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As we enter the final furlongs of the 2021/22 campaign, you would be hard-pressed to find a Celtic supporter who does not think that Ange Postecoglou has done a sterling job following his appointment at Parkhead last summer.

Indeed, the Hoops currently lead their Old Firm rivals at the top of the Premiership table by six points, gave a good account of themselves in the Europa League group stage and have already lifted the Scottish League Cup.

Furthermore, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss has also demonstrated his dab hand in the transfer market, spending nominal fees on the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Carl Starfelt, Liel Abada, Josip Juranovic, Matt O’Riley, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Reo Hatate – many of whom have already earned cult hero status at Celtic Park.

And, with it being recently reported that the Greek-Australian manager is looking to sign a new left-back this summer, Postecoglou could well land the Hoops another bargain by reigniting his interest in Derby County starlet, Lee Buchanan.

Indeed, with the 21-year-old’s contract at Pride Park set to expire this summer, and Wayne Rooney’s side being unable to activate a one-year extension clause as a result of the club remaining in administration, the England U21 international looks set to become available on a free transfer at the end of the season.

As a result, interest in the £2.25m-rated defender is certain to be high, with the likes of West Ham United and Nottingham Forest – both of whom were also reported to be keen on the youngster’s signing in January – more than likely to make an approach for Buchanan if presented with the opportunity.

However, Postecoglou’s tendency to afford Celtic’s most promising young players a regular spot in his starting XI will certainly be an attractive proposition for the Derby full-back, something that could well give the Hoops an advantage in the race for the 21-year-old’s signature.

Indeed, with 20-year-old Abada being the 56-year-old manager’s most used player so far in 2021/22, and the Israel international’s extremely impressive returns having already seen him linked with a move to the Premier League, Buchanan will be encouraged that Celtic could well prove a pathway to one of Europe’s big five leagues at some point in the future.

And, with the defender having been dubbed an “incredible” talent and tipped to have a “real bright future” in the game by former England captain Rooney, it is clear that the £5k-per-week sensation is indeed an incredibly exciting prospect.

As such, all things considered, it would appear an extremely wise move for Postecoglou to launch an offensive for the England youth international this summer, as a move from Pride Park to Parkhead would very much seem a transfer that would suit all parties down to the ground.

AND in other news: Ange must finally axe “disgraceful” £15.5k-p/w Celtic liability, he’s stealing a wage

Ryan Christie could agree to leave Celtic for nothing once the summer transfer window ends, according to a report in Tuesday’s edition of the Scottish Daily Mail (via Daily Record).

Burnley and newly-promoted Norwich City have been monitoring the situation and could launch a move, while there is also said to be interest from European teams.

Christie is valued at £8.1million by Transfermarkt, but his contract situation puts Celtic in a weak position.

Christie’s contract at Parkhead expires in January 2022 rather than in the summer, meaning interested parties know that they can hold off until the end of the window and strike a pre-contract agreement with the player directly.

If a deal is not struck to either extend his stay or sell him on this summer, then the Hoops face losing over £8m worth of talent for nothing in 2022, in what would be a nightmare start to Dominic McKay’s reign as CEO.

Ryan Christie’s importance to Celtic

26-year-old attacking midfielder Christie has scored seven goals and provided 14 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions this season (via Transfermarkt).

Only Rangers duo Ianis Hagi and James Tavernier have set-up more goals in the Scottish Premiership.

In all, Christie has made 140 appearances in green and white since joining from Inverness in 2015.

He’s also been influential at the international level, helping Scotland qualify for their first major tournament this century.

Chris Sutton described him as a ‘manager’s dream’ and lauded his ‘ferocious workrate’ after his display in the play-off victory over Serbia.

Nightmare for McKay

Christie would be a significant loss for Celtic, who have again been guilty of poor planning, with McKay left to pick up the pieces.

The rising talent has been allowed to reach the final stages of his contract – his value dropping all the time – without any concrete talks in place for a new deal.

Meanwhile, Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer, two other Hoops stars, are about to enter the last year of their current contracts.

Of course, you want to keep these players around as long as possible, but sometimes you have to think long-term, and allowing any of the trio to leave for free at the end of their deals would be a catastrophic – where would McKay find funds to help whoever the new manager is rebuild the team?

If they aren’t going to extend their stays in Glasgow, McKay and the club must simply get what they can and put the funds raised towards their replacements.

In other news, Kevin Campbell sent Celtic fans some pleasing assurances over their manager hunt.

One of Everton’s primary goals this summer is to sign a central defender.

After Mason Holgate’s inept display against Aston Villa last weekend you can certainly understand why.

