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Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side got the second half of their Premiership campaign off to a perfect start against Hibernian on Monday evening, with the Bhoys securing a 2-0 victory at Parkhead to take them back to within three points of the current league leaders.

And, although the Hoops rather unusually saw the away side enjoy more possession of the ball, as well as Shaun Maloney’s side completing more passes in the fixture, the clinical nature of the Bhoys’ performance will nevertheless have been one that will have delighted Postecoglou – as putting teams to the sword is something that the 56-year-old’s side have struggled to do at points this season.

Furthermore, there were also two incredibly impressive debut displays for Celtic, with centre-forward Daizen Maeda – who took just four minutes to open his goalscoring account in Glasgow – and central midfielder Reo Hatate arguably being the 56-year-old manager’s best two players on the night.

However, while Maeda was fantastic against Hibs, it was undoubtedly the show-running performance of Hatate that will have most impressed Postecoglou and Celtic fans alike on Monday evening.

61 touches

Indeed, over his 75 minutes on the pitch, the central midfielder appeared to be everywhere for the Bhoys, with the 24-year-old enjoying 61 touches of the ball – the second-most of Celtic’s midfielders – completing 37 passes – three of which were key – and finding his man with three of his five attempted long balls.

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The £1.08m-rated man also had three shots at the Hibs goal – one of which forced Matt Macey into an excellent diving save from a shot from the edge of the box – won 100% of his ground duels and made one tackle, one interception and one clearance.

These returns saw the Japan international receive a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.4, while the midfielder was also dubbed an “absolute pler” by Everything Celtic and won the Man of the Match award for his efforts on the night.

Indeed, should Hatate be able to keep up this rather extraordinary level of performance going forwards for Celtic, the 24-year-old will very quickly make his £1.38m transfer fee seem like one of the bargains of the season, with the former Kawasaki Frontale star undoubtedly now a nailed-on starter for Postecoglou at Parkhead.

In other news: Ange Postecoglou drops teasing transfer hint that will have Celtic fans buzzing

The current crisis at Manchester United is showing no signs of drawing to a conclusion as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s woes grow ever larger.

What’s the story?

United’s latest defeat at the hands of fierce rivals Manchester City was their sixth of the campaign in all competitions and saw them drop to sixth place in the Premier League table.

Their poor performances and dismal results have led to intensifying pressure on Solskjaer’s shoulders, with several star names linked with replacing the Norwegian tactician in the Old Trafford dugout.

The likes of Zinedine Zidane, Erik ten Hag and Ralf Rangnick have been touted as possible successors, but The Athletic’s Red Devils reporter Laurie Whitwell has claimed a new managerial arrival is not on the horizon.

Relaying Whitwell’s comments online, the United Journal tweeted: “I genuinely believe that Manchester United are not talking to any other candidates in a serious manner with a view towards (an) appointment.”

Manchester United fans will be fuming

Although Solskjaer has done vasts amount of good work throughout his two-and-a-half-year reign in the red half of Manchester, large sections of the club’s supporters are growing increasingly frustrated at the club’s displays.

Bar the opening day victory over Leeds United, the 20-time English champions have been below-par all season, resulting in humiliating defeats to Liverpool, City and Young Boys.

Their sub-standard season has led to a protest being organised by some fans who are calling for Solskjaer to be sacked and the Glazer family to relinquish their ownership of the club.

As a result, Whitwell’s latest revelation is likely to leave those supporters fuming, with no end in sight for the Scandinavian’s tenure.

It will be a huge shame if the 48-year-old isn’t fondly remembered by those associated with United in years to come after overseeing an extensive squad rebuild, achieving consecutive top-four finishes and blooding several exciting youngsters into the first-team squad.

Ultimately, though, things will have to drastically improve at the Theatre of Dreams if Solskjaer is to keep his job in the long-term, but it seems as though he’ll be given time to turn things around.

And, in other news…Imagine him and VDB: Man Utd must hire Ole alternative with a 73% win percentage

With Aston Villa recently confirming that Steven Gerrard has been appointed as the new manager at Villa Park, speculation surrounding the 41-year-old’s January transfer business has already begun.

Indeed, it has been suggested that the former Rangers boss could look to raid his old side for a number of their top talents in the winter market, with players such as Alfredo Morelos, Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent and James Tavernier having been touted as potential targets.

However, with Villa having already spent a rather substantial £89.84m in the summer transfer window, before Gerrard brings any fresh faces into Villa Park this January, the 41-year-old may well have to shift a couple of his current squad in order to raise funds.

