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An Australian agent believes that Celtic are stopping Ange Postecoglou from bringing in his own Hoops backroom staff.

The Lowdown: Postecoglou’s comments

John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan were alongside Postecoglou during his first game as Celtic manager earlier this week. The Hoops defeated Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 in Wales on Wednesday, with Albian Ajeti, Owan Moffat and Odsonne Edouard all finding the back of the net.

Postecoglou made it clear during his first press conference as Celtic boss that he will make the final decision with regards to Kennedy and Strachan’s futures in Glasgow, but one agent doesn’t feel that is the case.

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The Latest: Agent claim

Agent Tony Rallis, talking to the Triple M Real Football Show, as cited by Glasgow Live, had this to say on Postecoglou when quizzed on who his assistant would be.

“My understanding is that Celtic Football Club have told Ange that he has to develop and inherit from within.

“He wasn’t allowed to take any of his staff. Whether that changes in time, I’m not sure but that was the initial programming, that we want you to come in and educate and implement within our own environment, including within our own youths, the promotion of youth players from within our own academies.”

The Verdict: Not so sure…

The single-minded, self-confident Postecoglou seems like the kind of manager who would want to take full control of incomings, departures and his own backroom staff, so we’re not reading too much into Rallis’ bold claim.

The 55-year-old probably wouldn’t have agreed to take over if he were going to be told what he can and cannot do, especially when it comes to the staff with whom he’ll be working.

Hopefully, the manager will either bring in his own staff or make it clear that he is happy with Kennedy and Strachan before the beginning of the new season, as that should then put an end to speculation regarding off-field uncertainties.

In other news: Hoops in talks with ‘quick’ international on £20,000-a-week, find out more here. 

Manager turned pundit Alex McLeish is gutted for Leeds United defender Diego Llorente, who is set to miss out on Euro 2020.

The Lowdown: Llorente initially selected over Sergio Ramos for Spain’s EURO 2020 squad

Following a fine first season back in the Premier League for Leeds United, the Spaniard was selected ahead of Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos for Spain’s upcoming EURO 2020 Championship squad [Yorkshire Post].

An important squad player for the Whites, Llorente made a total of 15 appearances for the Elland Road side in 2020/21 and was scheduled to be a key player in the summer tournament [Transfermarkt].

However, these ambitions may need to be halted following this latest development.

The Latest: Leeds man tests positive

Reported on Wednesday afternoon, Llorente became the second Spanish player within their camp to test positive for Covid-19 after Sergio Busquets last week [Sky Sports].

Set to miss a portion of the tournament through mandatory isolation, McLeish was quick to offer his condolences to Llorente following the news, stating:

“To miss out on something like the European Championships, then it’s part of your life that is gone.

“Obviously he’s got time on his side and he can make it up.

“But that is a big, big blow for him. A big blow.” [Football Insider].

Fellow Leeds United teammate Rodrigo has received a late call-up to the squad, owing to the coronavirus outbreak [Leeds Live].

The Verdict: Hopefully Llorente can swiftly make a full recovery

Undoubtedly, it is hard not to share the disappointment the 62-year-old pundit feels for the ball-playing centre-back. On the verge of competing at the highest level, it is a shame he will not take part in his nation’s quest for tournament glory.

Making around 2.3 tackles on average per game this season, the 27-year-old would’ve added some solidity to the Spain rear-guard in their early tournament fixtures [WhoScored], and perhaps could have found some confidence and form to take into the next campaign in Yorkshire.

As for his manager Marcelo Bielsa, he will hope that the 6 foot 1 ace is able to bounce back in a fit and healthy state as the Whites look to hit the ground running in 2021/22.

In other news, a La Liga expert drops their verdict on a potential Whites target.

Kostas Tsimikas will be allowed to leave Liverpool during the summer transfer window, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Disappointing first season

The 25-year-old joined the Reds from Olympiakos last year, with the general consensus that he was a shrewd acquisition by Jurgen Klopp as left-back cover for Andrew Robertson.

Tsimikas suffered a 2020/21 season to forget, however, not making a single start in the Premier League and playing just seven times in all competitions.

The hope is that the Greece international will come good and provide competition for Robertson, but a bleak update has been provided regarding his future.

