All posts by z3u9t.icu

With Wolves’ season as good as done, they can already start preparing for next term.

Considering they currently sit in the bottom half of the table, it will be a pivotal summer for Jeff Shi and Nuno Espirito Santo.

What’s the word?

Wolves’ main ambition during the next window looks as though it’ll be to add to their forward line. Lucas Ocampos and Goncalo Guedes have both been linked with moves but it’s another La Liga forward who is now the subject of their attention.

According to El Confidencial, Wolves are interested in bringing Barcelona’s young sensation Trincao to Molineux. They state that clubs with close ties to Jorge Mendes are keeping an eye on his situation and it’s the Midlands outfit who are looking at him keenly.

Any thought of a permanent switch is likely to be out of the question, with Trincao’s release clause sitting at an almighty €500m (£427m).

Traore upgrade

Wolves’ need for more forwards couldn’t be more apparent. With Raul Jimenez missing since November because of a fractured skull, their attackers have been struggling significantly.

Fabio Silva has only found the net twice since his record-breaking move from Porto last summer while Willian Jose hasn’t scored at all. As for Adama Traore, he hasn’t beaten the goalkeeper either in Premier League action this term.

Traore was sensational in 2019/20, scoring four goals and setting up nine in the top flight. This season, however, he is yet to register a single goal involvement in the league.

A move for Trincao, therefore, could represent an upgrade. The 21-year-old has only started twice in La Liga for Barca but has three goals and two assists. He has also proven to be a rampant livewire in terms of his dribbling.

Speaking about the youngster previously, former Benfica star Nuno Gomes said: “You can never expect what he’s going to do. It’s similar to what happens with Neymar. The Brazilian is also unpredictable with the ball. Trincao looks a bit like him, they both play on the sidelines.”

You can certainly see why that assessment has been made. For Braga last season, Trincao amassed 2.3 dribbles per game. He has stood out in a similar regard in the Champions League, completing two per match.

It might not be the dizzy heights of Traore’s 4.2 dribbles per game, but the Portuguese forward evidently has more end product; last season he scored eight times and provided six assists in Liga NOS.

Even if it was only on loan, he would add undoubted quality to this Wolves side next season. Shi must use Mendes to his advantage once again.

AND in other news, Shi must axe £35k-p/w Wolves flop this summer, his value has plummeted by 80%…

Once Celtic’s new manager arrives in the Parkhead dugout, whoever it happens to be may well have to watch their team play without a certain Odsonne Edouard.

The Frenchman has scored 20 goals this term but could be on his way out of the club if you believe reports.

The Bhoys frontman has been linked with moves to West Ham, Leicester and Liverpool in recent months, and given Celtic have lost the title, now might be the time that he chooses to leave.

If he does indeed walk through the exit door, Celtic could be in trouble from an attacking point of view.

After all, Albian Ajeti has scored just once since September after signing for £5m last summer.

How they must rue not signing a certain Ivan Toney. Celtic could have signed him for the same price as Ajeti but preferred other options as he subsequently joined Brentford from Peterborough.

Since then, he has scored a whopping 28 goals for the Bees, leaving the Hoops hierarchy ruing what could have been.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast last week, Peterborough’s Barry Fry said: “Toney would have got 40/50 goals playing in Scotland, no disrespect to Scottish Football.”

With that kind of tally in mind, he could have been the difference between Celtic winning and losing the SPFL title this term.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

He is a magnificent forward, a player capable of not beating the goalkeeper, but bringing others into play; he has nine assists this season too.

Fry continued: “He would have been a sensation because Toney doesn’t only score goals, he makes goals. He doesn’t only score goals and make goals, he’s also the best defender we’ve had.”

The Peterborough director of football concluded: “He’ll go to the very top, Ivan Toney, that’s for sure. I’m sure they [Celtic] do [regret not signing Toney] already. I’m sure they regret it, not breaking the bank for him.”

With all that said, the Glaswegian outfit should look at reviving their interest in the summer. Brentford have reportedly slapped a £30m price tag on his head so they’d have to break their transfer record to sign him.

