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With Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side now on a run of four consecutive wins in all competitions, things very much appear to be looking on the up for the 56-year-old at Parkhead.

As well as the positive results, the Hoops manager has also seen a number of key players make returns from injury. Josip Juranovic, James McCarthy and Mikey Johnston have all featured in recent matchday squads after spending varying lengths on the sidelines, while both James Forrest and Christopher Jullien look set to make a return to first team action in the not-too-distant future.

In yet more good news, summer signing Georgios Giakoumakis also scored his first goal on his full debut for the club in Saturday’s 2-0 win over St Johnstone, with the centre-forward’s impressive performance showing Celtic fans a glimpse of what could be to come over the course of the remainder of the season.

With a trip to high-flying Hibernian up next for the Bhoys tonight, Postecoglou must ensure that he sticks with Giakoumakis if the striker is to go on and replicate the extraordinary form he showed at VVV-Venlo last season.

Indeed, despite his team’s eventual relegation, the £2.25m-rated marksman bagged 26 goals, registered one assist and created three big chances over his 30 Eredivisie appearances, as well as taking 3.2 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the player who journalist Jeroen Kapteijns dubbed a “phenomenon” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.35, ranking him not only as his club’s best performer in the league but also as the joint sixth-best in the entire division.

As such, with Postecoglou undoubtedly hoping that the 26-year-old can hit similar heights at Parkhead this season, the Bhoys boss must stick with the Greece international tonight in order to give Giakoumakis the best possible chance of building up a similar run of form goalscoring form in the green and white of Celtic.

In other news: Ange confirms Nicholson negotiations with “huge” talent, Celtic fans will be buzzing

Rangers got off the mark in their Europa League group on Thursday night as they beat Danish side Brondby 2-0 at Ibrox.

Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun scored the goals for the Gers as Steven Gerrard led his team to their first three points in the group after losing to both Lyon and Sparta Prague.

They now return to Premiership action as they travel to face St Mirren on Sunday. Rangers are top of the table and could extend their lead if other results go in their favour.

Gerrard could make some changes to his starting line-up to keep the players fresh and offer opportunities throughout the squad to see what the lesser-seen options are capable of doing. One player he must ruthlessly axe from Thursday’s team is midfielder Steven Davis.

The Northern Ireland international was not at his best in the Europa League clash and the veteran’s time should be up ahead of this clash with St Mirren. At the age of 36, he should not be relied upon to play week-in, week-out, as he is heading towards the end of his career and his performance against Brondby suggests that it is the right time for Gerrard to pull him out of the starting XI.

As per SofaScore, Davis lost 66.6% of his duels in the match, winning one in total. He also failed in 100% of his attempted dribbles and managed one tackle in the game, whilst failing to make a single clearance, block or interception. This suggests that he was lacking defensively and unable to impose himself physically on the opposition.

He came on for 12 minutes against Hearts in the last Premiership outing and failed to win a single duel, completing seven passes and doing little else. Davis has not shown enough in recent games to be deserving of a starting berth this weekend.

Dropping him from the team gives a chance to another midfielder to show that they deserve to be a regular in the side moving forward. Scott Arfield and Juninho Bacuna were both on the bench against Brondby and could be motivated to put in a top performance to nail down a place in the starting XI.

Therefore, Gerrard must ruthlessly axe Davis from the team. His display against Brondby was not good enough to secure his spot against St Mirren and should open the door for others to prove that they can perform to a high standard, which will hopefully be the case on Sunday.

AND in other news, Gerrard could unearth McGregor 2.0 in Rangers gem who has shown “excellent progress”…

Tottenham Hotspur are said to have agreed a fee with Wolverhampton Wanderers for their talisman Adama Traore, but the clubs are at an impasse over their preferred approach to the deal [AS via Sport Witness].

The Lowdown: Paratici eyes more signings

In his quest for continental qualification in 2021/22, Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo will be looking to tap into all avenues necessary in order to secure quality players before transfer deadline day, working closely with managing director Fabio Paratici.

Thus far, the Italian transfer guru has managed to bolster the squad with three additions in the form of Pierluigi Gollini, Bryan Gil and Cristian Romero [Transfermarkt].

Now, Paratici and co look to have moved closer to signing one of Nuno’s former players according to recent reports.

