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An update has emerged on Celtic’s pursuit of Royal Antwerp’s Aurelio Buta.

What’s the talk?

The Athletic’s Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin has claimed that the Hoops are closing in on the signing of the 24-year-old.

Devlin shared an article on how Buta could fit in at Celtic Park, with the tweet starting: “So it looks like Celtic are (finally) closing in on a right-back.”

Frimpong replacement

Celtic fans will be delighted with this news as he could be the perfect replacement for Jeremie Frimpong, albeit almost eight months on from the latter’s departure from the club. The former Manchester City man left for Bayer Leverkusen in January and has not been replaced with a permanent addition as of yet, with Jonjoe Kenny spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Parkhead.

The first obvious point of comparison is their respective heights. Frimpong and Buta are both 5 foot 7 and play at right-back, suggesting that they are very similar players in stature. They are small, nimble, and able to get up and down the pitch to provide Celtic with defensive and attacking value.

In Devlin’s article for The Athletic, he also compared the pair, stating: “We can use Jeremie Frimpong as a point of comparison, although opting for his breakthrough 2019-20 season rather than 2020-21 for comparison as he left midway through for Bayer Leverkusen. Frimpong is a full-back/wing-back hybrid in a similar mould if younger and more inexperienced.”

This shows that he could be an ideal replacement for Frimpong in style, whilst he could also have the quality to make an impact in the Scottish Premiership. The full-back was touted with a move to Wolves back in 2019 and journalist Aster Nzeyimana heaped praise on the “very gifted” defender, saying: “He’s one of the best full-backs in the Belgium league – that’s a widespread opinion.

“In the last two years he’s grown defensively, he has admitted that himself. He’s quite a small player but he’s technically very gifted. We have a history in Belgium of good attacking full-backs and he really fits right in. He’s instrumental to Antwerp.”

The 24-year-old has 19 assists in 108 games for Antwerp, which highlights the attacking quality he can provide from the right flank.

Celtic fans could enjoy watching him bomb down the wing on the overlap before whipping in a cross for a forward to finish, and it is now down to the club to get this deal over the line to bolster Ange Postcoglou’s squad.

AND in other news, Celtic in talks to sign £10k-p/w beast who is “incredibly fast”, Ange needs him…

Marcus Bent believes that Rafael Benitez could be the man to come in and take Everton to the next level.

Everton are now three weeks into their managerial search following Carlo Ancelotti’s sudden departure, but don’t appear any closer to appointing a replacement.

Nuno Espirito Santo is still the leading candidate, but despite ongoing talks with the Portuguese, the Toffees are still considering others for the job, with Benitez amongst those.

The 61-year-old has been out of work since leaving the Chinese Super League in January due to Covid-19, and has an impressive 49% win rate as a Premier League manager having tasted success in 168 of the 340 games he’s taken charge of.

But Benitez becoming the Everton manager would certainly raise eyebrows following his affiliation with Liverpool, winning both the Champions League and FA Cup during six successful seasons at Anfield, but the idea of the Spaniard moving to the blue half of Stanley Park wouldn’t put off Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri.

Bent, too, told The Transfer Tavern that he’s open to the idea of the ex-Reds manager being chosen to take Everton forward:

“Benitez has been from club to club. He did well at Liverpool, but he’s someone that could come in and move the club forward.

“I spoke about Duncan Ferguson, Tim Cahill coming in as an assistant, I think the fans would love it, but Benitez, he’s an experienced manager who knows what he’s doing.”

Tottenham Hotspur appear to have been dealt another devastating blow in their lengthy managerial search this week…

What’s the word?

According to Turkish radio station Radyo Gol, Nuno Santo is on the verge of being appointed as Fenerbahce’s next boss after talks accelerated over the weekend.

It’s claimed that a final meeting between the Super Lig giants and the Portuguese coach were held on Monday and that an announcement could be less than a few days away.

