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Things have been looking increasingly on the up for Celtic under the leadership of Ange Postecoglou in recent weeks at Parkhead, with the Hoops securing their first two away wins of the league season in their last couple of outings, as well as clinching a much-needed three points in Europe on Tuesday.

This impressive run would continue when St. Johnstone visited Parkhead on Saturday, with Celtic putting on an extremely dominant performance in the 2-0 win over the Lions – boasting 79% possession of the ball, completing 731 passes and creating three big chances.

Indeed, these are statistics that would suggest Ange-ball is finally beginning to pay dividends for the Bhoys, while the performance of Callum McGregor on Saturday afternoon highlights his importance within the 56-year-old manager’s system.

126 touches

After something of a shaky start to life under Postecoglou towards the beginning of the current campaign, McGregor has started to turn in consistently impressive performances in the heart of the Celtic midfield in recent weeks – with his performance against St. Johnstone being one of his best of the season so far.

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £6.3m-rated man enjoyed 126 touches of the ball, made 105 passes, attempted six long balls, completed one dribble and made two key passes.

The £20k-per-week central midfielder also won three of his five duels, made two tackles, two clearances and took four shots at the St. Johnstone goal.

These returns saw the player who Postecoglou dubbed “outstanding” earlier this season, earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.5, his joint second-highest rating received so far this season.

As such, if McGregor can maintain, or even improve on, this level of performance going forwards, Celtic will undoubtedly be in with a shout of reclaiming their Scottish Premiership crown come the end of the season – something that looks increasingly likely, with the Bhoys now just one point behind the league leaders.

In other news: Kyogo 2.0: Celtic nearing exciting deal for 18-goal machine, Postecoglou will love him

Leeds United missed out on the chance to sign Donny van de Beek and Harry Winks on deadline day, according to reliable journalist Graham Smyth.

The Lowdown: Quiet January for Leeds

The Whites may have hoped to get some significant January business done but that didn’t prove to be the case in the end, with no signings made last month. A lack of money seemingly put paid to that, with Marcelo Bielsa now having to make do with the squad he has between now and the end of the season.

A key claim has emerged regarding some potential late business, and it’s one which could frustrate Leeds fans.

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The Latest: Smyth makes big claim

Writing for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Smyth claimed that the Whites were offered the opportunity to bring in Van de Beek and Winks from Manchester United and Tottenham respectively, but they declined the chance. The journalist reported:

“Both of whom were made available to the Whites on loan for the rest of the season.

“The YEP understands that, after discussions with Bielsa, the club decided not to pursue those options. Signing players he did not feel were needed or attempting to operate on anything other than the same page as Bielsa would be, one suspects, a pointless and dysfunctional exercise.”

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The Verdict: Hugely frustrating

This is a hugely frustrating update to hear now that the transfer window is officially closed, with midfield an area which clearly needed strengthening in January. Kalvin Phillips’ continued absence is a big blow, while Adam Forshaw has also been sidelined and has had huge injury problems in the last couple of years.

It seems that Leeds simply didn’t sign Van de Beek or Winks for tactical reasons and the hope is that the decision doesn’t come back to haunt them in May, with a relegation battle still potentially on the cards.

In other news, a positive update regarding one Leeds hero has emerged. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a huge blow in their pursuit of Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, after Fabrizio Romano revealed on Twitter that the striker has signed a contract extension in Milan.

The Lowdown: Lautaro Martinez profiled

Regarded as one of the deadliest hitmen in the top five leagues in Europe, Martinez has had his fair share of admirers this summer, playing a key role in his sides’ Scudetto winning 2020/21 campaign.

Since joining the Italian outfit in 2018, he has notched 50 goals and 20 assists over 133 games for the Italian champions [Transfermarkt].

He has also been previously hailed as ‘spectacular’ by international team-mate Lionel Messi, lending credence to his ability to bury goal-scoring opportunities at will [Irish Examiner].

His next career steps now look to be settled, owing to an update from reliable transfer guru Romano.

The Latest: Romano drops latest on Martinez

Speaking to his 4.8 million followers on Twitter, Romano signified that the Argentina forward has reached an agreement to sign a new contract in Milan, ending the statement with “Lautaro stays – confirmed”.

Detailing interest in his services this window, the well-respected journalist also added that Tottenham and Atletico Madrid both previously bid €70m (£59.9 million) plus add-ons, in an attempt to prize Martinez away from Internazionale.

