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Celtic have seen a bid for Iran forward Mehdi Ghayedi rejected by Shabab Al-Ahli but intend to return with another offer, according to sports journalist Hatam Shiralizadeh. 

The lowdown

The 23-year-old is predominantly a left winger but can also play on the right and through the middle. His club compete in the UAE Pro League and currently sit in fourth place, just outside the AFC Champions League qualifying spots.

Ghayedi is under contract for another four-and-a-half years and is valued at just under £1.1m by Transfermarkt.

Ange Postecoglou already has nine forwards at his disposal, having added Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny to his ranks already this month, but it has been reported that Celtic could look to offload one of their existing options in Albian Ajeti during the current transfer window.

The latest

Shiralizadeh tweeted that Shabab Al-Ahli had rejected an offer from Celtic for Ghayedi, as they are relucant to sell him this month, but the Hoops are not set to go quietly in their pursuit of the 23-year-old.

The journalist outlined: “Shabab Al Ahli have turned down an official bid from Celtic for Mehdi Ghayedi. UAE side don’t want to sell the Iranian striker in January, however, Celtic are determined to sign the young talent, so they are planning to offer a new bid for the 23-year-old.”

The verdict

Ghayedi would arguably be a risky signing for Celtic if Ange Postecoglou were to raid Asia once more, having brought in Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi from the J1 League since taking the reins at Parkhead.

The Iranian’s record this season is reasonable – three goals and one assists in 11 league appearances, only six of them starts. Having been named as Iran’s young player of the year, he has also earned opportunities at senior level, scoring in just his second game against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Could he cope with the step-up in quality to Scotland, though? No club from the UAE Pro League features in FiveThirtyEight’s list of the top 645 sides in the world, while UEFA rank the Scottish Premiership as one of the 10 strongest divisions in Europe.

That said, Furuhashi joined from Japan – a ‘largely untapped’ market in the words of Kris Commons – and he is the Hoops’ top scorer this season, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too quick to make a judgement on what Ghavedi could do if he becomes Celtic’s latest Asian acquisition.

In other news, Celtic are on the brink of this £6m deal

Leeds United and Newcastle United are two of the clubs who have been linked with a move for Derby County midfielder Jason Knight, as per a report from Football League World.

The Lowdown: Knight profiled

Knight is a Republic of Ireland international who is primarily a central midfielder but can also play on the right or in an attacking role.

The 20-year-old was labelled a ‘manager’s dream’ by Wayne Rooney and has been a regular for the Rams in recent months in a variety of positions. He has made 93 senior appearances for Derby in total, scoring on 11 occasions, but it seems as if he could be one player set to leave Pride Park, with multiple clubs interested in his services.

The Latest: January move on the cards?

Football League World shared a story on Wednesday regarding a number of Derby youngsters possibly leaving due to the club’s financial issues.

When it came to Knight, they claimed that Leeds, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Everton, Leicester City, Newcastle and Wolves are all keen, with the midfielder the prime contender to depart.

The Verdict: Similar to Gelhardt?

Leeds pounced on Wigan’s financial issues last year by bringing Joe Gelhardt to the club in a deal worth just £900,000. The youngster has gone on to star for the club’s under-23s and is now starting to get a chance in Marcelo Bielsa’s first team, so Victor Orta could well strike gold again when it comes to Knight.

He is capable of playing in multiple midfield positions so he could appeal to Bielsa, who is quite short of midfielders at this moment in time.

Knight already has plenty of experience in the Championship, especially for his age, and you’d expect that he’ll only get better, so a cut-price move could be another Leeds masterclass should they win the race.

In other news: The stats show that these were Leeds’ three worst players against Crystal Palace

Leeds United have been handed a boost in their chase for Blackburn Rovers forward Ben Brereton Diaz.

What’s the story?

According to Chilean publication, Red Gol, Marcelo Bielsa was interested in signing Brereton this summer, and reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that is still the case now ahead of the January transfer window.

Now, Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has delivered an update on the situation and admitted that Brereton could leave the club in the near future.

He said: “The club will decide. The owners will decide what they want to do, their business in India has suffered a little bit.

“If he can get a top, top move, earn the money and be a Premier League striker I’d never stop him doing that but I would hope he stays with us and sees the season out at the very least and keep the goals coming of course.”

Imagine him and Raphinha

Able to play as a number nine, but also out wide on both flanks, Brereton enjoyed his most prolific campaign to date in the Championship with Blackburn last season, bagging seven goals and providing five assists in 40 league games.

Those are the sort of numbers that would be richly welcomed at Leeds and given the exciting nature of Raphinha, they could stir up quite the combination in offensive areas at Elland Road.

