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According to a recent report from The Scottish Sun, Josh Maja could be set for a move away in the January transfer window. The 20-year-old sensation currently plays his football in League One with Sunderland having come up through the ranks at the Stadium of Light, although with his contract up in the summer, it looks like his future could be away from the North East. 

And reports suggest that Jack Ross’ men are contemplating letting the striker leave the club this month, reportedly on the condition that they get him back on loan for the rest of the 2018/19 season, which should be of keen interest to Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers given his side have been linked with a move for Maja in recent times.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the departure of Moussa Dembele to French outfit Lyon late on in the summer window left Rodgers slightly short in the striking department, while Leigh Griffiths’ recent spell away from the first team has only served to further deplete the Northern Irishman’s options in that area of the pitch.

Yes, the arrivals of Timothy Weah and Vakoun Issouf Bayo has served to enhance those options for the second half of this season, but with the former only on loan until the summer, Rodgers faces having to again strengthen his ranks come the end of the campaign.

But that wouldn’t be necessary were he to seal a deal for Sunderland’s Maja this month, as the 20-year-old has proven that he has an extremely bright future in the game since breaking into the Black Cats team on a regular basis back in 2017.

The striker went on to appear 17 times in the Championship for the North East giants in the 2017/18 season, although his one goal in that time wasn’t enough to inspire them to safety, yet he has taken it up a level in League One this season with several impressive displays for Ross’ side.

In fact, the Englishman’s tally of 15 goals from 24 league games this term is only bettered by Doncaster Rovers’ John Marquis (16) to underline just how prolific Maja has been in front of goal this season, while a handful of assists in that time also suggests that he has more to his game than just scoring goals.

And under the guidance of Rodgers, who has a proven track-record of developing and nurturing young players into stars during his managerial career, the 20-year-old could seriously flourish by making the move north of the border to Celtic.

Yes, a sale does appear to depend on Maja returning to Sunderland for the rest of the season, but with messrs Weah and Bayo having made the move to Parkhead this month, Rodgers is well-catered for in the final third of the pitch – come the summer though, it could be a completely different story.

And with Maja seemingly set for huge things in the game, the door is very much open for Rodgers to lure the striking sensation to Celtic Park, in a move which would equip the Bhoys with a gem for many years to come.

Celtic fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Brendan Rodgers has jumped the gun in relation to the signing of Maryan Shved.

What’s the word?

The Karpaty Lviv winger watched Wednesday’s 2-0 win over St Johnstone after undergoing his medical.

Since presenting Maurice Johnston as a signing in 1989, two months before he turned up on the other side of the city, Celtic have been cautious over the timing of signings.

The Hoops completed three deals in the first fortnight of the transfer window but with just a few hours remaining there has been no further additions to the first team squad.

Perhaps caught a little off guard, Rodgers said as quoted by The Evening Times: “Marian Shved was at the game and I spoke to him beforehand.

“He is delighted to be here and his medical is all complete. Marian will go back to Ukraine and finish off his season there with his club.

“He will then come back to Scotland around April and get involved with the training, before being ready to go in the summer.”

These days any signing requires a social media introduction, with a brief video clip usually the way to make an announcement.

Shved has already spent a season and a half in Spain with Sevilla’s youth side but all of his effective playing days have been in the Ukraine.

Stockpiling wingers

On the surface it seems that Celtic are stockpiling wingers. Scott Sinclair and James Forrest are clearly the men in possession with Mikey Johnston and Jonny Hayes both waiting patiently for the chance to deputise.

Shved has an impressive reputation and decent first team experience for a 21-year-old but adapting to the Scottish game, coming to terms with the demands on Celtic players and breaking into a highly successful first team is a tall order. Just ask Lewis Morgan.

According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, Tottenham are interested in a summer move for midfielder James Maddison. The 22-year-old currently plays his football at fellow Premier League club Leicester City having moved there from Norwich City last year, with his impressive first few months in the top-flight seemingly attracting the interest of Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino.

And that’s because a recent report from The Daily Mirror outlines the North London outfit’s interest in the Englishman as they line up a possible replacement for Christian Eriksen, yet Bournemouth’s David Brooks is another who is reportedly (as per The Daily Mirror) on the Spurs wish-list.

And after his quite remarkable start to life in the Premier League, it is the 21-year-old Welsh sensation who Tottenham should seek to land come the summer.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there is little doubting that Maddison has made a fine start to life in the Premier League with Leicester this season, netting five times and laying on four assists in just 23 league games for Claude Puel’s side to help them to 11th place in the division.

