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Celtic winger James Forrest has been pictured back in training ahead of the Hoops’ trip to Hibernian on Wednesday evening.

The Lowdown: Forrest’s absence

Forrest, who missed a large portion of the previous campaign through injury, has been absent under Ange Postecoglou since August.

His last appearance and goal came in a 2-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, with the 30-year-old, labelled as ‘priceless’ by Neil Lennon, missing the last 13 games as a result.

However, it appears as if he could be closing in on a return.

The Latest: Hoops’ under-the-radar post

Celtic posted a training gallery on their official website on Tuesday, however, they didn’t share the images on their Twitter page.

Forrest was pictured in the gallery for preparations against Hibs alongside his Hoops teammates, so it appears as if he could be involved at Easter Road.

The Verdict: Place on the bench?

Postecoglou has relied on summer signings Jota, Liel Abada and even Kyogo Furuhashi out wide with Forrest sidelined, so it would be a big boost if he could be involved in some capacity this evening.

It could still be too soon for a start, however, easing him back into the matchday squad with a place on the bench and a possible cameo appearance may well be the smarter call.

In other news: ‘Ambitious’ Celtic beast wanted by Premier League clubs in the summer may now leave in January. 

Taking to Twitter, reliable football.london reporter Alasdair Gold has shared a ‘boost’ for Tottenham Hotspur and Nuno Espirito Santo after a big Friday development.

The Lowdown: Nuno suffers international break mess…

It’s safe to say the last international break was one of Tottenham’s worst in recent memory.

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During that period, Nuno was dealt a plethora of injury worries to the likes of Son Heung-min, Ryan Sessegnon, Oliver Skipp and Steven Bergwijn who all picked up knocks representing their countries.

As well as this, Davinson Sanchez, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero were at the centre of a South American fiasco after they travelled with their nations to red-listed countries.

The trio, as a result, had to quarantine at a 10-day training camp in Croatia before returning to Tottenham and being made available again to Nuno.

Now, as another international break lingers, it appears Tottenham’s under-fire boss is set for a much-needed boost.

The Latest: Gold shares ‘boost’ for Spurs…

As per reliable reporter Gold, sharing a confirmed Friday development, the government have announced that players travelling to red-listed zones won’t need to self-isolate upon returning if they are fully vaccinated.

The journalist says this ‘will boost Spurs’ and explains exactly why on Twitter.

“The government exemption for vaccinated players playing in red listed countries will boost Spurs this international break after the previous mess,” said Gold.

“Understand all of their four called-up South Americans will be fine to train and play on their return.”

The Verdict: Huge…

Given the selection headache it caused Nuno last time, this comes as a much-needed boost for the 47-year-old as he remains under fire for his start to life at Spurs.

There have even been murmurs of possible N17 managerial replacements already and it’s safe to say he needs all the help he can get with his job far from safe.

In other news: ‘Playing with a man down’…Journalist shreds ‘total liability’ who Nuno ‘can’t trust’ for Spurs, find out more here.

Everton fans are livid after it was revealed the Toffees are willing to pay some of James Rodriguez’s wages for him to leave the club before the Turkish window slams shut.

When Rodriguez made the move to Goodison Park from Real Madrid last summer, there was shock around the footballing world. He showed signs of his ability on Merseyside, scoring six goals and providing five assists (Transfermarkt), but the departure of Carlo Ancelotti appears to have left the 29-year-old without much desire to stay put (talkSPORT).

It seems there may be a way out for the Colombia international. As per Pipe Sierra, Istanbul Basaksehir are interested in signing the attacking midfielder and, in a bid to push through the deal, Everton would be willing to pay part of his wages. This has angered the club’s supporters, who believe there is no point in letting him go if that is the case.

The news was shared on Twitter by @ToffeeTVEFC, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Rodriguez news below

“Absolutely pathetic.”

Credit: @UTFT_1878

“Awful deal for us if true.”

Credit: @paulmomber

“Will be fuming if we do this deal”

Credit: @simoncooper107

“Whats the point in that?”

Credit: @Tony_willow86

“Ridiculous from the club. Just play him while he’s here!”

Credit: @johnjon69972607

“Not a good deal sell or we keep and play would make more sense to offload tosen”

Credit: @johnsonk62

In other news, Everton fans are livid with this injury news.

Slavisa Jokanovic’s Sheffield United centre-forward Daniel Jebbison is attracting an increasing amount of interest as the summer transfer window draws to a close.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by TEAMtalk, who claim that the likes of Everton, Leeds United, Aston Villa and Brentford are all interested in a deal for the Sheffield United striker, whom Jokanovic has given the green light to depart Bramall Lane on a temporary basis this summer.

