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A season involving Celtic is usually full of unrelenting drama to keep you on the edge of your seat. Over the last decade, it’s because of unparalleled success at Parkhead.

This term, however, it’s been because of the disastrous season they’ve played out. They were knocked out of the Champions League and then the Europa League without so much of a whimper, while the less said about the Premiership the better.

The Hoops have lost their grasp on the title to Rangers and Neil Lennon has departed his job as a consequence.

It has been a torrid campaign, one which has involved mass protests from the Green Brigade outside Celtic Park. The hierarchy has been questioned and it has led to Peter Lawwell deciding to retire. One man who won’t leave his post behind, however, is Dermot Desmond.

Celtic’s majority shareholder admitted this week that were was zero chance of him selling his shares. However, his place towards the top of the food chain could be questioned not only by supporters but also the players in the summer.

That’s because the Bhoys are trying to hire Roy Keane as their next manager. Discussions and even an interview are reported to have taken place, which has left some of the fanbase rather riled. That’s according to Celtic podcaster Paul John Dykes, anyway.

Unfortunately, it might not be a popular appointment with the playing staff, either.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-boupendza-mcgeady-marsch-mccarthy” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Speaking to Football Insider this week, Alex McLeish suggested that the players may actually want John Kennedy put in permanent charge rather than Keane. He suggested that Desmond should consult those who will actually train under the new coach before making a decision.

“If they see enough and get enough feedback from the players in there, they might say: ‘Kennedy’s the right man for us Dermot.’ To the other people on the board: ‘We really love working with John and believe he can take us forward.’ 

“You have to get the players’ ears as well. They’ve worked under Lennon, Brendan Rodgers.

“The fact they worked under Brendan, they’ll be looking for those kinds of standards. The players will judge John Kennedy against those legendary names.”

If this is the case, then it could lead to a lot of unhappy faces if Keane walks through the door.

Of course, the playing staff will just have to get on with their jobs, but it may lead to more average performances and even more mediocrity.

The last thing Desmond needs now is a playing staff revolt. He has already seen the fans protest at various points throughout the season; he cannot afford to let that stem to those on the field of play.

AND in other news, 4 dribbles, 4 key passes: Keane surely licking his lips at Celtic star’s int’l display…

Many Liverpool fans have been reacting to comments made by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville regarding midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.The future of the 30-year-old has been a major talking point during the 2020/21 campaign with his contract due to expire at the end of June and no signs of progress in talks between the two parties.Despite this, Neville answered a question from a football fan on Twitter as to who is the most underrated player in the Premier League, to which he singled out the Netherlands international.Wijnaldum has scored 22 goals and provided 16 assists from 222 appearances so far for the Reds and stole the headlines during his side’s unforgettable 4-0 win against Barcelona in 2019.Despite supporters being torn on whether they would want to see Wijnaldum depart from Anfield, these fans were keen to see him sign an extended deal and made their feelings clear to Anfield Watch on social media.Gary Neville earns Anfield plaudits”Totally agree”Credit: @MakhasiO”Truth….when you watch games, some may rank him down at the bottom of the squad each game, but tactically with what he offers, he’d be one of the last I’d take off the field. Class.”Credit: @tfp6″Would love a last-minute contract signature for this man, what a player”Credit: @CalumFlanagan88″He isn’t wrong”Credit: @LFC_IBYY”Not often I agree with him, but on this occasion, he’s bang on! He wants £40m over 4 yrs. get it done @LFC”Credit: @JakeJonTaylor”He is correct”Credit: @randon_brandonIn other news, Liverpool fans reacted furiously to Paul Joyce’s update on social media.

Several Aston Villa supporters have been giving their thoughts to Manchester United’s interest in goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez on social media.

According to Football Insider sources, United are lining up a blockbuster offer for the Argentine this summer.

The Red Devils are reportedly looking to bring in two new goalkeepers in a major overhaul, with Martinez top of their wishlist.

Martinez’s impressive Villa form

Martinez is under contract at Villa Park until 2024 and has impressed this season, keeping 14 Premier League clean sheets – only Manchester City’s Ederson has more 2020/21 shutouts.

He’s been handed regular game time in the Premier League for the first time in his career under Dean Smith and is just 12 Villa appearances shy of going past his Arsenal tally of 37, which came across a 10-year period.