The Latest: Spurs and Wolves agree price

Spurs and Wolves are believed to have reached an agreement on the total price of the Traore deal, totalling around €46 million (£39.5m) [AS via Sport Witness].

However, there is said to be a ‘fine line’ that could alter the path of negotiations at any time.

Tottenham Hotspur want to take the Spain international on loan with a compulsory option to make the move permanent, whilst Wolverhampton Wanderers want the money up front with no loan.

The Verdict: News will breed nervousness amongst the Tottenham Hotspur faithful

With the window set to shut in less than a week, this news may breed nervousness amongst the Spurs faithful.

Traore would undoubtedly add lightning pace and ability to the Tottenham attack, as well as the added benefit of being familiar with Lilywhites boss Nuno.

In 2020/21, the wide-man registered six goal contributions in 41 appearances with three goals and three assists [Transfermarkt], and an improvement on that end product could turn him into a truly elite player.

In the current campaign, his dribbling ability has shone through to an extraordinary extent. Across his two Premier League outings so far this year, he has completed an average of ten dribbles per fixture [WhoScored], managing nine against Spurs last weekend after mustering up 11 at Leicester.

Once labelled as ‘unplayable’ by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, Spurs should look to come to a complete resolution to ensure the deal comes to a close as smoothly as possible [GOAL].

In other news, Tottenham Hotspur face a massive blow in a transfer chase. Find out more here.

Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips could be out for up to four months through injury, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Leeds suffer Phillips blow

The 25-year-old has been an enormous figure for the Whites in recent years but they are now facing a long spell without him in the team.

Phillips has undergone surgery on a hamstring injury, heightening the need for a new midfielder to come in during the January transfer window.

While there is no definite timeframe regarding Phillips’ return date, a rather bleak outlook has been offered.

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The Latest: Expert makes worrying claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery admitted Phillips looks likely to miss around three to four months of football, rather than a more optimistic two:

“We’re talking about a player who’s going under the knife. Two months to me always seemed very optimistic, to me. Typically, the data suggests that three to four months is more likely.

“That 105-day mark is what we usually see. We have seen examples in the past of players who have been out even longer than that.

“Danny Welbeck has had a couple of these procedures. If he returns on Boxing Day, which is possible, that will be bang-on three months. Sarmiento from Brighton looks like he will be closer to four months.

“So you can’t rule out this two-month timeline, but things would have to go really, really well. That would be the exception rather than the norm.”

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The Verdict: Huge loss for Whites

Leeds have had a tough start to the season as it is, most recently being thumped 7-0 by Manchester City, and not having Phillips for a big chunk of the campaign is a huge blow.

The midfielder is such an influential figure, making 226 appearances for the club and winning England’s Player of the Year award back in August.

Without Phillips around, it is simply imperative that a new signing is made in the middle of the park, or Leeds could easily find themselves in a relegation scrap.

Adam Forshaw seems to be the most reliable option at Marcelo Bielsa’s disposal currently, but even he has only just returned from nearly two years on the sidelines.

In other news, a journalist has made a claim regarding a possible Leeds signing. Find out who it is here.

Former All Leeds TV pundit Joe Wainman insists that Helder Costa simply isn’t good enough to play for Leeds United.

The winger has been with the Whites since 2019, coming in on an initial loan deal, before arriving permanently for a fee of £16m from Wolves.

During his time in the Championship, Costa made 43 appearances and scored four goals, while also laying on six assists.

In the Premier League last season, though, he made 22 appearances, but just 13 of those were starts, and he scored three goals and assisted three more.

Costa was not included in the squad for any of the final five games of the season, and Wainman does not believe he has the ability to be a genuine first-team player under the management of Marcelo Bielsa.

Indeed, he has expressed his concern around the prospect of Raphinha sustaining an injury, with the only other back-up being Ian Poveda within Bielsa’s first-team.

The JustJoe Football Show host said: “I don’t think he’s good enough, personally. I want him to be but I just don’t think he’s quite there.

“We have Poveda as well, who there is still question marks over long term for me. So I think if Raphinha was to get injured, then I’d start to worry, of what’s underneath that.

“We need a little bit more, better depth, for me.”

A number of Liverpool supporters are fuming after a report claimed that youngster Conor Bradley could be considered a right-back option next season.