The report continues by stating that Everton have gone as far as to make an offer for the 18-year-old, however, the bid believed to be in the region of £5m was knocked back by the Blades – although Rafael Benitez’s side are reported to be returning with an improved offer in the coming days.

Big mistake

While sanctioning the temporary departure of Jebbison this summer is all well and good, if Jokanovic indeed believes the youngster will not feature much for Sheffield United this season – although there is an equally good case against shipping the striker out, too – should the 53-year-old’s willingness to allow the 18-year-old to leave this summer ultimately lead to the club parting with the highly-rated teenager on a permanent basis, it would undoubtedly be a huge mistake on the part of the Serbian.

Indeed, regarding the aforementioned argument against allowing the £900k-rated man to leave the club on loan, considering the fact that Billy Sharp is the only United centre-forward – of which there are currently seven in the first team – to have found the back of the net over the club’s opening four Championship fixtures, it would seem as if Jebbison could well be needed by Jokanovic this season.

Furthermore, the fact that so many Premier League clubs are reported to be interested in the player Micah Richards dubbed a “fantastic” talent would very much appear to suggest that they believe the forward is good enough to play a role in their respective first teams – so exactly why the Sheffield United boss feels differently is something of a mystery.

And, should the manager ultimately be tempted into sanctioning the permanent sale of the England U18 international this summer, it would not seem to be an exaggeration to claim that it would be the biggest mistake of his United career to date, with selling one of the club’s most promising forwards potentially being an unforgivable act by the Serbian, and would undoubtedly leave fans livid.

In other news: Jokanovic could solve big Sheffield United issue with £24k-p/w beast who’s “like a Paul Scholes”

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Christian Eriksen’s performances are increasingly pointing towards a permanent move away from Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Another flat performance against Chelsea

When the creative hub ticks the entire attacking dynamic changes. Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva have both struggled to find their rhythm for Manchester City of late, Pablo Hernandez is lacking the nous which has defined the majority of his season at Leeds United and Eriksen has also fallen flat at Spurs.

The Wednesday night clash against Chelsea underlined the diminishing standard of his recent performances. The Denmark international’s pass accuracy of just 70.6% was considerably the lowest of any player in Pochettino’s starting XI.

Impulse would force more sympathetic onlookers to suggest that his wastefulness was merely a natural consequence of his desire to slice open the opposition. That is, after all, his primary objective on the field of play.

But that defence cannot stand its ground against the statistics: Eriksen failed to make a single key pass in the whole game.

The BBC’s chief sports writer, Phil McNulty, described Eriksen as ‘on the margins’ against Chelsea, and that’s probably a touch on the generous side.

The most alarming takeaway from the fixture was not the single performance in isolation, it was that Eriksen’s no-show was true to recent form. He did score and provide an assist against Leicester City earlier this month, granted, but those two moments aside he struggled to operate with the same zest and flair which is typically associated with the 27-year-old.

Real Madrid bound?

It’s no coincidence that Eriksen’s form has taken a considerable dip since the turn of the year. According to The Independent, Real Madrid made the initial steps to prise Tottenham’s crown jewel away from north London at the beginning of January, with a summer deal being mooted by the respected journalist Miguel Delaney.

With less than 18 months left on Eriksen’s current deal, it would appear that there is a substantial weight of credibility behind these reports, and his lacklustre form since the turn of the year would also suggest that his head has been turned.

Something does not seem quite right with the dynamic number ten, and the fact a downturn in form has coincided with reports linking him with a move to Los Blancos is absolutely no coincidence.

Having joined Celtic on a season-long loan deal this summer, Jota has wasted no time in winning over the Parkhead faithful, with the 22-year-old having already turned in a number of remarkable performances during his short time in Glasgow.

And, with the Bhoys holding the option to make the Portugal U21 international’s loan a £6.5m permanent move next summer, speculation has already begun as to whether Celtic’s acting CEO, Michael Nicholson, will active the clause – with Ange Postecoglou recently hinting that the 22-year-old would like to stay at the club.

Speaking about Jota’s future, the 56-year-old said: “Jota is just starting his career but he’s already fallen in love with the club. He loves the environment here and the supporters. Who wouldn’t?

“Who wouldn’t want to play for a football club where you get 60,000 cheering you on. The crowd is something special. Let’s just let him enjoy it. Those kind of decisions will come in due course.

“From our perspective, I know everyone here is the same, we’ll do what’s best for the football club moving forward and that will be in consultation with the player’s wishes.”

