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This summer is going to be one of the most crucial in Celtic’s recent history. They have just surrendered their grasp on the SPFL title and are in need of reinvigorating Parkhead.

First on Dermot Desmond’s to-do list will be to find a new manager for the playing squad. Neil Lennon left his post around three weeks ago and they are still no closer to discovering his successor.

There is also set to be plenty of movement in the hierarchy. Peter Lawwell is due to retire at the end of the season and be replaced by Dominic McKay. Nick Hammond could also depart if you believe reports.

As a result, a new director of football role is set to be appointed with that role potentially being handed to Fergal Harkin.

It will be a summer of change but one man we won’t see depart is Desmond. Answering questions in a rare media appearance on Tuesday evening, he claimed that his shares were not for sale.

Instead, it looks as though he could plough further investment into the football club. Speaking on A Celtic State of Mind podcast last week, Paul Dykes shared some rather interesting news from one of his sources.

Dykes commented: “I was speaking to someone who is close to the club and who reckons there’s going to be an incredible investment in the Celtic coaching staff and playing staff moving into next season.”

Considering the Hoops won’t have the prize money that comes with winning the SPFL or the finances that come from the Champions League, it bodes well to hear that the kitty isn’t completely empty.

For supporters, this should be incredibly exciting news. Of course, the Bhoys spent over £4m on both Albian Ajeti and Vasilis Barkas last summer, but if they put significant investment into the playing squad and bring in a new director of football, their recruitment could improve significantly.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-boupendza-mcgeady-marsch-mccarthy” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Football Insider has also revealed that a team of scouts and analysts are set to follow Harkin through the door so it’s certainly believable that Celtic are wanting to spend more.

After losing your grasp on the title, the answer is usually to spend. However, merely flashing your cash is easier than actually using that money wisely.

With fears about the futures of both Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer still lingering in the background, the report that Celtic won’t be afraid to spend on the playing squad this summer should be music to the ears of the Green Brigade.

The next transfer window represents the ideal chance to put the mistakes of the last 12 months to rest; Desmond must act decisively but intelligently.

His money simply has be to be used wisely if Celtic want to usurp Rangers again.

AND in other news, Celtic could find the new Scott Brown in rarely-seen 16 y/o, he’s “very athletic”…

Steve Bruce has confirmed Newcastle United defender Paul Dummett has been ruled out of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa with yet another injury.

According to The Shields Gazette, the let-back has returned to the treatment room and faces a spell back on the sidelines after being withdrawn in the closing stages of the Magpies’ 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United earlier this month.

Bruce put the 29-year-old’s exit down to fatigue at the time but has now offered clarification on Dummett’s situation, adding that he had sought to be more cautious with his return from a serious hamstring injury.

Dummett missed most of 2020 after sustaining a hamstring injury during the Toon’s FA Cup third round replay with Rochdale last January, only returning to action in December’s 1-1 draw at home to Fulham.

The defender later played the full 120 minutes of this month’s FA Cup loss at Arsenal before featuring for 74 minutes against Sheffield United in the space of three days, but has now been ruled out of action ahead of Newcastle’s visit to Aston Villa this weekend.

“He’s not right for the weekend,” Bruce said. “Unfortunately, Paul’s had an awful time because of injuries and hamstrings and this, that and the other.

“Against Arsenal, in the cup, I tried to take him off, but other people were flagging before he was. Unfortunately, he stayed on the pitch a bit too long. It’s been difficult for him. He’s not fit.”

Newcastle travel to Aston Villa on Saturday night looking to end a nine-game winless streak across all competitions, against a side the Magpies have only beaten in one of their last six encounters.

Bruce confirming yet another injury blow for Dummett could now force the Newcastle head coach into late transfer activity, having as yet finalised a deal for a new left-back to move to St. James’ Park despite frequent speculation.

The Toon are seen to be in the market for a new left-sided full-back this month due to a sense that £15m summer signing Jamal Lewis has struggled to settle (19/1 – 1:42pm) in the north-east after his move from Norwich City.

United were claimed to have reached a preliminary agreement to sign Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams on loan earlier in the January market but, despite continued links, have yet to acquire the Red Devils product.

Newcastle have also been touted as a potential destination for Juventus prospect Radu Dragusin, though the Serie A outfit are optimistic over their chances of retaining the Magpies, Tottenham Hotspur and RB Leipzig target with a new contract.

If Dummett’s injury leads to a lengthy absence for the Wales international, and no alternatives are acquired, Bruce may be forced to rely on midfielder Matt Ritchie once again. The former Scotland international has featured more often at left-back than he has in any other position so far this term.