Dubbed a “wonderful talent”, Rovers boss Mowbray, said: “Brereton’s like a beast now, and he can score goals. I see it every day in training. He’s a brilliant lad and all our lads absolutely love him. He’s filled out now and he will work so hard for this team. He’s very gifted and can score goals.”

Meanwhile, Brereton’s Chilean compatriot, Carlos Villanueva, said: “He’s going to make a good contribution to the national team, especially in a position where we had been looking for variants years ago.

“There has always been talk of that spare 9 and he gives you different characteristics… He comes from a football much more physical than the South American. He also has Chilean and South American blood, which puts in and fights.”

The £9m-rated attacker sounds exactly like the industrious player that Bielsa wants in his squad at Elland Road, and at just 22, is still nowhere near the prime years of his career.

Given the kind of struggles Leeds have endured this season in the Premier League, a move for Brereton might be the kind of momentum-starting signing that can fire the Yorkshire club up the table.

After all, Patrick Bamford’s absence is a continuous stumbling block with the England international missing a large portion of the campaign through injury. Brereton could help fix that issue, however, and armed with Raphinha at this side, a devastating duo would be formed to surely fire them to safety.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Celtic are hopeful of offloading goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas in January, according to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin. 

The lowdown: Record breaker

Celtic signed Barkas as recently as July 2020, parting with £4.5million to recruit him from AEK Athens.

That actually made him the most expensive goalkeeper in the Hoops’ history.

But after clocking up 22 appearances in his debut season, he’s only featured once this term (in the first leg of the Champions League qualifier against Midtjylland back in July).

The 27-year-old still has three years to run on his contract at Parkhead, but his Transfermarkt value has fallen to £2.52million.

The latest: Time to cash in

A source in Greece has revealed (via The Athletic) Celtic want to sell Barkas in the mid-season window and if that fails, they’ll look to secure a loan move.

Should he leave, Tobi Oluwayemi would likely be promoted to third choice behind Joe Hart and Scott Bain.

The verdict: Forgettable

It’s no surprise that Celtic want to cash in on Barkas, who’s of little use to them at the moment and on a frankly ridiculous £13,500-a-week.

However, they’ll surely struggle to get much of a return on their 2020 investment after he has slipped so far down the pecking order.

Ultimately, the record move has to be regarded a failure for the previous Celtic scouting department, one that Michael Nicholson and co will have to learn from the next time they look to recruit a true no.1.

In other news, Celtic have received a boost ahead of the League Cup semifinal.

Leeds United have joined the race for Blackburn Rovers forward Ben Brereton Diaz, according to Football League World.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ struggles in front of goal…

Marcelo Bielsa has been without star striker Patrick Bamford for the Whites’ last nine games due to an ankle injury and Leeds have struggled without the England international, who bagged 17 Premier League goals last season.

During that time, they have found the back of the net on just seven occasions, with winger Raphinha scoring three of those.

Meanwhile, Brereton Diaz has been scoring for fun in the Championship, netting 16 times in 19 appearances during the current campaign.

The Latest: Orta keeping an eye…

Football League World shared a story on Wednesday morning, claiming that Leeds are the latest club keeping an eye on the 22-year-old.

Brereton Diaz, who shares the same agency as Whites winger Crysencio Summerville, is out of contract at the end of the season, and discussions over a new deal are stalling.

As a result, Leeds have joined Premier League rivals Burnley, Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United and Southampton in the race for his services.

The Verdict: January swap?

Youngster Joe Gelhardt has been impressing in recent weeks, while Rodrigo has been starring in a creative role, so bringing in Brereton Diaz to rival Bamford and Gelhardt as a number nine could be a shrewd move in the long run.

Tyler Roberts has struggled for goals in the Premier League, so perhaps he could be used as a makeweight in a deal for Brereton Diaz, who has been described as a ‘wonderful talent’ and a ‘beast’ by his manager Tony Mowbray and has 37 senior goals to his name during his career for club and country.

The pair are the same age, and who knows, Rovers could be interested in receiving a forward plus some cash during the winter window. Otherwise, they could lose the Chile international for nothing at the end of the season.

In other news: Beren Cross spots ‘important’ Leeds ace back in training after four-man boost. 

On Thursday night, David Moyes handed yet another professional debut to one of West Ham’s promising youngsters – something which has been a recurring theme since he returned for a second stint at the club.

The Irons continued their impressive form in the Europa League with another win and clean sheet, taking them way clear at the top of Group H.

Genk threatened early on in the match but the tide turned just before the break when Craig Dawson nodded home from an Aaron Cresswell delivery. The left-back provided again in the second half, this time Issa Diop heading to the net, before Jarrod Bowen wrapped things up with a fine solo strike.

