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Chelsea may well be unable to sign players for the next two transfer windows after Fifa hit them with a transfer ban – though an appeal could help to delay proceedings somewhat.

The news comes as a massive blow to Maurizio Sarri and Roman Abramovich with the club falling way below expectations so far this season. Not being able to sign any players will hand a massive advantage to their Premier League rivals over the next two years. Luckily for the Blues, they have a huge amount of players on loan who could return to challenge for a spot in the starting eleven.

One man who could finally break into the first-team is wonderkid Mason Mount. Valued at £3.6m by Transfermarkt, the youngster is a product of the club’s youth academy but has sent out on loan to Vitesse and most recently Frank Lampard’s Derby County. Mount made an impressive start to life in the Championship and looks good enough to take his place in the Chelsea side in the near future.

The England man has found the back of the net six times as well as registering three assists for his team-mates in all competitions. Aged just 19, Mount is blessed with excellent technical ability and the vision to carve open defences. With both Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley struggling to make an impact, his arrival in the engine room could give Sarri the offensive option he has been lacking.

With the likes of Eden Hazard and Willian ahead of him, Mount could blossom into one of the league’s best playmakers. He’s not the complete package yet, but if Chelsea are to navigate the choppy seas ahead of them, the return of Mount could really help the cause.

Chelsea fans, thoughts?

Being linked with something of a surprise summer switch to Celtic in recent days, Christopher Scott is a talent the Parkhead faithful should be extremely excited about.

Indeed, the 19-year-old boasts fantastic positional versatility, being able to operate in a number of positions across the frontline, however, his preferred role is playing just off a centre-forward in the number 10 role.

It is from attacking midfield in which Scott has proven most effective in youth football, scoring 29 goals and registering three assists over 48 appearances when deployed just behind the striker.

However, having also bagged seven goals and provided nine assists over 35 outings in central midfield, on the left-wing, at centre-forward and from left-back – amongst many other roles – it is abundantly clear just how adaptable the teenager is on the pitch.

And, with the Bayern Munich starlet also possessing electric pace, being exceptional in his progression of the ball and having a knack for finding pockets of space between defensive lines, it is no surprise that the youngster has drawn comparisons with Chelsea’s £102m-rated forward Kai Havertz.

Indeed, having represented his country from U15 to U20 level, it is clear that the playmaker is incredibly highly thought of in Germany, something that is only proven further by Bayern’s attempts to retain the 19-year-old beyond the end of the current campaign.

However, with Scott thought to be open to a move away from the Allianz Arena in a bid to secure regular first-team football, and Celtic already believed to be in talks over a €600k (£500k) deal for the youngster, there would appear to be a very real chance Ange Postecoglou’s side land the £1.08m-rated prodigy who Bhoys Analytics dubbed both “aggressive” and a “threat” this summer.

As such, while there is undoubtedly a long way to go before Scott is seen pulling on a Celtic jersey, fans of the Hoops should nevertheless be extremely excited about their links with the midfielder – as the Bayern starlet could be the next big thing in Scotland.

AND in other news: Signed for £540k, sold for 8 figures: Celtic struck gold on 23 y/o “Roy of the Rovers”

Now that Wolves look set to say goodbye to winger Adama Traore with an initial loan move to Barcelona this month followed by a potential permanent deal being on the table for the Spaniard in the summer, this could pave the way for the Midlands club to spend the remainder of the January transfer window trying to secure a suitable replacement for the 26-year-old.

In terms of who they could look to bring in to fill the void left by Traore’s imminent absence, one figure that has been mentioned with a move to Molineux in recent weeks that may not be too difficult for the Old Gold to secure is Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele.

With Barcelona apparently telling the Frenchman that he must sign a new deal at the club this month or else he’ll have to leave, which has then led to Dembele saying in a public statement that he won’t give in to blackmail, Wolves could step in and work out a deal that would suit all parties and bring the 24-year-old to England and draw a line under his time in Spain.

Labelled as an “exceptional” player by Dani Alves, the winger has proven throughout his career what a capable attacking asset he can be by racking up 53 goals and 50 assists in 208 club appearances across all competitions including La Liga, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

This could make him the perfect replacement for Traore given how he wasn’t much of a regular goalscorer for the Old Gold having found the back of the net on just 11 occasions in 154 appearances.