And with undoubted ability on the ball with vision to pick a pass, as well as great quality in dead-ball situations, the Englishman looks destined for big things in the game – he even made Gareth Southgate’s England squad back in October, albeit didn’t feature, to underline just how far he has come in the last few months.

Yet the level Brooks has produced consistently over the course of the current season, also his first in the Premier League, has been something to behold to suggest that he is very much a star in the making, and thus a player Spurs must seek to land.

The 21-year-old made the move to Bournemouth during the summer after impressing greatly in the Championship with Sheffield United last season, for whom he netted on three occasions and laid on five assists as Chris Wilder’s men secured a top half finish.

And the Wales international has taken it to another level this time round in the Premier League having netted six times and laid on four assists for Eddie Howe’s Cherries this term, thus equating to a direct contribution every 160 minutes of action – Maddison is currently averaging 188 minutes per goal or assist.

And while offensively there really isn’t much to choose between two of the rising stars in the Premier League at present, Brooks just shades the Englishman in terms of defensive contribution, averaging more interceptions, clearances, and blocks than the Leicester star (as per WhoScored).

And in a Tottenham team in which Pochettino does demand defensive work and pressing from his forward players, Bournemouth’s Brooks appears to be an ideal fit – add in Pochettino’s proven track-record at developing young talent, and the Welsh sensation could seriously flourish under the Argentine.

As such, while Maddison certainly has the talent and potential to prove to be a great signing for Tottenham, Bournemouth’s Brooks is the man they should seek to land come the summer.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Two months ago there was some serious debate about Scott Brown being detrimental to Celtic’s performances. Wiser, older heads suggested keeping those thoughts private.

It is true that Celtic’s best form of the season came in November when the club captain was out injured but those two facts were unrelated.

Ryan Christie’s emergence made the difference to Celtic’s season – on Wednesday night the former Inverness man enjoyed the backing and support of his skipper alongside the brilliance of Callum McGregor.

Fortunately Brown wasn’t cast aside. Brendan Rodgers could have chosen that option in 2016 but felt that the washed out midfielder of the Ronny Deila days still had something to offer. Seven trophies suggest that the Irishman called that one correctly.

Against Hibs in midweek, Brown was in his element. Dominating and bullying opponents, many of them 10 years his junior and unable to get close to Celtic’s captain.

Ryan Gauld has been hailed as the bright young thing of Scottish football, but up against Brown he barely got a sniff of the ball with the Celtic midfielder hoovering up everything in the middle of the park.

There were a few second half wobbles in the Celtic performance but Brown quickly put things right, reassuring team-mates and exposing opponents. His presence brings out the best in others with McGregor and Christie highly influential as three more points were secured in the title countdown.

Last season, without Brown, Celtic were a shadow of their real self. This term other players have stepped up to show that the Hoops are equally as effective without their captain.

With a two-year contract secured Brown could afford to relax and coast it but that approach isn’t in his DNA.

If Celtic go on to win the title there won’t be many players to have contributed more than the 33-year-old – just ask Gauld and his Hibs team-mates.

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The Daily Star recently reported that Chelsea are considering a summer bid to sign Everton star Richarlison. However, the Toffees are thought to want £80million in return for the 21-year-old forward.

Considering the Merseyside club paid an initial £35million – which could rise to £50 million – to prise the Brazilian away from Watford only last summer, it is unsurprising that they’ve put such a huge price tag on him. 

The 5 foot 10 attacker is certainly a favourite of Marco Silva’s and is tied up in a long-term contract at Goodison Park. What’s more, he is also the club’s top scorer this season with ten Premier League goals, as per Transfermarkt’s statistics.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

If Everton were to sanction Richarlison’s sale in the summer it would have some huge knock-on effects. We take a look at the potential consequences below…

Big money to reinvest

If Everton were to receive a fee in the region of £80million for Richarlison, then they could reinvest those funds into the squad. Even with Richarlison, Everton still need to find some more firepower this summer. 

With that £80million though they would stand a great chance of finding a goalscorer capable of replacing Richarlison’s end product. The Toffees could perhaps even attempt a bold move to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Goodison Park. 

Manchester United paid £75million to sign the Belgian in 2017, but he has struggled this season and has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford of late. With Marcus Rashford clearly preferred by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Lukaku could be moved on at the end of this season if the Norwegian coach gets the United job on a permanent basis. 

Everton could then swoop to bring back their prolific former marksman, paying for the deal with the proceeds raised from Richarlison’s exit. Lukaku would not only provide a more reliable goal threat than Richarlison, he also represents a huge upgrade on struggling striker Cenk Tosun.

