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Celtic could be just days away from embarking upon a new chapter in the club’s history. After a disappointing season, it appears that the guillotine is inching closer to Neil Lennon’s neck on the chopping block.

The Mirror has reported that following his decision to leave China, Celtic have eyed Rafael Benitez as the perfect successor to their current head coach. Should these talks come to fruition, treble winner Lennon will be axed from his position and he only has himself to blame.

Why Lennon could be replaced by Benitez

For a side with as rich a history as Celtic, it’s extremely disappointing to see them struggling to assert their dominance. The Scottish Premiership is their bread and butter – a league that many believe belongs to the Hoops.

They were on track for their tenth consecutive league title this season, but an uncharacteristically subpar campaign has resulted in them being humiliated on several occasions. Not only are they trailing to their bitter rivals, but Rangers top the table by a mammoth 23 points.

Steven Gerrard and his men are yet to lose a single Premiership match this term and have drawn just three games. Although Celtic have three games in-hand, any chance of a revival looks long gone.

Odsonne Edouard has seriously struggled this season, falling off track in terms of his personal numbers. The Frenchman looks a shadow of himself from last campaign, in which he tallied 21 goals and 12 assists in 27 appearances. However, he has managed just seven goals and four assists so far this time round, according to Transfermarkt.

It seems his passion for the club has dimmed due to their frustrating season and Celtic run the risk of losing him. Edouard has been linked to both Arsenal and West Ham this window, with talks of a £35million price tag circulating.

Whilst lack of goals is worrying, Lennon’s defence is also a serious issue. In their Europa League run alone, the Hoops shipped 19 goals in the group stages, which was the joint-highest amount conceded in that point of the competition. But despite this, the boss appears to be showing no urgency to bring any new personnel in.

A goalscorer and a new centre-back must be a priority for Celtic, but Lennon has seemingly been uninterested in the transfer market this month. If he is to be given the boot, he will have put the final nail in his own coffin with his summer transfers, his questionable team selections, his choice to make the Dubai trip and his seeming inability to attract new players to the club this month.

In other news, Hammond set for masterstroke sale of Jack Hendry…

According to a report by Football Insider, Premier League rivals Manchester United could now offer Tottenham Hotspur the chance to sign Anthony Martial in a part exchange deal for superstar striker Harry Kane.

The Lowdown: Kane exit saga in full swing…

Sky Sports recently broke the news that Kane has reiterated his desire to leave Tottenham Hotspur after yet another year in north London without any silverware.

Indeed, the 27-year-old has even been at the centre of enquires from the likes of United, Man City and Chelsea – with Spurs even making enquiries of their own into replacement strikers.

The reports don’t seem likely to go away any time soon, and Spurs could be set for a summer-long transfer saga surrounding the Englishman.

The Latest: United could now offer Martial to Spurs

Bringing the latest, Football Insider are claiming that Tottenham could now be offered £250,000-per-week Man United star Martial in a part exchange deal for Kane this summer.

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A Manchester United source, speaking to the outlet, claims the Red Devils are lining up an offer but are unlikely to meet chairman Daniel Levy’s sky high valuation of around £150 million.

To lower the price, Tottenham could now be offered both Martial and current West Ham loanee Jesse Lingard.

Kane is said to be ‘certain’ of his desire to quit Spurs and United want an A-list centre forward despite their agreement to tie down Edinson Cavani to a one-year deal.

The Verdict: Good deal?

At 25-years-old, Martial is arguably a proven force in the Premier League already – having scored 17 goals whilst notching another six assists in 31 top flight starts last campaign (WhoScored).

While he hasn’t been able to improve on those numbers over 2020/2021, the winger still has plenty of years ahead of him and has averaged the third-most completed dribbles out of any first team regular in the United squad this season.

Once dubbed ‘unplayable’ by former Spurs midfielder Micheal Carrick (The Mirror), who played with Martial at Old Trafford, there are certainly plus points to this being the move if Kane is absolutely going to leave.

Of course, there is the argument that there is no way he can fill the void left by Kane – and this possible agreement may come down to the fee United offer alongside both Martial and Lingard.

In other news: Spurs namedropped as suitor for this ‘genius’ manager, find out more here.

Wayne Rooney could be planning a move to bring Lee Gregory back to Derby County this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Derbyshire Live, who claim that the 35-year-old Rams boss may be targeting a move to bring the Stoke City centre-forward, who spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Pride Park, back to the club for next season.

Speaking last month about the possibility of the £450,000-rated 32-year-old returning to Derby, Rooney, as cited by Derbyshire Live, stated: “Losing Lee was a blow because he was in good form. He’ll do his rehab and we will help him get back fit, and [will] obviously make a decision on Lee at the end of the season.