The Latest: Romano says Tsimikas can leave

According to Romano [via Anfield Talk on Twitter], Tsimikas ‘can leave the club’ this summer, with Klopp deeming him surplus to requirements.

A loan move to Napoli has been mooted, but it remains to be seen whether or not the left-back will head there.

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The Verdict: Keep hold of him

While Tsimikas struggled badly in his first season at Liverpool, mainly because of injuries, it would be a shame to see him moved on so quickly.

He is yet to get a genuine opportunity to prove himself and enjoy a fully fit run in the team, so it would be nice to see him given at least one more year to prove his worth.

Should Liverpool decide to sell Tsimikas, it is essential that they sign a tailor-made replacement, ensuring that Robertson doesn’t have too much pressure on him to stay fit, or leading to James Milner needing to fill in there.

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming after an update regarding a Reds transfer target. Read more here. 

Newcastle United must avoid making a major howler this summer and offering Andy Carroll a new contract, amid Steve Howey’s intriguing claim.

What’s the story?

The Magpies striker played just 381 minutes of football in the entire Premier League season, and in fact, had played less than ten minutes since the beginning of March.

Despite the lack of game-time, Howey has insisted he would keep Carroll at St James’ Park, and instead laid the blame at Steve Bruce’s door for the lack of first-team action.

He said: “I’m surprised that Carroll will be out of contract because me personally, I would keep him for another year, I really would. He’s been fit this season but just hasn’t been given the opportunity to play so that’s not his fault.

“It’s not his fault that he’s not played, that’s the manager’s fault because all Carroll can do is be fit. I still think he’s a threat and that centre backs still won’t like playing against him.”

Would be a disaster

While Carroll may be the kind of different dimension of striker that teams might like, he simply hasn’t shown he’s really cut out for this level for a long time now – injuries of course have played their part, but the fact he’s scored just five goals in the past four seasons is a real telling sign of his decline.

Earning a basic £20k-a-week, that rises to a monumental £75k-a-week if he actually starts, and to £35k-a-week if he comes off the bench, Carroll is simply making up the numbers at St James’ Park, at a time when the Magpies desperately need to be getting rid of the deadwood and freeing up the finances.

It’s already been indicated that money will be tight on Tyneside this summer, and having Carroll still pick up a pay-cheque for doing virtually nothing week-in and week-out would be a ridiculous waste of wages.

If Bruce simply doesn’t trust him enough, or doesn’t fancy him, then it’s best for the club to just let him go and loosen up the wage bill a little. The Magpies need to save every penny they can to make a go of signing players like Joe Willock to really take the next step up.

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Keeping Carroll in the hope that he can get back to his best from years ago seems like a foolish mistake to make, and it’s one that won’t have the fans happy at all.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are risking another Andy Carroll disaster with this signing…

West Ham are edging closer to making their first signing of the summer it appears…

What’s the word?

Earlier this week, reports emerged in Russia claiming that Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex Kral has agreed to personal terms with the Irons ahead of a potential switch in the upcoming transfer window.

And this has since been confirmed by a very reliable source in ExWHUemployee. When asked by one Hammers fan on Twitter, he replied:

Another masterclass?

When it comes to those ‘in the know’ at the London Stadium, there aren’t many better than the anonymous source, so this should come as hugely exciting and positive news.

Kral may be an unknown name right now but nobody knew who the likes of Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal were before they became a quickfire hit in East London.

Could David Moyes be about to repeat his stroke of genius in the transfer market? It certainly appears so.

Back in November 2020, the Mirror claimed the Czech Republic international was valued in the region of £30m and was attracting interest from across the Premier League, so if the Hammers have won the race ahead of their rivals, then it is another encouraging sign.

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The 23-year-old star is capable of playing anywhere in the engine room, though his personal preference is in the no.8 role between a defensive midfielder and a playmaker.

Kral provided five assists from an anchorman position for Spartak this season, and has averaged 1.8 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, and one key pass per outing in the league, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder the club’s official Twitter account claimed that “he can do it all.”

Furthermore, the 6 foot 1 powerhouse has drawn inspiration on how to model his playing style from some pretty big names like Real Madrid superstar Toni Kroos and Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.

Despite never featuring outside of the Czech and Russian leagues, the Hammers should have no fear over splashing the cash on Kral, thanks to the success of his fellow countrymen.