The 47-year-old has widely been touted as the front-runner for the Spurs job, with newly-appointed sporting director Fabio Paratici said to be ‘pushing hard’ to secure him in North London.

Nuno has been out of work for less than a month after leaving Premier League rivals Wolves by mutual consent at the end of last season.

Another setback

This would seemingly deal the Lilywhites their umpteenth setback since Jose Mourinho was sacked in mid-April. They’ve held talks with at least six to seven names, whilst as many as ten different options have been mooted throughout this tragic process.

In the early days, the likes of Julian Naglesmann and Brendan Rodgers were thought to be chairman Daniel Levy’s top candidates – the former opted for Bayern Munich and the latter played down a switch to the capital from Leicester City almost instantly.

There were then ‘confident’ talks with Antonio Conte – a former Premier League winner at Chelsea – but that collapsed late on due to concerns from both parties, whilst Mauricio Pochettino was even linked with a sensation return to the club he was sacked from in November 2019 after five years at the helm.

Paratici was hired as Spurs’ first director of football in six years and he quickly moved for former AS Roma and Shakhtar boss Paulo Fonseca, only for those discussions to break down at the 11th hour.

The Italian chief desperately turned to Gennaro Gattuso before fan backlash put pay to that, too. It has left the North Londoners back at square one but as you can see, it’s been blow after blow for the club’s hierarchy.

Even their interest in Nuno comes as a surprise because Paratici has had to convince Levy to do a U-turn on the ex-Wolves man and now it seems like he isn’t even going to be their next manager.

The Spurs supremo must be absolutely furious with these fresh developments and he, like the rest of us, has to be wondering if it will ever come to an end.

Pre-season training starts next week, they better find a solution – and fast.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Ndombele: Levy could form scary Spurs duo with £20m “exceptional talent”…

Forza Italian Football Editor-in-Chief Conor Clancy has exclusively told Football FanCast that Paulo Dybala and Harry Kane would be unstoppable together with the Argentine once again being linked with a move to North London back in April.

Tottenham were linked with a sensational £80m move to bring the South American to north London two summers ago.

However, the deal collapsed late on Deadline Day in August 2019, with the Serie A giants reportedly not willing to sell one of their best players, whilst problems with image rights were also cited as reason for the deal not being completed.

Following his decision to stay in Italy, Dybala enjoyed an excellent campaign, scoring 17 times and adding 14 assists as Juventus won their ninth Serie A title on the bounce.

However, injuries and a loss of form have seen Dybala struggled to replicate that form last term, with the 27-year-old contributing just five goals, which was by far his worst return as a Juventus player.

A ligament problem saw Dybala, who ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has raved over previously, miss 16 matches in all competitions, but he was generally used as a bit-part player and has been linked away from Turin with just 12 months left on his deal.

With that in mind, should Harry Kane remain at Tottenham, Clancy believes the pair could form a formidable partnership.

He told Football FanCast:

“I feel like he’d be unstoppable with Kane because he’s not a number nine, so he’s got to be playing alongside a striker like that.”

But where does Clancy believe Dybala would play should he sign for Spurs?

He added: “I’d have him as a number 10, like that support striker which will give him a little bit of freedom to move.

“And I think Spurs’ squad is quite suited to that because the three that play behind Kane can move round a little bit and can accommodate for Dybala just floating round a little bit.”

Former Leeds United star Jon Newsome insists that Pablo Hernandez has earned the right to be called a legend at the club.

Hernandez has played his last game for the club, and will leave Elland Road on the expiry of his contract at the end of this month.

That comes after a four-year stint with the Whites, in which he has played a key role in guiding the club from the Championship into the Premier League.

Hernandez has made a total of 175 appearances for Leeds, scoring 36 goals and registering 41 assists, although he only played a bit-part role in the Premier League in 2020/21.

In total, the 36-year-old made 16 league appearances, though just three of those were starts, including the final game of the season, as he gave the fans an emotional farewell.