With the game more or less over by the hour mark, the Scotsman made changes to his starting XI, in which young academy gem Dan Chesters came on for his maiden senior appearance.

The 19-year-old midfielder came on for Manuel Lanzini in the 89th minute, joining a whole host of names to make their debut since Moyes’ comeback, including Harrison Ashby, Emmanuel Longelo, Jamal Baptiste, Nathan Trott, Oladapo Afolayan, Aji Alese, Mipo Odubeko and Jeremy Ngakia.

Chesters is an exciting attacking midfielder, who offers pace and creativity in the final third.

West Ham’s official website describe him as ‘a livewire attacking midfielder capable of opening up the tightest of defences’. He is also capable of playing as a no.8, no.10 or out wide.

His impressive form for the U18s earned quite a lofty comparison to one of the Premier League’s very best.

“He’s a bit similar to Jack Grealish, claimed ex-Hammers midfielder Jack Collison to The Athletic.

“He takes people on and he’s lovely on the ball; really nice to watch. He’s one of the most exciting kids to watch in terms of what he can do when the ball’s at his feet.”

Meanwhile, Moyes waxed lyrical about his potential after the game. He told reporters, via football.london: “He has speed, he has trained well with the first team last week, when we were in the international break and he’d been quite impressive.

“We were a little bit short of attacking players today so it gave us a chance to get a couple of young players on the bench. Dan has been doing well and when he came on he showed his endeavour to stop them a couple of times.”

Perhaps he could go on to become the next Joe Cole at the London Stadium. His versatility and skillset certainly provide clues into the two having plenty of similarities.

With the Irons still in every domestic cup competition, we should expect to see Chesters’ name on the teamsheet more often as Moyes looks to deal with a congested workload over the coming weeks and months.

The 58-year-old may have just discovered the club’s next Cole.

AND in other news, 97% pass accuracy, 89 touches: West Ham’s £60k-p/w “freak” stole the show against Genk…

Celtic have been dealt a potential injury blow regarding central midfielder Tom Rogic.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by The Scottish Sun, Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou revealed that the 28-year-old, who was withdrawn in the first half of Celtic’s 3-1 win over Hibernian on Wednesday evening, appears to have pulled his hamstring.

He went on to state that he will have to wait and see how the Australia international recovers in the coming days as to whether or not Rogic will be available for selection for the visit of Livingston on Saturday.

On the midfielder’s injury, the 56-year-old Bhoys manager said: “Tom did feel something in his hamstring. It’s wait and see. We’ll just assess it. He was outstanding in the first half. His ability to find space is second to none.

“We had three quick boys up front, technically good, and he was key to getting the best out of them. He’s played a lot for us but, hopefully, he’s OK. I’m not that good, I’m not really sure, he said it didn’t feel too bad.”

Major blow

Considering just how impressive Rogic has been for Celtic so far this season, in addition to the fact that Postecoglou has already had to deal with something of an injury crisis at Parkhead during the opening stages of his reign as the Hoops manager, should the 28-year-old be ruled out for any length of time, it will undoubtedly leave fans very worried.

Indeed, over his 11 Scottish Premiership fixtures this term, the £1.35m-rated man has scored one goal, registered two assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £16k-per-week midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97, with the Australian making up one-third of Celtic’s impressive midfield trio alongside David Turnbull and Callum McGregor – who have each been influential in the Bhoys’ ongoing run of five consecutive victories in all competitions.

As such, with two massive Europa League ties coming up for Celtic in November, should Rogic’s injury rule him out of action for these two clashes, it will certainly come as a major blow to Postecoglou – at a time when things finally appeared to be looking on the up at Parkhead.

In other news: “Important” £20k-p/w Celtic beast who had 9 clearances proved Ange right on Wednesday

Some Liverpool supporters are fuming after it was revealed that Alisson and Fabinho are likely to miss Reds action this month, due to international duty.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are on Premier League duty this weekend, with Manchester City heading to Anfield for a huge meeting on Sunday.

Liverpool are top of the league currently but are only one point ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side, as the title race continues to hot up.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

Two players who will be vital for the Reds against City are Alisson and Fabinho, with the duo both proving to be modern-day Anfield heroes.

According to This is Anfield [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], however, they will both head out on Brazil duty later this month, meaning they will likely miss the league clash at Watford on October 16th, due to having to quarantine.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-5/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans react to Alisson and Fabinho news

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their dissatisfaction with the news.

“Genuinely who even likes international football. Just scrap it.”

Credit: @chielinilooked

“Great. Aerial assault incoming from Watford”

Credit: @rylands72

“Wish international football would just do one”

Credit: @footyfiend1

“What a joke, stop this madness”

Credit: @StannisTheGod

“Oh no”

Credit: @TrentXtraa

“Someone throw international football out the window please”

Credit: @Sundinho6

In other news, some Liverpool fans love a video that has emerged at Anfield. Read more here.

