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Eddie Howe is edging ever closer to being appointed the next manager of Celtic Football Club…

What’s been said?

Speaking on this week’s ‘The Celtic Huddle’ podcast, reliable Daily Mail journalist Ian McGarry delivered an encouraging six-word update on the 43-year-old.

“It’s down to the minor details,” he claimed.

The former Premier League boss has emerged as the front-runner to take over from Neil Lennon this summer, following discussions behind-the-scenes with majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

Great news incoming

This latest update should have many at Parkhead absolutely buzzing as it puts to rest several doubts that had started to creep in over the last week or so.

Football Insider suggested on April 3rd that Crystal Palace were plotting a late raid to seal Howe from Celtic’s grasp. They wanted him to replace the out-of-contract Roy Hodgson at the end of the season.

Similarly, it was thought that another factor holding up the move was the 43-year-old’s desire to have his trusted Cherries right-hand man Richard Hughes as Nick Hammond’s replacement for the director of football role.

But McGarry’s claim suggests that Howe’s move is all but done, barring that eagerly-awaited official announcement.

Despite being sacked by Bournemouth following relegation to the Championship, Howe would bring many qualities to Celtic Park. It’s easy to forget that he steered them from League Two to the Premier League in the first place.

As the Bhoys look to embark on a new era, he would surely be the perfect candidate to spearhead any rebuild.

“He is meticulous,” explained Simon Francis to the Daily Express. “He does not leave any stone unturned. And he instils that work ethic into the players. Because you know that he is buying into it. Not turning up late, not strolling out onto the training pitch late, he is always the first. You can never question anything he does.”

A stark contrast from Neil Lennon, who reportedly didn’t shift away from Brendan Rodgers’ methods, which is a little lazy, to say the least.

Also considering the club have been mooted with some very uninspiring names, such as Roy Keane and Steve Clarke, the Parkhead faithful have every right to get immensely excited for this appointment.

AND in other news, Howe could instantly save Celtic millions by unleashing THIS “special” 18 y/o gem…

One of Sheffield Wednesday’s out-of-contract stars has received two pre-contract offers from abroad, according to Football League World this week…

What’s the word?

They claim that Belgian league leaders Club Brugge and Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon have offered 20-year-old Owls gem Osaze Urhoghide terms ahead of the summer, when his contract expires at Hillsborough Stadium.

Teams across Europe can enter negotiations with players in England six months before their deal ends, whilst domestic rivals have to wait until the contract is complete, thus handing them a considerable advantage.

Leeds, Palace and Watford have been mooted with interest in Urhoghide before, so it seems unlikely that he will remain a Wednesday player much longer, especially if they are relegated to League One.

Moore will be gutted

This will not only come as a huge blow to Moore but will also be gutting towards his plans next season, as the South Yorkshire academy graduate is the sort of player he’d love to build round.

The former West Brom manager has built up a reputation as a successful youth coach and that is a trend he continued when taking the helm at nearby Doncaster Rovers, where they were contending for a playoff spot under his tenure – also possessing an average squad age of 24.6, amongst the four youngest in the division.

Despite not being in the dugout recently, Moore has still continued to select the 20-year-old this season. Indeed, he’s made 16 appearances in all competitions, with the bulk coming since the turn of the year.

Following a particularly impressive display against local rivals Barnsley last month, the Owls boss heaped praise on his young defender. He said to The Star:

“I don’t like to pick out individuals because I thought they were all excellent, but he was immense today in terms of his performance. In terms of his contacts, in terms of getting in the radar of the opponents and spoiling it – he was absolutely rock solid.”

Urhoghide has also been lauded by club captain Barry Bannan, who gave an insight into his potential too.

“He’s always willing to learn and ask questions,” explained the Scottish midfielder. “He’s a good lad and I’m really happy for him. I think we’ve got a player there.”

These are all characteristics that have already delighted Moore, as evident above, so to lose him for nothing – in the same vein as Liam Shaw to Celtic and many more before him – will be a truly crushing blow.

When teams that have the potential of playing in Europe next season come calling, you’d imagine that Wednesday stand no chance in keeping him. A disappointing but understandable likely end to his Owls career.