It may be difficult for Celtic to lure him to Scotland, but if they can reduce the price, he’d be a first-class Edouard replacement.

Toney nets bucket loads of goals, scoring 54 times over the last two seasons. He could very quickly make the new manager’s stint a successful one if Celtic re-invest any potential fee they get for Edouard on signing Toney.

AND in other news, How Celtic’s starting XI could look under Roy Keane; 7 potential new signings feature…

Celtic will play no part in the newly formed European Super League but the impact of the institution on the Bhoys, and indeed around the globe, will be considerable.

In a presumably dark and dingy room somewhere, a person or group of people decided that alienating football fans for the rest of time was a good idea. In many senses, this will mark the death of football as we know it.

Money has taken over the game but that is no new story. What is fresh, however, is the idea of taking the prize pot away from almost every club in Europe.

For the 12 founder members, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool south of the border, they will reap the rewards while the clubs around them falter, crash and potentially die. Certainly at a grass-roots level, football will struggle.

Fortunately, protests have already begun as a revamped Champions League is brought into the limelight in order to combat the ESL.

This is set to have huge ramifications for Celtic, consequences that could actually benefit the club.

Get French Football News shared on Monday that UEFA’s Executive Committee had voted unanimously in favour of a new 36-team Champions League due to begin in 2024.

After the Super League was officially announced, UEFA met and finalised their proposal for an expansion of the very best club competition in European football.

The format would see clubs put in four pots of nine teams, with the initial stage acting as one big league of 36 teams. After that, the clubs are put into a draw and assigned ten matches in the initial phase.

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The top eight clubs in the league would then progress to the knock-out stages.

But why does this have any bearing on Celtic? Well, it could mean more money and a greater chance of going far in Europe.

With more teams comes more spots and with the European Super League now in motion, the competition will wave goodbye to some of the favourites for the tournament.

Consequently, we could see sides like Celtic doing a lot better on the European stage.

The prize money in three years time could be considerably different but Bayern Munich pocketed around €130m for winning the trophy last season.

In 2020/21, those who qualified for the group stages received a payment of €15m with each win ensuring an extra €2.7m flows into the club’s financial reserves.

For getting to the last 16, teams receive €9.5m while if they advance to the quarter-finals, they receive an extra €10.5m on top.

Semi-finalists, meanwhile, are handed €12m and finalists an extra €15m on top of all of the other sums of money.

That cash is simply performance-based without considering television and matchday revenue.

The European Super League is incredibly bad news for football in general but it could actually be beneficial for Celtic, especially for majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

After UEFA’s news early this week, he must be salivating over the thought of extra revenue and more money for both him and the football club.

Even if it doesn’t go ahead, extra spots to qualify for the revamped Champions League will go down nicely for the Hoops.

AND in other news, Director of Football makes big Celtic manager claim, Desmond won’t be happy…

Noel Whelan believes Glasgow Rangers could save millions by tying down goalkeeper Allan McGregor to a new contract.

Whelan urges McGregor deal

McGregor’s contract is set to run out at the end of the campaign (Transfermarkt), although reports have suggested that he is set to sign a new deal at Ibrox.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan believes the Gers could save a fortune if McGregor extends his deal with the 55-time Scottish champions. He said:

“He’s a player that knows the club inside out.

“To me, it’s a no brainer when you’ve got quality like that who’s still producing displays at the highest level. If you went out to get another goalkeeper now, probably not as good as him, what would you be paying?

“You’d be paying over the odds for what you’re going to get, unfortunately. You’ve got a player there who wants to be at the club. He’s still putting in performances, he has been a massive, integral part of the Premiership win this year.

“Goalkeepers can go on forever as long as they keep themselves at a certain fitness.

“They’ve got no need to spend millions in that department. They’ve already got a top-quality goalkeeper.”

Short-term

In the short-term, Whelan is correct. As he showed with a wonderful save against Slavia Prague in the Europa League on Thursday, McGregor is still capable of top-quality displays despite being 39 years of age. However, even if he does extend his deal, it is only delaying the inevitable.

