devils are not interested in parting ways with their player in the January transfer window with advances rebuffed by not only Newcastle but fellow Premier League club Southampton too.

Obertan repeat

There is no doubt that Eddie Howe will be thrilled with the position his squad have got themselves in over the campaign so far and it will be hard for new additions to compete for a spot in the first team due to the phenomenal form.

The Magpies are currently third in the Premier League table after going unbeaten in all bar one of their 20 outings, whilst last night they edged closer to their first domestic cup final at Wembley Stadium since their clash with Manchester United in the FA Cup back in 1999 – beating Southampton 1-0 at St Mary’s.

Indeed, Howe will want to continue to strengthen and add depth to his talented squad at St James’ Park to ensure Newcastle can retain their dominance at the top of the table and ultimately compete healthily in Europe should they earn a spot in either the Champions League or Europa League at the end of the season.

The North East club have already made hugely impactful signings with Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Alexander Isak and Sven Botman quickly becoming key players in the rapid success of the team since Howe took over in November 2021, however, the approach for McTominay could be Dan Ashworth’s first mistake.

Whilst adding depth to the centre of the pitch will be a huge priority for Newcastle due to a general lack of personnel in the positions, it will be important to not drop off in quality when rotating the midfield.

Sean Longstaff has recently become a really important player for the Magpies since returning to the team following Shelvey’s injury issues this season and has outperformed McTominay with ease over his performances so far.

Indeed, Longstaff betters the 26-year-old Man United ace in many attributes including goal contributions (3 v 0), progressive passes (51 v 12), ball recoveries (88 v 50), shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (2.45 v 1.43), tackles and interceptions (36 v 28) and blocks (27 v 7).

As such, Ashworth could well be heading for a repeat of the disastrous Gabriel Obertan signing with a move for McTominay – who was dubbed “clumsy” by Gary Neville – as his inconsistencies could see him quickly become an outcast at the club.

Just like Obertan, he’d be arriving from Man United and it feels unlikely that he’d hit the high level of performance that Howe expects from his side.

The former Magpies winger failed to make a positive impact during his time at St James’ Park which ultimately led to the player only making 77 appearances over his four-and-a-half-year stint, in which he scored just three times; a goal every 1,444 minutes.

With that being said, Ashworth should be focusing on identifying players who can now take the squad to the next level in their pursuit to compete in European football next season and McTominay is not a player who will add the high quality needed compared to what they already have in their midfield.

A major update has emerged regarding Sunderland’s attempts to bolster their squad during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to journalist Alan Nixon’s Patreon, the Black Cats are closing in on the signing of Lille forward Isaac Lihadji before next week’s transfer deadline.

The report claims that the 20-year-old is poised to become the latest signing for Tony Mowbray’s side, following the arrival of Pierre Ekwah from West Ham United earlier this week, although it remains unclear as to whether he will link up with the squad immediately or in the summer.

French outlet La Voix Du Nord has backed this up by stating that the two clubs are in negotiations, adding that Sunderland are not set to pay any compensation to the Ligue 1 outfit as the forward’s contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign.

Jack Clarke 2.0

Kristjaan Speakman could unearth another gem on the wings by finalising this prospective deal to bring Lihadji to the Stadium of Light either this month or in the summer.

The Black Cats chief bolstered the squad last summer by striking a permanent deal to sign Jack Clarke from Premier League side Tottenham, and the 22-year-old has been in fine form this season.

In the current Championship campaign, the Englishman has produced four goals and six assists in 26 starts for Sunderland, creating 1.6 chances per match from out wide.

Clarke – who has explosive pace on the left flank – has proven himself to be a constant threat in the second tier, and Speakman could find the right-sided version of the gem in the form of Lihadji.

A left-footed right winger, the Lille attacker has fallen out of favour at Lille this season, but his form in Ligue 1 last term suggests that he has the potential to be an excellent signing for Sunderland.

Lihadji scored one goal and set up four for his team-mates in 13 appearances in the French top flight in 2021/22. That was despite starting just two matches and playing 227 minutes in total, which means that he played the equivalent of approximately 2.5 full games.