And Newsome believes he should be regarded as one of the best players to play for the club in their long and storied history.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “There’s a word that gets bandied about, ‘legends’, quite a lot, when we’re up at the game and they say ‘the Leeds legends’, there’s not, there’s a bunch of ex-players, but there’s only a few I would class as legends at that club.

“And I would put Pablo in that category. I think he’s come into the football club and his commitment, his work, his desire has been there for everybody to see.”

Former Leeds United midfielder David Norris believes that the Tottenham camp will be split should Mauricio Pochettino return to the club.

There have been whispers about the Argentine making a sensational return to Spurs in recent days, with a report from The Athletic suggesting that the two parties are currently in talks.

Pochettino was only sacked and then replaced by Jose Mourinho 18 months ago but has struggled to make an impact during his short spell with PSG, despite winning two domestic French trophies, and would be open to coming back to north London.

The Argentine did reach the Champions League semi finals and only lost out on winning the Ligue 1 title on the final day of the campaign, but is reportedly unhappy in Paris.

Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen have both departed, but the current Tottenham squad remains almost identical to the one that Pochettino left, albeit with a few additions in the shape of Sergio Reguilon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Rodon and Matt Doherty.

Pochettino returning would be a major boost to the likes of Harry Winks and Dele Alli, who lost their way under Jose Mourinho.

But Norris exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that not everyone in the squad would be left happy should he get reappointed:

“I think he’s going to have a relationship with certain players he’s closer to – Alli did well for periods under him.

“Certain players will be happy with that and probably disappointed he left. There will be others that he might not be close to that won’t be looking forward to him coming back.

“It’s an interesting one with him having not been gone that long, so it will be interesting how that one plays out.”

Harry Wilson’s permanent departure from Liverpool this summer is ‘looking likely’, The Athletic journalist Caoimhe O’Neill reports. 

The lowdown

Wilson made just his second senior appearance for Liverpool in the League Cup Round of 16 against Arsenal before joining Cardiff City on loan – it is Wilson’s fifth temporary spell away from Anfield.

He spent the 2019/20 campaign at Bournemouth after previous stints at Derby County, Hull City and Crewe Alexandra.

A hat-trick in a 4-0 win at Birmingham City last weekend took Wilson to seven Championship goals for the season, alongside his 12 assists (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

O’Neill expects Wilson to prepare for the 2021/22 season with Liverpool before making a permanent exit.

The Reds demanded £15million for Wilson last summer and, as it stands, that price-tag hasn’t changed.

Burnley were rebuffed in their £12million approach for the Wales international and it’s understood that they won’t revive their interest. He has two years left on his contract.

The verdict

Liverpool couldn’t have asked for much more from Wilson while out on loan.

The 24-year-old ranks second in the division for assists and was labelled a ‘magic’ player by Neil Harris, who was in charge in South Wales until January.

He would be a good squad player for the Reds, deployed predominantly in cup competitions.

But Wilson is good enough to be playing consistent Premier League football, albeit in the bottom half of the division, so it could be a win win for all parties for the Reds to finally cash in this summer.

In other news, fans have been reacting to this sensational Mohamed Salah claim.

Jurgen Klopp ‘increased the pressure’ on Virgil van Dijk to sit out this summer’s European Championships.

That’s according to Friday’s print edition of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Former PFA Player of the Year Van Dijk has been out of action since mid-October after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Liverpool initially coped well in his absence, topping the Premier League at Christmas, but Klopp’s side unravelled at the turn of the year and now trail Manchester City, who have regained their title, by a whopping 23 points.

However, the Reds were boosted this week by the news that Van Dijk has abandoned his Euro 2020 hopes in favour of readying himself for pre-season.

The latest

De Telegraaf claimed (via Sport Witness) that Klopp helped to force Van Dijk’s decision and adopted a deliberate media strategy of raising doubts about the centre-back’s availability.

Whilst it was unlikely that he would feature in the group stage of the competition, which will see the Oranje face Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia, he could have been in contention for the knockout stages if Frank de Boer’s side made it that far.

