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All eyes at Celtic are currently on Neil Lennon. Arguably, a Hoops manager hasn’t faced this much heat in over a decade.

Over the last nine years, the Hoops have embarked on a remarkable period of dominance, winning the SPFL title in every single year.

In 2020/21, it was supposed to be about their tenth crown but clearly, it has not followed the script.

Out of Europe and 11 points behind rivals Rangers, Lennon is facing huge pressure and supporters are far from pleased. After losing to Ross County, a number of fans rallied at Parkhead to protest against the management.

Although Celtic weren’t expected to beat Milan on Thursday, shipping another four goals is unlikely to have helped Lennon’s cause.

Equally, it should not have helped Peter Lawwell’s case. That’s because the CEO of the football club has spent a ridiculous sum of money on seven players who are costing Celtic dearly.

The men we’re talking about are defenders, namely Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain, Jeremie Frimpong, Hatem Elhamed, Shane Duffy, Greg Taylor and Boli Bolingoli.

The accumulative fees of those men all amount to around £14m, with Barkas being the most expensive at £4.5m.

In this situation, one has to question whether any due diligence was done with these acquisitions. After all, the Bhoys have conceded 12 goals in their last three European outings. Meanwhile, they have shipped 13 strikes in 13 SPFL outings too. That’s ten more than Rangers despite playing two fewer games.

Barkas and Bain have made costly errors in the last week, while Jeremie Frimpong looked out of his depth when Celtic drew 2-2 with Hibernian a fortnight ago, losing possession 18 times. As for Hatem Elhamed, three of the four goals Milan netted on Thursday night came down his right channel.

Furthermore, Duffy looks set to cut his loan spell short and head back to Brighton in January while Boli Bolingoli had a controversial summer, breaking pandemic protocols.

It’s safe to say that a number of Celtic’s defensive signings simply haven’t cut it at Parkhead.

For the Glaswegians, these signings are as much to blame as Lennon is. Of course, his coaching should improve them but Lawwell arguably shouldn’t have spent the money in the first place.

Celtic are a complete mess right now.

In other news, this Celtic star was a complete PUSHOVER against Milan…

With Dele Alli out of favour at Spurs, now is the perfect time for Jose Mourinho to reinvent his midfield. The club are still yet to replace clinical creator Christian Eriksen after he left for Inter Milan at the start of the year.

The Dane enjoyed seven years in north London and produced some stunning performances for the Lilywhites. His first season after joining from Ajax saw him bag 12 goals and 16 assists across all competitions, a tally he would go on to smash with a 23-assist campaign in 2016/17 (via Transfermarkt).

A player Spurs would do well to poach is previously-linked target Jack Grealish. The Englishman’s performances for Aston Villa have attracted a lot of attention from top clubs and he currently has an £80million price tag to warrant his exceptional influence. Ex-Lilywhite Paul Robinson recently admitted that he would love his former club to snap up the rising talent as he tips him to soon leave Aston Villa in search of silverware (via Football Insider).

Should Spurs sign Jack Grealish?

Despite playing primarily on the wing, Grealish’s versatility has seen him perform well in the heart of the midfield as well. Not only would he fill a gap in Tottenham’s engine room, but he could be deployed out wide in order to cover injury as well.

The 25-year-old has contributed to ten goals in just seven appearances this season, making up more than half of Villa’s entire goal tally so far. Grealish is already on track to bettering last campaign’s stats, where he finished the term with eight goals and six assists in the Premier League.

He has also shone during the international break, already rapidly establishing himself as a vital part of Gareth Southgate’s team. The Villa captain bagged an assist for England against the Republic of Ireland and was awarded Man of the Match in their Nations League fixture against Iceland. His influential performances have sparked a lot of conversation, with Jamie Redknapp recently branding Grealish as the “real deal”.

It’s to be expected that the Midlands outfit will lose their beloved skipper and goalscorer, hence the mammoth asking price they have put out there. However, Daniel Levy has shown that he isn’t afraid to put his hand in his pocket when required. The signing of Tanguy Ndombele broke the club’s record transfer fee after they forked out a handsome £53million. Whilst Grealish would command a lot more, the longevity of his career and blistering form speaks for itself.

Selling Alli would also put a large wedge of the transfer money in the pot too. The midfielder is currently valued at £46million, but Spurs would be able to charge much higher than this, considering the fact he still has four years left on his current contract.