Having also been labelled as a “phenomenon” by former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, Dembele could be tempted with a move to Wolves this month to test his game in the Premier League at a club aiming to secure European football.

Moving forward, with the January transfer window set to close on Monday, Wolves will have to move swiftly if they want to have any chance of signing the £27m-rated attacker and hope that their dealings with Barcelona over Traore and Francisco Trincao back in the summer will put them in good stead to secure Dembele’s signature.

In other news: Wolves eyeing transfer swoop for £14k-p/w “man mountain,” Lage would be delighted – opinion

Celtic are finally back in action tomorrow evening with an SPFL clash against Hibernian at home for their first league match of 2022.

Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou shared some injury news that will surely have a lot of Celtic fans pleased and excited to see their team playing again.

What’s the news?

Postecoglou revealed that Celtic winger Jota could make a return to action on Monday after being out injured since early December with a hamstring issue.

He is back in training and now very much ready to join up with the squad again. Whether he starts, however, is another matter.

Fans delighted

Since joining the Parkhead club on a loan deal from Benfica, the 22-year-old has managed to score eight goals and provide six assists in 18 appearances across all competitions, showing just how much of a useful attacking outlet he has been for the team this season and why the fans would be delighted to see him back in the side on Monday if he’s fit enough.

In addition to his goals and assists this term, Jota’s performances in the SPFL have been very impressive as well with WhoScored listing him as Celtic’s fourth-highest rated player with an overall rating of 7.48/10, highlighting just how well he has settled into the team and got to grips with the Scottish Premiership.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Celtic would have a great chance of beating Hibs on Monday if they have Jota in their team.

However, given how long it’s been since he last played for the Hoops and how important he’s proved himself to be for the team, it may not be worth Postecoglou taking the risk of putting the Portuguese winger back in the team straight away unless he’s 100% fit and ready to play with no risk of further injury to his hamstring.

Although, with Celtic currently six points off the top spot in the SPFL table, it could be worth taking a gamble with the forward if that will give them the best chance of securing all three points and moving further up the table.

Either way, this match will be a great way for the Hoops to get back into the swing of things and start their year off positively.

In other news: Postecoglou must finally sanction Celtic swoop for “strong” £3.7m beast, he’s the next Fred

Everton have agreed to a ‘ridiculous’ deal for Dele Alli, says former West Ham and Celtic star Frank McAvennie. 

The lowdown

Frank Lampard’s arrival at Goodison Park was greeted with the signings of Dele from Tottenham Hotspur and Donny van de Beek from Manchester United.

According to a report from The Athletic, the possibility of recruiting Dele had been raised in Lampard’s interviews for the job.

The 43-year-old subsequently sanctioned the transfer, confident he could extract the best from his compatriot, and his endorsement was a ‘big factor’ in Everton’s willingness to meet Spurs’ demands.

If performance-related add-ons are triggered, Dele could wind up costing £40million (via Sky Sports).

The latest

McAvennie was left scratching his head at the price tag, telling Football Insider that Everton had taken a ‘risk’.

“That £40million though, how can Tottenham can ask for that,” he said. “Why did Everton sanction that?

“That’s ridiculous. He hasn’t kicked a ball for two years. I guess if he does well enough to hit those targets then the signing will be worth it.

“Obviously it’s a risk but I think we will see the best of Dele Alli again. He’s needed this move for a long time.”

The verdict

Perhaps Everton are paying for the player Dele once was. He made his name by winning landing back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.

His end product has dried up almost completely in recent times, though. Since the start of last season, he’s managed just one goal and one assist.

In the five previous campaigns, he’d managed a total of 50 goals and 36 assists.

It’s not quite fair to say he hasn’t ‘kicked a ball’, but his involvement has dropped off rather dramatically. From his peak of 3,044 Premier League minutes in 2016/17, he fell to just 617 last term.

At least the add-ons are performance-related, meaning Everton would theoretically get some bang for their buck.

In other news, Greg O’Keeffe reacts to a ‘disappointing’ sight at Goodison.

With Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side heading into Saturday’s Premier League clash with Watford off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw against 10-man Southampton last time out, the 52-year-old would have been hoping for a much-improved display at Vicarage Road this afternoon.