However, while all the noise surrounding Jota’s permanent switch to Parkhead is positive at present, considering just how impressive the winger has been so far this season, it would appear highly advisable for Nicholson to complete a deal for the youngster sooner rather than later, in order to remove the possibility the forward being tempted by another potential suitor at the end of the current campaign.

Indeed, over his six Scottish Premiership fixtures this term, the £3.15m-rated man has scored two goals, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.5 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player Postecoglou himself dubbed an “unbelievable” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.42, ranking him as Celtic’s fifth-best performer in the league – while the forward has also bagged one goal over one appearance in the League Cup.

The winger has also been in excellent form over his three appearances in the Europa League, registering two assists, creating four big chances and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.63 – ranking him as the Hoops’ second-best player in the competition. With that in mind, it’s obvious why supporters would love to see him become a permanent part of the furniture.

Despite it being so early in his Celtic career, it would nevertheless appear as if Jota has already proven he would be worth splashing £6.5m on to sign on a permanent basis, and Nicholson should be aware that it will no longer just be the Bhoys and their fans aware of this fact.

In other news: Ange must finally unleash “talented” 22 y/o starlet, he could be “huge” for Celtic

Bruno Lage has made no secret of his intentions to have a successful transfer window in January, and has furthered his intentions by naming several positions in the team he would be interested in filling over the next few weeks.

What’s the word?

Lage took to his pre-match press conference to give Wolves fans an insight to the positions he is looking at adding depth to in the January transfer window;

“We need one, we need one centre-back.”

“I think also we can find one more winger, a different striker, so we have two or three situations we can improve to manage better our squad.”

Lage did also praise his current centre backs for their performances so far this season;

“I’m very happy with Conor, Saiss and Max, because they are doing very well,”

“I pray every training and every game that the guys don’t have any injury because we play with three centre-backs and I just have those three.”

Romain Saiss will be joining Morocco for African Cup of Nations in a few days, so it is understandable why Lage feels that a centre back would be a priority area to fill over the next few weeks, as well as risking the back line without reliable back up if there was an injury.

The other attacking positions that Lage is looking to cover can be justified by an injury to goal-scoring winger, Hwang Hee-Chan who has now been confirmed to be out until February, and could also be linked to replacing Adama Traore, who has been rumoured with moves away from the club since the beginning of the season.

Fans will be buzzing

These comments from the Portuguese manager will be welcomed by the Wolves fans, who will have high expectations for the second half of the season to echo the consistency and success of the first half, with new signings giving the side the opportunity to strengthen and improve their form further over the coming months.

Wolves fans have been taking to Twitter to share their excitement on the potential of business for the club this month;

“Notifications turned on for @FabrizioRomano and @Wolves transfer window is open and confirmed. Here we go”

Lage will be taking his side to Old Trafford tomorrow in the hope that they can steal a result from Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United side, who are currently unbeaten in their last five games in the Premier League.

A win could be a great opportunity for Wolves to gain some more cushion in their pursuit for a finish in a European spot this season, as three points could pull them away from Leicester City who are on the same points in 9th, and push them closer to closing the gap with Tottenham in 7th.

In other news: Bruno Lage drops injury update on two players

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly long held an interest in Konrad Laimer and they could make their move in this summer’s transfer window.

That’s according to German outlet Sport Bild, who claim that the 24-year-old’s form for RB Leipzig this season has alerted teams in the Premier League, in which Spurs are named as one keen party.

The Austria international has actually been considered by Lilywhites scouts for several years, ever since his involvement in the Bundesliga outfit’s two-legged demolition of the north Londoners in the Champions League in 2020.

Ahead of Laimer entering the final 12 months of his current contract, Spurs could finally strike on their long-time target.

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It’s no surprise to see manager Antonio Conte interested in the £23.4m-rated powerhouse as his playing style has earned quite the praise indeed, even drawing comparisons to the Italian’s former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

The 52-year-old led the Blues to a Premier League and FA Cup triumph during his time at Stamford Bridge and the Frenchman was a key signing in that run. Conte could do with a similar player over in N17 now.

‘You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player who harries the opposition quite as intensively as Laimer, who is also a dab hand at shielding the ball, recycling possession and facilitating counter-attacks. ‘Dirty Work’ could be his middle name,’ wrote Bundesliga.com.

Indeed, the 24-year-old – who grew up idolising Steven Gerrard – has earned similar acclaim from others around him.

His former boss Adi Hutter lauded him as “incredibly aggressive on the ball”, whilst former West Ham forward and international compatriot Marko Arnautovic believes he can cover a “crazy” amount of ground and that he has a “huge future”.