However they find the money, signing Grealish would be a massive move for Spurs who are looking to assert their dominance in the Premier League. Bringing a natural goalscorer and leader like the Villa icon would be the perfect successor to Eriksen.

In other news, Marlon Harewood highlights this Chelsea ace as ideal Tottenham signing…

The summer transfer window may have only closed just a couple of days ago, but one Manchester United player has already been linked with a move away elsewhere…

What’s the word?

Paul Pogba has admitted that he dreams of playing for Real Madrid one day in the future.

When asked to share his thoughts on a potential move to Madrid, the 70-cap French international said: “All football players would love to play for Real Madrid. It is a dream for me, why not one day?”

Pogba is frequently asked about his future when he’s away with France, so you have to admire his honesty, but his comments will likely have gone down like a lead balloon back at Old Trafford.

In fact, it’s downright disrespectful, especially considering the fact that he has hardly covered himself in glory in recent weeks.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side slumped to a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in what turned out to be a miserable afternoon for the Frenchman.

Pogba couldn’t contribute at either end of the pitch and conceded a penalty by bringing down Ben Davies.

As far as United are concerned, he is well within his rights to angle for a move away, as he will get his wish either way if he doesn’t sign a new deal.

However, this isn’t the first time he has been accused of disrespecting the club for speaking so publicly about transfer rumours and the Red Devils have every right to feel aggrieved as they have put up with his errant behaviour for so long.

So, Solskjaer should start to plan for life without Pogba by starting Donny van de Beek instead.

Waiting in the wings?

Ed Woodward signed Van de Beek in the summer but he has mainly been used as a substitute so far.

The Dutch international scored eight goals and supplied five assists in the Eredivisie last term, whilst averaging 1.9 shots, 1.8 key passes and at least 1 dribble per game, as per WhoScored.

Pogba, on the other hand, could only muster one goal and three assists in the Premier League.

If he was producing consistent performances on a regular basis, then perhaps all may be forgiven, but this is simply not the case.

By his standards, Pogba has had a poor start to the season, so it could be argued that Solskjaer needs someone to step in as a deep-lying playmaker and that’s what Van de Beek can do, but only if he is given the chance to prove himself.

Most importantly, he has made it clear he wants to play for the club, whilst Pogba is telling the whole world he wants to move to Madrid.

At 23 years of age, Van de Beek could be the perfect long-term replacement for Pogba, so long as Solskjaer and co. can give him the game time he needs.

AND in other news, Man Utd may live to regret missing out on Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish…

According to a report by TUTTOmercatoWEB, Man City have completed a deal for Partizan Belgrade attacker Filip Stevanovic – with the ‘amazing’ talent signing on a four and a half year contract in January worth £7.2 million. 

Stevanovic, who has been tipped to join City’s cross-town rivals Man United by the media, has now done a full u-turn and reportedly opted for a Sky Blue switch instead.

Serbian outlet Republika claimed back in August that Man United had completed a deal for Stevanovic, but it now looks as if City chief Txiki Begiristain has beaten them to the punch.

The 18-year-old winger will remain at Partizan on loan for the rest of the season until officially swapping Serbia for Manchester, with Sky Blues reacting to their proposed new signing on Twitter.

Flocking to this update, many City supporters have expressed a mixed range of opinions on the development – find all of their best verdicts from Twitter here.

Fan reaction to the Stevanovic signing:

In other news: City fans are flocking to this update on another reported target, find out more here and don’t forget to comment below.

With just a couple of weeks to go in the transfer window, Leeds United still have work to do.

The Whites may have won two of their opening three Premier League games, but there are areas the club still want reinforcements in, with one of those being a new winger.

The Yorkshire outfit have been linked with a number of wide players this window, with their pursuit of Ryan Kent being highly publicised, but the most recent player they’ve reportedly been tailing is an old target, Daniel James.

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Leeds famously failed to sign the winger in January 2019, but The Sun claimed last week that they were planning to go back in for him.

However, it seems as though that deal won’t come off as Sky Sports are now stating that the youngster has told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he wants to stay and fight for his spot in the team.

The report also states that Leeds have made a loan offer for the former Swansea City man, and while a move doesn’t look likely at the moment, Sky state that the situation could change depending on whether or not Man United make any more signings in the coming weeks.