Villa fans react

The Mirror relayed Football Insider’s report and shared it on Twitter on Thursday morning.

As to be expected, the post received plenty of interaction from numerous Villa fans. This is what they had to say…

“Man United = obsessed with villas players”

Credit: @AVFC_Bailey

“Wouldn’t be stupid enough to make that move”

Credit: @TheVillaHome

“Absolute rubbish! Got Henderson on a 4 year contract who they see as a long term number one. Media just trying to sell our best players again because we’re not in the “Big 6″”

Credit: @JackJenningss_

“Fancy a laugh then read this. Absolute jokers. Looks like £250m incoming from United then this summer for Grealish Mings and Emi. Will Chuck you El Ghazi in for free”

Credit: @TheRealCaptin78

“Dream on United. First Jack, now Emi?”

Credit: @andrewstone85

“Hi @ManUtd are you obsessed with us? Xxxx”

Credit: @amyjoy11_

In other news: Many Villa fans fume as comments from one man on Jack Grealish emerge, find out more here. 

Jean Philippe-Mateta will likely be thrown straight into Crystal Palace’s first team for the Premier League clash with Wolves at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

Roy Hodgson confirmed Mateta has been training with his teammates following his high-profile move from Mainz and it looks like he could be in line to link up with Wilfried Zaha upfront.

Palace played a strong side for their midweek defeat to West Ham, which they lost courtesy of a brace from Tomas Soucek. The Eagles have now lost nine of their past 10 games in all competitions, although most of the starters should keep their places, with Hodgson left to decide which of Jordan Ayew, Christian Benteke, Michy Batshuayi or Mateta to pick alongside Zaha in attack.

With that in mind, here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up, which sees Hodgson make three changes to the defeat to West Ham.

Hodgson has some decisions to make after clearly being left frustrated by their abject first half performance against West Ham. Despite this, Vicente Guaita will keep the gloves, which means Jack Butland will have to settle for a place on the bench at Selhurst Park.

The Palace boss will probably go with a largely unchanged back four from the defeat to David Moyes’ side, with Nathaniel Clyne the only change replacing Joel Ward at right-back.

Palace are of course without the injured James Tomkins, who has been ruled out due to an eye injury he sustained during first-team training.

Jairo Riedewald could be handed a rare start against Wolves, despite the left-footed midfielder being restricted to ten top-flight appearances as a substitute this season.

Hodgson dropped a strong hint in his press conference that Mateta could start against Wolves, though it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him start from the bench.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson dealt James Tomkins injury blow before Wolves clash…

Carlo Ancelotti should urge Everton to sign Keven Schlotterbeck amid claims Goodison Park is a potential destination for the SC Freiburg defender.

What’s the word?

According to Bild journalist Christian Falk, the Toffees have become aware of Schlotterbeck following a strong run in Christian Streich’s backline at the Schwarzwald-Stadion this season.

The 23-year-old centre-back is expected to be an inexpensive option in the summer market, and is considered as the next Bundesliga star to earn Premier League interest after Leeds signed Robin Koch for £13m last year.

Schlotterbeck returned to Freiburg after spending the 2019/20 season on loan with 1. FC Union Berlin to replace Koch at the Schwarzwald-Stadion, and has since started 13 of his 14 Bundesliga appearances after being inserted into Streich’s plans in November.

Freiburg had won just one of their initial eight German top-flight fixtures before Schlotterbeck made his first start of the term, but have since won seven of the following 12 while keeping three clean sheets to move up to eighth in the table.

Oliver Ruhnert, Union Berlin’s Director of Football, vastly rated Schlotterbeck’s talents for the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei side, noting: “Schlotterbeck is an excellent fit for our central-defender profile.

“He is young, highly talented and has already proven his skills at the highest level in the Bundesliga.”

Should Everton sign Schlotterbeck?

If Schlotterbeck is available for a similar fee to what Leeds paid Freiburg for Koch last summer, Ancelotti should absolutely urge Farhad Moshiri to fund a pursuit by Everton.

Schlotterbeck’s presence in Streich’s backline inspired a seismic change of fortunes for Breisgau-Brasilianer earlier this season, and has helped to inspire Bundesliga victories over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund plus draws with Borussia Monchengladbach and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Ancelotti could form an imperious wall in front of the Everton goal if the Italian were to sign Schlotterbeck, as his efforts in Germany have often been at a higher level than what the Toffees have seen in the Premier League from Yerry Mina and Michael Keane in an array of aspects.