While the Italian would have certainly enjoyed the match a great deal more if his side had managed to seal all three points slightly earlier, Spurs nevertheless came away with maximum points thanks to Davinson Sanchez’s dramatic 96th-minute winner, with the game ending 1-0.

However, despite the victory, there were still a number of performances within the team which will have given Conte cause from concern, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sergio Reguilon and Emerson Royal all enduring something of an afternoon to forget against Watford.

It will undoubtedly be the latter of this trio who would have been most disappointed with his own display on the bus home from Vicarage Road on Saturday evening.

Lost the ball every 5.4 touches

While Emerson’s metrics over his 90 minutes on the pitch were not overly disastrous, the wing-back’s wastefulness in the final third was undeniably the 22-year-old’s downfall against Watford.

Indeed, the £22.5m-rated man had a whopping 113 touches of the ball, but he found his intended target with just four of his 13 attempted crosses and lost possession a whopping 21 times, meaning that he ceded possession with every 5.4 touches.

This is something which was also picked up by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who awarded the defender a five in his player ratings, as well as stating of the £62k-per-week right-back’s performance: “No-one was allowed more space and time in the final third but the Brazilian put in a succession of poor crosses. You couldn’t escape the feeling that Watford knew he wasn’t much of a threat.”

As such, it is unavoidable that Emerson’s poor decision making in the final third of the pitch badly let his side down on Saturday despite Tottenham’s ultimate victory, and is an area of his game that the Brazil international must improve if he is to finally disprove Kieron Dyer’s claim that he is “miles off it” for Spurs.

In other news: Spurs begin talks for £116k-p/w gem dubbed “the best”, he’s “more stable” than De Ligt

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans have been slamming the performance of Saido Berahino in their 3-0 loss at home to Hartlepool United on Wednesday night.

The Owls were simply blown away by their League Two counterparts in the Papa John’s Trophy, with goals from Mark Shelton and Will Goodwin as well as an own goal from Jaden Brown more than enough to dispose of the hosts.

There were some pretty poor performances for the home side, and Berahino in particular had a very disappointing game.

The former West Brom striker lost out on all three of his duels and also failed with both of his goal attempts, while he made no successful dribbles or key passes. He was also guilty of losing the ball six times and only managed 31 touches in total, fewer than Owls goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith (SofaScore).

Sheffield Wednesday fans on Berahino display

These Wednesday fans slammed Berahino’s performance on Twitter, with one supporter going as far as to claim that he was ‘useless’ against Hartlepool:

“I think Berahino and Sow are our worst ever players. Unbelievably bad.”

Credit: @Oliver19923

“The three useless B’s, Brown, Byers and Berahino. The rest not much better.”

Credit: @jazza_72

“Wildsmith, Brown, Wing and Berahino get rid.”

Credit: @waynestevens18

“Berahino stealing a living”

Credit: @Bananaman1982

“Berahino, what a waste of a wage”

Credit: @AndrewS33340287

“Berahino is so bad”

Credit: @Owlsfan941

In other news, find out what injury news had  these Owls fans talking

Newcastle United are poised to make a bid for Brazilian centre-back Gleison Bremer this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Magpies are lining up a bid for the Torino defender, with the report suggesting an offer would need to be around €50m (£41m).

However, further reports suggest that Newcastle will have competition from at least one other Premier League club, with Arsenal also thought to be interested in securing the signature of the 25-year-old this summer.

A big upgrade

Eddie Howe kicked his work in rebuilding and improving the Newcastle squad with key signings in January – with the likes of Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier making an instant impact on the team following their arrival during the winter window.

However, there is still work to be done in making sure that the Magpies continue to push further up the Premier League next season, and a quality centre-back signing would surely be the key to a better defensive record.

And, considering just how impressive Bremer – who was hailed an “animal” by Torino winger Mergim Vojvoda – has been in Serie A this season – winning 51% of his ground duels, as well as making an average of 3.4 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, and 3.9 clearances per game – it is clear to see the defender would be a fantastic signing for PIF to get over the line.

Indeed, these statistics prove that Bremer is an absolute nightmare for opponents trying to break down Torino’s defence.

And, with the Brazilian’s former teammate, Luca Mezzano, stating his belief that “he can play in any team” in the world, the £18k-per-week defender would surely not find it difficult to fit into Howe’s backline at St James’ Park.