The verdict

This was clearly a difficult decision for Van Dijk as the captain of his country, who have not been to a major tournament since the 2014 World Cup, but the nightmare scenario for Liverpool was the 29-year-old’s progress being undone by an all-too-hasty return to action.

The Netherlands, for their part, can still call upon the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij and Nathan Ake at centre-back, but they may sorely miss Van Dijk’s leadership during the summer showcase.

In other news, Liverpool are set to do battle with another Premier League club for this player’s signature.

Writing on Twitter, French journalist Loic Tanzi has lifted the lid on an emerging transfer development at West Ham United involving promising youngster Pierre Ekwah Elimby.

The Lowdown: Big summer ahead…

Following a 2020/2021 campaign which defied expectation, West Ham are now set to take to the market this summer as manager David Moyes aims to bolster his squad wherever possible.

This includes the acquisition of promising young players who can potentially break through into the senior squad and provide quality for years to come.

The Irons acquired one young starlet recently in the form of defender Frederik Alves, who signed in January, and the Dane has already been pictured training with the first team.

The Latest: Elimby ‘expected to sign with West Ham’

Now, lifting the lid on an emerging development, journalist Tanzi has dropped an enticing claim involving another eye-catching youngster in the form of Elimby.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-news/” title=”West Ham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, as explained on social media, the 19-year-old Chelsea man is now ‘expected to sign with West Ham’ after a trial with the Hammers in recent weeks.

The colossal 6 foot 2 teenager, as a result, will join the likes of Alves on a growing list of impressive prodigies at Rush Green.

The Verdict: Coup for the Hammers…

Details of the deal or contract length are unstated by the journalist, but West Ham may be about to acquire someone with real potential.

Over the course of his trial, Elimby has made just two Premier League 2 appearances for the Hammers’ Under-23s side but that has seemingly been enough to turn heads (Transfermarkt).

In that time, the defensive midfielder even managed to notch a goal – with the versatile Frenchman also capable of slotting in at centre-back (Transfermarkt).

While this won’t be the blockbuster transfer West Ham fans want at the London Stadium, this comes as an enticing development given Elimby’s promise.

In other news: West Ham in talks to finalise agreement for 24 y/o after extensive talks, find out more here.

A number of Liverpool fans want Takumi Minamino to leave the club this summer, having struggled to make his mark at Anfield.

The Japanese starlet signed for the Reds from RB Salzburg back in 2019/20 winter transfer window, after shining for the Austrian side alongside Erling Haaland.

The 26-year-old was particularly good in a Champions League clash at Anfield a few months before he arrived, scoring in an eventual 4-3 win for the Merseysiders.

That seemingly led to Jurgen Klopp acquiring his signature, but he has been a disappointment for Liverpool so far, scoring just four times in 31 appearances.

Minamino’s lack of impact saw him loaned out to Southampton in early February, but he has been limited to just six games, due to injury.

The forward has been talking about his future in an interview with Kyodo News, discussing his struggles at Liverpool and how difficult the first lockdown was, among other topics.

Liverpool fans fans Minamino to leave

Some Reds supporters provided their thoughts on Minamino’s future on Twitter, calling for him to move on at the end of the season as they simply don’t believe he is up to standard.

“He’s finished James, can’t believe Mr Laptop decided to sign him instead of Haaland”

Credit: @MQUTins

“Not good enough. Too weak and shy”

Credit: @cjeffs79

“It’s true that it was pointless to loan him out if he wasn’t going to be starting games more regularly, he might as well have stayed. Although, if he’s not impressing enough in training to get into Southampton’s team, was there any chance he’d get in ours?”

Credit: @tthegeeeez

“He deserves more. I’d sell and give him the chance to play”

Credit: @Styletix

“Feel sorry for him but just don’t think he’s good enough”

Credit: @jacksonismydog

“He will be sold this summer”

Credit: @allan_ynwa

In other news, some Liverpool fans have also been urging another Reds player to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.