All posts by z3u9t.icu

New Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will spend his 10-day quarantine assessing transfer targets for the Hoops, according to The Scottish Sun.   

The Lowdown: Postecoglou announced

The Hoops finally confirmed Postecoglou as their new manager, almost two weeks on from making him their main target after a breakdown in talks with Eddie Howe.

Postecoglou left Yokohama F. Marinos to sign a 12-month rolling contract with Celtic, with the club sharing the news on Thursday morning.

The Australian’s final game in charge of the Japanese side came on Wednesday, losing to fourth-tier side Honda FC in the domestic cup.

The Latest: Postecoglou’s quarantine plans

The Scottish Sun shared a story on the 55-year-old on Thursday evening.

They claimed Postecoglou will ‘spend much of his quarantine assessing potential transfer targets’ – an exciting nine-word claim on the new man in charge in Glasgow.

Postecoglou could well be set for a busy summer, especially with star men Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard making it clear they want to leave the club over the coming months.

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The Verdict: Spine key for Postecoglou

With the new Celtic boss looking at possible additions, plenty of areas to strengthen may well come to light.

Should Ajer leave however, that could leave Postecoglou with just one fit senior centre-back in Stephen Welsh due to Christoper Jullien’s injury.

If Edouard departs, you’d also expect a new prolific centre-forward would be required.

The void left by Scott Brown in the middle of midfield may also need to be filled, so the spine of the side is going to need some serious work if the Hoops are to seriously challenge rivals Rangers next season.

Flair players on the flanks are a luxury any manager would love to have, but the new Hoops boss must immediately focus his attention on building a proper core through the middle of the his XI.

In other news: Olivier Ntcham edges closer to Celtic exit, find out more here. 

Kevin Phillips has urged Jonson Clarke-Harris to move to Glasgow Rangers this summer ahead of other clubs with interest in his services.

The Lowdown: Gers eye Clarke-Harris

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic campaign at Peterborough, scoring 33 goals in all competitions as Posh were promoted to the English Championship (Transfermarkt).

The Gers have been linked with a move for the striker (Bristol Post), but West Brom and Sheffield United are also said to be in pursuit.

The Latest: Phillips urges Ibrox move

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips believes that Clarke-Harris should make the move to Ibrox rather than joining an English Championship club. He said:

“I did the EFL coverage last week and I see him quite a lot.

“My opinion is if he gets the chance to go to Rangers from the Championship you don’t turn that down. 

“It’s different if you have just been promoted to the Premier League because I’d say the player would stay there. 

“But he’s got that chance to go to Rangers and play European football. He’s coming off the back of a brilliant season and he’s only going to get better.

“I’m sure Peterborough fans don’t want to hear that but he’s 26, is that big move going to come around again? 

“It’s a tough decision for him but it’s also tough to turn down.”

The Verdict: Rangers still in the market?

Clarke-Harris is clearly a striker who knows where the back of the net is – he even ended this campaign as League One’s top goalscorer (BBC) – but Rangers may have already completed their business up front. They recently confirmed the signing of Fashion Sakala on a free transfer from Oostende (rangers.co.uk).

That means that Steven Gerrard now has five strikers at his disposal. For the signing of Clarke-Harris to make sense, the Gers would surely need to move on two forwards, and is there any guarantee he would perform better than Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe, Cedric Itten or Jermain Defoe?

The ship may have already sailed on this one, despite Phillips’ endorsement of a potential deal for the Peterborough marksman.

In other news, many Rangers fans laud this man’s performance against Aberdeen.

West Ham United are one of several clubs eyeing a raid for Josh Hawkes this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claimed that the Irons are among the clubs ready to swoop for the Sunderland gem, with the likes of Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Newcastle United also keen.

The 22-year-old midfielder was signed on a free transfer from Hartlepool and has played a crucial role for the Black Cats’ under-23 side in their run to the Premier League 2 Division 2 play-offs.

Hawkes rejected a move to Sporting Braga last summer, although Lee Johnson is yet to involve him in the first team picture.

Bowen 2.0

The Hammers have often had success when dipping into the lower leagues, most recently seeing their £22m gamble on Jarrod Bowen pay dividends this season as the young winger has featured regularly on their way to securing a Europa League berth. He provided eight goals and five assists in 38 appearances this term, as per Tranfermarkt.

For the young Black Cats this season, Hawkes has proven to be a reliable threat, registering 14 goals and seven assists, including important strikes against some well-respected academies in West Brom, Aston Villa and Reading.