“I think he has been fantastic – attitude, energy, hunger. He’s very good inside the six-yard box, his anticipation to get himself in the right position to score goals is very good.”

Rooney must avoid move

While Gregory did manage to score three goals and provide one assist over his 11 appearances while on loan at Derby County, prior to picking up a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the club’s last seven Championship fixtures, there are a number of reasons why Rooney must avoid a move for the former Millwall man this summer.

Firstly, while the Derby boss may well be impressed with the striker’s hunger, energy and attitude, the fact remains that, throughout his career, Gregory has only ever scored 10 or more goals in a Championship season on two occasions – in his 2017/18 and 2018/19 Championship campaigns with the Lions, when he scored 10 and 12 goals respectively.

Secondly, with the £17,500-per-week forward still under contract for a further year with Stoke, unless Derby can somehow persuade the Potters to allow them to take Gregory off their hands for nothing, then he will cost a fee – something that, considering the state of Derby’s current finances, would appear to be a waste of money on a 32-year-old with little to no resale value.

Finally, there is an argument to make that there are much better options available for Derby in the transfer window, not only in terms of quality but also in price, with a number of impressive talents becoming available on free transfers this summer – such as Sunderland’s 29-goal hitman Charlie Wyke.

As such, it would be highly advisable for Rooney to resist the temptation to simply return to a player he knows in the upcoming transfer window, as the Rams need to make considerable improvements, rather than just treading water.

In other news: Alan Nixon delivers encouraging Derby County update, fans will surely be buzzing – opinion

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that he can understand why former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie has called out the likes of Kristoffer Ajer and Ryan Christie.

Celtic endured a disastrous season as they handed over their title to their fierce rivals, and McAvennie has not held back when discussing some of the players at his old club.

The retired forward told The Herald last month that he can’t work out why Ajer doesn’t want to head the ball, while he hit out at Christie for not doing enough when speaking to Football Insider.

Scathing criticism, but it did not surprise Hendrie, who spoke exclusively to TT about Celtic’s miserable campaign. On the subject, the ex-Aston Villa midfielder said:

“Yes, you can single out those players. I think they’re players you certainly look at and you want to stand up and be counted for, so there’s no surprise Frank’s dug a few of those players out.”

Ajer may not be a Celtic player for much longer, with the central defender currently being linked with a move to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Christie’s contract is set to expire next year, though there has been some confusion about exactly when.

Having lost 14 matches in the Premier League, it hasn’t exactly been a very fruitful campaign for Crystal Palace.

What hasn’t helped is a lack of clarity over Roy Hodgson’s future with the club.

What’s the word?

Hodgson is out of contract at Selhurst Park in the summer but it’s not known whether he’ll actually be staying in London.

The 73-year-old may well choose to retire but he hasn’t given very many hints over his future.

Palace chairman Steve Parish has been pondering replacements just in case he does leave, with the likes of Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche both being monitored.

Though, if recent news is anything to go by, he might need to ramp up his search.

That’s because The Sun claim that even if Hodgson is offered a new contract, there is no longer a 100% guarantee that he’d sign it.

As a result, there is a chance he quits football altogether this summer.

A big dilemma

If the former England boss is intent on stepping down in a few months time, it will leave Parish with an almighty dilemma on his hands.

The question on his mind, and indeed everyone’s at Crystal Palace, will be a simple one; who is going to be the new manager?

A number of faces have been linked with the post but external factors could determine who they can lure to London.

Howe is being tracked by Celtic but recent reports indicate he’s now finalising a deal with the Glaswegian side.

Dyche is an option for the Eagles but it would take nearly £3m to prise him away from Turf Moor. That fee is without considering the backroom staff he’d want to bring with him too.

Another name that Parish may look to tempt to the club is ex Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.

He was sacked by the Blues in January and is still waiting at home to find a new job.

If Palace are hoping to establish themselves more, Dyche seems a viable option. However, it’s hard to deny that Lampard wouldn’t be a more exciting fit.

He has a proven track record of developing youngsters at Derby and Chelsea, something that could prove game-changing for players like Ebere Eze, Tyrick Mitchell and Nathan Ferguson.

Parish clearly has a lot of thinking to do between now and the summer.

AND in other news, “Palace are looking to get him” – Exclusive: Pundit drops CPFC transfer hint on £60k-p/w PL star…

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Graham Roberts believes Steven Gerrard should be a candidate to become the next Spurs boss, though he has told Football FanCast that he doubts he would be willing to take the job.

The ex-Liverpool captain has done brilliant work with Rangers and has guided them to the Scottish Premiership title this season.

Indeed, the Gers are currently 23 points clear of second-placed Celtic, and have yet to lose a single game in the top flight.

With two matches of the season remaining there is a very real chance of Gerrard, who has only tasted defeat twice in 2021 against Slavia Prague and on penalties to St Johnstone in the cup, and his side achieving an unbeaten season.