The Verdict: Losing out on Martinez may not be detrimental as Kane returns to the fold at Spurs

Despite seemingly losing out on their preferred target, there is plenty to be positive about currently as a Spurs supporter.

Although Martinez is a handful for any defence in the world, the news that talisman Harry Kane will be staying at N17 for the foreseeable future certainly softens the blow.

There are also many advantages from a financial standpoint. In a deal which would have likely shattered Tottenham’s transfer record, exceeding pressure would have been thrust on Martinez to hit the ground running in English football, with little notion of an adaptation period.

The Lilywhites may be better off focusing all of their energies into re-integrating Kane to the forefront of their starting line-up as opposed to pursuing Martinez, something that doesn’t seem to be going too badly after the England star’s brace against Pacos de Ferreira during the week.

In other news, Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a blow in a transfer chase. Find out more here.

With Lee Johnson having seen his Sunderland side lose their place at the top of the League One table following their 2-2 draw on Saturday, with Tuesday night’s opponents in the Carabao Cup Wigan Athletic overtaking the Black Cats in the league standing, the 40-year-old manager would have undoubtedly been hoping for a dominant performance against the Mackems’ promotion rivals in the cup clash.

And his players did not disappoint, with goals from Nathan Broadhead and Luke O’Nien sealing a commanding 2-0 win at the DW Stadium, with the Black Cats boasting 63% possession, completing 176 more passes than the home side and winning 11 more duels than the Latics.

Furthermore, perhaps predictably when considering the result, a number of Johnson’s team highly impressed on an individual level in the clash, with Broadhead, Alex Pritchard, Corry Evans and Bailey Wright all turning in brilliant performances.

However, it was undoubtedly Sunderland’s second goalscorer in the game, O’Nien, who ran the show on the night.

80% duels won

Indeed, aside from scoring the goal that all but sealed the win for Sunderland, O’Nien’s performance in the middle of the park was one of the highest calibre, with the central midfielder impressing both going forwards and at the back.

In terms of his attacking influence, the £135k-rated man scored one goal, took a total of two shots at goal, managed 76 touches of the ball – the fourth most of any player in the fixture – and completed four long balls.

Regarding his defending, the 26-year-old won 80% of his 10 duels, made three clearances, two tackles, one interception and won two fouls over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch.

These returns saw O’Nien earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.7, the highest score received by any player to feature in the game.

As such, should the player Jack Ross dubbed a “revelation” maintain this level of performance for the remainder of the season, he will undoubtedly go on to play a huge role in Sunderland’s push for promotion out of League One, something that, following their highly impressive display against the current third-tier table-toppers, looks increasingly likely.

In other news: Sunderland enter into fresh talks with £4.3k-p/w “nightmare”, fans will be buzzing

Celtic have been dealt a huge injury blow regarding Karamoko Dembele ahead of their upcoming Premiership fixture.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on his Instagram account (via Daily Record), the 18-year-old winger – who has been sidelined since Celtic’s pre-season tour of Wales – revealed that he has suffered a setback in his recovery from injury, having to undergo surgery on an ankle fracture, which will keep him out of action until at least the turn of the year.

Regarding his injury, the England under-18 international said: “Unfortunately I’ve had some problems with the healing process of my ankle fracture, so I’ve had to get surgery done. Back on the field soon!”

Fans will be gutted

Considering the sheer amount of potential Dembele seems to possess, the news that he looks set to remain sidelined until at least 2022 is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful gutted.

Indeed, the £225k-rated teenager had started to feature more regularly for the Bhoys towards the back end of last season, playing in three of the club’s last four fixtures of the 2020/21 Premiership season, in which the winger scored his first senior goal for the club in a 4-0 drubbing of St Johnstone.

Prior to his injury, Dembele was also heavily involved in Celtic’s pre-season fixtures, featuring in both the 2-1 win over Charlton Athletic – a game in which the 18-year-old opened the scoring for the Hoops – and the 0-0 draw with Bristol City.

However, following his recent update, it now looks as if the teenage forward will not only miss Saturday’s visit of St Johnstone but also many more fixtures before he makes his return to first team action. That will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Ange Postecoglou, who had admitted that he was looking forward to working with the youngster upon his arrival at Celtic this summer.