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This form has led to plenty of glowing endorsements in recent times, with popular Sunderland fansite Roker Report dubbing him a “revelation” with a “pretty ridiculous goal record for a midfielder”.

That acclaim echoed the thoughts of The Northern Echo reporter Nick Loughlin, who also lauded him as a revelation and provided further comments from Jeff Stelling during his time at Hartlepool.

“I’m sat next to Higgy [Craig Hignett] in the director’s box and Josh Hawkes is on the bench and I’ve said ‘for God’s sake we need Josh Hawkes on the pitch, a free spirit who can create’. Higgy has put him straight in and look at the difference.”

It remains to be seen how much Sunderland would command for a player who has only once tasted first team football for them, but if David Sullivan and co can secure the 22-year-old’s signature, it could well be another gamble which pays dividends – a masterclass from GSB again.

The 1.8m (6 foot) dynamo could be a bargain addition at West Ham this summer.

AND in other news, GSB must secure West Ham swoop for “hardworking” 34-goal beast who’s perfect for Moyes…

Football has quickly moved on from the greed-motivated plans of the proposed European Super League (ESL) but there could soon be subsequent consequences for their actions.

This, of course, involves Tottenham Hotspur and it could be a worrying sign for their immediate future, thanks to the decisions of Daniel Levy and the club’s hierarchy.

Much of the Spurs faithful have protested against the ENIC group, as well as the chairman, following the downfall of the breakaway group but the latest on the situation is only going to anger people even more.

According to ESPN, UEFA are ready to pursue severe disciplinary action against the teams that signed up to the ESL. As a result, this could lead to maximum punishment under the organisation’s rules, which is a two-year ban from competing in the Champions League and Europa League.

Over the last week or so, UEFA have sought to clarify the position of ten of the 12 clubs who signed up to the proposal and could hand them a lesser sanction but you’d imagine this will, at best, still be a hefty fine.

At the time this news first surfaced, Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville lambasted owners like Levy in a scratching and passionate rant against the plans live on air (via the Evening Standard).

“[My thoughts are] no different to Gary and every supporter up and down the country,” said the former Liverpool vice-captain. “What I would say is this is not Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, Man City involved, this is John Henry and FSG, this is the Glazers, this is Roman Abramovich, Sheikh Mansour, Stan Kroenke, Daniel Levy – these are the people to blame for this.”

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Neville added: “It can be stopped and I am convinced of it. Going forward that is what we need, marches on stadiums, supporters getting together, it should not be allowed to happen. I said yesterday that I thought it was a criminal act.”

This will now have a dangerous knock-on effect for Spurs, especially as they are currently on the lookout for a new manager. Amid the ESL plans first coming to the surface, Levy ruthlessly sacked Jose Mourinho in a week where they had the Carabao Cup final.

It is thought, via football.london’s Alasdair Gold, that he would like a new manager in place before the end of the season. However, likely sanctions and a potential ban from Europe would make the managerial vacany so much less appealing than it already is.

The Lilywhites are firmly in the top-four race, sitting just five points behind Champions League finalists, Chelsea, with four games still to play.

Even then, a spot in the Europa League is more likely – but will a top coach be willing to come to North London if their transfer budget is impacted through possible sanctions and the prospect of no European football?

Not many.

As Neville describes it, this “criminal” decision and the likely consequences could hand Spurs a huge hammer blow as they look to move on with their immediate future.

Although, some might say it’s exactly what Levy and ENIC deserve after the stunt they tried to pull.

AND in other news, Harry Kane’s future at Spurs in doubt after fresh talkSPORT claims…

Celtic-linked Josh Doig has said that his current club Hibernian is a ‘great pathway to go to higher places’ but insisted that he ‘absolutely adores’ being at Easter Road.

The lowdown

Sky Sports reported in January that Celtic, along with Arsenal and Chelsea, were monitoring the young left-back, who this weekend has been named the Scottish Football Writers’ Young Player of the Year award, seeing off David Turnbull and Nathan Patterson.

Hibs team-mate Joe Newell was among those to congratulate the 18-year-old on an ‘amazing achievement’ in his breakthrough season.

Doig, who is valued at just £450,000 by Transfermarkt, has made 26 league appearances for Hibs this season, scoring once and providing four assists. He has averaged 1.7 tackles, 1.3 clearances, 0.7 interceptions and 1.3 successful aerial duels per game (via WhoScored).