Therefore, the 20-year-old averaged a goal contribution every 45 minutes in Ligue 1, a stunning return for a player who does not turn 21 until April.

The dynamo, who talent scout Jacek Kulig previously hailed as “explosive”, has showcased his talent in a major European league, which indicates that there is a quality player in there who Mowbray could unlock in the coming months and potentially years.

Like Clarke, Lihadji has shown that he has the talent to produce goals and assists from out wide, and the Frenchman could be Sunderland’s next wing wizard to illuminate the Stadium of Light.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has described ongoing issues for Leeds United midfielder Adam Forshaw as a ‘big red flag’, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Injury history

Forshaw has been out for large parts of the last four seasons, with his most notable absence coming back in 2019 with a hip problem. The Leeds man was sidelined for 560 days and has since had knee issues.

He has played just 237 minutes of senior action this season, with Jesse Marsch admitting last month that a ‘step back’ is needed to give Forshaw time to return to full fitness after a hernia problem.

The Latest: Dinnery’s comments

Talking to FI, injury expert Dinnery, who contributes for Sky Sports, labelled it as ‘a very difficult situation’ for club and player and said the ongoing problems for Forshaw should come as ‘a big red flag for Leeds’.

“It’s a very difficult situation for Leeds and Forshaw.

“The surgery that he had back in 2019 kept him on the sidelines for the best part of 18 months and it was highly disappointing.

“He’s had his fair share of injuries since that problem too and whenever he seems to be able to establish himself in that starting lineup he picks up an injury.

“His latest issue was described as a minor surgical procedure, a bit of a tidy-up to help manage the pain.

“But he hasn’t responded well to that at all which is a big red flag for Leeds.

“The concern comes from not being able to identify the underlying cause – Leeds can’t address the issue if medical staff are confused about what is causing it.”

The Verdict: Time up?

Football never stands still and Leeds have added to their midfield ranks significantly over the last six months with moves for Marc Roca, Tyler Adams and most recently Weston McKennie.

Forshaw, now 31, just can’t seem to remain fully fit, and with his contract up at the end of the season, his time at Elland Road could be coming to an end.

We saw that with Mateusz Klich last month after he failed to get the minutes he wanted, so Forshaw could be the next to leave over the coming months, but before then, hopefully he’ll be able to return to fitness and build up some much-needed minutes for the U21s.

Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin’s first-half display against West Ham United was “hugely disappointing”, according to Jamie Redknapp.

The Lowdown: Newcastle’s first half

Eddie Howe’s side flew out of the traps in the first half of their Premier League clash, with Callum Wilson opening the scoring with a well-taken finish after three minutes.

Wilson’s goal came just moments after Joe Willock thought he’d given Newcastle the lead inside a minute, but following a VAR check, the ball was correctly adjudged to have gone out of play before Miguel Almiron hooked it back into Willock’s path.

However, the Irons hit back brilliantly with Lucas Paqueta netting a deserved equaliser just after the half-hour mark, with commentator Andy Hinchcliffe saying minutes before half-time on Sky Sports: “West Ham are dominating at the moment, they are the better team.”

The Latest: Redknapp disappointed

Speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports’ coverage, Redknapp singled out Saint-Maximin as one of the Magpies’ poorest performers and claimed he could be hooked off sharpishly in the second 45, saying:

“Saint-Maximin has been hugely disappointing – I think he will be Newcastle’s first change…”

The Verdict: Redknapp proved right

With Newcastle unable to wrestle control of the game back, let alone go back in front, the 25-year-old was indeed the first player to be withdrawn as he was replaced by new signing Anthony Gordon for his debut.

Saint-Maximin has struggled to get back into the Newcastle side since his injury lay-off that kept him out of eight games through September and October, and this was his first start since. However, he failed to make anything like the impact he or Howe would have hoped for.

The Frenchman had just 34 touches in the 69 minutes of action with a poor 65% pass accuracy and zero completed crosses alongside zero key passes (via Sofascore), showing how ineffective he was in unlocking any openings for the hosts.