Quite frankly, he doesn’t have too long left, certainly not as number one. At some point, the Gers will need to dip into the transfer market to replace him. A new contract this summer enables Ross Wilson and co to strengthen in other areas without worrying about spending on a shot-stopper, but that may change in 12 months’ time.

In other news, some Rangers fans are livid at this Old Firm confirmation.

Look at Celtic’s season and you will notice a whole host of issues. The first, of course, is their performances on the field.To put things simply, the Hoops have been diabolical. They are 23 points behind Rangers and any chance of securing a tenth title in a row have surely disappeared.A big reason behind that has not only been Neil Lennon’s management but also his defence. Celtic have conceded 13 more goals than Steven Gerrard’s men, while they also let in a massive haul of 19 strikes during their Europa League campaign.There is another issue deeper beneath the surface though. Even with the Bhoys in such a rut, their young players are finding it difficult to earn first-team opportunities.Had 13 players not had to self isolate at the beginning of the year then Cameron Harper and Karamoko Dembele would still be awaiting their first opportunities of the campaign. Attacking midfielder Ewan Henderson would not have been given a chance either.Lennon seemingly doesn’t like utilising the young players and because of their lack of game time, some of them are now on the verge of leaving. Dembele’s contract expires at the end of the season and with Harper facing the same eventuality, he is set to sign for the New York Red Bulls.For the striker to conclude that he’d be better off developing his career in the United States should be an insult to Hoops supporters. Though, who can blame him for wanting to return home? He has made just one senior outing in the famous green and white.Clearly, he is not going to breakthrough any time soon.If Lennon does indeed get the sack, then one manager could help solve that problem. That happens to be Frank Lampard. Pat Nevin talked up his credentials for the job last week and it was his work with young players at Chelsea that earned him the most praise.Speaking about Lampard during his first season in the hot seat at Stamford Bridge, former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers said: “I have been really impressed watching the team. Okay, they have lost their first couple of games but the tempo of their game is good. They are obviously going to play at a higher intensity and tempo in their game.””Frank understands the policy at the club, how it works and will be looking to bring in some of the young players which he has done. He has given them an opportunity. You have to admire that.”Lampard had to endure a transfer ban in his first campaign with the Blues and as a result, he brought through the likes of Tammy Abraham, Billy Gilmour, Reece James, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori.At one stage last season, Lampard fielded an XI of players with an average age of just 24.3 – a statistic that ended up being the fourth most inexperienced side of the whole Premier League campaign.On top of that, the 42-year-old utilised only four players over the age of 30; Olivier Giroud, Pedro, Willian and goalkeeper Willy Caballero.Clearly, the way Lampard sets his stall out would be beneficial for Celtic’s youth players. The Bhoys may have fielded a squad with the average age of 24.2 at one point this term but that was made up predominantly of young players they’d signed – rather than academy players.With individuals like Harper and Dembele looking likely to leave, Celtic really need to start putting more onus on those below first-team level.Hiring a manager like Lampard would undoubtedly improve that problem.AND in other news, Desmond could revolutionise Celtic by replacing Lennon with 62 y/o “architect”…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted with comments from Kenny Dalglish, who believes the Gers will continue to pick up trophies in the coming years.

The Gers are now within touching distance of winning their first Premiership title in 10 years – they lead the Scottish top tier by a huge 15 points, and they even have a game in hand on their fierce city rivals Celtic who are currently leading the chasing pack (BBC). After watching the Bhoys win nine titles in a row, the Ibrox outfit are finally about to knock them off their perch.

Dalglish used to play for Celtic, but he believes the Gers will win more trophies in the coming years. These comments have been met with glee by many Rangers supporters, some of whom took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts after the Daily Record’s official account tweeted the quotes.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Dalglish

“Should we start singing “here we go 10 in a row” from next season then???”

Credit: @GrantRfc89

“Once we get in the champions league it’s bye bye Celtic”

Credit: @kamaradona18

“I think he is 100% correct here 55 is just a stepping stone for 56”

Credit: @joe_black1509

“10 in a row starts now”

Credit: @JamesBrownIsDe2

“Kenny gd Rangers man he knows the score”

Credit: @1873Rickster

“Always said that we win 55 we will see 57. Well said kenny”

Credit: @NOTELINYI

In other news, Steven Gerrard reveals an injury to this man.