In other news: Ange makes approach for tough-tackling £3.2m sensation, Celtic fans will be buzzing

Aston Villa target Todd Cantwell could seek a move away from Norwich City if their form does not drastically improve by the turn of the year, according to Dean Windass.

The Canaries are back in the Premier League after sealing an immediate return thanks to clinching the Championship title last season.

But they have made an underwhelming start to the new campaign and suffered back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City.

The setback comes after seeing talisman Emiliano Buendia depart the club in favour of a club-record switch to Aston Villa despite playing a vital role in Norwich’s rise to the top flight.

It has looked as though Villa could return to Carrow Road for another of their key players, with Cantwell on boss Dean Smith’s radar.

While a move has failed to materialise so far, Windass believes Villa could look to seal a deal for the 23-year-old winger if Norwich are still struggling when the January transfer window opens.

The former Premier League striker exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “It’s one of those situations where you’ll know where Norwich will be by January. You’ll know whether they’re going to be in a relegation battle or sitting pretty in mid-table.

“I think January will be the only time that he will move if Norwich slump like they did in the Premier League before.”

Many Sunderland fans were left slamming the display of Tom Flanagan in their 3-3 draw away at Wycombe Wanderers in League One at Saturday lunchtime.

It was a great game between two promotion hopefuls, as Ross Stewart inspired the visitors to a point, but it could well have been more had Joe Jacobson not equalised deep into injury time.

Nonetheless, Flanagan would have been disappointed with his own individual performance having conceded three goals, and he also struggled in general, losing out on five of his duels, while he recorded fewer touches than his own goalkeeper Anthony Patterson (SofaScore).

He also gave possession away on no fewer than on 15 separate occasions in the match, the most out of any of his teammates, on a day that he will want to forget quickly.

Sunderland fans slam Flanagan

These Black Cats slammed his performance on Twitter, with one SAFC supporter even going as far as to claim that he was ‘awful’:

“I’m currently on my knees for Hoffman and Wright back I can’t cope watching Patterson and Flanagan”

Credit: @RyanC2408

“Please can we sack off Tom Flanagan man. He’s woeful.”

Credit: @mbalfour15

“Flanagan was awful!”

Credit: @smallbone66

“Doyle and Flanagan both embarrassing today. Pathetic”

Credit: @redman_aiden

“Tom Flanagan having a nightmare today.”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

“Flanagan has been poor today, lucky there.”

Credit: @sniff91

In other news, find out why Kevin Phillips thinks Sunderland were robbed here!

Celtic have seen numerous players make the move to Parkhead over recent years before making returns to their parent clubs.

One figure that had spent some time with the Hoops before becoming a regular squad player for his club is winger Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The Norwegian joined Celtic on loan from Premier League club Southampton in the 2019 summer transfer window.

In 22 appearances across all competitions in the 2019/20 season, the winger scored seven goals and provided six assists.

The 2020/21 season then saw the 27-year-old rack up 17 goals and eight assists in 45 appearances as a much more regular figure in the team.

Since returning to Southampton, things haven’t been as fruitful for the 27-year-old, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £59k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

Having played in 24 league games, Elyounoussi has only managed to find the back of the net on four occasions and provide just one assist in the process.

To highlight his lack of impact on the pitch going forward, out of the 40 shots at goal he’s had in the Premier League, only 16 of them have been on target.

As well as being nutmegged on three occasions, the attacker has lost 51 aerial duels compared to the 32 that he’s won, showing how much of a lightweight he can be.

In addition to his lack of regular goal contributions, which is something that Ralph Hasenhuttl would have been hoping to see from the winger after his time with Celtic, his overall performances haven’t been too eye-catching either.

According to WhoScored, the former Hoops loan signing is the tenth highest-rated player in Southampton’s squad with a rather uninspiring overall rating of 6.67.

Labelled as a “disappointment” during his time with the Bhoys by Chris Sutton, this is also what he has arguably been in England this season as well.

Back in June 2019 shortly before he joined Celtic, Transfermarkt rated the Norway international’s market value at £13.5m, whereas it now stands at £9m, highlighting a drop of £4.5m.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Celtic and Ange Postecoglou hit the jackpot by not looking to secure a permanent move for the Saints dud.

In other news: Ange handed huge boost as early Old Firm team news emerges, it’s great for Celtic

Steven Gerrard has enjoyed a successful start to his reign as Aston Villa manager. So much so that the 41-year-old has been nominated for Premier League Manager of the Month for November after wins against Brighton and Crystal Palace.