Massive chance for Lookman

With Richarlison out of the picture, there’d be a gap in the starting XI for 21-year-old winger Ademola Lookman to potentially fill.

Since impressing during a loan spell with RB Leipzig last season, the England under-21 international has struggled to sustain a run in the first team on Merseyside. However, without the Brazilian ahead of him in the pecking order, Lookman may finally get the chance to prove his worth to Silva that he craves.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is another promising Everton youngster who may be afforded greater game time in the Brazilian’s absence.

All faith lost in Silva

Silva loves Richarlison. He first brought the forward to England during his time in charge at Vicarage Road, and was then instrumental in Everton acquiring his services a year later. Richarlison himself has stated that he sees the Portuguese coach “as a father”.

However, Silva is currently under pressure at Everton following a dismal run of results. He has admitted as much himself recently. Even if things improve before the end of the season, he will still have plenty of doubters amongst the Everton faithful heading into the new campaign. 

Should Silva lose Richarlison – a player clearly so central in his plans – this summer, then that could be the final straw. The inability of the manager to retain his prized asset could see all remaining belief in his abilities to lead the club forward disappear.

The exit of Richarlison could bring about the ousting of Silva too.

Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez hasn’t yet been given the opportunity to kickstart his career at the club, but the Carabao Cup Final is the perfect time to make himself a hero.

The Algerian became the club’s record signing when he switched from Leicester for £67m in the summer, but so far the jury’s still very much out on whether he can become a key component in this City machine. He’s only made 11 Premier League starts this season after 27 games, so he’s never had a run in the team to establish himself.

He seems like a one-trick pony most of the time, cutting in on his left foot and aiming to hit the top left corner, but, as we know with Arjen Robben, it’s good enough to have one skill if you’re too good to stop. This issue with Mahrez is that he’s not been playing regular football so these moves just are coming off like they were at Leicester.

The 27-year-old is certainly not in Pep Guardiola’s strongest 11, with Raheem Sterling and Bernando Silva miles ahead of him in the pecking order on current technical ability. But if Mahrez was to start in the cup final, he could gain the confidence needed to be back to his best, and City need him at that brilliant best if they are to go far in every other competition.

There will be games where City’s other wingers aren’t firing and Mahrez is needed, so it’s important he gets an opportunity at Wembley, whether that be from the bench or the unlikelihood of a starting stop. He’s trying too hard at the moment and a goal to seal City the cup would take the weight off his shoulders.

City defend in large spaces and attack in small ones, something Mahrez wasn’t used to at Leicester. They’d counter-attack and it’d give him the chance to run towards defenders at pace, but when playing for Guardiola defenders are tight and compact, restricting the Algerian from doing what he does best.

The only way his manager can allow Mahrez to get used to the system is to play him, and there’s no better place to get confidence from than Wembley Stadium.

Do you think Mahrez can be a success at City?

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Southampton striker Shane Long admitted in an interview with The Irish Independent after his side’s 2-0 win against Fulham on Wednesday night that he is lacking confidence right now, but he needs to get it back as soon as possible to help his team out.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Republic of Ireland international replaced Charlie Austin in the 64th minute of the clash at St Mary’s, and while it was his 18th Premier League appearance of the season, just seven of those have been starts.

His place in the pecking order was perhaps shown against Arsenal on Sunday when he missed out on a spot in the 18-man squad even though Danny Ings is currently injured, although a hamstring issue that will keep Michael Obafemi out for the rest of the campaign gave him a reprieve against the Cottagers.

The 32-year-old, who went close with an effort from a narrow angle, told The Irish Independent: “I’m trying to train hard and improve things that aren’t going right but I think a lot of it is down to confidence. I’ve got to believe in myself first of all and then others will believe in me.”

How can he get it back?

Obviously one of the main things is getting more goals.

Long has only scored three times in 55 games in all competitions for the south coast outfit since the beginning of the 2017/18 season, and as a striker that is clearly a woeful record.

The Irishman needs one or two to get into a rhythm, and he also needs to get back to doing what he is best at on the pitch – chasing down and harrying defenders to force them into mistakes.

That is something that has been lacking recently and the kind of thing that can get the supporters fully behind him, and he needs to step up for the team sooner rather than later in their battle against the drop.

Chelsea kept up their mini resurgence and eased the pressure around the club with a 2-1 win over Fulham today.

The Blues ground out the win thanks to a winning goal from under-fire midfielder Jorginho, a goal which followed an opener from Gonzalo Higuain and an equaliser for the Cottagers from Callum Chambers.