He inexplicably turned towards his own goal and then lost it as Ollie Watkins raced towards the area before sticking the ball beyond Jordan Pickford.

It was a wake-up call for Carlo Ancelotti that if the Toffees are to have any chance of being back among Europe’s elite, they need improvement.

Everton have already been linked with Kalidou Koulibaly but another defender based in Italy could be a viable option too; Merih Demiral.

The Juventus centre-back could set Ancelotti and Marcel Brands back €30m (£26m) this summer but he’d add plenty of assurance to their backline.

A dominant figure, the centre-half has been recognised as an “absolute beast” by scout Jacek Kulig.

Everton’s defence hasn’t been filled with the most awe-inspiring players in recent years and it feels like a long time since Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott were in charge of proceedings at Goodison Park.

That said, Demiral could evoke memories of Lescott if he pens terms in Merseyside this summer.

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First and foremost, they are both superb when it comes to playing out from the back. Calm and composed in possession of the ball, the Turk has registered a pass success rate of 93.2% for Juventus this term.

Lescott may not have reached the same dizzy heights but he was still impressive in this regard, regularly completing over 85% of his passes after his move to Manchester City.

Their reading of the game is also incredibly similar. Demiral has enough pace that it doesn’t cause himself a problem but more often than not, he stops the source of the attack before it’s even occurred.

This is incredibly similar to Lescott, a defender who won 1.9 interceptions per match throughout his career. Everton’s transfer target, meanwhile, has won 1.7 per game during 2020/21.

The former Toffee was a brick wall during the early stages of his career and also used his 6 foot 3 frame and stocky build to bustle opponents to one side.

The ex-England international was aggressive and consistently on the front foot, a style of play that bears great similarity to Demiral; he also stands at 6 foot 3.

If Everton are ever going to qualify for Europe, they need more consistency at the back. Luckily, that’s something the 23-year-old would bring to Goodison.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Everton’s summer transfer priority revealed after behind-the-scenes talks with agents…

Tottenham Hotspur are confident of sealing a move for Luis Diaz before the January transfer window deadline on Monday night…

What’s the word?

That’s according to ever-reliable football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, who delivered a very exciting claim to his YouTube channel, where he suggested it was now a more likely deal than Adama Traore, at this stage.

“The latest I understand on that situation is there’s a growing hope that they might be able to get this deal done,” he said.

“They are throwing everything at it. That’s their priority right now. I understand at the moment, and I must stress at the moment, Spurs are more hopeful of this one happening than Adama Traore.”

Major coup

The Antonio Conte era in north London would be truly underway if Spurs manage to secure a move for the FC Porto star as he’s one of the hottest talents in Europe right now – that much is evident from the interest of Premier League rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.

Diaz has been in electric form this season, having provided the Portuguese giants with 16 goals and five assists across 24 appearances in the Primeira Liga and Champions League, primarily from left-midfield. That works out to be a direct contribution of once every 96.7 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

It builds on from his exploits at the Copa America, where he shared the golden boot with none other than Lionel Messi.

The 5 foot 10 winger has earned plenty of praise during this impressive run of form and that should only raise excitement from those around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium right now.

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He has been lauded as “phenomenal” by journalist Alex Goncalves and dubbed a “livewire” by presenter Manas Singh, though one of the most glowing endorsements has come from Portuguese football expert Marino Peixoto, who claimed the £36m-rated dynamo was “genuinely frightening” following a screamer against Vitoria this season.

Valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, it’s thought that Porto are asking for a fee in the region of €60-65m (£55m), which would equal Spurs’ club-record fee.

On the above evidence, he would be quite the signing indeed and supporters should be very excited by Gold’s recent claims.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Dele: Spurs plot swoop for £18m-rated “extraordinary talent” who’s like Zidane…

Liverpool striker Divock Origi has been linked with a summer loan move to Fenerbahce having fallen out of favour at Anfield this season.

The Lowdown: Bit-part player for Reds

The Belgian has enjoyed a memorable Reds career, scoring in the 2019 Champions League final and bagging massive goals against the likes of Barcelona and Everton down the years.

However, despite Jurgen Klopp describing him as “unbelievably important for us” back in December 2019, the 25-year-old has been a peripheral figure for Liverpool of late, making just two Premier League starts in the 2020/21 season.

It has become clear that, despite those comments, the £14.4m-rated attacker isn’t a key part of Klopp’s plans moving forward, and he has now been linked with a summer exit from Anfield.

The Latest: Fenerbahce keen on Origi

According to Fotomac [via Sport Witness], Fenerbahce are eyeing up a loan move for Origi this summer, with a view to signing him permanently in the future.

