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Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths has been linked with a shock loan move to Sky Bet League One side Sunderland, according to The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Departures expected as Celtic squad takes shape

With competitive football once again on the horizon at Celtic Park, new manager Ange Postecoglou will be desperate to cultivate a squad capable of reclaiming the Premiership title once more.

However, the Hoops are not immune to the prospect of high-profile departures this summer. Kristoffer Ajer looks set to complete a move to Premier League side Brentford, whilst Odsonne Edouard has been linked with a move to West Ham United.

On the topic of potential outgoings, could the Celts now be set to sanction the exit of Scotland international Griffiths in the near future?

The Latest: Griffiths eyed by Sunderland for loan switch

Sunderland are said to be readying a loan swoop for the 30-year-old ace. Out in the cold at Celtic, Griffiths was sent home from their pre-season training camp over reported off-field misdemeanours, whilst he hasn’t completed a single minute of pre-season football thus far [The Scottish Sun].

Griffiths is believed to be told where he stands in Postecoglou’s plans shortly for the forthcoming term [The Scottish Sun].

Having looked set to leave the Bhoys at the end of last season, the Edinburgh-born marksman was handed a lifeline at Parkhead after signing a one-year contract extension at the beginning of this month [Sky Sports].

The Verdict: Right move for Griffiths and Celtic

All things considered, it may be the correct time for Griffiths to move on following seven years at the club.

Despite registering 123 goals and 51 assists in 262 games for Celtic, he has found himself mired in hot water over the last year due to issues surrounding his fitness and conduct.

This infrequent reliability translated on to the pitch in 2020/21, where Griffiths notched seven goals in 26 fixtures, although he did not complete a single 90-minute appearance throughout the campaign [Transfermarkt].

Once labelled as ‘a very exciting player’ by former Celtic manager Ronny Deila [Herald Scotland], a move to Sunderland for Griffiths may be the best solution for all parties in this situation given his unenviable fortunes of late .

In other news, a journalist has dropped an exciting claim regarding the Hoops.

Wolves have had a positive start to the 2022 January transfer window by recalling Dion Sanderson and Ryan Giles from their loan deals, as well as signing midfielder Hayao Kawabe. In addition to sitting eighth place in the Premier League table and beating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford in their previous match, things are going quite well for Bruno Lage and his side.

However, it seems as though a transfer claim has emerged on one of Wolves’ key players which could worry a lot of fans.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Record (via Sport Witness), Ruben Neves doesn’t think he would be able to achieve his dreams of playing in the Champions League as a Wolves player and would not be interested in signing a new deal at the club, with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2024.

Labelled a “talented” player by former team-mate Sylvain Deslandes, Neves joined Wolves back in 2017 from FC Porto and has since gone on to make 195 appearances for the Old Gold across all competitions, scoring 21 goals and providing 11 assists, which highlights just how important he has been for the team.

In terms of his overall performances this season, with SofaScore listing him as Wolves’ joint-third highest rated player with an overall rating of 7.09/10 alongside Romain Saiss, this shows how much of a miss he would be if he were to leave Molineux this month or during the summer, which would presumably leave Lage furious and would be a disastrous howler from executive chairman Jeff Shi.

With Manchester United reportedly interested in signing Neves, it seems as though Wolves will have to do all they can to keep him for as long as possible if the midfielder sees an opportunity to join a club which could offer him the chance to play in the Champions League, even though he has previously shared his love for his current employers and the Midlands area.

However, with Wolves firmly in the race to end the current season in a European spot, this could be the first step in persuading the 24-year-old – who is currently earning £58k-per-week according to Salary Sport – to sign a new deal at Molineux and get closer to the Champions League one day.

In other news: Wolves eye swoop for “decisive” £23.4m-rated machine, he’d solve Lage’s big problem

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

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa could unearth his new Pablo Hernandez at Elland Road by finally signing Feyenoord sensation Orkun Kokcu.

What’s the story?

Sport (via Sport Witness) claimed earlier this year that the Whites had joined the likes of Leicester and Sevilla in the race to sign Kokcu, and that they have the money required to bring him to Elland Road.

Now, according to Feyenoord Transfermarkt (via Sport Witness), the Leeds target was the subject of a bid from Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, but that the play-maker has made it clear he is only prepared to leave at the end of the season.

Leeds’ new Pablo Hernandez

Following Hernandez’s exit, Leeds have lacked a truly creative midfielder who can operate in that number ten role, with the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Mateusz Klich playing deeper. Kokcu, by comparison, fits the bill to a tee.

In a profile piece by The Evening Standard, they wrote: “While Kokcu is primarily viewed as a central midfielder, the 19-year-old is a gifted technician on the ball and has been tipped to move further up the field as a playmaker.