The Reds ended up salvaging their 2020/21 season by finishing third but it was a hugely taxing campaign which threatened to be a disaster at one point. One player who struggled to consistently find his best level was Trent Alexander-Arnold, with the 22-year-old arguably overplayed at right-back.

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A lack of a top-quality replacement was arguably a key reason for this, with Neco Williams still an inexperienced player learning his trade. The Welshman could even leave Liverpool this summer, and while that would further highlight the need to sign a new right-back, a fresh update may suggest otherwise.

According to The Athletic [via Watch LFC on Twitter], 17-year-old Bradley could be viewed as a squad option next season, instead of a new signing coming in. The teenager is a regular presence in the Reds’ underage sides but has never so much as been included in a first team matchday squad (Transfermarkt).

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Liverpool fans fume at Bradley update

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to vent their fury at the report.

“Translation: we’re selling Neco Williams and we ain’t getting a replacement”

Credit: @ColinBallinMMA

“What is wrong with this club? Do we actually not have money to improve depth and cover it up by making out as if the academy is good, or are they just blatantly stupid?”

Credit: @lfcfigoo

“It’ll be Milner”

Credit: @just_adam_30

“Wwwhhhaaatttt?”

Credit: @amirul_idhamAB

“I hate this club”

Credit: @sheckeast

“Idiocy”

Credit: @N1GHTFALL_333

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been bemoaning a key update from a reliable journalist. Read more here.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has confirmed that Leeds United centre-back Diego Llorente will be missing from tonight’s Premier League clash against Newcastle.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side fell to a 3-0 defeat last time out against Liverpool, and while all the post-match talk was understandably dominated by the red card given to Pascal Struijk, the Whites suffered an equally worrying blow when Llorente was forced off injured.

Hay has now delivered an update on where things stand with the likes of Llorente, Struijk and Robin Koch ahead of Friday’s game against the Magpies at St James’ Park.

On Thursday, he tweeted: “Struijk, Robin Koch, Diego Llorente all out of tomorrow’s match at Newcastle. Bielsa still confident he has the resources to cope. Adam Forshaw should be back in contention next week. #lufc”

Fans will be worried

Given the kind of small, tight-knit squad that Bielsa has built up at Elland Road, news of Llorente’s injury could not have come at a worse time for the Whites.

Bielsa has already been without Koch, while Struijk’s red card and subsequent failed appeal means he will also miss the next couple of weeks of action.

Add Llorente’s absence into the mix and all of a sudden Leeds look short of real options in the middle of defence, and the Spaniard’s recent injury is something which came under some intense criticism from an injury prevention expert.

They told Football Insider: “That does not reflect well on Leeds or their staff. The job of the staff – the fitness, conditioning, sports science guys – is to get the players fit to play and keep them out there.

“There are some injuries you can’t legislate for, like the Harvey Elliott one today, but top athletes should not be breaking down with muscle injuries in the first half of matches.

“It means they are being overloaded in training, over-worked or not warming up and preparing properly. Something has gone wrong somewhere and Leeds will be embarrassed it has happened again to Llorente. Ultimately it is the manager’s decision on whether he thinks players are fit to play, and once they’re selected they should not be pulling hamstrings in the first half.”

Llorente’s absence from tonight’s game is a massive blow, especially when you consider how well he’s progressed after settling into life in English football last season.

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan said: “He looked every bit that leader and that quality centre-half that we were all expecting when he signed for the football club. There was great excitement about him it took a long time to get to see him consistently.

“But when we did, we saw him grow and grow and grow. We saw him get stronger and better as the games went on. If you ask any Leeds United fan who watched him in that second part of the season and ask them who would be the first centre-half on the team sheet, they would say Llorente.”

Given just how important Llorente is to Leeds, as well as the lack of other alternative options available tonight, fans will be very worried about Hay’s latest injury update.

Meanwhile, Leeds must start this “explosive” star vs Newcastle tonight…

Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Morgan Gibbs-White scored on his debut for Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon.

The Blades thrashed Peterborough United 6-2 at Bramall Lane to move up to 18th in the Championship table.

Gibbs-White was responsible for the hosts’ fourth goal, driving into the top corner via a touch from Posh ‘keeper Christy Pym following Iliman Ndiaye’s lay-off.

Wolves let Gibbs-White go on Deadline Day

Sheffield United sealed a season-long loan move for Gibbs-White on the final day of the summer transfer window (via BBC Sport).