The Turkish giants are keen on bolstering their attacking options amid a projected summer clearout and see the Belgium international as an ideal man to come in as a solution.

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The Verdict: Time to leave

Origi will always be loved by many Liverpool supporters for his past achievements, but the Reds have moved on without him this season and he should be sold if the price is right. Ideally he would leave on a permanent deal in the summer, but a loan exit would also make sense as it would allow others to fill his role as a squad player.

Someone like Harvey Elliott would probably now be a better option than Origi, for example, with the teenaher having scored seven goals and registered 11 assists in the Championship for Blackburn Rovers last season.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been left delighted with an update regarding one star player. Find out who it is here.

Derby County are in talks over a deal that would see Phil Jagielka move to Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claim that Wayne Rooney is planning to offer the 38-year-old a contract ahead of next season, with the centre-back reported to already be training with the club.

The defender is available to sign on a free transfer after leaving Sheffield United at the end of last season, with the Rams waiting for EFL clearance in order to complete a deal for the former England international.

Fans should be worried

While it is abundantly clear that Derby are in need of a number of additions in the centre of defence ahead of their upcoming Championship campaign, as Rooney currently has no contracted centre-backs in his squad, the potential signing of Jagielka should be a transfer that causes worry amongst fans.

It is undeniable that the former Everton defender was a fantastic player in his day, however, with the 38-year-old now well into the twilight of his playing career, whether he would be a worthwhile signing for Derby is very much up for debate.

Indeed, over his 10 Premier League appearances for Sheffield United last season, the £225k-rated man did not reach anywhere near the level he once was capable of, failing to help his side keep a single clean sheet, as well as making an average of just one interception, 0.5 tackles and winning just 1.9 duels per game.

These metrics saw the £22k-per-week defender earn an extremely disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.38, ranking him as the Blades’ joint-worst performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, if this form is anything to go by, the man Simon Moore dubbed a “massive” player would not appear to be a very good signing for Derby whatsoever, particularly if the centre-back is demanding a salary anywhere near the amount of money he was on at Sheffield United.

In other news: Crawley drops Derby transfer claim on “phenomenal” £5k-p/w gem, Rooney will be gutted

The agent of reported Liverpool target Otavio has been discussing the future of his client. 

Israel Oliveira told Portuguese newspaper A Bola that the 26-year-old could leave Porto this summer ‘if it’s good for Porto and for Otavio’.

Otavio has a €60m (£51.43m) release clause but the Liga NOS runners-up are in need of an influx of cash and will accept a ‘fair’ offer far lower than that amount.

The lowdown on Otavio

The Brazilian has scored 19 goals and provided 49 assists in 188 appearances for Porto. He has also showcased significant versatility over the course of his career, operating as a central and attacking midfielder, right and left midfielder and even as a secondary striker.

The 26-year-old’s average WhoScored rating of 7.4/10 was the second-highest in the Portuguese top-flight last season, only behind Sporting’s Pote.

Liverpool have already got their summer business underway with the £36m signing of centre-back Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig.

Fan feed The Anfield Talk relayed Oliveira’s comments, and here’s how supporters reacted. Despite Otavio’s decent scoring and performance figures, many Kopites felt rather underwhelmed by the interest in him – a couple of fans drew comparisons with Manchester United’s advancing pursuit of the prodigious Eduardo Camavinga, who plays in the same position as Otavio.

Liverpool fans unimpressed by Otavio links

“While United are getting Camavinga smh”

Credit: @theKlavanEra

“I speak for all Liverpool fans when I say we shouldn’t sign him.”

Credit: @_TDRx

“Like we don’t have enough bozos”

Credit: @Jay_LFCv2

“I don’t think Otavio is the player we need. Much better quality options available”

Credit: @lfcxcathal

“I don’t know about this”

Credit: @karthik_the_red

“So Man Utd sign with Camavinga and we with Otavio?? If I speak on this club man…”

Credit: @Its_VASKO

In other news, these Liverpool fans reacted to an update on the future of one Anfield ace  

Marcelo Biela’s Leeds United go in search of their second Premier League win of the season as they face Norwich at Carrow Road today.

The Whites are up against a Norwich side who sit bottom of the table and lost 7-0 to Chelsea in their last league match. Meanwhile, Leeds lost 2-0 to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup in their last game, exiting in the last 16 of the competition.

How many changes will Bielsa make to his side for today? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that he will make five alterations to the team from midweek, with Junior Firpo, Liam Cooper, Mateusz Klich, Raphinha and Joe Gelhardt all coming in.

Starting at centre-back, Cooper could return in place of Pascal Struijk. The Leeds captain has started every league match this season and his place on the bench against the Gunners yielded a much-needed rest for the Scotland international.