“The Turkish youngster enjoys dictating play in the central areas of the pitch and has a keen eye for a pass, much like Xabi Alonso and Cesc Fabregas, preferring to control proceedings from deeper positions.”

Speaking to Goal, former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam raved about Kokcu’s quality, saying: “He has the ability. He is a player who has the personality to want to improve, he always wants to do better. He’s never happy with himself, he’s disappointed if he doesn’t score, or his passes aren’t good enough.

“He’s certainly got the ability to make that step to the Premier League. He has creativity, scoring ability, stamina and running ability. He keeps on going. I saw him as a very promising player.”

Kokcu evidently has the “creativity” and ability to be a major threat in the final third of the pitch, and with Hernandez’s departure – someone who registered 41 assists for Leeds – the 20-year-old starlet could help kick-start a new era at Elland Road.

Given they were interested in the £10.8m-rated dynamo earlier this year, and the fact Kokcu is prepared to leave Feyenoord in the summer of 2022, Bielsa may finally be able to get his man.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa could unearth another gem in this FA Youth Cup star…

Everton have up to three positions in mind as they look to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window, The Liverpool Echo’s Phil Kirkbride reports. 

The lowdown

Everton spent just £1.8million in the summer, the lowest of any club in the Premier League.

They found their hands tied by Financial Fair Play (FFP) obligations.

All that money went on Demarai Gray, while they also brought in Andros Townsend, Salomon Rondon and Asmir Begovic on free transfers.

Gray and Towsend have been hits so far, each recording five goal contributions (via WhoScored).

But Benitez may feel further additions are needed, with his side lingering in the bottom half of the table after dropping 15 points in their first 11 fixtures.

The latest

Chief Everton writer Kirkbride reports that Everton want to add ‘quality’ to their ranks in January and that Rafael Benitez has asked Marcel Brands to seek out ‘suitable loan targets’.

Up to now, discussions have centred on the wide areas and central midfield, but Benitez is also ‘keen to strengthen’ at right-back.

The verdict

This tallies with the Blues’ reported interest in taking Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek on a temporary deal. He’d certainly bring quality, if his performances at Ajax are anything to go by.

It seems that Everton are still limited in the amount they can spend on transfer fees, hence their preference for the loan market. But that doesn’t mean they can’t significantly improve the squad, even if it’s just on a short-term basis.

One right-back who has been mentioned in connection with a switch to Goodison is Lille’s Zeki Celik, who started 28 games in the French outfit’s road to Ligue 1 glory last season, scoring three times. At 24 years of age he seems the perfect understudy for the ageing Seamus Coleman.

In other news, fans were buzzing over this injury update. 

Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be a ‘great signing’ for Newcastle United, Kevin Phillips has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath reported last week that Everton striker Calvert-Lewin featured on a KSA shortlist of targets following Newcastle’s takeover.

He’s only played three Premier League matches so far this season, with a quadriceps injury sidelining him, but last term he netted 16 goals in 32 Premier League starts.

Only Golden Boot winner Harry Kane (19) scored more non-penalty goals than Calvert-Lewin in 2020/21 (via The Daily Star).

The 24-year-old Englishman signed a new contract last year, ostensibly committing him to Everton until 2025. That contributes to a Transfermarkt valuation of £40.5million.

The latest

Phillips reckons there would be comparisons between Calvert-Lewin and Newcastle’s all-time leading goalscorer if he moved to Tyneside.

He hailed him as a complete striker and a smart long-term investment.

“Calvert-Lewin is a big powerful striker and I’m sure he’d be compared to Alan Shearer if he went there,” the former Sunderland man said.

He later added: “He has shown at Everton and England that he is improving all of the time. He is a striker who has a bit of everything.

“I think Newcastle could get a good six or seven years out of him. It would be a good investment. He could turn out to be a great signing for them.”

The verdict

Calvert-Lewin is an instinctive goalscorer, but the question is whether he’d be open to making the move.

In all likelihood, Everton will finish in the top half this season, while Newcastle are languishing in the relegation zone after nine games.

And with a top manager in the form of Rafael Benitez at Goodison Park, the Blues may actually be playing European football sooner, despite the Magpies’ riches.

So will Calvert-Lewin see it as a backwards step, or look at the long term and decide that financial powerhouses Newcastle have a higher ceiling?

In other news, talks are underway with this CL star’s camp. 

Plenty of West Ham United fans have been reacting to Jesse Lingard’s tweet following Manchester United’s 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

Sunday witnessed contrasting fortunes for the Hammers and the Red Devils. The Irons won 1-0 against Tottenham thanks to a goal from Michail Antonio to move into fourth place in the Premier League, while the Red Devils were hammered by their fiercest rivals as they were humiliated for 90 minutes.