Spurs, of course, are on the lookout for a new manager after sacking Jose Mourinho earlier in April.

Roberts played for both clubs and he believes Gerrard should be considered as a candidate, though he holds doubts over whether he would be willing to move to north London.

Gerrard, of course, spent all but one season in his professional career at Liverpool.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “Steven Gerrard has done an unbelievable job at Rangers but maybe this is another step higher.

“I think what he’s done there, I’m not saying a bigger club, I think Rangers are a massive club. But what I’m thinking is the Premier League, it’s another step.”

The timeline of Celtic’s season is enough to drag you to depression if you’re a Hoops supporter.

It has been a wretched campaign that will end without a trophy at Parkhead for the first time in around a decade. They could also end the term without a first-team manager.

What’s the word?

Neil Lennon left the Bhoys nine weeks ago but majority shareholder Dermot Desmond is finding life difficult in terms of finding a replacement.

Roy Keane has twice emerged on the scene but it’s Eddie Howe who appears to be their number one choice.

Unfortunately, there have been a number of complications holding a deal up.

Taking to Twitter over the weekend, reliable journalist Alan Nixon made a big claim on the major reason behind the delay.

Responding to a fan who asked if Howe’s backroom staff demands were an issue, he said: “It’s a huge factor in this.”

Desmond fuming

This has been a ridiculous scenario for the club’s main shareholder and it doesn’t look like ending anytime soon.

After such an arduous season the last thing the Bhoys needed was another lengthy saga, especially when there’s so much to address this summer.

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Desmond and indeed the entire club are being left in the lurch right now and if we’re seeking a resolution, we may not have one until the end of next month.

There is good news in the sense that Richard Hughes is reportedly no longer a major factor for Howe but he still wants some of the Bournemouth coaching staff to join him at Paradise.

He is keen on seeing Stephen Purches and Stephen Weatherstone come with him but the Cherries are right in the middle of a promotion hunt.

The Championship play-off finals aren’t until May 29th so it might not be before then that we hear news of a new manager. If the south-coast side successfully negotiates their way back to the top-flight then it will cost Celtic more financially to prise Purches and Weatherstone away.

That’s because they will be due pay rises. On top of that, they will also have the lure of Premier League football to keep them in England.

This is a situation that must be leaving Desmond tearing his hair out. Whatever way you look at it, there is no swift remedy.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Ajer: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen “weapon” next term, he’s clear of Duffy…

Liverpool finally halted their Anfield woes on Saturday afternoon with a late victory against Aston Villa.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds had initially gone behind to Ollie Watkins’ strike, with Roberto Firmino seeing his equaliser ruled out by a tight offside call from VAR.

However, they did manage to roar back through Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the latter firing in a 90th minute winner.

Despite the right-back proving key for the reigning champions, it was actually his defensive colleague Nathaniel Phillips who should indeed be earning more praise for his performance.

The centre-back, who earns £64k per-week at Anfield, turned in a thoroughly dominant defensive showing throughout the afternoon.

According to WhoScored, the 24-year-old contributed two tackles and a further seven clearances. For comparison, the rest of the Liverpool side could only contribute nine clearances between them throughout the match.

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Whilst his anticipation of danger was extremely impressive, Phillips was also tough to deal with when faced up with his direct opponents.

Of the 17 duels he attempted against Aston Villa both on the ground and in the air, he won a huge 13 of those according to SofaScore – a huge increase on his 7.1 average per match in the Premier League this season.

Phillips was of course pivotal from a defensive standpoint but the Englishman also had his fair share of influence on the ball for the Reds, too.

Of the 72 passes that he completed, the most of every single player in the entire match, three of those were key. Once again, no player for either side completed more key passes than the Liverpool centre-back.

So, whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold will draw plenty of praise for what turned out to be his winning strike, Phillips was equally if not more pivotal in the Reds claiming a much sought-after Anfield win in the Premier League.

AND in more news, find out which other young defender the Reds must not sell…

Jonas Lossl has told The Athletic that he felt he had the talent to replace Jordan Pickford as Everton’s number one when he sealed a free transfer from Huddersfield Town in 2019.

The Blues moved to snap up Lossl under the leadership of Marco Silva following the Terriers relegation to the second-tier, yet the 32-year-old never played a game for the Merseyside outfit.

Silva ensured that Lossl remained a constant understudy for Pickford and that picture did not change when the Portuguese was replaced at the helm by Carlo Ancelotti, who sanctioned a loan move back to the John Smith’s Stadium just six weeks into his tenure.

Lossl hoped that his return in the summer of 2020 would see Ancelotti offer him a chance at earning minutes at Goodison Park after the departure of Maarten Stekelenburg, but the arrival of Robin Olsen on loan from AS Roma saw an end to that.