AND in other news, this Owls monster was Moore’s unsung hero against Rovers…

The writing is on the wall for Newcastle United. Fail to sack Steve Bruce, and relegation will surely be on the cards.

This Magpies team looks like a torrid group; they look defeated, bullied to within an inch of their lives.

Their style of football is shoddy and there are very few signs of fight from those in the St James’ Park camp. Their 3-0 defeat to fellow relegation candidates Brighton on Saturday evening just about summed things up.

They were toothless in attack and filled with mistakes in defence. Once again, the prime candidate was Joelinton.

The big Brazilian set the tone just 21 minutes in. Martin Dubravaka launched the ball forward in the direction of Joelinton. The striker got his head to the ball but planted it straight out of play for a throw-in.

If anything summed up his time in the north-east that was it. To be completely blunt, the attacker has been one of the worst signings in Premier League history.

Signed from Hoffenheim for £40m, he penned a six-year deal with Newcastle. It was not only a club-record deal, but also Bruce’s record deal. Unfortunately, he is costing the manager his job.

The forward has found the net on just seven occasions and has three top-flight goals to his name since the summer of 2019. To suggest his time in England has been poor, therefore, would be putting it lightly.

Perhaps one of his worst performances in a black and white shirt came on Saturday. Joelinton was utterly anonymous in attack and made fewer passes (16) and fewer touches (34) than Dubravka in the Magpies goal. The Slovakian had 45 touches and made 24 passes in comparison.

He endured a torrid evening on the south coast, losing possession of the ball on 15 occasions and taking just one touch in the opposition penalty area. Joelinton also failed to have a single shot at goal.

For a normal footballer that makes for pretty grim reading. However, when you cost £40m, it only looks even worse.

He hasn’t scored since the back end of November and worryingly, his performances are getting worse.

In a relegation six-pointer, he should be one of the players standing up and taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Unfortunately, that’s very rarely happened during his feeble stay at Newcastle.

Judging by his attitude and form, it would be an almighty surprise to watch him see out the six years he signed on for. Joelinton epitomises the sinking ship of Newcastle right now.

AND in other news, “It’s the Graeme Jones way” – Exclusive: Rob Lee baffled by what Bruce assistant has done at NUFC…

When Sunderland played Crewe on Saturday, they went into the game full of confidence.

They had won three league games on the bounce but the performance they put in was anything but assured at Gresty Road.

In fact, it was quite possibly the worst performance of Lee Johnson’s tenure so far. Of course, they didn’t lose the game, but the way in which they snatched a point was nothing short of daylight robbery.

The Mackems were slow, lacked quality and allowed Crewe to score all too easily. Chris Porter scored a tap in with half an hour gone but just eight minutes later Tom Lowery made it two.

When Grant Leadbitter went off with a dislocated shoulder, things only went from bad to worse. It looked as though Sunderland’s chances of promotion were going to be dealt a huge blow before Johnson made four changes.

It proved to be the catalyst as Jordan Jones and Chris Maguire both scored superb strikes to rescue a 2-2 draw.

Jones has been lively since his move to the Stadium of Light and he more than stepped up to the plate on this occasion, taking Aiden McGeady’s place on the left-hand side with an hour played.

The Irishman has been superb this season and with ten assists in 15 matches, he is the most prolific creator in the league. However, on Saturday, he was desperately poor in all facets of the game.

He was considerably off the pace and lacked the quality we’ve become so accustomed to seeing from him since Johnson brought him back in from the wilderness.

McGeady had just 30 touches of the ball down the left, a tally that happened to be worse than goalkeeper Lee Burge. It spoke volumes that the goalkeeper was more involved in proceedings than one of their best players this term.

The veteran winger has usually been a rampant threat down the left but on this occasion; he didn’t attempt a single dribble. Traditionally so precise with his crosses, he also failed to provide an accurate ball into the area for Charlie Wyke. No wonder the club’s top goal scorer was so starved of service.

To make matters worse, McGeady was also weak in physical situations. He didn’t win a single ground or aerial battle; proving to be the only such player to do so from any Sunderland player on Saturday – that’s including the substitutes. He was, unfortunately, virtually anonymous.