With United apparently still chasing Jadon Sancho, the situation may end up changing on that front, but as of right now, James wants to stay at Old Trafford.

What a transfer window Everton are having. Carlo Ancelotti is still working hard to make the Toffees real contenders for the upcoming 2020/21 Premier League season and so far, it has to be said the squad is looking quite sharp.

But the best thing about it is the fact that they are not done with their transfer business just yet. After sealing a couple of deals that will immediately improve the team, Ancelotti will turn his gaze towards the future a little bit.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, Everton are set to battle Leicester City for the signature of St Etienne’s young prodigy, Wesley Fofana.

At the moment, however, the Foxes seems to be in pole position to land the ace and are willing to offer around £20m to acquire his services. The 19-year-old is seemingly open to leaving and the prospect of playing in the English top-flight could be tempting and perhaps enough to convince him.

Defensive reinforcements are still on both teams’ minds but Ancelotti will have to roll up his sleeves if he is to beat Leicester in the race. Fofana was excellent last season and is looking to continue this outstanding run of form into the new campaign.

Is that going to be in the Premier League or in France? We’ll simply have to wait and see.

Verdict

Needless to say, landing Fofana on top of all those transfers would be like a cherry on top for Everton’s summer transfer window. Of course, nothing is set in stone just yet and the youngster is, at this moment in time, closer to the King Power Stadium.

But seeing how he’s managed to seal so many deals already, betting against Ancelotti this summer is simply ill-advised. Let’s see if he can work his magic once again and land the coveted youngster.

Everton will be banking on a late collapse in Besiktas’ efforts to sign Atletico Madrid forward Nikola Kalinic after the Super Lig giants identified Yannick Bolasie as a potential alternative.

What’s the word?

According to Demiroren Haber Agency, Besiktas are continuing to evaluate a range of offensive options late in the summer transfer window having so far failed in their efforts to lure Kalinic away from La Liga.

The Black Eagles are striving to secure an agreement with the 32-year-old over a move to Vodafone Park after two months of negotiations, but issues have arisen over the payment structure and guarantees that have been offered.

Reports in Italy also suggest Torino are beginning to show an interest in the Croatian and have contacted his agent Fali Ramadani, although the Serie A side would be hoping Kalinic lowers his salary demands before penning a proposed two-year deal.

If Kalinic does secure a move elsewhere or snubs Besiktas, Sergen Yalcin’s side are expected to turn to Colombian striker Miguel Borja or Bolasie after the DR Congo forward was deemed surplus to requirements at Goodison Park.

Ancelotti has no place for Bolasie

Bolasie’s Everton future has been in doubt ever since the forward returned from a one-season loan spell with Sporting CP, with reports in August suggesting the 31-year-old would have to train with the Under-23s until a new club can be found.

Carlo Ancelotti has now confirmed that he sees no way for Bolasie to enter his plans after overlooking the former £25million signing in Everton’s opening fixtures of the term.

“He is not part of the squad,” the Italian said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “He can train with us if he’s not able to find a club until the end of the market, and if he stays here of course we are going to train him.

“But I said to him that we have a big squad, and unfortunately there is no space for him.”

Ancelotti’s update came as no surprise to Bolasie, who later confirmed on Twitter that he had spoken with the Blues boss to discuss his future on Merseyside.

“Not been let go,” he noted. “I spoke with the boss last week, not news for me.

“All I’ll say is the respect I have for him is very high. I’ve finally been treated like a human being again after a few years.”

With Besiktas struggling to get a deal for Kalinic over the line, Everton and Bolasie will both be hoping for further issues to arise before a total collapse in talks that sparks the Turkish giants to focus their efforts on the Toffees’ unwanted outcast desperate to play football again.

If not, Ancelotti will have to offer Bolasie the chance to train with the first-team as suitors have not been easy to find for the £75,000-per-week attacker who has started 58 games in the past three years for four different sides.

AND in other news, Everton are warming to the idea of sending a rarely-seen man away from Goodison Park.

After signing from PSV in the January transfer window, Steven Bergwijn had a mixed start to life in English football with Tottenham.

The Dutchman got his career off to the perfect start with a wonder strike against Manchester City on his Premier League debut, before netting a further two times in his next five games in the top-flight.