Wolves sanctioned the move even though they failed to recruit a new central midfielder themselves. The Midlands outfit tried to sign Lille’s Renato Sanches and Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara on deadline day but were unable to reach an agreement in either case.

Gibbs-White was also loaned out last season, only to be recalled from Swansea City in January. He finished the season with 11 Premier League appearances under his belt (via WhoScored).

The official Sheffield United Twitter account posted a clip of his goal, and here’s how some Wolves fans reacted.

Wolves fans flock to Gibbs-White footage

“Well done lad, wished you was doing it at the Molineux lad, keep up the good work.”

Credit: @gazowen8

“Right, give him back”

Credit: @ostledave

“Recalled in January because we fail to get our targets in again, bet your life on it”

Credit: @wwfcjoe_

“Honestly don’t understand why we sent him out on loan”

Credit: @LStradomsky

“Watch us recall him in January again”

Credit: @wolvesxcoop__

“I really don’t get why we let him go but I hope he has a great loan spell. What a hit that is!”

Credit: @LewyDeWolf

In other news, some Wolves fans were critical of this player in the win over Watford.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts insists that Raheem Sterling would be unwilling to move to the club in a part-exchange deal that would see Harry Kane move to Manchester City.

Kane has reportedly asked to leave the club this summer, sparking interest from City, along with Manchester United and Chelsea.

Various swap deals have been mooted, with The Sun claiming that City could offer both Gabriel Jesus and England international Sterling to Spurs plus cash for Kane, who has enjoyed a spectacular season, winning the Golden Boot and the Premier League’s Playmaker Award.

The Athletic has reported that Sterling is considering his City future this summer and he has also been linked with Arsenal.

Roberts, though, believes that Spurs would not even countenance the idea of bringing Sterling to the club because of his huge wages – he is said to earn over £300,000-per-week at the Etihad Stadium, and he doubts he would be interested.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “If he’s not going to accept £350,000 a week at Man City, he’s not going to accept £250,000 or £200,000 at Tottenham. Irrelevant.

“There’s the bottom line of it, they can offer Tom, Dick, and Harry but they’re not going to sign. Tottenham are not going to look at it because the wages are too extortionate.”

Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola have seemingly set their sights on an ‘incredible’ new target amid reports they’re edging closer to signing Borussia Dortmund star Erling Braut Haaland.

The Lowdown: City in pole position for Haaland…

A plethora of credible claims have backed that City are by far the frontrunners to seal a summer deal for Haaland.

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Journalist David Ornstein of The Athletic revealed last week that the 21-year-old has given his green-light to join Guardiola’s side, as also backed by The Times.

The Daily Mail, sharing news on City’s interest in West Ham United star Declan Rice last week, thereafter claimed that a move is already ‘agreed’ to sign Haaland as Sky Blues sporting director Txiki Begiristain sets his sights on a Fernandinho replacement.

Meanwhile, this week, even ex-Man City forward Rodney Marsh got in the act – taking to Twitter and saying that the striker’s move to Eastlands is ‘done’.

City supporters, fresh off an absolutely exhilarating night of Champions League semi-final action against Real Madrid, could be interested to hear of an ‘offer’ as Guardiola joins the mix for a brand new target.

The Latest: City offer on the table…

According to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, the Premier League champions, and by extension their boss, are now eyeing Championship starlet Djed Spence.

It is claimed he has five ‘offers’, including one from City, but the player himself is a fan of bitter rivals Man United.

He explained (via Twitter): “Update #Spence: Selling price is €12-15m! It is said that he has got 5 offers. City, Arsenal & Tottenham are among the interested clubs. Jedd‘s dream is to play for #MUFC one day. He is a fan! Been told there should be still a loose contact with #FCBayern.”

The Verdict: Win the race?

The competition for Spence’s signature is evidence of his real quality and sky high potential.

He has been shining in England’s second tier on a loan spell at Nottingham Forest from parent club Middlesbrough with former Scotland international Alan Hutton recently calling him ‘incredible’ and ‘ready for the next level’.

The only sticking point may be his affection for the Red Devils, and as City target a possible future heir to Kyle Walker on the right side, Guardiola will want players who think of Eastlands as a priority move.

In other news: £102m ‘big name’ set his sights on joining City, turns to super agent for help…find out more here.