If this does prove to be the case for the former Liverpool captain, then Anwar El Ghazi should undoubtedly be one of the players who Gerrard considers moving on, as the winger has proven this season that he is not of the standard required for Villa.

Indeed, over his six Premier League appearances this term, the £11.7m-rated man has scored just one goal and registered no assists, as well as hitting the target with a mere 0.3 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Alan Hutton claimed can be “unstoppable” earn an extremely disappointing average SofaScore match rating of just 6.50, ranking him as Villa’s joint fifth-worst player in the league.

As a result of these poor performances, ex-Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny recent stated his belief that Villa should look to move the 26-year-old in January, claiming: “He’s not been in their plans for a while now, so I don’t think [El Ghazi leaving] would be a bad move at all. If it frees money and wages up to maybe bring someone in January in, get it done.”

Furthermore, in a recent poll ran on Football FanCast, an overwhelming majority of Villa fans voted in favour of their side moving the Netherlands international on this winter, proving that, should Gerrard indeed decide to part ways with the forward, it would be a popular decision amongst fans.

As such, considering his poor returns and lack of support within the Villa fanbase, the 41-year-old Villa boss simply must axe El Ghazi in January, as the money raised from his sale, in addition to freeing up his £38k-per-week wages, could be put to very good use by Gerrard.

In other news: Gerrard must seal first AVFC signing with swoop for “dangerous” £12.6m-rated machine

While Celtic have seen their league form drastically improve under the leadership of Ange Postecoglou in recent months, with the Bhoys remaining undefeated over the last eight Premiership fixtures, the 56-year-old Hoops manager will nevertheless be aware that his side will face one of their sterner tests of the season at Parkhead this evening.

Indeed, Robbie Neilson’s Heart of Midlothian side have also been incredibly impressive in the current campaign, sitting just two points behind Celtic in the league, as well as having already taken three points off of the Bhoys on the opening day of the season.

As such, Postecoglou will know that he must get his team selection spot on against Hearts if he is to have any hope of his side reducing the gap between them the current Premiership leaders, with one player who the Greek-Australian coach simply must call upon tonight being Nir Bitton.

Game-changer

With Tom Rogic’s hamstring injury leaving Celtic somewhat short in the middle of the park, Postecoglou opted to slightly change his setup in the middle of the park, playing the more defensively-minded Bitton in place of the 28-year-old attacking midfielder.

And, while this change would, on the surface, appear to make the Bhoys more defensive, Bitton has in fact flourished in the absence of Rogic, with the 30-year-old being one of the Hoops’ most impressive players over the last four fixtures.

Indeed, in this period, the £720k-rated Israel international has enjoyed 353 touches of the ball, completed 269 passes, made 15 tackles and won a whopping 31 duels, with these metrics seeing the £14k-per-week midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 7.33.

As such, while both Bitton and Rogic look as if they will be available for selection against Hearts this evening, Postecoglou simply must unleash Bitton ahead of the Australia international.

Not only would he help to solidify Celtic against a side who have already scored 25 goals in the league, the man the 56-year-old manager himself dubbed “influential” has also proven to be something of a game-changer in the middle of the park in the absence of Rogic.

In other news: Celtic handed big transfer boost ahead of January, fans will be elated

In a recent interview, Kevin Phillips suggested that West Ham United could make a summer move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

According to a recent report by the Daily Mail, former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes his Leicester City side have “won the race” to sign Edouard this summer, with the £13.5m-rated 23-year-old said to be keen on a reunion with the Northern Irishman, as well as a fee of around £15m “close to being agreed” between the Hoops and the Foxes.

However, speaking recently to Football Insider, Phillips stated his belief that, although Rodgers’ influence could sway the striker towards Leicester, should West Ham finish in a European spot at the end of the season, they too could be a contender for the Frenchman’s signature.

He said: “If Edouard is set to leave this summer I think West Ham and a few others would be looking at him. It will ultimately be down to the player but where West Ham and Leicester finish in the league could determine where the player goes. Having worked under Rodgers though, and knowing his style of football, I think he would opt for Leicester.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Having scored a quite remarkable 81 goals over his 161 appearances for the Bhoys, including 20 across his 33 fixtures in all competitions so far this season, it would be a difficult argument to make that Edouard would not be an inspired signing for West Ham.