Despite contract talks reportedly being opened with Fabian Schar, the Switzerland international is currently set to be out of contract in June, meaning there is still a chance he doesn’t commit to a new deal.

This would represent a great opportunity for the club to make a move for the 6ft 1 Bremer, whose signing, aside from being a huge upgrade on Schar, could see Howe form a deadly centre-back pairing alongside Burn next season.

Newcastle will need to make the defender a solid offer in order to tempt him away from the stern competition for his services this summer, and the promising ongoing project at the club could be enough to convince Bremer to become a part of it.

AND in other news: Bid made: PIF in negotiations for £83m “diamond”, he’d be a huge coup for Newcastle

Wolves are not planning on signing a new centre-back in the January transfer window, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Wolves continue superb form

Bruno Lage’s side continued their excellent recent form on Saturday afternoon, winning 2-1 away to Brentford in the Premier League thanks to goals from Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves. It means Wolves have picked up 13 points from their last five league games, as talk of European football next season gathers pace.

Despite Wanderers’ current brilliance, there is still arguably a need for new faces this month, with the centre of defence an area slightly short on options should any of Max Kilman, Conor Coady or Romain Saiss get injured.

The Latest: Spiers makes centre-back claim

However, Spiers took to Twitter to share an article he penned for The Athletic in which he discussed Bruno Lage’s claim that Wolves are unlikely to add to their central defensive options this month, despite the latter previously feeling that this was one of his priorities in the January transfer window.

The journalist tweeted that the Old Gold manager “suggested there are now no plans to bring in a centre-back”.

The Verdict: A risk from Wanderers?

There is certainly an element of risk in taking this approach, especially if the funds are available after Adama Traore’s likely move to Tottenham goes through.

Kilman, Coady and Saiss have been superb in a back-three this season – Wolves have conceded just 16 goals in 21 league matches – but a long-term injury to any of them would leave Wanderers looking light.

There is still a week or so for Wolves to make January additions, but if they choose not to do so, the hope is that a lack of mid-season transfer activity doesn’t end up being fatal in their European push.

In other news, one Wolves transfer target could leave his current club in January. Find out who it is here.

Everton had an opportunity to climb back into the top half of the table with a win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday evening but failed to secure even a single point losing 2-1 away from home.

Crystal Palace got really stuck into this game, and Everton let them with a poor defensive display from start to finish from Rafa Benitez’s side, who were unable to stop Crystal Palace loan superstar, Conor Gallagher from scoring twice, and centre back, James Tomkins from adding one too.

Despite losing possession five fewer times than Palace, the Toffees failed spectacularly to hold possession throughout the game with just an overall 39% of the ball over the 90 minutes.

Although Salamon Rondon did manage to find the back of the net in the 70th minute, the lack of creativity in the first hour of the game left Everton out of the chances of securing a win at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Rondon was subbed on for none other than Everton gem, Richarlison, who failed to make any impact on the game in the first half and beyond, prompting Rafa to collar the Brazilian back to the bench in the 58th minute, and rightly so.

After a spectacular performance against Arsenal last Monday, Benitez put his trust into Richarlison to deliver the crucial goals and attacking prowess needed to secure the much needed three points for the struggling Everton side, who as it stands, sit 14th in the Premier League table collecting just three points from their last five games.

As tallied by SofaScore, there was very clear justification for Benitez to feel the need to remove Richarlison from the side early into the second half, with the Brazilian forward losing 100% of his twelve duels whilst on the pitch, completing only three passes and not offering a single shot on or off target for the duration of his game time.

Richarlison didn’t appear pleased to be taken off as the camera panned to him taking his seat in the dugout, but the manager’s decision was given further justification when Rondon bagged a goal back for the Toffees just 12 minutes after he replaced his teammate.

Benitez appeared to take one step forward against Arsenal, but took two steps back on Sunday against the Eagles, with the away side not looking convincing all over the pitch throughout the game, after barely having a third of possession and failing to offer better defensive play.

The Spanish manager will now need to go back and analyse the next move as they face a tough challenge on Thursday against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. When they go there, Richarlison simply has to improve because his performance today badly betrayed his superiors.

In other news: Everton enter transfer race for Gini Wijnaldum