All posts by z3u9t.icu

A new day represents a new story in the hunt for Celtic’s next manager. Neil Lennon left three weeks ago and the Bhoys are still yet to find a successor.

What’s the word?

One of the managers linked with the vacant hot seat is American Jesse Marsch.

The 47-year-old is currently in charge of Red Bull Salzburg in Austria but in a fresh twist, has recently opened up on the idea of taking charge of the Hoops.

In an interview with BBC Sport, Marsch said: “I’ve heard [about the links]. It’s an honour for me.

“Three or four years ago, being linked with a club like Celtic would literally be an impossibility for me. And now that this is where I am, I always just try to look at it in terms of, ‘what would the project look like?”

Marsch continued: “Would we have similar ideas in how to build it the right way, invest in the academy, invest in young players and create this development process that I’m talking about? And not just focus on winning.

“Obviously I know that when you’re the coach of Celtic, winning is the most important thing,” he concluded.

Desmond must be buzzing

News that Marsch is appealed by the Hoops vacancy should be music to the ears of majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and the club’s supporters.

The Salzburg boss is far from a household name but he’s achieved incredible things in his short coaching career to date.

The American was formerly Leipzig’s assistant and has now swapped German shores for Austrian ones. He has played a leading role in Erling Haaland’s progression and as manager of Salzburg, gave Liverpool a run for their money in the Champions League, suffering a 4-3 defeat at Anfield.

Marsch has lost just 16 of his 82 matches as Salzburg manager; a win success of 65%. With that in mind, it’s hard to ignore these quotes.

He’s already been talked up for the manager’s job, specifically by Packie Bonner, someone who claimed Marsch was in the mould of a certain Brendan Rodgers.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-transfer-news-onuachu-edouard-dembele-turnbull” title=”The latest Celtic news and views!”]

The 47-year-old is a manager who thinks outside the box, and regularly gets his teams to play with a relentless press. He is very much a person bred from the Ralf Rangnick school of how to coach football.

Unique in his approach, he’d certainly bring a different type of style and thought process to Parkhead than Lennon.

This can only be a good thing; he’d be an astute capture if Celtic can capitalise on his interest. Hoops fans should have every reason to be excited.

AND in other news, Celtic must ruthlessly axe £15k-p/w flop this summer, Lennon once called him “stupid”…

Finance expert Kieran Maguire has revealed Glasgow Rangers will receive at least £30m if they reach the Champions League group stages next season.

Maguire makes Rangers finances claim

The Gers booked their place in next season’s Champions League qualifiers after winning the Scottish Premiership. In order to reach the first round proper, they will need to go through two two-legged ties.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said:

“If we take a look at Rangers finances for 2020, they had total revenues of £59m, of which £13m came from TV money.

“We don’t know what’s happening with ticket sales next year but if we work on the basis that fans are to be allowed back, then it would have a significant impact.

“Just getting to the group stages of the Champions League should generate £30m as a bare minimum. Potentially, it could be £40m if they perform well in the group.

“They also have three extra home games which should be generating the thick end of £1.5-2m each. They will be able to charge premium prices for hospitality packages and so on.”

Huge boost

The chance to play in Europe’s premier club competition is a huge boost for all involved with the 55-time Scottish champions. While they have performed relatively well in the Europa League across the last two terms, reaching the round of 16 on both occasions, the Champions League represents a big increase in quality and is a true test of a player’s ability.

Not only is it good news on the pitch, it is massively important off of it, as Maguire points out. £30m is big in every league, but in Scotland, where many of the sides in the top flight do not have access to anything close to that, it is even more amplified. Steven Gerrard must do all he can to prepare his side for those two huge matches at the start of next season.

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this billboard vandalism.

Keith Hackett has slammed the Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s (PGMOL) view on why Newcastle United did not get a penalty versus Burnley.

The foot of James Tarkowski appeared to be very high and in a dangerous position when Sean Longstaff was about to head the ball in the box, but nothing was given in the end after a check by VAR, after both Stuart Atwell at Stockley Park and Anthony Taylor on the field decided that the incident was not worthy of a penalty to the St. James’ Park faithful.

The PGMOL have since come out and explained their decision, stating (via Mark Douglas) that Tarkowski had ‘played the ball first’ and that Longstaff had ‘stooped and put his head into that area’.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hackett, who is a former referee in the Premier League, slammed the statement given:

“The most outrageous and stupid comment.

“I suggest whoever made it needs to examine the laws of the game.

“It’s just ridiculous, I just want to know who these people are who are making these statements.

“In football, in the laws of the game, you cannot use the ball as an excuse for a foul change.