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he expects Georginio Wijnaldum to leave Liverpool this summer following months of speculation regarding his future at Anfield.

The Dutch midfielder has entered the final six months of his deal on Merseyside, and has been locked in contract talks for a number of months, with Wijnaldum yet to accept Liverpool’s offer.

And with Wijnaldum’s deal set to expire this summer, strong reports have suggested that the former Newcastle man is now expected to join Barcelona on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Wijnaldum, rated at £36m by Transfermarkt, has been one of the many success stories of the Jurgen Klopp era, helping Liverpool to both Champions League and Premier League glory in recent seasons, most notably scoring a three-minute brace in the Reds’ incredible comeback against Barcelona at Anfield in 2019 in the semi-finals.

But with his career with the Reds appears to be drawing to a close, Windass admitted that if the Dutchman was going to extend his contract with the Liverpool that a deal would have been agreed by now.

He told Football FanCast: “It’s been going on for a few weeks. If he was going to sign, he would have signed by now, so he won’t be there. Whoever signs him has got a wonderful sitting midfield player. They can’t entice him to stay, maybe he doesn’t think Liverpool can get back to where they were.

“Liverpool players have let the manager down this year. You go and win the title by playing extremely well all season and it looks as if they’ve gone ‘well we’ve won the league, we can go back to not winning it for another 30 years’. Liverpool Football Club will want better than that, and he’ll be a big loss.”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Hull City midfielder Dean Windass has been discussing Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The England international has struggled in his performances this season, having averaged a poor 6.69 rating across his 17 Premier League appearances, and was recently described as “out of sorts” by Tony Cascarino.

The 22-year-old has unfortunately looked nowhere near the player of last season, when he contributed a superb four goals and 13 assists in the top-flight, helping him to an excellent 7.2 average rating.

Whilst the injury that kept him out earlier in the season might be a reason why his form has suffered, his performances in recent games have been far from good enough.

Here’s what Windass had to say about the Liverpool academy graduate when speaking exclusively to FFC:

“He’s come from the academy, he’s been drafted in when [Nathaniel] Clyne left. He gave away the ball [38 times] against Southampton. Jurgen will know that. For me, going forwards – not a problem. When you’re playing for Liverpool, you’re like a winger. Trent is [known for his] distribution.

“His set-pieces, his crosses, his ball into the strikers. [Against Southampton] it just didn’t work for him. It was his fault for the goal but you get that with young kids. Sometimes you’ve got to calm them down a little bit. Step away, come out the team, look to the bench and give him a bit of a breather. He’s going to be a top-quality player for England in the next five or six years.”

After another poor performance against midweek against Burnley, perhaps Jurgen Klopp should heed Windass’ advice and hand Alexander-Arnold a breather in the upcoming games, as if he performs poorly again in Sunday’s game against Manchester United, the German manager will surely have to consider promoting Neco Williams in his place.

The youngster will need to certainly improve on his quality from crossing positions, as the Reds are yet to find the back of the net in the league in 2021, which could well be down to Alexander-Arnold’s disappointing performances.

Despite his superb form in the past, the England international will certainly have to improve his form quickly if he wants to keep his place in Klopp’s side.

Diego Laxalt’s floundering performance against St. Johnstone on Sunday did Peter Lawwell no favours after it was claimed that the Celtic CEO has been “asleep at the wheel” by Hoops hero Kris Commons.

The incensed Parkhead icon, who won five Premiership titles during his time in Glasgow, has hit out at Lawwell and the Celtic board, believing that their recruitment strategy has played a key role in the Lennoxtown side sitting a shocking 13 points behind Old Firm rivals Rangers.

Neil Lennon could only lead Celtic to a draw with St. Johnstone at the weekend as pressure continues to mount on him, with the Hoops now boasting just two wins in a run of 12 fixtures across all competitions.