You can excuse this display because of how good the 34-year-old has been of late. That being said, it cannot afford to become a regular thing, especially with Johnson’s men in the hunt for promotion.

AND in other news, Imagine him & McGeady: Sunderland missed dream signing in “extremely talented” 27 y/o…

David Moyes must push West Ham United to agree to new contracts with both Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek amid doubts about the midfield stars’ long-term futures at the London Stadium.

That’s the view of Jason Cundy, who has told talkSPORT (9/3, 09:00) that he expects interest to emerge in the upcoming summer transfer market due to their sensational form.

Rice and Soucek, along with Aaron Cresswell, are the only Irons players to have featured for every minute of the Premier League season so far, with 100% appearance records to their names after 27 games.

The pair’s fast-established relationship in the year following Soucek’s initial loan switch, before a £19m move from Slavia Prague in the off-season, has them dictating the Hammers’ game plan from the engine room and leading a Champions League qualification charge.

West Ham sit just a point outside of the top-four after beating Leeds United 2-0 on Monday, but hold what may be a crucial game in hand over Chelsea. And Cundy expects UEFA football could be the Irons’ only hope of keeping Soucek and Rice this summer.

“They are going to struggle to hold on to them, the two midfielders,” the former Tottenham defender said. “If big-money bids come in, West Ham will possibly – unless they are in the Champions League – find it hard to hold on to them because huge money is going to come in for those two.

“Soucek has been brilliant; there is not a lot he can’t do! He can win the ball, he scores goals, he’s good in the air, he’s defensively solid… all round, they’ve got a little bit of everything, Rice and Soucek.

“They’re possibly the best two in the country, the best midfield partnership. If there’s anyone out there better than those two, there ain’t many better than them.”

As well as being mainstays of Moyes’ plans, Soucek is West Ham’s top-scorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals, while Rice is the on-field general in the absence of captain Mark Noble.

West Ham will surely be able to hold firm in demanding vastly lucrative sums for Soucek and Rice at the end of the season, having rebuffed Chelsea’s advances for the latter last summer with an £80m asking price when Frank Lampard sought to land the England international.

Moyes has even stated recently that he believes Rice is now worth “far, far more than £100m,” which is the valuation slapped on the former Blues trainee by the Irons’ owners amid alleged approaches from Manchester United and Liverpool to his agent.

But Moyes stating publicly how highly he is worth could see Rice grow unhappy with still being on the same £60,000-per-week contract struck back in December 2018, before claims emerged in The Sun last October of a £120k-p/w deal being likely after Lampard’s advances.

It was thought Rice was due to be rewarded with a double-your-money pay rise as recognition of his standing at the London Stadium, and a similar sentiment was touted for Soucek in December amid claims of interest from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

Rice and Soucek’s partnership and importance at the London Stadium has only continued to grow with almost every fixture, to see them lauded for tirelessly running Leeds into the ground on Monday and adding a sense of calm into the occasional chaos.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher had also claimed there is no better box-to-box midfielder in the Premier League than Soucek before the Whites visited east London.

“When we’re talking about box-to-box midfielders, there’s nobody better in the Premier League right now than Soucek,” he said on Sky Sports, via quotes by talkSPORT.

“The goals stand out massively – that is huge for a midfield player and is a big reason why West Ham are where they are.

“Aerial duels won is just off the scale. No midfielder in the last ten years has managed that many… since Marouane Fellaini!”

Soucek, who currently earns £67k-p/w, has won (155) and contested (258) more aerial duels than any other player in the top-flight this term and he – plus Rice – will surely need new contracts offered if Moyes is to keep both at West Ham beyond the end of the season.

AND in other news, West Ham eye summer swoop for £35k-p/w gem with “boundless energy”…

Spurs youngster Alfie Devine has been tipped to earn more game time in the first-team next season by football.london reporter Alasdair Gold.

The 16-year-old prodigy was named among six other emerging prospects as players who could save Daniel Levy and the club millions in the transfer market, and it’s easy to see why.

Devine is already a record-breaker at the club, which should stand him in good stead.