“I don’t know who makes it. I shuddered when I listened to it.

“My emails and social media was going crazy with referees from around the world saying ‘Who is this person at the PGMOL making this statement?’”

Newcastle won in the end

It was lucky that Steve Bruce’s team managed to end up winning the game, otherwise a lot more may have been made of the controversial decision and subsequent explanation.

It begs the question over whether the officials are using the technology given to them correctly if a former referee in the top flight is strongly disagreeing with them, and luckily the on-field decision did not cost the North East club any points in the end.

Still, the explanation itself may be the most worrying aspect of the whole ordeal, even more so than the original decision, given that Hackett seems to suggest it doesn’t even abide with the laws of the game.

In other news, find out what inside claim Liam Kennedy has dropped on James Pallotta and the potential takeover here!

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa should urge the club to make a move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports last summer suggested that the Frenchman was on the Premier League side’s radar, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline, with the forward staying put at Celtic Park.

Now, former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson has urged Leeds to make a fresh attempt at signing Edouard, insisting that he could prove to be great value for money.

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Robinson said: “I think there’s a need in the summer to bring a striker in. £15m for Odsonne Edouard is a really great deal. If anyone can get him for £15m, it would be amazing.

“I’d love to see Leeds hijack that deal. Edouard can play as a nine and he’s strong. He’s a player who can also play behind the striker. If you can get him for £15m… I’d like to see Leeds hijack that deal but I think a lot of other clubs will be in for him too.”

Better than Bamford

While Patrick Bamford has led the line well for Leeds in their return to the Premier League this season (he’s bagged 13 goals in the top-flight alone), there’s no questioning that the Whites could do with someone to compete with him – he’s played every single game in the league so far.

In Edouard, Leeds could actually find someone who might actually be better than Bamford.

Described as “talismanic” by former Celtic boss Neil Lennon, the Frenchman has already netted 20 goals in just 33 games this season for the Hoops, and that’s for a side who are in some turmoil given their surrender of the Scottish Premiership title.

One of the crucial things in Edouard’s favour over Bamford is his sheer clinical nature in front of goal. It’s been one of the main criticisms levelled at the Leeds striker over these past few seasons that he needs a number of chances to score, and again, even this season has seen him fit that description – he’s missed 17 big chances and has a conversion rate of 18%.

In comparison, Edouard has missed just ten big chances and a far better conversion rate of 25% – to put that into context, Tottenham star Harry Kane is at 21%.

And, aside from being more ruthless in front of goal, Edouard also offers more in the way of his all-round game. Compared to Bamford, he manages more key passes per match (1.2 to 0.7), more successful dribbles (1.6 to 0.5), and wins more duels too (3.6 to three) – given Leeds play with just the one striker, having someone who can lead the line and excel at multiple areas of the game is hugely important.

It’s exactly why Robinson is right. Bielsa should absolutely urge Leeds to go back in for Edouard this summer

Meanwhile, this Leeds target could wreak havoc with Raphinha…

After beating Newcastle 2-0 at the weekend, Aston Villa return to Premier League action on Wednesday night when they travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley.

Dean Smith’s side have looked in imperious form this season, finding themselves just six points off a top four place but with three games in hand on West Ham.

Burnley, meanwhile, just appear to have picked up a bit of form, first beating Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League, before dispatching Fulham in the FA Cup fourth round.

With a European spot firmly in their sights, Smith will no doubt look to go as full strength as possible for the game against the Clarets tonight. And with that in mind, below is a look at just how Villa might line up.

The back-five should remain unchanged with Smith clearly settled on Emiliano Martinez in goal, and Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Matty Targett in front of him – they’ve mainly been responsible for Villa conceding just 18 goals in 17 league games this season.

In midfield, with Burnley’s better defensive solidity compared to Newcastle from the other night – Sean Dyche’s side have let in just 22 goals compared to the Magpies 34 – Smith may be tempted to start Jacob Ramsey to give Villa a bit more offensive thrust alongside Douglas Luiz.

Further forward, Ross Barkley could drop out of the starting line-up after a disappointing performance against the Magpies, with the England international being substituted in the second-half after tiring quite badly.

The Birmingham Mail gave the 33-cap ace a 6.5 match rating, the lowest of any Villa starter, and said: “Back-to-back starts now for Barkley after such a long layoff. He felt it in terms of his fitness as the game went on and was rightly taken off as he was breathing heavy.”

If Barkley’s given a rest, Jack Grealish could move inside, with Bertrand Traore on one flank and Trezeguet potentially returning to make a start on the other after his own comeback from injury.

