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Celtic could turn to Manchester City assistant coach Enzo Maresca as an alternative to Ange Postecoglou if the latter is appointed as Tottenham Hotspur manager amid speculation over his future, journalist Dean Jones has suggested.

What's the latest on the manager situation at Celtic?

As per The Independent, Postecoglou is said to be under 'strong' consideration for the vacant managerial position at Tottenham following the Lilywhites' failure to land Feyenoord's Arne Slot as their new manager.

Sky Sports cite that Postecoglou has commented on speculation linking him with a move to N17, stating: "I think anyone who knows me – and I've been asked about this kind of things plenty of times – knows that what's important for me is the here and now."

Celtic have just sealed back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles under the Australian boss and have the chance to secure a historic eighth treble in their history against Inverness Caledonian Thistle this weekend, something that the 57-year-old has indicated he is fully focused on, saying: "It's not every year you get the opportunity to win a treble and if anyone thinks I'm thinking anything other than that, they don't know me."

Football Insider have claimed that Celtic are 'keeping tabs' on Manchester City assistant manager Enzo Maresca in case Postecoglou does choose to seek a new challenge south of the border.

The 43-year-old Italian was previously linked to the managerial role at Celtic back in 2021 before Postecoglou was eventually appointed later in the year while both men have well-publicised links to the City Football Group.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones reacted to the rumours involving the Man City man and thinks that Maresca may be a rout that Celtic would consider going down if they were faced with the challenge of having to replace Postecoglou.

Jones told FFC: "Maresca is definitely an interesting option for them to look at and I think from a fan point of view, they'll be keen to explore more of that profile of manager."

Will Celtic be able to keep hold of Ange Postecoglou?

Celtic will hope they can keep Postecoglou at Parkhead for as long as possible and will take hope from his words following their 2-1 Viaplay Cup final victory over Rangers earlier this year.

As per KeepUp AU, the former Australia boss stated: “I am still here even though people have been getting me out the door and I think you will be surprised how long I am here. All that I do when I am here is just be consumed by what I do and try to make this football club the best it can be and enjoy every minute of it."

Nevertheless, Hoops fans will be aware that the lure of the Premier League is always there when managers succeed in Scotland, which is a path that Brendan Rodgers chose to go down in 2019 when he swapped the Glasgow giants for Leicester City.

Postecoglou will have a big choice to make if he is earmarked as the man to take Tottenham forward by Daniel Levy; however, it doesn't look like too much will be given away surrounding his future until after the Scottish Cup final this weekend.

Everton failed to move further clear of the relegation zone as they lost 3-0 to Manchester City at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Sunday.

The visitors found the opener as Ilkay Gundogan exceptionally controlled the ball with his back to goal in the box before flicking it backwards and into the bottom corner to make it 1-0.

One quickly became two, as the German international this time turned provider.

He burst down the left wing before producing an inch-perfect cross for Erling Haaland to power a header past Jordan Pickford.

It did not take long for the away side to make it 3-0 after the break as Gundogan scored his second as he curled a stunning free-kick into the top corner from the edge of the box.

The third goal prompted Toffees boss Sean Dyche to make two alterations to his team by subbing on Conor Coady and Amadou Onana for Mason Holgate and Idrissa Gueye, with the former of those coming off, having put in a particularly disappointing display.

How did Mason Holgate perform against Manchester City?

Everton were forced to take Vitaliy Mykolenko out of their side due to an injury in the build-up to the match and his replacement did his long-term hopes of nailing down a position in the team no favours.

Holgate looked lost at left-back throughout his time on the pitch and was a liability to what the Toffees were trying to do on and off the ball.

The Englishman was caught out for City's second goal as Haaland got the run on him for the header and did not do enough to stop Riyad Mahrez from crossing for the opening strike from Gundogan.

In the 53rd minute of the match, Sky Sports analyst Andy Hinchcliffe noted on commentary that the defender was being "run ragged" by Mahrez throughout the game and Dyche replaced him with Coady just three minutes later.

As per Sofascore, he did not win a single duel as the 26-year-old was beaten in all four of his physical contests, which highlights just how weak he was against a player not known for his aerial or physical threat, whilst Holgate was also dribbled past twice and failed to make a single tackle, interception, or block.

Had he done so, then you'd imagine the left flank would've looked a lot more resolute and perhaps could have helped the Toffees build on an impressive opening spell.

The £70k-per-week full-back even struggled in possession as the 6-foot lightweight only completed three of his six attempted passes and missed one 'big chance' in the first half as he could not convert from James Tarkowski's knockdown.