Commons has lashed out at Celtic’s hierarchy, believing that the Hoops’ transfer department are in a state of “decay and disrepair” years on from acquiring the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Moussa Dembele and selling them for sizable profits.

“Fans are entitled to ask how did it come to this? How can things have soured so badly to the extent that a club legend like Lennon is being hounded out the door?” he told the Daily Mail, via quotes by the Daily Record. “The board have to shoulder a large share of responsibility.

“They are as culpable at anyone. They’ve been asleep at the wheel in recent seasons and are now paying the price for their complacency. The recruitment has been absolutely abysmal. It’s not that Celtic haven’t spent money. They have spent plenty. It’s how they’ve spent it that’s been the problem.

“This season has seen them fork out a £2million loan fee for Shane Duffy, with a hefty pay packet to boot. A combined £10m was spent on Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti. None of them look up to scratch.

“Who sourced these players? There has to be some accountability in the recruitment department. The recruitment side of the club has been in a state of decay and disrepair for years.”

Laxalt joined Celtic on a season-long loan this October with reports claiming that it will set the Parkhead natives back £4.5m to turn the deal into a permanent move next year, but he failed to prove why he should be kept when started at home to St. Johnstone on Sunday.

Lennon fielded the Uruguayan in the starting line-up for his 12th Hoops appearance across all competitions yet saw enough – or rather a lack of – from the 27-year-old that he opted to haul the full-back off at half-time with the scoreline locked at nil-nil.

The 24-cap defender had registered just one successful tackle while failing to record any interceptions, clearances or block a shot, while losing possession 11 times and losing three of his five ground duels, per SofaScore.

Despite recording most of his 36 touches in St. Johnstone territory, Laxalt also attempted just one cross, which was misplaced, made one dribble and directed his only shot of the half wide of the target.

His slack performance saw Lennon forced to make changes at the break, and gave Commons yet another example he can use to bash Lawwell and the Hoops board.

AND in other news, Peter Lawwell can invoke shades of Scott Sinclair by signing a “phenomenal” £20m wonder for Celtic.

This has been a topsy-turvy few weeks for Wolves, a side who for the first time under Nuno Santo, have favoured some chopping and changing.

Nuno’s tenure in the Midlands has been one filled with familiar styles and tactics. Before his side drew with Southampton, he had never played with a four-man defence.

That was a period of 166 consecutive outings with a three-body backline. Initially, it proved fruitful. Wolves drew with the Saints and then beat a dejected Arsenal side in north London.

However, after being battered by Liverpool and tasting defeat against Aston Villa, they reverted to their tried and tested three-man defence versus Chelsea. The result was a victory.

The change in formation hasn’t been the only thing that’s troubled Wolves, though. Indeed, the fractured skull to Raul Jimenez has also played havoc with their attacking options.

Fabio Silva, the club’s record signing, is yet to score in the league and as a result, it begs one very specific question. Did Wolves make a mistake in the summer?

Of course, Fosun and Nuno paid for the potential in Silva but with Jimenez now missing through injury, a more experienced professional is needed.

They had one in their sights in the summer but failed to sign him – Carlos Vinicius. The Brazilian was at Benfica but the Midlanders were unsuccessful with a bid in January and then in the summer.

He subsequently joined Spurs on loan with a view to a permanent transfer of £40.5m. He’s made just one appearance in the Premier League but has been a force to be reckoned with in Europe, scoring three times and assisting three goals in just five outings.

It’s hardly a surprise to see him described as “exciting” by BT Sport pundit Glenn Hoddle.

Silva is still learning his trade and despite the enormous price tag that brought him to England, it feels too soon to entrust him as their main centre-forward. Thus, a player like Vinicius would have been of enormous help.

After all, the Spurs striker scored 18 league goals in the Portuguese top-flight last term. Silva netted just once. Clearly, it has proven to be a bit of a mistake at this moment in time.

That’s not to say that Silva won’t come good, but in the short-term, Vinicius would have been a better option.

It’s a shame Wolves weren’t able to sign him.

AND in other news, Wolves can unearth perfect Moutinho heir in colossal titan who models himself on Kroos…