And up front, Ollie Watkins will be hoping to continue from where he left off the other day, after breaking his goal-scoring drought.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, Ramsey; Traore, Grealish, Trezeguet; Watkins.

Meanwhile, Villa could land a Barkley upgrade in this Brazilian…

The last few years have been a turbulent mess at the Stadium of Light and only now are Sunderland beginning to see a glow at the end of the tunnel.

They are in their third year in League One but with Stewart Donald and Phil Parkinson gone, more savoury times are emerging. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has talked a good game since arriving and alongside Kristjaan Speakman, there is an encouraging view for the future.

Lee Johnson is engineering positive results on the pitch too. They sit in the playoffs and are in the Papa John’s Trophy final.

Though, there are still problems, particularly in terms of the club’s academy. Louis-Dreyfus has spoken of the need to reinvigorate Sunderland in that department and after everything that’s happened in the last few years you can hardly blame him.

The club’s U23 side failed to win a single game last year and have witnessed a host of their top stars being poached. Josh Maja is the most high profile of them, a striker who is now scoring goals in the Premier League for Fulham.

Though, they have also lost the likes of Sam Greenwood, Bali Mumba, Luke Hewitson, Morten Spencer and Logan Pye.

Greenwood and Maja have arguably been the most successful graduates to leave but another is now proving why Sunderland should have so much regret about the way they’ve treated their academy.

That happens to be Joe Hugill. The teenage striker left the Academy of Light behind last summer for a measly fee of £300,000 to Manchester United. That’s looking like a bargain after the impact he’s made at youth level for the Red Devils.

The 6 foot 2 forward netted six goals in four games for the U18s before earning a swift promotion to the U23s. His form has been mesmeric since, bagging ten strikes in 14 matches and being nominated for the January Premier League 2 Player of the Month.

For a glimpse of what he’s capable of, he scored four goals during their U23s recent win over Liverpool. A tricky forward with a strong physical presence, he’s already been compared to Harry Kane in his short career.

You can see why too. Hugill’s first touch is graceful while his finishing ability is ruthless. The 17-year-old has been superb for Man United but he’s quickly looking like one that got away for the Mackems.

After all, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer already has Hugill on his radar for a first-team debut saying: “If we go from that game [vs Liverpool], I’d pick Joe Hugill.

“Four goals by Hugill, he’s a top striker as well, we’re looking forward to seeing his development.”

It will be of utmost importance for Louis-Dreyfus and co to ensure incidents like this don’t happen again. They cannot afford to neglect the academy further.

AND in other news, Speakman must build Sunderland around £7k-p/w gem with a “huge future in the game”…

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the news that Reds youngster Layton Stewart has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, the latest such blow to afflict the club.

It has been a cruel season for the Premier League champions, with Jurgen Klopp having to deal with an endless stream of injuries.

Liverpool are currently having to make do without Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip for the rest of the campaign, while the likes of Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, James Milner, Thiago and Diogo Jota have also missed noticeable chunks of action in 2020/21 to date.

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While the Reds’ problems appear to be easing a little now, with Jota and Keita both returning recently, youngster Stewart suffered a devastating setback at the weekend, injuring his ACL in Liverpool under-23s’ 1-1 draw with their West Ham counterparts on Saturday. The teenager confirmed the news via Instagram, with a screenshot of his post shared by journalist Neil Jones on Twitter.

It means the promising 18-year-old’s season has been ended prematurely, with the striker expected to be missing for several months, having suffered the same fate that Van Dijk did against Everton back in October.

Liverpool fans bemoan Stewart’s injury setback

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to provide their reactions to Stewart’s “heartbreaking” injury, expressing their sadness for him and wishing the youngster a speedy recovery.

“Heartbreaking. He will be back stronger”

Credit: @CaoimheSport

“So gutted for him. He looked in agony”

Credit: @annemullin1

“Take it easy and be back soon”

Credit: @englishjen2

“YNWA”

Credit: @AlbaUnda

“Get well soon Layton and come back stronger. YNWA”

Credit: @BigTallTweets1

“Sorry for Layton Stewart. ACL injury after coming back from long term ankle injury. Damn LFC are cursed this season.”Credit: @NasiruRashid7

In other news: Some Liverpool fans beg for a major Bundesliga signing – read more about it here.

A mixed Sheffield Wednesday side defied the tricky circumstances hanging over them by advancing into the next round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.

The Owls were without caretaker boss Neil Thompson, his assistants and several players due to an outbreak at the training ground throughout the week, whilst in the Championship, they are still embroiled in a relegation scrap.