Soucek has arguably been Moyes’ Player of the Year this term, at least according to WhoScored, where he ranked first for average rating (7.36) ahead of Jesse Lingard, Michail Antonio and Declan Rice. He also finished the campaign as their joint top-goalscorer on ten goals.

Coufal is in with a shout too, as Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher not only named him in his Premier League Team of the Season but also dubbed the right-back a “manager’s dream.”

The 28-year-old is also represented by the same agency as Kral, only bolstering their claims.

Once lauded “one of the most versatile youngsters in world football,” Moyes seems to be on the verge of completing another fantastic piece of business for the Irons.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Ogbonna: GSB must seal £20m “diamond” who’s “very keen” to join West Ham – opinion

Ivan Toney endured something of a shocker on Monday evening as Brentford slipped up in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final against Bournemouth.

Having been in a remarkable run of form towards the business end of the season, with Thomas Frank’s side going 12 games unbeaten in the run-up to the play-offs, the side who finished third in the Championship table appeared to be the strong favourites over a Bournemouth team who had finished 10 points behind them in sixth.

The goalscoring form of Toney seemed to be yet another string to the Brentford bow heading into the clash, with the 25-year-old having scored a remarkable 31 Championship goals in addition to registering 10 assists over his 46 appearances in the second tier this season.

However, both Brentford and Toney were completely nullified by Jonathan Woodgate’s side on Monday evening, with the Cherries nabbing a 1-0 win against the Bees thanks to a second half Arnaut Danjuma strike.

Toney’s performance was particularly disappointing, with the £16.2m-rated centre-forward managing no shots on or off target and a mere one shot blocked over the course of the 90 minutes. The former Peterborough United man also saw very little of the ball at the Vitality Stadium, managing just 40 touches, significantly fewer than that of Brentford’s goalkeeper David Raya, who had 54 touches.

Even when the £21k-per-week striker did have the ball at his feet he often proved rather careless, losing possession 14 times as well as completing only 14 of his 24 attempted passes, a success rate of just 58%.

Indeed, Toney’s overall SofaScore match rating of 6.8 is something which will have to be considerably improved upon if Brentford are to have any hope of progressing to the play-off final, as the striker, who has often been the Bees’ saviour this season, badly let Frank down on Monday as their promotion hopes took a huge dent.

Watford are in the race to bring Jacob Murphy to Vicarage Road this summer, according to reports.

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Sun, who claim that Xisco Munoz is keeping a watchful eye on the Newcastle United winger ahead of a potential move this summer.

It is also reported that Burnley, Southampton and Rangers have all declared their interest in the 26-year-old, for whom Newcastle would demand a fee of around £6 million.

However, after news of Watford’s interest in Murphy was relayed on Twitter, a number of the Hornets fans appeared less than enthused at the prospect of the signing, with one stating that they “don’t see why” their club are interested, while another stated his belief that, if the interest in Murphy is a sign of things to come, then their “season will be sad”.

Form shouldn’t fool Watford

While it is undeniable that the player Steve Bruce dubbed “determined” has been enjoying a decent run of form in recent weeks, putting in impressive displays against the likes of Aston Villa, Burnley and Liverpool, this recent upturn in performance should not trick Watford into splashing a considerable amount of cash on the winger.

Having moved to Newcastle from Norwich City in what was a £10.17 million deal back in 2017, Murphy managed to score just one goal and provide one assist over his 25 Premier League appearances throughout his debut season, averaging an extremely disappointing WhoScored match rating of just 6.29.

In the following campaign, the £25,000-per-week man featured in just nine top-flight games for the Magpies, over which he averaged a WhoScored match rating of 6.25, before being sent on loan to the then-Championship side, West Bromwich Albion, where he scored two goals and provided one assist over his 15 appearances, averaging yet another disappointing match rating of 6.50.

A further loan spell followed in 2019/20, this time at Sheffield Wednesday, where Murphy’s form did improve, with the 26-year-old bagging nine goals and registering four assists over his 39 Championship appearances while averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.80.

As such, regardless of his recent purple patch – which has still only seen the winger average a WhoScored match rating of 6.64 this season – these statistics would appear to indicate that Murphy has not been able to cut it in what is typically a struggling Newcastle United side, while the former Norwich City man’s performances tend to improve at Championship level.