Considering that David Moyes only has Michail Antonio as an out-and-out centre-forward in his current first team squad, a summer move for a player in Edouard’s position would indeed appear to be a priority for the Hammers. If the Celtic striker is available for a mere £15m as reported, he would not be far off representing the ideal candidate for Moyes given his value and goal return.

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!

Details have been shared on a key Premier League decision in the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

As per the British and Irish Legal Information Institute website (via The Chronicle), the English top flight were ‘provisionally minded’ to conclude that the Gulf country would become a director at the St. James’ Park faithful as part of a proposed takeover in 2020.

This is despite insistence from the prospective buyers that the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would be in charge instead of them, insisting the two parties are separate entities.

The league wrote a letter to the Magpies on June 12th after the division’s governing body concluded that the KSA ‘would become a director’ at the North East club. The latter disputed this conclusion which is why an arbitration hearing is needed.

There were a list of reasons why the PL were ‘provisionally minded’ to come to the conclusion, in which Judge Mark Pelling says is ‘the sole issue’ that needs to be settled in the upcoming arbitration case, to see ‘whether this conclusion is correct’.

Arbitration should make things clearer

There is clearly a stand-off between the Tyneside club and the Premier League over whether the KSA government and PIF can be considered as separate entities or not.

The pending arbitration case should settle this dispute, and thus make things a little bit clearer as to what direction the potential takeover is heading.

Nonetheless, members of the Toon Army will be hoping that NUFC win the case, which could prove to be a step further in potentially reviving the original deal between Mike Ashley and the consortium.

In other news, find out what PIF claim has been dropped by a finance guru on the potential takeover here!

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson thinks Mateusz Klich could be left out of Jesse Marsch’s starting line-up against Crystal Palace on Monday.

The Lowdown: Klich a regular

Klich has made 31 appearances in all competitions this season, taking his Leeds tally to 173.

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The 31-year-old has turned out as a defensive, central and attacking midfielder and is yet to miss a game under new boss Jesse Marsch.

He played alongside Robin Koch in the 3-0 win over Watford last time out but made way on the hour mark for Kalvin Phillips.

The Latest: Robinson’s reacts to Phillips image

Talking to MOT Leeds News after seeing an image of Phillips back in full training, Robinson, who contributes for Sky Sports, gave his thoughts on how Leeds’ midfield could shape up at Selhurst Park.

He believes Phillips, who was spotted in full flow at Thorp Arch this week, could make a first start since December alongside Koch, which would mean Klich would drop out.

“For me, Phillips and [Adam] Forshaw both come in if they’re fit and able to play 90 minutes.

“I know they played well at Watford so I don’t think both Phillips and Forshaw will come back in.

“Forshaw’s been out so he’ll probably have to get his game-time off the bench.

“Phillips should come in alongside either Klich or Koch.

“It’ll probably be alongside Koch if Jesse Marsch is going to play that way again.”

The Verdict: Right call?

Bringing back Phillips from the off could be a wise by Marsch move following Leeds’ 16-day break.

Klich also had an afternoon to forget at Vicarage Road last time out. As per SofaScore, he was Leeds’ worst-rated player in the 3-0 victory, losing possession 16 times and failing to complete any of his attempted long balls.

The central midfielder was also second best in nine of his 12 duels, so it could be a wise move to leave him out of the starting XI at Selhurst Park as Leeds look to take a step closer to safety.

In other news: Approach made: 49ers and Radz now in exit talks with club for ‘awful’ Leeds defender. 

Southampton were handed a significant blow recently, as it was confirmed that centre-back Jannik Vestergaard is set to miss around four weeks of action due to injury.

The Danish defender has been crucial in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season, having made 13 appearances in the Premier League, scoring three goals and averaging a superb WhoScored 7.27 rating.

Whilst Jack Stephens filled in well against Fulham on Boxing Day, the injury to Vestergaard means that the South Coast club have just three senior centre-backs available to them, which includes Mohammed Salisu, who is yet to make his debut for the club.

Therefore, the Saints should consider adding another centre-back to their ranks in the upcoming January transfer window, especially as we are now in the busiest period of the season in terms of fixtures.

Hasenhuttl’s side, along with Fulham and Newcastle, were both recently linked with Vitoria Guimaraes defender Jorge Fernandes, following his impressive start to the season with the Liga NOS side.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, several Premier League sides including Southampton are taking an interest in the 23-year-old ahead of the winter transfer window.

Despite signing him for less than £1 million in the summer transfer window, his excellent start means the Portuguese side currently value the former Porto man at around £16 million.