And while the display was not vintage by any means, three points were the most important thing, and we feel that striker Higuain really showed why he was worth bringing in from AC Milan in January.

The Argentinian had few sniffs really, but seized upon his once major chance with aplomb as he directed a fine finish under the Fulham goalkeeper to set the Blues on their way.

Higuain might at times look like he isn’t in the best of shape or even at his sharpest, but that finish today, coupled with some of his movements in behind defenders, showed just why he was a big upgrade on former striker Alvaro Morata.

If Higuain can keep up this sort of form and keep banging in the goals, then there is little reason why the Blues cannot sustain a charge at the top four and snatch a Champions League spot.

Chelsea will create chances, and with Higuain at the forefront of their attacks, they now have just the man they need to stick the ball in the back of the net when it matters,

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After a lengthy spell on the sideline it appears that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is edging close to a return to Liverpool’s senior squad.

What’s the word?

The England international was a revelation last season following his move from Arsenal, but a cruel injury blow saw him ruled out of both the Champions League final and the World Cup.

He was initially expected to miss the entirety of the 2018/19 campaign, with the severity of the injury leaving him sidelined for more than a year.

However, according to a report from Sky Sports, Oxlade-Chamberlain could feature for Liverpool’s U23 side on Friday evening when they face Derby County away from home.

Naturally, the impulse reaction amongst the supporters is one of sheer delight and excitement ahead of a potentially priceless boost during the final months of the season, but that feeling is misplaced.

Are fan nerves to blame for Liverpool’s recent form? Pl>ymaker FC’s Tom Skinner discusses in the video below…

Too soon for Ox to make an impact

The lack of goals being provided from Liverpool’s midfield players to supplement the front-three has been cited as one of the main reasons behind their slump in recent weeks.

Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Georginio Wijnaldum are relatively goal-shy despite their obvious technical quality, but the returning 25-year-old midfielder offers a fresh dynamic with genuine impetus to drive the team forward.

On his day Oxlade-Chamberlain, valued at £36 million by Transfermarkt, is one of the most devastating box-to-box midfielders in the Premier League, but he is unlikely to rediscover his mojo until next season after such an extended spell on the sidelines.

One only needs to take a quick look back to the start of his career on Merseyside to appreciate how difficult it can be to integrate into an established side. After suffering with such a massive injury problem his transition back into senior football is likely to be defined by inconsistency.

With that in mind, Liverpool cannot expect fireworks from the long-term absentee until next season.

Steve Bruce claimed last night’s win at struggling Bolton in horrendous conditions has given his side a “squeak” at making the play-offs, and insisted the Owls can “hope” that their unbeaten run of 11 games can see them achieve their dream.

Goals from Steven Fletcher, who overcame an injury he picked up at the weekend to play, and Newcastle loanee Rolando Aarons, were enough to secure the three points form Wednesday, which saw them climb up to ninth in the table, but more significantly, only three points of a play-off spot, ahead of this evening’s games.

Speaking to the Star, Bruce claimed the first goal was pivotal, and was the only highlight in a first half during which the players had to come to terms with the awful weather brough in by Storm Gareth.

He said: “I think the whole game hinged on the first goal and what a bit of quality that was and to be fair in the first half that was the only real bit of quality.

“How often have I said it in this Championship in an awful night where you probably wouldn’t send out a lifeboat with wind and swirling rain, a difficult pitch it’s our worst nightmare.”

Bruce admitted he had not expected goal hero Fletcher to be fit after he was forced to come off at Derby on Saturday, but was not surprised that he managed to get on the score-sheet.

“It was a plus for us that Fletcher was fit, I didn’t expect that, but typical Fletch wanted to get out there and capped it with a great goal.”

But looking at the bigger picture, Bruce — who is yet to taste defeat since taking over at Hillsborough — is hopeful of a play-off charge.

He said: “They’ve [the players] given us everything they have got and we’ve given ourselves a squeak so let’s see how the results go tomorrow night and look forward to the home game on Saturday against Blackburn.

“All we can do is hope and we’ve given ourselves a wonderful six weeks, I couldn’t have wished for a better start.

“But, we’ve got to do it again. We’ve got to replicate it to give ourselves a chance.”

Wednesday are certainly the form team of the Championship right now, and no one will want to have them as their next game. With the momentum they have built up, along with the experience and tactical know-how of Bruce, we think that the Owls will be a force to be reckoned with during the final weeks of the season.

It will be no surprise to us to see them securing a place in the play-offs come May.

What are your thoughts on the play-off chances of your side Owls fans? Has Bruce made all the difference? Comment below to let us know your take…