So, it would not seem to be a wise move for Xisco to bring a player of Murphy’s apparent quality to the club this summer, should he wish to ensure the Hornets’ top-flight survival next season – especially considering his reported asking price of £6 million, as well as a rather hefty weekly wage.

In other news: Bye-bye Deeney: Journalist drops transfer news on “magnificent” ace Watford must land – opinion

Some Wolves fans have been left to buzz as Tim Spiers has shared a big update on Raul Jimenez.

As per a tweet from The Athletic journalist, the Mexico international is due to undergo tests on the 18th May which could give him the ability to be able to head the ball again.

Nuno Espirito Santo has also confirmed that there is still a chance that he could return before the end of the season, with the Midlands club set to face Everton on the 19th and Manchester United on the 23rd.

Jimenez has been such a key player for the Wanderers over the course of the last three campaigns, scoring no fewer than 47 goals in 110 matches in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt), and his potency in front of goal has been a huge miss.

Wolves fans on Jimenez injury update

These WWFC supporters buzzed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘brilliant’:

“I would love it!”

Credit: @JasGrewal242

“It would be amazing for him to come on as a sub with fans in the ground. Even if it’s for a few minutes”

Credit: @Leehaynesuk

“Brilliant news, Tim”

Credit: @Vargas12Com

“Just in time for the Olympics … splendid”

Credit: @grubby27

“Love to be at that United game at home. Raul comes on for the last 15 and scores. Although, the ovation he’ll get when the Molineux is full beginning of next season, will be unreal”

Credit: @TheDaleEvans

“Would be the stuff of dreams if he manages to play and score the winner against Man United”

Credit: @adenwwfc_

In other news, find out transfer update Wanderers have buzzed over here!

A number of Liverpool supporters are desperate for the Reds to sign Pedro Goncalves, following a report linking him with a move to Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp is expected to be relatively busy in the summer transfer window, looking to bring a freshness to his squad.

Liverpool have a group of players who have largely been together for an extended period now, so new faces could be important, in terms of them continuing to evolve under Klopp.

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A new centre-back looks set to be one of the primary areas of focus, with RB Leipzig’s Ibrahima Konate constantly linked with a move.

Sporting CP midfielder Goncalves has been tipped to join Liverpool, however, with the midfielder scoring an impressive 23 goals in the Primeira Liga this season, highlighting the quality he possesses in the final third.

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Liverpool fans call for Reds to sign Goncalves

These Reds fans have taken to Twitter to provide their thoughts on the Portuguese, urging the club to sign him in the coming weeks and months.

“Yes I’m on my knees”

Credit: @HNuruhakeem79

“Yes please”

Credit: @ftblldylan

“This kid is what United fans think Bruno is lol, he’s not the next Bruno Fernandes, he’s the new Portuguese king”

Credit: @Thebuzzman76

“Yes we should!!! He is amazing!!! I watched plenty games of Sporting Lisbon and I think he is better than Bruno”

Credit: @mister_d75

“Under Klopp he will explode”

Credit: @ayushxlfc

“He’s better than Penandes”

Credit: @Cxllumj

In other news, journalist Paul Joyce has provided an update on one Liverpool transfer target. Read more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 270 appearances during his career, believes Graeme Jones could become Newcastle United’s permanent manager but think the Magpies would still look for a bigger name first.

Jones was brought in as a third assistant coach to Steve Bruce earlier this year but his appointment has not seen results change in Newcastle’s favour.

The former Luton Town manager brought his split striker system with him, something that has been widely discussed and criticised amongst ex-players and fans, especially when Dwight Gayle was shunned onto the left-wing against Aston Villa.

Speaking on why he could see Jones becoming manager if Bruce was sacked but how it might not be as straightforward as that, Howey told FFC:

“I’m not against him taking charge as such, but I think Newcastle would probably look at somebody else. Could Graeme take over as an interim manager until the end of the season? Possibly.

“His contract could be something where, if Bruce goes, then next season has Jones got to be a part of the setup still.

“I wouldn’t be gutted if that was the case but at the same time, I think the club would possibly go for, without being disrespectful, a bigger name.”

Jones has only been a manager at Luton which saw him sacked less than a year into the job as they were underperforming significantly.

It is still unclear how Bruce and Jones get along behind the scenes with it appearing to be Jones’ system the Magpies use, but then Bruce picks the players.