In his absence, the Hillsborough outfit picked up an impressive 2-0 victory over League Two outfit Exeter City in the third round of the competition.

Goals came from Adam Reach and Calum Paterson either side of half-time, though there was one name that stood out amongst the rest.

Young academy starlet Ryan Galvin was handed a debut at left-back and he duly delivered, and in the process, he has just handed Thompson a massive dilemma.

Per SofaScore, the 19-year-old gem won a whopping ten of his 12 duels (83%), successfully pulled off 100% of his dribbles, put in five tackles and made three interceptions.

YorkshireLive’s Dom Howson was also impressed by the unseen youth talent as he received an 8/10 in his post-match ratings:

“Assured display from the left-back on his pro debut. Did not look out of place at all, delivering a bright, energetic performance. A day he will remember for the rest of his life.”

It was an interesting inclusion from the off, but one that ultimately paid off.

Before he was sacked, Tony Pulis lambasted his options in the left-back role, he told reporters after a 2-1 defeat to Barnsley: “Out of all the clubs I’ve managed, it’s probably as disjointed a group as I’ve managed. If you look at it, there’s six centre-halves, and I don’t think we’ve got a left-back.”

Indeed, Garry Monk never replaced Morgan Fox, who departed for Stoke City on a free transfer in the summer.

But might Galvin have just proved to be the solution? That’s the headache that will play on Thompson’s mind for the next week or so.

On the one hand, his performance was sublime and couldn’t be faulted but at the end of the day, it was to a side two divisions below, so he could become exposed at Championship level – especially in the midst of a relegation battle.

Though given the lack of choices, Galvin should certainly be put through his paces when the Owls face Coventry City next weekend. It could turn out to be a masterstroke for their season.

AND in other news, Forget Shaw: “Incredible” Owls monster with 90 touches stole the show vs Exeter…

Just what must Allan Saint-Maximin be thinking? The Newcastle star has been one of the very few bright spots for the Magpies over the past year or so, and was duly rewarded with a bumper new contract earlier in the summer, despite only being at St James’ Park for one season.

At times it really has been the Frenchman versus the rest, and on Saturday afternoon against Chelsea, the winger had a disappointing display, which only served to highlight just how much the Tyneside club have relied upon him for some inspiration.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 13 times over the course of the game, and had just one shot on goal, whilst even that was off target. And with Chelsea dominating possession, the winger could only manage 14 passes, and failed to deliver a single accurate cross.

Eventually, whether it was because of his poor performance or just that he felt like the Magpies weren’t going to get anything from the game and wanted to save him from injury, Bruce hooked him after 74 minutes.

Nobody can fault for Saint-Maximin for at least trying to get things going, but you couldn’t help but feel that he was being held back by his manager’s game-plan and his teammates’ lack of quality.

But the longer Bruce’s defensive-minded tactics continue, the more frustrated Saint-Maximin will become. And if the French ace packs his bags and leaves St James’ Park, then there’ll be only man to point the finger at.

Southampton came agonisingly close to coming away with something against Manchester City, but they just couldn’t find a way to counteract Raheem Sterling’s first half goal. Not only were the Saints handed a defeat on home soil, but they saw the gut-wrenching sight of Danny Ings once again leaving the pitch due to an injury.

The striker couldn’t even manage to play out the first half before he was replaced by Nathan Tella in the 41st minute.

Southampton attempted a total of nine shots with three on target, but none of these came from Moussa Djenepo, who started ahead of Stuart Armstrong and Nathan Redmond. In fact, the 22-year-old had an extremely disappointing match and was Ralph Hasenhuttl’s weak link in attack.

Moussa Djenepo vs Man City

Although Southampton only lost by one goal, the boss will not be happy with the limited chances his side came up with. Djenepo had a torrid time trying to conjure up creative play for the Saints. According to Sofascore, he managed to complete just eight accurate passes in 57 minutes, which is 17 fewer than goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (25).

The winger, who earns £55,000-a-week, also failed to register a single attempted shot. Additionally, he lost possession seven times and was dribbled past twice. With Che Adams also struggling to make an impact on the game, the left side of Southampton’s set up was extremely weak. It’s no question why the duo were both hauled off the pitch as Hasenhuttl grew more and more frustrated with the lack of chances.

Luckily enough, the result doesn’t affect the Saints’ spot in the Premier League table and they keep their extremely respectable fourth place. They will now shift their attention to Fulham in their Boxing Day fixture on the road, which will be a match Hasenhuttl will believe he can win comfortably.

In other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer has dropped major claim on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton future…