The latest

Doig was asked about outside interest in an interview with The Scotsman. Whilst he did hint at a desire to ascend the footballing ladder, he insists that Hibernian is an ideal setting for his development.

The youngster namechecked John McGinn, who moved from Hibs to Aston Villa in 2018 and is now a Premier League regular.

He said: “It’s crazy because I’ve grown up watching all these clubs and for any of them even to show an interest…

“Whatever happens happens. But as long as I’m playing football, whether it’s here, at Barcelona, or back at Queen’s Park, that’s what I want.

“I absolutely adore it here at Hibs.

“You can see with the likes of John McGinn, I know Hibs is a great pathway to go to higher places but it still a massive club in itself.

“We could finish third this season.

“I don’t think there’s a better place than Hibs to develop as a player.”

The verdict

It does sound as if Doig would like to remain in Edinburgh for the time being. He really has spoken of his club in glowing terms, although the use of phrases like ‘whatever happens happens’ and ‘great pathway’ could leave the door somewhat open for a future move elsewhere.

Having already caught the eye of Arsenal and Chelsea, though, perhaps he’s looking to go straight from Easter Road to the English game just as McGinn did.

In other news, Celtic are said to be keen on this English League One starlet.

It would be fair to say that Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham’s loan deal to Marseille has not gone as he would have envisaged.

The Frenchman joined the Ligue 1 outfit in January to the exasperation of former head coach Andre Villas-Boas, whilst he has only made five appearances for the club since.

As a matter of fact, he has not played longer than 45 minutes in any of his appearances for his adoptive employers.

Amidst suggestions that his spell in Marseille is not going to be extended beyond the end of the campaign, Football Insider now indicate that Ntcham no longer wants to be a Celtic player.

Certainly it’s now time for the Hoops to cash in on the three-time Scottish Premiership winner.

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After arriving from Manchester City in 2017, the 25-year-old has made 147 appearances for the Hoops, scoring 24 goals. He had previously drawn praise from the likes of former Celtic manager, Neil Lennon who labelled the French midfielder as “fantastic”.

However, his contributions have dried up completely in recent seasons, missing 34 league games alone in each of the last three campaigns due to a combination of injuries, poor form and managers’ preference for others. In that time, Ntcham has contributed just eight goals.

Now rated at £3.15m by Transfermarkt, his value is only going to decrease after his disastrous spell with Marseille and a potential lack of football back with Celtic.

Before any more depreciation occurs, it would surely be a smart move from the Glasgow club to cut their losses on Ntcham and sell him.

After all, the Hoops are not going to feel any benefit of keeping him at Parkhead should he not wish to represent Celtic any more.

It would be a sad end to Ntcham’s stint with the club – and certainly not one that either he or the Hoops hierarchy will have envisaged.

AND in more news, have a look at the latest twist as Celtic aim to find a successor for Neil Lennon…

Caglar Soyuncu appears to have handed Leicester City a fitness boost at just the right time.

The Turkish defender was previously self-isolating back in his home country having tested positive whilst on international duty.

However, according to Leicestershire Live, he has now flown back to the UK and is once again in contention – his return to action coming at the best possible time with Leicester preparing for an FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, as well as continuing their battle to end the season in the Premier League top four.

It remains to be seen whether the 33-cap Turkish international will go straight back into the Foxes’ starting XI but the fact that he can be called upon will be a huge boost to Rodgers.

In the two games that the East-Midlanders have played during Soyuncu’s absence, they have lost each of those – a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Manchester City before a 3-2 loss to top-four rivals West Ham United.

That is certainly a trend that has been prominent since Soyuncu replaced Harry Maguire in the Leicester City lineup.

Since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, the defender has missed a total of 27 matches, whether that be through injury, suspension or selection. In those games, Leicester win rate ironically increases by a marginal amount.

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However, it’s in their defending where they struggle most without the former Freiburg man, conceding 1.14 goals per game on average without him whilst they only ship 0.96 per match in all competitions when he plays.

That influence is certainly well noted at the club too, with Rodgers hailing his defender’s “quality”.

Not only will the returning Soyuncu have an influence on the club’s results, but he will also be hugely useful in the team’s system. He will now be able to replace Daniel Amartey in the heart of a more conventional back-three, giving Rodgers the option of partnering him with the likes of Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana, a luxury that he has not been afforded on too many occasions throughout the campaign.

It goes without saying then that Soyuncu’s return to action is positive news all around for Leicester and it comes at the perfect time.