AND in other news, Newcastle face a fight to sign a £7m-rated target who “destroys” danger.

Speaking in a press conference after his side’s 1-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday (via football.london), Irons boss David Moyes confirmed that GSB and co have attempted to land January signings so far this transfer window – dropping the four-word message that West Ham United have ‘already made big inquiries’. 

The Scotsman, speaking candidly after the Hammers edged past Burnley at the London Stadium, addressed growing speculation surrounding West Ham’s hunt for a new striker.

A plethora of forwards throughout the United Kingdom and Europe have been linked, with Boulaye Dia, Joshua King, Marko Arnautovic and Olivier Giroud arguably the most notable.

This comes after club record signing Sebastien Haller left east London for pastures new earlier this month, signing a deal with Ajax worth a reported £20.25 million (BBC).

David Moyes confirms West Ham transfer inquiries

Given West Ham’s need for more options up front, taking into account Michail Antonio’s fitness issues, Moyes has now confirmed that inquiries have indeed been made by GSB to ease the burden going forward.

“We’ve already made big inquiries and offers for players at clubs, which have not been accepted or obviously we would have signed somebody,” explained the manager, via football.london.

“It is not as if we are not trying to that, we have tried. But I need to get players who I think can make a difference and I want it to be someone who I think can help us.

“If I don’t, then I might need to look short term, just to get me through to get me another player, but if not, then I will use the young players or I will have to try and use someone else from the squad and see how we can do it, but if Mick [Antonio] can gain his real form from where he has been in recent months, then that will be a big thing for us and today, he is getting closer.”

Transfer Tavern take

While Moyes has confirmed that the hunt for new January additions is taking place, he appears to be open to any possibility – whether that be a short term option or someone who can perform consistently for seasons to come.

Who West Ham will manage to land remains to be seen, if anyone, but it will certainly be interesting to find out.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this update on a potentially ‘amazing’ signing, find out more here.

David Moyes must swallow his pride and start Said Benrahma after the Algerian brought an immediate spark to West Ham United’s offence at Southampton on Tuesday night.

The Brentford loanee was forced to settle for a seat on the bench at St. Mary’s with Moyes favouring a recall for Pablo Fornals on the left-flank, while handing Manuel Lanzini a first Premier League start of the season besides Tomas Soucek.

Lanzini rarely saw enough of the ball to make a telling contribution as the Irons were forced to settle for a scoreless draw on the south coast, where Soucek ran for miles to aid defensively on a night his offensive contributions were often ineffective.

Fornals also let Moyes down on his return to the starting line-up with the Spaniard frequently drifting into a central role and vacating his duties on the wing, ultimately restricting the visitors’ efforts with no true outlet to spring attacks down the channel.

Moyes ultimately saw enough from his starting options to replace Lanzini with Benrahma in the 60th-minute and immediately saw an uptake in West Ham’s attacking threat, with the summer arrival’s direct runs adding a different dimension to the side.

Even still, Moyes was not totally impressed by what the 25-year-old produced against Southampton, feeling the Algerian – who Paul Robinson believes can be a “fantastic” No. 10 – had to do better when denied a first West Ham goal by a fine close-range save from Alex McCarthy in the 85th-minute.

“The minute I saw it break to him I was expecting the goal,” Moyes said, via quotes by the Newham Recorder. “I haven’t had a chance to look at it back yet, but I am told the keeper made an excellent save.”

Moyes has been claimed to not fancy Benrahma’s talents, hinting toward the reasons behind the 6-cap international only starting two fixtures since moving to the London Stadium on an initial season-long loan.

But the former Manchester United boss must swallow his pride and accept that Benrahma must be starting for the Hammers, as the 25-year-old wizard has once again proved why he has to be playing in either a central or wide role and not from the bench.

No West Ham player recorded a higher number of accurate passes than Benrahma in the final half-hour at St. Mary’s on Tuesday night, where he completed each of his eight efforts of which six came in the final-third, per WhoScored.

He additionally beat his marker with his sole recorded attempted dribble and took a game-high two shots with one on target, double the total efforts attempted by Lanzini during his hour on the field.

AND in other news, a £7m-rated West Ham dud betrayed David Moyes with a sloppy Saints horror show.

Finally, things have started to look a little rosier for the Red Devils. After all, Manchester United are unbeaten in their past six games in the Premier League, including a stunning 6-2 victory over newly-promoted Leeds United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side find themselves in and amongst the title race and it seems like the manager will look to make additions in January to strengthen their position at the top of the table.

What’s the word?