He first became the youngest-ever player to feature in a competitive game, and then went one better when scoring on that senior debut, coming off the bench to find the net against Marine in the FA Cup.

Gold believes Devine is too young to send out on loan next season, so he’s likely to feature more next term, particularly in cup competitions.

The teenager’s chances of doing exactly that could be bolstered depending on the futures of some first-team players, including Harry Winks, who is thought to be wanting an exit from the club this summer.

According to Sport (via Sport Witness), the out-of-favour Englishman will insist on a summer departure, with La Liga a potential destination.

Whilst Dele Alli is another who could move on, according to the Telegraph. And Moussa Sissoko is getting no younger; he will be 32 at the start of next season.

In Devine, Spurs could unearth their next Michael Carrick, which would be a fine reward for their £300k investment in someone so young.

At his former club, Wigan, he was lauded as a “very talented” player with “huge potential” by academy manager Gregor Rioch and chief executive Jonathan Jackson.

Similarly, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher was gutted to see him leave the League One outfit, dubbing him “top-class” on Twitter.

Devine has even already made his presence felt amongst the first-team, aside from scoring on debut, Japhet Tanganga has praised his impact in training. The fellow Spurs youngster told the Independent:

“He’s trained a few times with us and every time he’s come up he’s looked a real spark,” before adding: “He’s shown he can hustle, he’s shown what he can do, so hopefully from here he can kick on and get more appearances for the club.”

Carrick, albeit a little older at 23, didn’t come through the system at Hotspur Way. Instead, the club splashed out £3.5m to sign him from London rivals West Ham United.

And some similarities can be drawn here.

‘Imposing box-to-box style’ is how the Guardian described the 16-year-old gem in their ‘Next Generation’ list for 2020 and that’s how one could describe the former United midfielder. He was more defensively-minded and ‘imposing’ as his career went on, but could still get up the pitch when need be.

Carrick also played under the Special One at United (43 appearances), so that could help Devine in terms of playing style as he continues to develop at this quick rate.

If – and when – Mourinho unleashes Devine next season, Spurs could well unearth their next Carrick.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Ndombele: Levy must sanction £38m Spurs swoop for “breathtaking” dynamo…

Mike Ashley can end Steve Bruce’s defensive dilemma with a late Deadline Day deal for Newcastle United to sign FC Schalke 04’s Ozan Kabak.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Bruce had sought to acquire Kabak on loan until the end of the season but the Toon deemed a move too expensive.

The 20-year-old has not missed a second of action across his Bundesliga side’s last 11 top-flight fixtures following a challenging start to the campaign, with Kabak seeing an indirect suspension result in a four game ban.

West Ham United and AC Milan have previously been credited with interest in Kabak after Schalke warmed to offloading the Turkey international for €15m (£13m), having accepted that the centre-half is one of few Die Konigsblauen could still demand a lucrative fee for.

Liverpool have also now entered the race for the defender, who Stuttgart sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger lauds as a “role model”, with Sky Sports (Transfer Centre, 1/2, 10:21) claiming Kabak is prepared to undergo a medical in Germany if the two sides are able to agree on the terms of a deal with the Reds proposing a £2.5m loan fee.

He was formerly considered unsellable among the Schalke hierarchy, who recognised that the Gelsenkirchen outfit would have to sell some of their key players to fund arrivals in the winter market who could steer the club away from the relegation zone.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-deadline-day-latest-news-transfer-rumours-and-more” title=”Deadline day is here: Read the latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Should Newcastle pursue Kabak further?

Kabak would appear to have been an option very much on the market in the winter sales, with reports in Germany claiming Schalke were open to selling the 7-cap beast and reports in England suggesting Newcastle only walked away from a loan after hearing the financial terms needed.

But Bruce should not relent on his interest in the Turkish youngster and should urge Ashley to dig a little deeper to meet Die Konigsblauen’s demands, as Kabak could help solve the Toon’s defensive nightmare.

The Magpies have just lost captain Jamal Lascelles again after the centre-half sustained a hamstring injury in United’s win over Everton on Saturday, which is expected to keep him sidelined for several weeks.