Holgate, who was given a Sofascore rating of 5.5, which was the lowest of any starter for either team, did not step up and stake a claim for a regular place in the XI and this display should leave Dyche seriously considering whether to utilise the defender again in the battle against relegation.

With Wolverhampton Wanderers and then AFC Bournemouth, it would be a surprise to see the former Barnsley prospect in the starting lineup again, based on that performance alone.

A round-up of all DPL matches played on June 1, 2016

Mohammad Isam01-Jun-2016

Ashok Menaria’s impressive all-round performance led Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club to the top of the DPL points table with a five-wicket win over Gazi Group Cricketers in Mirpur.Menaria’s unbeaten 61-ball 59 that included two fours and sixes steered Doleshwar’s chase of 214 after hostile opening spells from pacers Mohammad Sharif and Sajedul Islam had reduced them to 70 for 3 in the 24th over.Wicketkeeper Anamul Haque took a brilliant catch after opener Imtiaz Hossain top-edged a pull. Just as the ball was going over his head, Anamul leapt backwards and completed a one-handed catch to give Gazi Group an early breakthrough. Robiul Islam Robi and Raqibul Hasan added 42 runs in the next 11.4 overs before their wickets, in the space of five overs, tied Gazi Group down.Menaria lifted Doleshwar by first adding 64 runs for the fourth wicket with Nasir Hossain, who scored 40 off 56 balls, and then 70 runs for the fifth wicket with Rony Talukdar, who made 43 off 45 balls. Sharif and Sajedul’s efforts with the ball were undone by sloppy fielding. Gazi Group dropped as many as five catches, and both bowlers had to settle with one wicket each.Earlier, Gazi Group had slipped to 97 for 5 by the 33rd over, with both in-form openers Anamul and Shamsur Rahman falling cheaply. Elias Sunny’s 46 dragged his side past 150, after which a 51-run stand for the eighth wicket between Farhad Hossain and Sharif took them to 213 for 8. Menaria was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 29 in nine overs, including a maiden.Abahani Limited finally had their big players firing, in their five-wicket win over Prime Bank Cricket Club at the BKSP-3 ground. They are placed third in the points table, with 12 points from 10 matches.Yusuf Pathan, fresh off the IPL, slammed seven fours and two sixes in his 47-ball 60, but when he fell in the 28th over, Abahani still needed 89 to reach the 241-run target. Shakib Al Hasan was dismissed for 3 in the next over, but Mosaddek Hossain then anchored the chase with an unbeaten 64 off 49, his second successive half-century.Having been stuck in traffic at the Dhaka-Sarvar highway, Yusuf had arrived 41 minutes after scheduled start of play. But the opposition captain Shuvagata Hom and the match officials allowed him to take the field, despite being late.Mosaddek and Liton Das added an unbroken 87 runs for the sixth wicket as Abahani sealed the win with 33 balls to spare. Liton stayed unbeaten on 25 off 51 balls.Abahani captain Tamim Iqbal had laid the platform with 40 off 46 balls, before falling to Shuvagata in the 13th over. Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Yusuf then put on 94 runs for the third wicket to help Abahani eat into the target.Earlier, Prime Bank posted 240 for 9 in 50 overs with Nurul Hasan top-scoring with 46. Openers Mehedi Maruf (26) and Shanaj Ahmed (24) got starts, but they were dismissed in successive overs. Prime Bank were further pushed back when Sabbir Rahman and new Indian recruit Unmukt Chand exited for a duck and 2.Shakib led Abahani’s bowling surge with returns of 4 for 35, including the wickets of Sabbir, Chand and Mehedi. He was complemented by left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib who claimed 3 for 37. Shuvagata and Taibur Rahman added 50 for the sixth wicket to help Prime Bank recover from 79 for 4. After both batsmen fell, No.10 Monir Hussain scored a brisk 25 to take his team to 240.Kalabagan Cricket Academy beat Cricket Coaching School by five wickets (D/L method) in a bottom-of-the-table tussle in Fatullah.Having opted to bat, CCS managed only 185 for 9 in 50 overs as no batsman passed 38. As many as five batsmen got starts but none got a substantial score. Captain Mahmudul Hasan led KCA’s superb bowling effort with returns of 3 for 37.Then it was the turn of Jatin Saxena to play a match-winning hand. The Indian batsman struck 87 off 95 balls, including seven fours and three sixes. Jatin was assisted by Mahmudul who made 46 off 84 balls. Rain interrupted KCA’s innings but they reached the revised target of 184 with 53 balls to spare.Left-arm spinners Nasum Ahmed and Saleh Ahmed Shawon took two wickets each for CCS.