AND in more news, find out why Leicester must try again for a previous transfer target should they earn UCL football…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Tottenham captain Gary Mabbutt has praised Lucas Moura for grasping his opportunity in recent games.

Until coming back into the side to face West Brom last month, the Brazilian attacker had gone more than three months without a Premier League start – with Steven Bergwijn often preferred on the right-side of the front-three.

But including Sunday’s win at Aston Villa, Moura has now started seven of Spurs’ previous eight league outings, and 11 in total this term, scoring twice, whilst adding three assists.

One of those assists allowed his international colleague, Carlos Vinicius, to tap home his first Premier League goal at Villa Park, much to the delight of Moura.

With Heung-Min Son currently out injured, and the likes of Bergwijn and Dele Alli struggling for chances, the former PSG man is performing well of late, and Mabbutt himself has been impressed.

He told Football FanCast: “I’ve always been impressed with Lucas. He’s never been a first-choice striker, but when you’ve got players like Kane and Son in the side it’s always a battle to get in there. Every time he’s been a given an opportunity, he’s grasped it.

“If you look at the Champions League run there’s performances there, and I thought the last 20 minutes against Arsenal he was outstanding. He took the game to Arsenal despite having a man less. I have always been very impressed.

“I’m sure he would like to be playing more and more. What we have at the club is competition for places. We have a squad of players where we could put out two first-teams.”

Fans of Sunderland have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the club relayed footage of a spectacular Chris Maguire strike in a recent U23 fixture.

So far this season, Maguire has been in decent form over his 29 League One appearances for Lee Johnson’s side, with the 32-year-old scoring four goals and providing five assists, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.71 – ranking him as the Black Cats’ 16th-best performer in the third tier.

However, having not started a league fixture for Sunderland since the beginning of December, it would appear as if Johnson felt the £315k-rated winger could do with a run out for the club’s U23 side against Burnley U23s on Tuesday, and Maguire did not disappoint, scoring a thunderous drive from the edge of the box in the Premier League 2 fixture.

And, after Sunderland relayed footage of the winger’s goal on Twitter, fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with many questioning why the 32-year-old was involved in the youth fixture, while others simply heaped praise on Maguire for his strike.

So, what exactly did these Sunderland fans have to say in reaction to the footage of Chris Maguire’s goal?

“Should be starting in the first team.”

@GateshillRobbie

“Too good to be playing for the U23s. Really hope he gets more first-team opportunities.”

@AlexWil38702190

“Needs game time. There aren’t many Sunderland players who can do what Maguire can do – game-changer.”

@paulbasnett10

“Oh my God.”

@ChrissSAFC

“Pick that one out.”

@Tog41

“Stonker.”

@grahaml35342400

“Things you love to see.”

@DanielLPCQI

“Wow.”

@mattythompson95

In other news: loads of Sunderland fans were buzzing after these ‘exciting’ comments emerged – find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer talked up Burnley manager Sean Dyche, suggesting that he would do a good job at Celtic if given the opportunity.

The SPFL club are without a permanent manager following the resignation of Neil Lennon and Dyche has since been mentioned as a potential successor by the bookmakers.

The 49-year-old currently has Burnley sitting above the relegation zone, a common theme during his time at the club despite having only a small budget to work with, something he has discussed in the past.

Since the 2016/17 season, the Clarets have recorded 16th, 7th, 15th and 10th-place finishes, showing the brilliant work Dyche has done at Turf Moor. And that has not gone unnoticed, with Palmer being quick to praise the Premier League boss amid the links to Celtic.

On Dyche and the Celtic job, the retired England international exclusively told FFC:

“I’m a big fan of Sean Dyche. So, I mean, I’m surprised that one of the bigger clubs in the Premier League haven’t had a bat at him, no disrespect to Burnley. He’s been pulling rabbits out of his backside for the last four or five years at Burnley. He’s done an absolutely fantastic job.

“No disrespect to Burnley, I think he’s deserved the chance of a bigger job. And, yeah, I could see Sean Dyche, who’s proven he can work on a shoestring budget, going to Celtic and doing very, very well.”

Whether anything materialises, only time will tell. Nevertheless, it is not hard too see why Dyche is being linked with the Celtic Park dugout.

Focusing on this season specifically, the Englishman has proven his credentials further by guiding Burnley to some impressive victories. The Lancashire club were the first team to beat Liverpool at Anfield in a league fixture in nearly four years, putting an end to their 68-game unbeaten run, while they also managed to inflict defeat on Arsenal away from home.