According to Le10 Sport, United are reportedly eyeing up a move for RC Lens centre-back Facundo Medina.

Solskjaer placed the Argentina defender on his list of targets ahead of January and it’s believed that they’ve been watching him for some time now.

The 21-year-old has been a colossus at the back for Lens since the start of this season, providing one goal in 11 top-flight appearances in Ligue 1 so far, via Transfermarkt.

RMC’s Sacha Tavolieri via Le 10 Sport noted United are interested in Medina in their ‘search of reinforcements in central defence.’

Marcos Rojo 2.0

This could turn out to be a shrewd move from Messrs. Ed Woodward and Co.

United signed English defender Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers for £17m with an initial five-year contract back in 2011 but it’s fair to say that he has turned out to be something of a disappointment, to say the least.

He has yet to feature for Solskjaer’s side so far this season and has suffered the ignominy of being snubbed from the matchday squads, to sum up his torrid time at Old Trafford.

With Jones heavily linked with an exit, United could do with finding the perfect replacement sooner rather than later. In Medina, they may find a player who can be precisely just that.

Standing at 1.84m tall, the £7.2m-rated Argentina international is cut from a similar cloth to his compatriot Marcos Rojo, and the similarities don’t stop there, either.

Rojo’s reputation precedes him, as he has become known for his crunching tackles. Similarly, WhoScored lists one of Medina’s strengths as his ability to tackle, which suggests that he could be a significant upgrade on the likes of Jones and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

The left-sided centre-back has played 11 games in Ligue 1 this season, scoring one goal, while he is averaging 1.6 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

United have been crying out for a centre-half who won’t shy away from throwing himself into a tackle and Medina may be the unsung hero they need to usurp Liverpool in the title race.

AND in other news, Ed Woodward must secure Man Utd transfer swoop for Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho…

It’s almost time for a new era at Sunderland. They have a new manager in Lee Johnson and could soon have new ownership too…

Takeover latest

Last month, the Guardian reported that Stuart Donald had agreed to sell the north-east giants to a consortium involving the 22-year-old son of former Marseille owner Robert Dreyfus, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, and current minority shareholder Juan Sartori.

Whilst according to the Sunderland Echo, the prospective Black Cats owner had a major part to play in appointing Johnson as their new manager last weekend.

The deal still remains with the EFL as many at the Stadium of Light await a positive outcome.

And in with a fresh look soon to emerge at the League One outfit, it may be time to move on from certain ghosts from years gone by – namely Danny Graham.

Graham future

Ex-Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson brought the 35-year-old back to the club for a second time back in September and as of right now, he’s yet to pay dividends having failed to score in 11 league outings.

In fact, he was snubbed entirely by Johnson in both of his first two games in charge, which is a damning sign over his future. Indeed, he may no longer be needed.

Will Grigg and Charlie Wyke appear to be the first-choice options at the disposal of the 39-year-old whilst Aiden O’Brien is also able to feature in the role.

Even in his first spell at the Stadium of Light, Graham was nothing special and then he cost £5m in fees and £30k-per-week in wages – in three years at the club he went out on loan four times and scored the one goal in 42 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

It is now twice that the veteran has proven he hasn’t got the ability to play for Sunderland in League One, let alone in the Premier League during that first stint.

New technical director Kristjaan Speakman must do all in his power to get rid of the £428k-rated Graham as and when the takeover goes through, there is a perfect opportunity to do so in less than three weeks time.

As Kevin Phillips put perfectly to Football Insider, the ex-Blackburn man is a “hustler” and a “bustler” but we’re thinking that should’ve been directed towards his ability to still con a wage right now.

The two-time Black Cats flop does not belong at the club anymore and must be offloaded before he robs Dreyfus blind.

AND in other news, Speakman can deliver another Sunderland masterstroke with “exceptional” appointment

MatériaMais Notícias

O Cruzeiro venceu o Marília nos pênaltis nesta quarta-feira e se classificou para as oitavas de final da Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. O adversário da Raposa na próxima fase da competição será o Ceará. Segundo o volante Hudson, o time celeste não mudará suas características contra o Vozão e espera o rival mais fechado.

– Nós iremos buscar sempre o jogo para frente e acredito que o time do Ceará venha fechado e saindo no contra-ataque para tentar nos surpreender – projetou o jogador.

Apesar de estar com a campanha 100%, o Cruzeiro não teve vida fácil na competição. Nesta quarta, por exemplo, o time empatou em 2 a 2 no tempo normal e venceu por 4 a 2 nas penalidades. Segundo Hudson, o time está no estilo “mineirinho”, só comendo pelas beiradas para chegar longe na Copinha.