كشف مصدر مقرب من اللاعب الدولي محمد أشرف روقا لاعب خط وسط الزمالك، النقاب عن حقيقة وجود اتفاق مع الجونة للانتقال إليه خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الجارية.

وأكد المصدر لـ بطولات أنه لا صحة لما تردد بشأن وجود اتفاق بينه وبين الجونة للانضمام إلى صفوفه.

خاص | فيوتشر يطلب ضم ثنائي الزمالك مقابل ناصر ماهر.. وعقبة وحيدة

وأوضح أن الزمالك لم يتحدث مع اللاعب بشأن رحيله في الوقت الحالي، بدليل أنه ضمن العناصر التي ستسافر فجر اليوم إلى الإمارات لخوض المعسكر مع الفريق.

وشدد على أن الجهاز الفني لفريق الزمالك بقيادة معتمد جمال، يتمسك باللاعب ولا تفكير في رحيله خلال المرحلة الحالية.

ويستعد الزمالك للمشاركة في بطولة نادي الوحدة الإماراتي الودية في أبو ظبي والمقرر إقامتها خلال الفترة من 18 وحتى 24 يناير الجاري بمشاركة أندية الوحدة الإماراتي والاتفاق السعودي وأم صلال القطري.

ويعقبها المشاركة في بطولة كأس دبي للتحدي، خلال الفترة من 26 وحتى 28 يناير، بجانب أندية الرجاء المغربي والأهلي السعودي ووهان ثري تاونز الصيني، على أن تقام المباريات على استاد آل مكتوم.

يقترب مسلسل مصير كيليان مبابي من نهايته، بحسب آخر التقارير الصحفية الواردة، والتي أفادت بتوصله لاتفاق للانتقال إلى ريال مدريد.

ويقضي مبابي السنة الأخيرة في عقده مع باريس سان جيرمان والذي ينتهي بنهاية الموسم الجاري في يونيو القادم، ولم يصل حتى الآن لاتفاق للتجديد، وهو حر في التفاوض مع أي نادٍ بالوقت الحالي.

وبحسب “فوت ميركاتو” كيليان مبابي توصل لاتفاق مع ريال مدريد في الأيام الأخيرة، ولم يوضح التقرير تفاصيل المفاوضات بين الطرفين.

ويأتي ذلك بعد أعوام من الشائعات حول مفاوضات مبابي مع ريال مدريد منذ عام 2017، حين كان لاعبًا لموناكو، والتي استمرت بصورة سنوية مع كل سوق انتقالات بعد انضمامه إلى باريس سان جيرمان.

وسبق وصرح مبابي بشأن مستقبله قبل أيام: “أنا متحمس جدًا لهذا العام، إنه مهم جدًا، لدينا ألقاب لنسعى وراءها وقد حصلنا على واحدة، لم أتخذ قراري”.

وأوضح: “لكن بالاتفاق الذي أبرمته مع الرئيس هذا الصيف، مهما كان قراري، تمكنا من حماية جميع الأطراف والحفاظ على هدوء النادي للتحديات المقبلة، والتي تظل الأهم، إذا كنت أعرف ما سأفعله، فلن يستغرق الأمر وقتًا طويلاً”.

وشارك مبابي مساء الأحد في فوز باريس سان جيرمان أمام ريفال بكأس فرنسا، حيث سجل هاتريك في انتصار فريقه بنتيجة 9-0.

Despite the current success under the PIF regime, prior to that Newcastle United had not always been astute operators with regard to transfer dealings, having notably moved on a handful of key figures somewhat prematurely.

Current Premier League stars Ivan Toney and Aleksandr Mitrovic are just two of those whom the Magpies have let slip from their grasp in the recent past, with the pair having particularly shone so far this season, scoring 18 and 11 top-flight goals, respectively, for Brentford and Fulham.

One other former St James' Park asset who is enduring a far more difficult campaign in the top tier, however, is Southampton's Adam Armstrong, with the Tynesiders having seemingly been vindicated in their decision to sell the 5 foot 8 marksman back in 2018.

How is Adam Armstrong getting on now?

The former Newcastle academy ace had been a highly-rated figure at the club during his time in the northeast, with the local lad having even been the subject of praise from then-England skipper Wayne Rooney back in 2015, after shining for the Three Lions at youth level.

The diminutive marksman had been handed a chance to impress during that 2014/15 campaign for the Magpies after making 15 appearances in all competitions, albeit with the young striker failing to find the back of the net in any of those outings.