The £19.8m-valued Lingard (Transfermarkt), who has started just one of his club’s 13 matches so far this season, was an unused substitute for the Old Trafford clash, and he was warming up towards the end of the match. A video has emerged of him being told to work harder by a Manchester United fan even though he was not on the pitch, something which was pointed out by the England international himself.

The 28-year-old then doubled down on Twitter by addressing the situation, although he did make it clear that it wasn’t abuse.

Plenty of Hammers fans saw the post and implored Lingard to return to the London Stadium, where he spent the second half of last season on loan and excelled by scoring nine goals in 16 games under David Moyes.

Let’s see what these fans had to say to Lingard

“Get yourself back to West Ham kid . There is a manager at that club that appreciate you”

Credit: @IANLAT82

“I know every West ham fan has said it already. But come back. Club that respects you & gives you every opportunity to make the English squad for the World Cup. If you stay there with no game time, you gotta feel like you’ll be overlooked. Despite stellar games for England.”

Credit: @WestHamInOz

“You would be top 4 if you stayed at West Ham. Playing week in week out.”

Credit: @thegarybarnett

“come back to the club who’ll support you week in week out”

Credit: @whubenbagged

“Come to West Ham, a good club.”

Credit: @Nando_RBB_RM

“Come home where your appreciated”

Credit: @reecetranter

In other news, some West Ham fans were unhappy with this man’s comments on Declan Rice

Bruno Lage’s first summer at Wolverhampton Wanderers has been a tame affair.

The Portuguese boss hasn’t been supplied with a war chest in order to bring new players in and as a consequence, the Old Gold still look light on first-team names.

What’s the word?

The encouraging sign for Wolves supporters is that Lage and Fosun do have their eyes set on bringing some fresh faces to the club in the remaining days of the window.

While a move for Cardiff striker Kieffer Moore has been touted, they also want to bring another midfielder to the club if you believe reports.

Wolves have set their sights on Roma gem Amadou Diawara throughout the summer but it was thought the Guinean had rejected a proposal to sign him a few months back.

However, according to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), that offer is still on the table for Diawara as his club aim to shift him before the deadline closes.

According to CIES, the midfield brute is valued at around €20m (£17m).

Lage needs him

With the new manager admitting last week that Wolves were training with no more than 15 senior players, it’s easy to see why they need to dip their toes into the transfer market.

Signing a further midfielder might look strange on the surface, however. Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho have both started the season emphatically, putting in some classy performances against Tottenham and then Nottingham Forest.

Yet, they do arguably lack depth in that position. Morgan Gibbs-White is a more offensive midfielder while Romain Saiss and Leander Dendoncker were preferred in defence during the latter stages of Nuno Santo’s tenure.

Wolves also lost Vitinha this summer when they opted against signing the Portuguese dynamo on a permanent transfer.

Consequently, the idea of signing Diawara is an attractive one. Like Neves and Moutinho, he’s incredibly assured in possession of the ball.

Last campaign, the 24-year-old completed 89.7% of his passes in the top-flight of Italian football. His tally over the last year, meanwhile, puts him in the 87th percentile among fellow midfield players in Europe’s top five leagues.

Regularly successful in winning back the ball for his team, Diawara was once described as a “phenomenon” by his former coach, Fabrizio Tazzioli.

Combine that with the fact he’s been compared to Marcel Desailly and the thought of signing him becomes even more attractive.

AND in other news, Wolves set for huge boost after Tim Spiers tweet, fans should be elated…

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

Leeds United and Huddersfield Town are ‘not a million miles apart in their valuation’ of Lewis O’Brien, according to journalist Graham Smyth.

The Lowdown: Leeds keen on O’Brien move

Marcelo Bielsa may still be looking to do some transfer business this summer, despite the new Premier League season getting underway this weekend.

One player with whom the Whites have been linked is Huddersfield midfielder O’Brien, who started 39 of his side’s 46 Championship games in 2020/21.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Smyth provides update

An update has now been provided by Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Smyth, who claims that Leeds remain interested in the 22-year-old.

While it is stated that ‘nothing is imminent’ currently, it is thought that positive talks are taking place between the two clubs over a move.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-11/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Exciting long-term prospect

While O’Brien may not necessarily come straight in as a regular starter for Leeds, he could be considered both a reliable squad player and a long-term prospect, having been lauded as a ‘superb player’ by Noel Whelan.

The youngster averaged an impressive two tackles per game in the Championship last season, outlining the Kalvin Phillips-esque tenacity he possesses in the middle of the park.

O’Brien could afford the Leeds star more of a breather throughout the campaign and be a strong option in domestic cup competitions, if of course the Whites can go on to seal the deal.

In other news, a transfer update has emerged linking Leeds with a new signing this summer. Find out who it is here.