Lascelles had only just returned to Premier League action 12 days prior following a lengthy period out after testing positive for coronavirus, and now joins Federico Fernandez in the medical room just as Ciaran Clark and Paul Dummett returned to training.

Newcastle’s spate of injuries have forced Bruce into fielding midfielder Isaac Hayden in the backline recently, but no such thoughts would cross the Magpies boss’ mind if Kabak were signed.

Despite Schalke’s torrid campaign that sees the Veltins Arena natives sit rock bottom of the Bundesliga, Kabak has been a star as he comfortably collects possession with 1.2 successful tackles and clears danger 3.9 times a game. He also wins a mammoth 4.1 aerial duels and 3.0 ground duels game, per SofaScore.

Only Fernandez (1.5) has been successful in as many tackles a game in the Premier League for Newcastle this season among Bruce’s current centre-halves, with Lascelles offering 0.83, Clark 0.82 and Fabian Schar 0.71.

Schar further offers fewer clearances (3.36), while no Toon defender wins as many ground duels or aerial duels with Fernandez (2.25 ground) and Clark (3.73 air) the top-performers.

Bruce faces a race against time to get Ashley to dig a little deeper and sign Kabak, but Newcastle would stand to benefit greatly from beating out Liverpool’s late interest and getting a deal done.

AND in other news, Newcastle United have faced enquiries over a £15m deal to sell a Steve Bruce outcast…

David Moyes has confirmed he is loath to risk Michail Antonio against Everton when West Ham United visit Goodison Park on Friday night.

The Irons travel to Merseyside on New Year’s Day looking to claim a first win in five games after failing to secure all three points at Southampton in a goalless draw on Tuesday.

Everton are set to be boosted by the return of Richarlison to Carlo Ancelotti’s starting line-up as the Toffees look to move second in the Premier League table, while Moyes is facing a string of selection dilemmas after rotating his XI at St. Mary’s.

So, with changes on the cards for the visiting Hammers, here’s a potential line-up Moyes could favour on his latest return to Goodison Park…

Lukasz Fabianski kept his fifth clean sheet of the league campaign during Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw with the Saints, and will be expected to join Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek in retaining their starting roles against Everton.

Craig Dawson impressed during his Hammers debut in place of Fabian Balbuena, but may miss out on successive appearances after the Paraguayan was purely rested alongside right-back Vladimir Coufal for the south coast trip with the Irons playing twice in 48 hours.

Andriy Yarmolenko and Manuel Lanzini also featured against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints though are likely to be benched for the return of Jarrod Bowen and just a third Premier League start for Said Benrahma, who reportedly earns £23,000-a-week.

Moyes will find it hard to omit Benrahma after the Brentford loanee brought an immediate spark to West Ham’s efforts at St. Mary’s, where Antonio made his long-awaited return to action following niggling hamstring injuries as a late substitute.

Antonio will be assessed ahead of West Ham’s trip to Merseyside to assess his fitness in the chance the 30-year-old can start, but Moyes is keen to manage the centre-forward’s return to avoid aggravating the issue knowing the importance he brings to the side.

“I thought, even with the little bits when Michail came on [against Southampton], he made a bit of a difference. He gave us something, but I’m probably having to take him bit-by-bit,” Moyes said.

“We’re not sure how much we can get out of him and I’m loath to lose him to another injury. At the moment we’ve sort of muddled through, and we’ve just not been quite as fluent without him in the team.”

Sebastien Haller, who has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium, will likely start at Everton despite struggling against Southampton, having failed to score a fourth league goal in 15 appearances before being replaced by Antonio.

AND in other news, West Ham are considering offering a 6 ft 1 brute with a “terrific range of passing” a mid-season move to the London Stadium.

According to Tuscany newspaper La Nazione, via Sport Witness, Crystal Palace are reportedly close to signing Christian Kouame from Fiorentina.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent times revealed that Roy Hodgson’s side have been actively pursuing the 23-year-old for quite some time.

It’s claimed that Kouame is still of interest to Palace but they face stiff competition from European heavyweights Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt for his signature.

The report reveals the Eagles are close to concluding a deal to bring the Ivory Coast U23 international to England.