Bielsa has ruled Luke Ayling, Robin Koch and Patrick Bamford out of contention, whilst admitting that Firpo, Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips are set to be available for selection. He told The Athletic: “There is no precise return date for the injuries of Ayling, Bamford and Koch.

“(Junior) Firpo and Raphinha are likely to be available. (Jamie) Shackleton is likely to be available. (Kalvin Phillips) is fine to return.”

We published an article explaining why Firpo should start at left-back, with Stuart Dallas having struggled against Arsenal. The 30-year-old lost 70% of his duels in the match and had a 0% success rate from his attempted dribbles and crosses throughout the game.

freshpress-quiz ]

Out wide, Raphinha could replace summer signing Dan James. We have outlined why the 23-year-old flop should be axed from the team, and Bielsa could now start the Brazilian ahead of him against Norwich, with Jack Harrison switching over to the left. Raphinha has three goals in eight Premier League matches this season and could add to his tally today against a struggling Canaries side.

Finally, we are predicting that Klich and Gelhardt will play ahead of Tyler Roberts and Adam Forshaw in midfield. The latter duo failed to impress in midweek and were replaced by the former pair before the 60th minute, perhaps indicating that Bielsa is looking at them to start against Norwich. It could be a huge chance for young Gelhardt to prove his worth if he is handed a place in the starting XI.

AND in other news, Sold for £10m, now a Championship outcast: Leeds had a blinder with “special” 24 y/o…

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is reportedly considering a tactical reshuffle in order to accommodate new additions Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Emiliano Buendia, according to the Daily Mail.

After signing each of those three for £28m or more, Smith appears to have wasted no time in figuring out how to incorporate them into his setup following the departure of Jack Grealish.

According to the Daily Mail, former Southampton marksman Ings could partner fellow striker Ollie Watkins in attack within a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 system for the Midlands side.

Interestingly, the possibility of a midfield diamond with Buendia at the tip has also been assessed going into the forthcoming season.

In light of this news, loads of Aston Villa fans took to social media to fume over the reported tactical reshuffle from Smith, whose preferred 4-2-3-1 formation helped his team to a comfortable mid-table finish last term.

Aston Villa fans react:

Replying to popular Aston Villa fan outlet villareport on Twitter, here is what some supporters had to say about the planned tactical reshuffle:

“Then why sign Bailey? And we wouldn’t need Traore or even Sanson. Can’t see this much.”

Credit: @Da_Cubbies”I give it three games until we’re back to a 4-2-3-1″Credit: @VillaTalk2″No chance they are shifting from a back 4. Worked so well last season.”Credit: @Rich90754593″What’s the point in signing Bailey then?”Credit: @OAlexander2019″We’ll get horribly over-run in midfield”Credit: @Ross_Leach”Just can’t see it working, it’s not how we play”Credit: @9teen8tytwoIn other news, these Aston Villa fans react to an update on this transfer target

West Ham United star Declan Rice has been linked with a move to Manchester United next summer, via ESPN.

The Lowdown: Rice shines for Hammers

Rice, valued at £63 million, has gotten better and better since breaking onto the scene in the 2017/18 season. Originally a centre-back and a defensive midfielder, the 22-year-old has drastically improved on his game and is now one of David Moyes’ most well-rounded players.

After a strong Euro 2020 with England, Rice returns to the London Stadium this season with European football to dig his teeth in and continues to attract the interest of the top six.

Being close friends with Chelsea’s Mason Mount has previously seen him linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, but with no official offer over the summer, Rice remains a Hammer.

The Latest: United keen next summer

As per ESPN sources, Manchester United ‘remain keen’ on securing the signature of Rice, after opting not to sign a midfielder in the previous transfer window.

The report also states that sources have said a striker and a midfielder are on the list for next summer and Rice is among a number of options that will be looked at come the end of the season.

Rice is under contract until 2024  and it is likely that the Hammers would have to lower their valuation of the midfielder if he is to move on in the future.

The Verdict: New contract or move on

There have been previous reports linking Rice to sign a new contract at the London Stadium, but with no new deal on the horizon just yet, it may be a case of cashing in for a massive fee if he does not agree to extend his stay.

Rice was called an ‘excellent player’ by Alan Shearer for his impressive performances last season and United’s pulling power would be hard to turn down if they came in with a bid in the region of the Hammers’ enormous £100m asking price.

Yes, his departure would hurt the fans, but playing in the Champions League and playing with the best is something Rice wants so if the right offer is made, it could be the best move for all parties to make it happen.

In other news, Stuart Pearce has been full of praise for current Hammers ace. Find out more here.