With Gordon now arriving at St James’ Park, Saint-Maximin could well struggle for more minutes in a position he is already only being used as an impact substitute, with this outing surely not putting him further up in Howe’s plans.

Celtic wantaway striker Georgios Giakoumakis wanted to become a top earner at Parkhead leading to his exit, according to Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Giakoumakis on the move

Greek striker Giakoumakis is set to leave Celtic in the coming days with a move to Atlanta United in the MLS the likely destination, with Fabrizio Romano revealing he’s heading to Mexico to join up with Atlanta’s pre-season ahead of a £4.3m move.

The 28-year-old arrived 18 months ago after netting SPFL appearances coming his way this campaign.

He’s been left out of the five previous squads as his departure becomes imminent from Glasgow.

The Latest: Joseph’s comments

Speaking to The Celtic Exchange, Sky Sports reporter Joseph revealed that Giakoumakis had become disgruntled at Celtic Park for a while and gave an update on the deal that is so far not official, saying:

(46:56) “Our understanding is that Giakoumakis was looking for improved terms and wanted more playing time, I think he felt he was promised more playing time.

“I don’t know the part about Ange not being happy about what he was asking for but I know that talks broke down between Giakoumakis and the club, he wanted to be one of the top earners at the club.”

“Over in America, there’s more complexities to a transfer, especially an integral international transfer inwards to the MLS, so as far as I was aware on deadline day that’s what was putting the move on hold, and there’s no rush with either club actually.”

The Verdict: Unsurprising departure

It’s unsurprising to see Giakoumakis head for the Celtic Park exit door amid the issues going on behind closed doors regarding his contract demands, with a lack of game time also down to the brilliant form that Furuhashi has enjoyed this season, with the Japanese the SPFL’s top scorer.

Celtic’s highest earner according to salary sport is captain Callum McGregor on £32k-per-week whilst the Greece international earns just £12k-per-week, but given Furuhashi’s form a bumper deal bringing him closer to McGregor would likely see him eclipse the 28-year-old’s salary, not something Celtic would be open to doing.

Postecoglou has also already moved to bring in Giakoumakis’ replacement with South Korean striker Hyeon-gyu Oh joining for a fee of £3m last month (via Daily Record), all but ending any chance that Giakoumakis would remain at the club.

The Athletic’s James Maw has proposed the possibility that Hugo Lloris may have played his last game for Tottenham Hotspur following his recent injury.

The Lowdown: Injury blow

Lloris has been ruled out for ‘at least’ six to eight weeks following sustained ligament damage in their Premier League clash against Manchester City last weekend.

The injury leaves Antonio Conte with three keepers available in his squad, Fraser Forster, Alfie Whiteman and Brandon Austin are all eligible to play.

Since the start of 2023, the French stopper has hit a run of low confidence, making a number of mistakes in recent times.

The Latest: Lloris’ last game?

Should the injury to the Tottenham number one take longer than the estimated timescale, Maw believes he might have played his last game for the club when talking to The View From The Lane Podcast.

He stated (2:48), “When this first broke, that was my first thought [has Lloris played his last game], that it’s not inconceivable that that is the case.

“It’s such a shame that this has come at this moment because it kind of felt like Spurs had got over the hump of a very difficult winter.

“They get two new players in, three wins on the bounce, three clean sheets and it comes suddenly feels like there’s real momentum again and we’re looking ahead to the rest of the season with such optimism.

“And then your captain, your most experienced player, a World Cup winner is out of the team, for let’s say at least half of the rest of the season, probably it’s a bit of a nightmare isn’t it?”

The Verdict: Far from over

We believe that even if Lloris were to miss the remainder of the season, he won’t have played his last game in a Spurs shirt.

The 36-year-old’s deal runs out in the summer of 2024, which would give him until the end of next season before his stint with Tottenham ends.

Spurs have been linked with David Raya of Brentford last month as a potential replacement for Lloris.

If the club were to land a new keeper in the summer, our view is it would be good to keep the Frenchman around as he could help a future number one learn and develop by offering tips with his enormous experience.

He may have hit a bit of a rough patch but he’s been a long-standing servant for Tottenham and would be a great figure to keep around the dressing room in our view.