Despite an impressive second-half performance from Villa, the former Rangers boss suffered his first defeat since replacing Dean Smith in the Villa Park dugout as they lost 2-1 to Manchester City on Wednesday evening.

Next up, they host a Leicester City side that has certainly looked under par this season and currently sit three points above their Midlands rivals in tenth.

Brendan Rogers’ men have shown a particularly weak underbelly, conceding 25 goals in 14 Premier League games, a factor that Villa will look to exploit.

Gerrard will need his entire frontline fit and firing if they are to get a result against City, but there’s one man in particular who could prove the difference for the Villans: Emi Buendia.

You only have to go as far back as Wednesday night to see that Brendan Rodgers’ side seriously struggle to deal with crosses in the box. In their 2-2 draw against Southampton, both goals conceded came from crosses not dealt with, a well-worked set-piece and a ball in from the right flank.

This is where Buendia can shine on Sunday. The Argentine hasn’t had the best start to life at Villa Park since his £34.56m move from Norwich City, scoring and assisting just once in the Premier League. However, with fellow wide man Leon Bailey injured, the 24-year-old is almost certain to start.

According to SofaScore, Buendia has created just three big chances in 12 games and only averages 0.3 shots on target a match; this must change.

Granted, prior to Gerrard’s arrival, the entire Villa team looked toothless, losing five consecutive league games before the 41-year-old replaced his fellow countryman, Dean Smith, in the dugout.

The former Rangers boss has instilled an easy on the eye, attacking system in a short space of time, one that will surely benefit the £31.5m-rated man.

Last month, ex-Villa striker Darren Bent admitted that he was “still unconvinced by” after the 24-year-old’s slow start to life in the top-flight after a stellar season with Norwich in the Championship last term.

However, upon his departure from Carrow Road, the winger was labelled by then-Norwich manager Daniel Farke “outstanding”, which certainly was the case at the time.

Buendia was the second tiers best player on route to the Canaries title-winning campaign, scoring 15 goals and registering 17 assists in 39 appearances.

The talent is undoubtedly there, it just needs to be unleashed and a strong showing against the Foxes on Sunday afternoon could prove the trick. Judging by his attacking talents, he could terrify Rodgers and co.

Taking to Twitter, Foot Mercato journalist Sebastien Denis has broken some West Ham United transfer news involving RC Strasbourg striker Ludovic Ajorque.

The Lowdown: West Ham in striker hunt…

In perhaps the worst-kept secret of the January transfer window, Irons manager David Moyes and new transfer chief Rob Newman have their eyes firmly placed on bringing in a new striker alongside other additions.

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There have been plenty of names linked with a move to east London, including Flamengo’s Gabriel Barbosa and Blackburn’s Ben Brereton-Diaz, with Moyes and Newman seemingly looking under every rock.

The latter has been tasked with assisting West Ham in the transfer market after leaving his role of chief scout at Manchester City, coming with a big reputation from his time at Eastlands (The Athletic).

As of yet, the head of recruitment has been unsuccessful in clinching any West Ham deals, but he has now set his sights on a new target.

The Latest: Newman eyeing Ajorque…

According to French journalist Denis, West Ham and by extension Newman have set their sights on Strasbourg’s in-form talisman Ajorque amid their drawn-out search for centre-forward options.

The journalist explained on Twitter: “Looking for a 9 for many months, West Ham is interested in Ludovic Ajorque, the Strasbourg serial scorer, current 2nd top scorer in L1 with 10 goals.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

Reliable West Ham insider ExWHUemployee recently claimed that the Irons were looking for talent in Ligue 1, with the French top flight potentially becoming a solution for Newman (West Ham Way).

It is therefore no surprise to see another name from France linked with a move to West Ham, but going by his numbers, Ajorque could be a shrewd option.

Alongside his impressive strike rate this season, the 27-year-old has notched an impressive total of 79 senior career goals and is an imposing threat going forward.

Compared to West Ham’s current squad, the towering 6 foot 5 striker has averaged a colossal 3.7 aerial duels won per 90 over 17 league starts – far more than any Irons player this season (WhoScored).

An aerial threat and proven in front of goal, it’s little wonder the Hammers and Newman now hold an interest in Ajorque.

In other news: West Ham source: Newman also moves to sign ‘devastating’ forward after price plummets by £32m, find out more here.