That limited involvement ultimately saw Armstrong go on to join Coventry City for the following campaign, with the young Geordie making his mark after netting 20 League One goals, albeit while scoring just six times in the 2016/17 season for Barnsley in the Championship.

Another loan to second-tier side Bolton Wanderers failed to prove fruitful as the former England U21 international scored just once in the league in the first half of 2017/18, before again flourishing in League One at Blackburn Rovers, after netting nine league goals in the remainder of the campaign.

Having failed to truly show his worth above the third tier, the Tynesiders made the decision to allow Armstrong to depart that summer, with the emerging talent moving to Ewood Park on an initial £1.75m deal, after making just 21 appearances back at St James' Park – all of which ended without a goal to his name.

Toon legend Malcolm MacDonald suggested in 2021 that it had been a "crazy" decision to let the centre-forward leave the club, while lauding the striker with notable praise: “Adam is an out-and-out goalscorer who reminds me of Tony Cottee — on the small side but very quick, very agile, always facing the goal and ice-cool in one-on-one situations."

Armstrong initially lived up to MacDonald's billing after scoring 49 Championship goals across his first three full seasons with Rovers, with that subsequently earning him a £15m move to St Mary's in the summer of 2021.

Since then, however, Newcastle's decision to sell has looked far wiser as the £55k-per-week flop has been unable to deliver the goods back in the Premier League, scoring just three goals in the competition since the start of last term.

The current campaign, in particular, has proven rather disappointing for the 26-year-old as he has scored just once in the top-flight for the relegation-threatened outfit, with that a smaller tally than what ex-Newcastle dud Chris Wood has achieved this term, the New Zealand international netting three times for both the Magpies and new club, Nottingham Forest.

That is an indication of the extent of Armstrong's struggles for the Saints, with the St James' Park faithful likely to be no longer pining for their former youth asset with Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson now fit and firing.

Tottenham Hotspur now want Burnley boss Vincent Kompany as a potential replacement for Antonio Conte, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs manager search…

Spurs have drawn up a shortlist of managerial candidates to take Conte’s role with many names currently being considered by chairman Daniel Levy.

Fabio Paratici is apparently leading the Spurs succession plan with some big names like Mauricio Pochettino, their former boss and fan favourite, standing out as perhaps the best candidates.

Other than the Argentine, Roberto De Zerbi, Luis Enrique, Thomas Tuchel, Marco Silva and Thomas Frank are also in the frame.

Abroad, Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner has also been linked with the Spurs job, coming after Conte’s astonishing post-Southampton rant last weekend.

“We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart (in),” said the furious Italian.

“Why? Because they are used to it here, they are used to it. They don’t play for something important yeah. They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress.

“It is easy in this way. Tottenham’s story is this. Twenty years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stays here. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench.”

The Latest: Spurs target Kompany…

According to journalist David Hytner, writing for The Guardian, a new name has now come to light as Spurs target Kompany.

The Clarets head coach is apparently ‘of interest’ to Tottenham now following his brilliant full debut campaign in charge at Turf Moor.

Kompany has taken Burnley to the Championship summit and his high-flyers could even become one of the few second tier winners to surpass 100 points.

The Verdict: Left-field option…

Bar his spell at Anderlecht after leaving Man City in 2019, Kompany has little experience outside of Burnley and he could be seen as a risky move.

The Belgian does have his credentials as a natural born leader and he cemented himself into City folklore following a fantastic decade at Eastlands.

The ex-Blues captain has also been praised for his ‘miraculous’ job at Burnley this season by Tony Cascarino, who went on to say Kompany would be an ‘excellent appointment’.

However, despite Cascarino’s praise, we’re in slight disagreement,

The 36-year-old could be seen as one of football’s most promising up-and-coming managers but his huge potential right now is perhaps not enough to make him a top Spurs candidate.

West Ham all but sealed their spot in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals as they eased to a 2-0 win against AEK Larnaca in Cyprus.

Two goals from the much-lamented Michail Antonio eased the pressure on David Moyes following last weekend’s embarrassing defeat against Brighton, although his side were always expected to win against the Cypriot minnows.

While Antonio impressed on his return to the side, contributing two impressive finishes on Thursday evening, it was arguably Said Benrahma who was Moyes’ star performer against Larnaca.

How did Benrahma perform versus Larnaca?

As per Sofascore, the Algeria international would earn an impressive 8.2/10 rating for his performance, which was the best of any player to feature in the game from both sides.

The former Brentford man was instrumental in the Hammers’ opener, as he sent Larnaca’s right back to the shops before whipping in a delightful cross, which Antonio simply had to steer home.

This was just one of two big chances that the 27-year-old would create on Thursday, with Antonio missing a chance for his hat-trick when he hit the post in the second half.