“The situation at Everton was not for me,” Lossl claims. “I went with the expectation and hope of challenging Jordan Pickford and getting game time. Because of different situations, that didn’t happen. I thought all along I could go and get in front of Jordan. It was my chance to get into a team like that, but I didn’t take it.”

The arrival of Olsen a year later and Ancelotti favouring the Sweden international as Pickford’s understudy caught Lossl by surprise, and paved the way for his eventual exit on Deadline Day in February when he re-joined former side FC Midtjylland.

“Of course I was [surprised] and sad because they were changing me out,” Lossl added. “I didn’t expect that. If I’d known, I’d have tried to prevent it — if not get another move, then tell them not to do it because he took my place.

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“Robin came in how many hours before closing time? It was difficult [for me] to do something. I felt from the beginning that I did not want to be third-choice. I worked my *** off in autumn to try to prove that it was the wrong decision, and they should play me.

“We had a cup game the week before I left, so I went to Carlo and said: ‘Give me the chance to prove that I can play,’ but we had an honest conversation and they told me: ‘This is not the club for you and if you want to play, then we need to find a solution.’”

Lossl holds no ill-feelings for anyone for the way that his Everton career panned out, and is now back at the side where he began his career in Midtjylland, seven years after leaving the Danish club for EA Guingamp.

Yet minutes have not been overly forthcoming for the one-time Denmark international, with Lossl only playing the Ulvene’s last three Superligaen games before the international break after six appearances as an unused substitute.

There was a place on the bench for Lossl in 21 of Everton’s Premier League games during his 19-months at the club, with the shot-stopper finding even a back-up role hard to secure under Ancelotti who omitted him from 15 matchday squads.

The Italian ultimately made the right decision by telling Lossl to find a new side in the final stages of the winter market as Everton was “not the club for you”, as Ancelotti clearly did not rate the £2.5m-rated ‘keeper but has often sung the praises of Olsen.

Lossl’s disaster of an Everton career will see that he goes down in the record books as one of Silva’s flops, having failed to play a single second yet cost the Toffees just over £3m in wages.

Reports at the time of his arrival by Ekstra Bladet claimed Lossl signed a 100 million krona (£53.5k-p/w) three-year contract at Goodison Park, while Huddersfield covered his salary – thanks to a pay cut – during his 26-weeks back at the club on loan.

The money Everton flushed away through Lossl does not stop at his wages earned over 57 weeks on Merseyside, either, as the Blues reached a settlement agreement with the goalkeeper so that he could leave the club earlier this year.

Lossl will not be a player who lives long in the memories of Everton supporters for any other reason than failing to play a game for the club, and will hope to create better memories for Midtjylland in a battle with Brondby IF for the Superligaen title.

AND in other news, Everton can potentially save £13m by turning to this Max Aarons alternative…

It has been a strange old Premier League season for Leeds starlet Ian Poveda.

The 21-year-old has flitted in between the first team squad and the under-23s and has played just 243 minutes of top-flight football spread out over ten appearances.

The likes of Raphinha, Jack Harrison and Helder Costa have all been regulars for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this season, but with Harrison ineligible for the Premier League clash against Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, the Leeds boss must surely consider unleashing Poveda.

The winger joined the Whites on loan from City, with Pep Guardiola making it clear just how highly he rates the youngster, saying: “He’s young, he has to play, he’s not able (to play here) and Leeds is an incredible challenge to be training with one of the best managers in the world in terms of how he helps players to be better players.

“For the way Leeds play it should suit his qualities perfectly. I didn’t speak with Ian but either way it’s a really good decision for him.”

Since his arrival, however, Poveda has only played 16 times for the first team at Elland Road, with his last competitive appearance coming against Brighton in early January. However, in the brief opportunities he has been given, the £10,000-a-week earning ace has shown flashes of great promise.

Talking about Poveda earlier this campaign, former Leeds striker Noel Whelan said: “You can see now when you talk about people changing games and bringing a different dimension, he’s very, very quick, got great feet, very tricky, likes to run at players. Very much like Raphinha as well.

“He just looks a lot stronger this season, body-wise, mentality wise. He looks like he’s there to push people rather than just take up a bench place.”

Paul Robinson added to the winger’s list of admirers, telling MOT Leeds News last March: “I think we’re going to see Poveda come through next season. Leeds have signed him for a reason, Bielsa knows he’s a top, top player.”

With Harrison unable to play against his parent club, and Costa hardly setting the world alight – he has scored just twice all season – the 21-year-old is surely deserving of an opportunity to partner Raphinha out wide.

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Poveda’s previous history with City may give him that extra motivation to play a bit harder and impress his former employers and let them know that they made a mistake in letting him go.

Meanwhile, Leeds could finally wave goodbye to this liability by signing this Premier League titan…