This is perhaps no surprise, as in the eight league games he has played so far this season, Vitoria have kept clean sheets in six, conceding just two goals in total.

Vestergaard replacement?

With his 6ft 4in frame, Fernandes could be the ideal replacement for Vestergaard in the Southampton defence whilst the 28-year-old is sidelined, as he has been a huge threat from set-pieces so far this season, so adding Fernandes could help re-establish that threat.

The Portuguese defender could definitely take advantage of James Ward-Prowse’s pinpoint delivery should he be signed in January and considering his strong performances this season, this definitely looks to be a deal that Martin Semmens should consider.

His performances in the league have seen him average a 6.86 rating, which is better than Jack Stephens’ average rating so far this season and only marginally worse than Jan Bednarek’s, so it could definitely be argued that Fernandes would be a worthwhile addition in January, so perhaps we will see the Saints bring him in following the update on Vestergaard’s injury.

And, in other news… Southampton ace who won a whopping 17 duels will have Hasenhuttl drooling

Many Everton fans have been left to slam a transfer update from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sports Mole) involving Wojciech Szczesny and Moise Kean.

As per the news outlet, the Goodison Park faithful are understood to be monitoring the former Arsenal goalkeeper along with Chelsea, with Juventus president Andrea Agnelli hoping that the Merseyside club can be persuaded to agree on a swap deal involving him and Kean.

One could question whether a straight swap would represent good value for money for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, given that Szczesny is 31 years of age and Kean just 21, while the latter has been on fire for PSG so far in the 2020/21 term, scoring no fewer than 16 goals in total in 38 games over all competitions (Transfermarkt), as the Toffees may want to think about keeping him or holding out for a mammoth offer.

Everton fans on Szczesny/Kean transfer update

These Blues slammed the transfer update as it was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it would be ‘horrendous’ while another the update as ‘peak Everton’:

“Absolutely horrendous swap deal”

Credit: @MartinLobb6

“Swap deal, funniest thing I have heard all pandemic”

Credit: @dobzzie

“Would be a terrible swap”

Credit: @DavidStenson12

“Is this a joke?”

Credit: @Youngda48943002

“Peak Everton. Someone on the brink of financial ruin trying to hold our feet over the fire to swap a bog average goalkeeper for one of Europe’s most in demand forward.”

Credit: @PeterFearns

“Lol”

Credit: @robjones673

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Toffees buzzing here!

According to a report by Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur want to offload defender Davinson Sanchez this summer as technical performance director Steve Hitchen shortlists replacements.

The Lowdown: Spurs need to sell…

Tottenham will be adopting a sell-to-buy policy this summer according to reliable sources (Sky Sports), considering the financial toll of coronavirus.

Last year, Spurs announced an ‘irrecoverable’ loss of income totalling £63.9 million for the year ending June 30, 2020 (Evening Standard) – and it’s unlikely the next financial release will make for prettier reading.

As a result, if the next Lilywhites boss wishes to strengthen with marquee signings, then deadwood will need to be turned over for some much needed funding.

The Latest: Sanchez now up for sale…

Bringing the latest on Tottenham’s ins and outs, Football Insider report that Daniel Levy and co now want to offload Sanchez this summer and will to listen to any offers.

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Hitchen is already compiling a shortlist of replacements for the 24-year-old as Tottenham also look set to prioritise a senior centre-back signing.

Even though Spurs will struggle to make much back off the original £42 million paid for the Colombian, the Lilywhites are still planning his sale regardless of who the next manager may be.

The Verdict: Surplus to requirements…

The defender’s recklessness and lack of composure at the back infuriated former boss Jose Mourinho (Football Insider), and it’s safe to say he should be considered for the exit door.

Reports have most recently been heavily linking fellow defender Serge Aurier with a summer move away (Foot Mercato), but this news of Levy now wanting to offload Sanchez comes as no surprise given his form this season.

Interim boss Ryan Mason has not played the 28-cap ace since the beginning of his temporary tenure and Sanchez’ future in north London looks at it’s most bleak since he signed from Ajax in 2017.

Former Lilywhites boss Mauricio Pochettino was overjoyed with the signing, calling him the perfect for his style at Tottenham as well as ‘unbelievable’ (The Guardian).

Once a favourite of the Argentine, with Pochettino also dubbing Sanchez a ‘beast’ (tottenhamhotspur.com), his fortunes have well and truly dipped since then.

In other news: Journalist relays ENIC promise to Spurs fans after big development, find out more here.