Benrahma looked extremely assured in possession and dangerous every time he received the ball, completing 24 of his 27 attempted passes with an 89% success rate, which is an improvement on his 84.6% average in the Premier League so far this season.

The wide man, who touched the ball on 42 occasions, played two key passes, registered three shots and completed four dribbles in total, which again is a significant improvement on the 1.4 key passes, 1.9 shots and 1.5 dribbles he has averaged in the top flight.

It was something of a surprise when Moyes decided to take him off just after the hour mark, as he also contributed in defence, winning six of his seven duels on the night and completing two tackles, which again is impressive given he has managed just 0.7 tackles per game in the Premier League.

This wasn’t the first time that the Algerian winger has impressed in Europe, as he also earned a huge amount of praise from Joe Cole last season after a strong performance against Genk.

Cole said on BT Sport (via Read West Ham): Tonight at times he was unplayable. Fantastic, that’s how good he is, as soon as he saw the defender and squared him up, he knew he was in control of the situation. The finish was exquisite.”

West Ham fans will be hoping that the decision to sub Benrahma was simply to rest him ahead of Sunday’s big fixture against Aston Villa, where a defeat will surely spell the end for Moyes at the London Stadium.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly ‘increasingly hopeful’ of agreeing a new contract for Ryan Kent.

The Lowdown: Kent attracting transfer interest

The 26-year-old’s contract at Ibrox expires in the summer, meaning that he can leave as a free agent at the end of the season.

He has recently been linked with a move to English Championship leaders Burnley, who look set for automatic promotion back to the Premier League, as they sit 12 points clear at the top of the table.

The Latest: Contract agreement close?

As per Football Insider, Rangers are ‘increasingly hopeful’ that Kent will sign a new deal with the Premiership giants.

Their contract offer is currently the ‘best on the table’, and the latest round of talks has been positive, which represents a huge step forward after reports that discussions between the various parties has previously threatened to run aground at several stages.

The Verdict: Big boost for Rangers

Kent signing a new long-term contract would be a major boost for Rangers.

Hailed as an ‘incredible’ athlete by The Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell, the winger can dribble with the ball at an immense speed, as he ranks in the 92nd percentile of all his positional peers outside of Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons per game over the past year.

Furthermore, Kent has shown that he has a consistent end product as well, with no fewer than 88 goal contributions in total since he first came to Ibrox the 2018/19 season.

He is often trusted in big games, having been named in the starting line-up to play Celtic in today’s Viaplay Cup final, and at 26 years of age, he still has plenty to offer the Light Blues.

West Ham United’s manager shocked some of the media on Saturday night with an admission he made on the future of his star man, Declan Rice.

What’s the latest?

The Hammers earned a hard-fought point on the weekend against the high-flying Newcastle United which has seen West Ham climb outside of the relegation zone.

However, after the game, Moyes commented on the future of his main man who has been heavily linked with a potential move away in the summer:

‘Undoubtedly he’s going to be a top player and undoubtedly he’ll be a British transfer record and more whenever he leaves West Ham,’ said Moyes.

Rice has been linked with a possible move across London with the likes of Arsenal believed to be interested in snapping up the England midfielder this summer.

And speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Craig Hope admits the comments shocked some in the press room as he admitted Rice could leave the club:

“David Moyes said afterwards – and I thought it was quite a telling admission; you know, it was fairly unprompted. He said whenever Declan Rice leaves West Ham, the bidding starts at a British transfer record.”

Set for summer exit

The future of the midfielder is in question as a result of his ongoing contract debacle which will seemingly go into the summer leaving him with just one-year remaining on his deal.

It has been reported the Hammers have offered their midfielder numerous contract extensions which has seen Rice reject an extended stay on three occasions.

And it is understandable why there are teams chasing Rice ahead of the summer and why the Irons seemingly value the player so highly after what he showed on the weekend.

Across the 90 minutes on Tyneside, Rice racked up three tackles, three interceptions and a clearance, as well as providing a key pass (via Sofascore).

It was apparent Hope was left impressed with the midfielder, with the journalist suggesting he dominated the game at St. James’ Park:

“He just looked bigger, stronger, quicker than everybody else. I thought he was absolutely outstanding. You can see why he is England’s first-choice midfielder.”

But with Rice reportedly rejecting three contract offers, it now seemingly puts a new responsibility on the club to get the absolute maximum price for the midfielder in the summer.

And the type of money which Rice could potentially bring in could allow the Irons to invest back into their squad and build on what has been a fairly disappointing campaign to date.