– Queremos sempre chegar as finais de todos os campeonatos que disputamos, se é desse jeito que está dando certo, vamos continuar no modo mineiro mesmo – disse o volante.

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has said that Galatasaray winger Ryan Babel is a “very dangerous opponent” ahead of the Gers’ clash with the Turkish side in the Europa League on Thursday.

Gerrard played with Babel during his time at Liverpool, where he was inconsistent during his 146 appearances for the club. Since then, he has been somewhat of a nomad, appearing for no less than seven different teams.

Ahead of the clash, Gerrard was asked about his former teammate, and he was quick to praise him. He said:

“I know Ryan very well, he is a good friend of mine. I really enjoyed playing alongside him. I think he is now in a good place in terms of where he is at with his football.“He had a little bit of a mixed time at Liverpool but when he got it right, he was a hell of a player to play alongside because he is powerful, he is quick, he can go past players and he has a cannon in his right foot. So he is a very dangerous opponent. But I know Galatasaray quite well in terms of personnel.”In 25 games for the Turkish side, he has managed six goals and two assists, and he has one of each in five outings so far this campaign. He will be hoping to make a big impact at Ibrox, but Gerrard will aware of the other talents Gala have at their disposal.For example, the likes of Falcao and Sofiane Feghouli are available to the Istanbul-based club. Babel is just one of a number of options that could hurt the 54-time Scottish champions.Let us know what you think below!

Liverpool are set to host their first match of the 2020/21 season as they try to secure back-to-back Premier League titles.

The Reds haven’t been able to strengthen as much as they may have liked this window, but they still boast one of the best squads in the league. Jurgen Klopp and his men will be hoping to turn their Anfield fixture into a statement win to set the campaign up.

The likes of Manchester City and Chelsea will be breathing down Liverpool’s neck this season. They simply cannot afford to put in anything other than superb performances as the games go by.

Championship winners Leeds will make the trip to Merseyside in hopes of also starting their term off on the right foot. Here’s how Transfer Tavern has predicted Klopp to field his eleven this afternoon…

After playing the majority of last season with his trademark 4-3-3 formation, the Liverpool gaffer may be inclined to recreate his side from last weekend. The Reds played Blackpool in a preseason friendly and stormed to a huge 7-2 victory.

Gini Wijnaldum did not feature, instead Naby Keita and Fabinho operated in deeper-lying midfield roles whilst Takumi Minamino shifted behind Roberto Firmino. The former Red Bull Salzburg man – who is usually deployed on the wing – put in a terrific performance in midfield, bagging a goal and an assist (via Sofascore).

With Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both still out with injury, this could be Klopp’s preferred midfield.

Joel Matip similarly grabbed himself a goal against Blackpool and made only his second start in Liverpool’s last ten fixtures. The manager may opt to try him with another run out before reassigning Joe Gomez to his usual role alongside Virgil van Dijk.

A usual front three of Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah should allow Liverpool to place their mark on the game early on. They’ll be looking for nothing less than three points on the opening weekend.

How do you think the Reds will set up against Blackpool? Join the discussion in the comments below!

Sunderland are interested in making a move for former Rangers defender Jon Flanagan, according to Football Insider.

Black Cats boss Phil Parkinson faces a tough task this summer as he looks to build a squad capable of gaining promotion to the Championship.

Finishing eighth in the League One standings last term, Parkinson is under increasing pressure to deliver and a number of deals have already been completed this summer with Bailey Wright and Aiden O’Brien, whilst also agreeing new terms with Tom Flanagan.

With Parkinson keen to further improve his squad, interest in ex-Rangers defender Flanagan has now emerged.

The defender, who was released by Steven Gerrard’s side earlier this summer, is available on a free transfer and Football Insider have claimed that Sunderland are interested.

That interest is also said to be matched by Fleetwood Town with boss Joey Barton keen to bolster his squad options ahead of next term in League One.

Flanagan, who is valued at £855,000 by Transfermarkt, last played in English football with Bolton Wanderers, whom he left to join Rangers in 2018.

Signing Flanagan on a free transfer this summer would be a good move for Sunderland and would add experience and quality to their defence. Indeed this is a player who not only made 16 appearances in the Scottish Premiership for Rangers, but who also played 46 times in the Premier League for Liverpool whilst also winning the League Cup whilst at Anfield (Transfermarkt).

Fleetwood’s interest will provide stiff competition for Phil Parkinson but you have to feel that if a promotion rival are keen, Sunderland should go all out to make a move.

Do you think Flanagan would be a good signing for Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…