Parish heading for inexcusable mistake

Having forked out huge sums of money on the likes of Alexander Sorloth and Michy Batshuayi, the last thing Parish needs to do right now is to sign another expensive striker who isn’t fit for the big stage.

In 18 appearances in Serie A, the £12m-rated Kouame has scored just the once so far this season and there must be a reason why he hasn’t started a league game since the draw with Parma last year.

Palace already have to contend with Parish’s baffling decision to re-sign Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea, as the Stamford Bridge outcast currently earns around £90,000-per-week at Selhurst Park. Quite mind-blowing really, especially when you consider the fact he earns more than Eberechi Eze. Say no more.

Palace need a striker who can hit the ground running, someone who can bang in plenty of goals in a season. Hodgson’s side have scored just 22 goals in 17 games – the same amount as their bitter rivals, Brighton and Hove Albion.

Kouame has scored one goal in 16 games in Serie A for Fiorentina this season, averaging a lowly WhoScored rating of 6.18. Along with his struggles in front of goal, he is only averaging 0.3 key passes per game for Cesare Prandelli’s side, showing an inability to hold onto the ball and bring others into play.

Hodgson’s system requires a holdup frontman with a robust playing style. Someone like Olivier Giroud would be a far better option.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace can end four-year nightmare with swoop for Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle…

Glasgow Rangers have been one of several sides across Europe credited with an interest in Sheffield United midfielder John Lundstram in recent months. However, there has recently been a new development regarding Lundstram’s future.

What’s the word?

Reports have emerged over the past week revealing that the 26-year-old has no interest in joining Rangers, which will no doubt be a mammoth blow for Steven Gerrard as he seeks to bolster his midfield options before the start of next season.

And now, former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell believes Lundstram, who has been described as a “real menace to other teams” by his captain Billy Sharp, will not be short of suitors in the summer.

He said: “I think there’d be suitors in the Premier League for him. He’s a combative midfielder, good energy, puts his foot in and can run all day.

“There are plenty of teams who could do with a midfielder like that.

“I just think it’s been a great shop window, playing at Sheffield United.

“But believe you me, you don’t turn down Rangers if you haven’t got someone looking at you in the background. So I’m sure he has suitors in the Premier League.”

There’s no denying the fact that these recent turn of events are a big blow for Rangers in their pursuit of the midfielder. At one stage, all the signs seemed to indicate that a move to Ibrox could be on the cards. But, with Lundstram apparently having already made up his mind, Ross Wilson may have to look elsewhere instead.

Ryan Jack to the rescue?

At first glance, it’s fair to say that Rangers have no shortage of midfield options for their ever-changing system, with Steven Davis, Bongani Zungu, Ryan Jack, Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo all battling to bag a space in the starting line-up. And that’s not to mention the injured Scott Arfield, who has made 20 top-flight appearances so far this season.

While Rangers have been on an encouraging run of form that has seen them surge to the top spot in the Scottish Premiership, they still need to invest in the right areas in the summer. Signing a holding defensive-minded midfielder should be at the top of their list of priorities.

Given his age, Davis won’t be as dominant nor as effective as he is now for much longer, so it’s about time they started planning for his long-term successor, hence the reported interest in Lundstram.

In the meantime, however, Gerrard may need to rely on Jack to act as the base for his midfield in the near future. Zungu is still struggling to make much of an impression at Ibrox despite having spent nearly five months in Scotland.

Thankfully for Gerrard at least, the £2m-rated 28-year-old seems to have shaken off any lingering issues and has been able to hit the ground running after recovering from injury. If we compare the aforementioned duo since the start of this season, there’s almost no comparison to be made.

Jack is currently averaging 1.1 tackles per 90 in the Premiership while Zungu is averaging just 0.1 tackles per game. Perhaps most importantly, he is also dribbled past on fewer occasions, too, as he is only beaten by an opponent 0.4 times per 90. Zungu, on the other hand, is beaten at least once per game.

It’s becoming clearer and clearer that the Scotland international is streets ahead of the Bafana-Bafana midfielder and as such should be trusted to provide cover and competition for Davis for the time being.

AND in other news, Rangers star Kemar Roofe banned for dangerous tackle and will miss next two games…