After that however, things slowed down considerably, with Bergwijn – earning a reported £25k-per-week – failing to score in his last eight games for the club, and managing only one assist.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

But with a few months to get adjusted to the differences of English football, Jose Mourinho must surely unleash the Netherlands international next season, and he could be the unsung hero in Spurs’ push for a Champions League spot.

When you look at the 22-year-old’s performance against City in particular, Bergwijn’s intelligent movement and directness caused Pep Guardiola’s side all sorts of issues – something Mourinho hailed in his post-match press conference.

He said: “It was a very solid performance against such a difficult opponent like Kyle Walker. He was also clever enough to appear in other zones and to try to create some problems for City.”

As per Sofascore, Walker lost possession on 11 separate occasions, whilst he also won just 50% of his duels and forced into making four clearances over the course of the game.

Despite only having 32 touches in the 70 minutes that he was on the pitch, Bergwijn made things count, and the fact his impressive display came up against the then reigning Premier League champions just proved the immense potential he has.

Amidst all this recent talk about Spurs potentially making a sensational move for Gareth Bale in this transfer window, the Lilywhites would be better off trusting those who they already have at the club. Bergwijn could step up to be the man.

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s January targets has reportedly been made available for transfer this summer and given the departure of Jan Vertonghen, it could well be wise to revisit his credentials…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, West Ham are prepared to offload central defender Issa Diop for £45m with two Premier League teams interested in his signature.

The 23-year-old is one of the low earners at the London Stadium and could welcome a move elsewhere.

Kavel Solhekol reported back in December that Spurs were keen on the Irons colossus and saw him as a potential replacement for Vertonghen or Toby Alderweireld – though, the Hammers valued him at £50m back then.

Defensive reinforcements

It is no secret that Spurs are probably in need of a new centre-back following the Belgian’s exit. Jose Mourinho’s backline leaked a total of 47 goals this season, the second-most of any top seven side in the PL.

But is Diop worth it at £45m?

The 23-year-old is quite the imposing figure, standing at 6 foot 4 inches, and has enjoyed a pretty decent season for the Irons aside from battling relegation.

Per WhoScored, he averaged a whopping 5.1 clearances, 1.5 interceptions and 0.8 tackles per game and also won 2.5 aerial duels per match too.

Those in north London should know the Frenchman pretty well after he put in a masterclass display against Spurs towards the end of the 2018/19 season.

Diop contributed towards a clean sheet against an attack led by Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura, who both failed to get a sniff at the goal. No Irons player recorded a higher rating (8.0) via SofaScore.

The powerhouse notched eight clearances, six interceptions, two tackles and won 80% of his duels, leaving Son with a paltry 6.5 rating and less than 30% duels won.

Mourinho has also previously been a fan of the Frenchman, calling him a “monster” who “dominated every duel” whilst FourFourTwo magazine described Diop as “a tremendous athlete, excellent in the air and quick across the ground.”

Diop and Spurs could be a match made in heaven, so Levy shouldn’t baulk at their £45m asking price this summer.

AND in other news, Spurs target £15m upgrade in La Liga star who crosses more than Messi…

Many Aston Villa fans have discussed a report claiming Dean Smith will be handed a transfer budget of £100m this summer.

The Midlands outfit narrowly escaped relegation in the 2019/2020 season, drawing with West Ham United on the final day of the season to ensure that they remained in England’s top flight.

Having spent a large amount on players last summer, Villa boss Smith will be once again looking to the transfer market to explore the potential of bringing in some new faces.

Signing in the likes of Wesley, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Trezeguet, Smith spent £143million in total on new arrivals last term.

The Sunday Mirror via Birmingham Mail have already started to discuss potential summer arrivals and have put together a report over the weekend which claims Smith will be allocated £100m to bring in four players.

Birmingham Mail also go a little deeper into who Villa could potentially bring in this summer with Brentford winger Said Benrahma emerging as a possible target.

Responding to the £100m claim, Villa fans took to Twitter via @villareport to give their opinion on who should be signed if that amount becomes available. One fan suggested that they would be in a relegation battle again having received a bigger budget last term only to end up near the bottom three, whilst another suggested they were ‘doing a Fulham’ again – last season many likened their spending to that of the Cottagers in 18/19.

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Who do you think Aston Villa should sign this summer? Let us know in the comments section below…