An update has emerged on Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley, regarding Leeds’ interest in his services…

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, the Whites are eyeing up a potential January swoop for the England international to bolster their squad.

The report claims Burnley and Newcastle are also looking at the ex-Everton midfielder, with Chelsea set to allow him to leave Stamford Bridge.

Hernandez 2.0

Leeds chief Victor Orta could find the new Pablo Hernandez by securing a deal to sign Barkley in January, finding a creative magician to open up doors for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the Premier League.

Hernandez, who left Leeds in the summer, has a career average of 2.9 key passes and dribbles completed per game, showing how he is consistently able to be a creative force in the final third. He has the ability to dribble past players and set up chances for his teammates, which is something Barkley could also bring to Elland Road.

The 27-year-old Chelsea midfielder has a career average of 3.1 key passes and dribbles per game, which is particularly impressive given these statistics are taken from his performances for Chelsea, Everton and England in the top-flight and in Europe.

Premier League legend Alan Shearer lauded the £100k-per-week wizard’s talents whilst he was on loan at Aston Villa last season. He told The BBC:

“Ross seems to have found a system that suits him and a manager who wants to play him. This is exactly what he needs.

“He now needs to find the consistency that has been lacking in his game because this is a crucial stage of his career. Ross has been spoken about in glowing terms since he was very young but he is 27 now and needs to deliver on that potential.

“At his best he is match-winner and Villa is a great platform for him.”

This highlights the quality he could provide Leeds on the pitch, with one of the league’s greats hailing him as a match-winner at his best. Barkley could come in and add some extra creativity to Bielsa’s side and offer him the chance to change formation to accommodate a number 10, or mould him into a central midfielder who will work hard for the side whilst also offering quality on the ball.

Orta must now ensure that he can beat the likes of Burnley and Newcastle to win Barkley’s signature in the winter market. If he can then Leeds could have another diminutive creator to enjoy watching week-in-week-out, just as they did with Hernandez.

AND in other news, Phil Hay drops key update on “top-class” Leeds wizard that’ll delight supporters…

The transfer window has only been closed for two weeks but Wolverhampton Wanderers are already pondering who they could lure to Molineux in January.

Their summer market was full of what-ifs and buts as the Old Gold struggled to acquire their primary targets.

What’s the word?

One of the men Wolves tried to sign on transfer deadline day was Lille midfielder Renato Sanches.

A loan offer was submitted and initially, it looked as though a deal would be completed.

However, due to complications surrounding an ongoing injury for the midfielder and problems in agreeing an option to buy, the move fell through.

Yet, according to Birmingham Live’s Alex Dicken, there is hope that a move could be revived in January.

Writing this week, Dicken claimed: “Wolves are certain to look into the possibility of signing Sanches in January, but they will face more competition for the in-demand midfielder once his injury has healed.”

Exciting news

Although Wolves are set to face bigger rivals to sign the Portuguese sensation in a few months time, it can only be a good thing that Lage still has him on his radar.

After all, Sanches is still thought of as one of the brightest young central midfielders in Europe.

Couple that acclaim with a lack of genuine midfield depth and the idea of signing the Portugal international becomes even more appealing

Wolves’ main options in the middle of the park are Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho but with the former linked away and the latter tipped to be in his final years as a professional, they will need alternatives.

That’s especially with Owen Otasowie no longer at the club and Morgan Gibbs-White on loan at Sheffield United in the Championship.

Sanches is clearly better than those two and would give Wolves and Lage something they don’t have; depth.

On top of that, he’d add marvellous qualities to the team at Molineux. Having completed 1.7 dribbles per game last term, it’s clear he’s excellent when it comes to carrying the ball forward.

That’s also emphasised by his only appearance in Ligue 1 this term. During Lille’s 3-3 draw with Metz, the 24-year-old was sensational as he registered two shots, two key passes and an eye-catching four dribbles.

Compared to a great of the game, the Bundesliga website once described him like this: “A box-to-box midfielder with the strength of a WWE heavyweight and the nimble feet of a ballet dancer, Sanches is very much in the Clarence Seedorf.

“He also comes complete with an impressive range of passing, an absolute rocket of a shot and loves nothing more than to drive at opposition defenders. If he had wheels, he’d probably be a bulldozer with a V8 engine.”

If that doesn’t have Wolves supporters salivating and grinning from ear to ear, nothing will.

This is a potential signing to get excited about, one that could really take their game to the next level. The adoring Molineux fan base should be buzzing about their continued interest.

AND in others, Lage can seal mammoth Wolves upgrade by signing “extraordinary” £49.5m-rated beast…