At the weekend, Laimer dropped two goals and one assist on Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund to take his total for the season to nine direct goal contributions, so evidently he can add more in the final third than Kante.

That doesn’t take away from his defensive attributes whatsoever, having averaged 4.78 tackles and interceptions per 90 across five seasons at Leipzig, on top of 31.6 pressures per game, only emphasising his impressive and industrious work rate in the engine room, as per FBRef.

Compared to his positional peers across Europe over the last year, the Austrian machine ranks inside the top 1% for pressures and 4% for non-penalty xG+A (expected goals and assists) too.

In the year that Chelsea won the league title with Kante in midfield in 2017, he averaged 3.6 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game, via WhoScored, so you can instantly see the similarities between the two players.

In Laimer, who is also dubbed an “elite presser”, Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well land Conte his next Kante-like monster.

AND in other news, Spurs handed big transfer boost in pursuit of Premier League enforcer…

Dean Smith was announced this morning as head coach at Norwich, with his assistant Craig Shakespeare, and will be looking forward to getting stuck into his first week ahead of the return of the Premier League season on Saturday.

Smith has spoken out upon his appointment, and is already impressed by the opportunity for development at the club;

“I’ve always worked to improve and develop players – with that obviously comes improved performances. I was really impressed with the idea, structure and vision that is already in place at the club.”

One player who will be thrilled with the appointment of the new manager is Todd Cantwell, who has spent the last few weeks snubbed by former manager, Daniel Farke.

Farke spoke briefly about not including Cantwell in his team; “Sadly I have to say with Todd the last couple of months I can’t remember one full training week when he was available for the full week.”

Smith will be looking to unlock the bags of young potential at Norwich City, with a host of young players including Cantwell, Billy Gilmour, Max Aarons, Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele.

The 50-year-old Norwich manager could instantly solve a set of instant issues, however by unleashing the player dubbed a “God-given” talent by his former youth coach, Gary Cockaday, as there seems to be a current disconnect in the link-up play in the attacking third, which has seen the side only score five goals in eleven games so far this season.

The £16k-per-week local talent has been a stand out performer and attractive prospect for the Canaries with 107 appearances, 14 goals and 12 assists, becoming a key player for them in their promotions from the Championship and Premier League campaigns so far.

Smith and his team are likely to face competition to keep Cantwell at the club, as his contract expires in the summer of 2022, and there haven’t currently been advanced talks for the midfielder to sign a new contract with the Canaries. That, it would seem, is a pretty hefty issue for the new boss to deal with upon his arrival.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa have all been previously linked with the Norwich star, and if Smith can get the youngster in a good run of form, there is no doubt that top-flight clubs will make more enquiries in the January transfer window and as he reaches the end of his contract.

The club’s new manager will lead Norwich City out to host Southampton at Carrow Road this weekend, and it will be interesting to see how the former Brentford boss sets up his team and if he includes youngsters like Cantwell and Gilmour in his team. Not only would playing him more regularly improve the team, but it might also boost their hopes of keeping him at the club.

That would mean two problems immediately solved by Smith and Shakespeare.

In other news: Norwich’s predicted XI under Dean Smith…

Leeds United have made a bid for a second player after their offer for RB Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson, David Anderson reported late Tuesday evening.

The Lowdown: Aaronson bid

News emerged on Tuesday evening regarding Leeds’ move for Aaronson.

The Whites were linked with a move for the American before the January transfer window opened, however, it was believed then that Victor Orta wouldn’t be able to sign the 21-year-old this month due to Salzburg’s qualification into the last 16 of the Champions League.

Leeds have recently had an offer in the region of £15m rejected for Aaronson but remain intent on signing him before the end of the month.

The Latest: Anderson’s post

Anderson took to Twitter shortly after the news emerged of Leeds’ failed bid for Aaronson on Tuesday night.

The Daily Mirror man claimed that Orta is ‘busy’ and has made an official offer for a second unnamed player.

“Victor Orta is being busy and Leeds have also tabled a bid for a second as of yet unidentified player.”

The Verdict: Who could it be?

Orta was thought to be after a defensive and attacking midfielder this month, and with Aaronson the latter, you’d expect this unnamed second target could be a holding midfielder.

Bringing one in could be just as important as signing Aaronson, especially with Kalvin Phillips out until March and Adam Forshaw recently suffering a fresh injury against West Ham.

One player who has also been linked in recent days is Standard Liege’s Nicolas Raskin, but it seems as if the Whites are keeping quiet on this second offer – perhaps a return to Nahitan Nandez?

In other news: Positive Leeds injury claim regarding two players emerges.