Freiburg fans have seen Schlotterbeck offer Streich 1.4 successful tackles a game in the Bundesliga this term, compared to the one Blues fans see from Mina and 0.8 from Keane in the English top-flight thus far, per SofaScore.

Schlotterbeck also offers more interceptions (2) than all Everton defenders (Ben Godfrey, 1.6, offers the most), clearances (5.2, Mina offers a team-high 4.7) and significantly more ground duels won (3.2) than Mina (1.7) or Keane (0.9).

Though Schlotterbeck lacks in the air with 1.9 contests won per game to Mina (3.3) – only Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 4.5 is higher at Goodison Park.

But Ancelotti can make up for Schlotterbeck’s shortfalls in the air by playing the 6 ft 2 centre-half beside Mina, in what could prove to be an ideal defensive partnership.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring an “exciting” teen prospect Carlo Ancelotti could sign for free…

According to OkDiario, Real Madrid are interesting in signing Son Heung-Min from Tottenham Hotspur, sitting just behind Kylian Mbappe on their list of targets.

Real want Son

Valued at £81m by Transfermarkt, Son has been in fantastic form for Spurs so far this campaign, managing 16 goals and eight assists in all competitions.

As such, this has attracted the interest of 13-time European champions Real. The South Korea international’s goalscoring improvement has led the Spanish side to believe that he could be a successor to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Blow for Spurs

Son may have taken his game to another level this campaign – Jose Mourinho called him “world-class” earlier this season – but he has been a star for the Lilywhites ever since he made the move from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. So far, he has managed 101 goals in all competitions for the club, and he is a menace for many an opposition defence.

Daniel Levy will be desperate to keep him in north London for as long as possible, but it will be impossible for him to ignore the advances of Real if they make a concrete move. Son, too, would like need to consider the offer to leave his current club – after all, the chances of success in Madrid are higher than they are at Tottenham. With Madrid also eyeing other targets such as Erling Haaland and Mbappe, Levy will be hoping they add another “Galactico” from elsewhere.

In other news, Tottenham have been tipped to make a move for this Premier League rival.

According to The Evening Standard, Arsenal are interested in Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell.

What’s the word?

Having excelled for Palace’s development squads in the 2017/18 season, Mitchell has really broke onto the scene at Selhurst Park.

In Patrick van Aanholt’s absence, Roy Hodgson took a shining to the left-footed defender and was duly rewarded after he made his Premier League debut against Leicester City last year.

The 20-year-old has impressed since the start of this season with a WhoScored rating of 6.58, the ninth-best out of all Palace players and more than than Van Aanholt overall – bettered by the likes of established regular starters Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha.

Arsenal’s interest will come as no surprise to Palace fans given their mixed bag of results this season but the potential loss of Mitchell would be a devastating blow for the Eagles boss.

Stand firm

Whilst Wilfried Zaha has been heavily linked with the Selhurst Park exit in recent months, losing a young prospect in Mitchell would arguably be just as significant.

Of course, when the big guns come calling it can prove to be rather difficult to ignore such a tempting offer.

Mitchell’s defensive awareness on the left-hand side of the defence will no doubt have piqued the interest of those courting the London-born left-back.

While some modern-day full-backs like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James will look to bring the ball out from the back and bring others into play, Mitchell is prepared to the dirty work, as shown by his willingness to throw himself into a tackle (or two), as he currently averages 3.4 tackles per game in the Premier League this season.

This is also the best of all defenders in the squad and is indeed the highest amount of tackles by any Palace player overall, ahead of the likes of James McArthur, Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne.

He also boasts a fine positional awareness, relying his speed, guile and cunning to limit goalscoring opportunities and break up attacks at the back, as evidenced in his 2.9 clearances and 1.1 interceptions per match since the start of the season.

It’s no wonder, then, that Hodgson has dubbed him an “excellent” colossus, with his former U16s coach Anthony Hayes even describing him as something akin to a “silent assassin.”

Steve Parish now needs to take note as this is precisely why he simply can’t afford to lose the £4.5m-rated ace. He’s too important to their chances of guaranteeing Premier League survival this season.

AND in other news, Steve Parish made a big call by signing Mainz striker Jean-Philippe Mateta on loan…

Speaking in a press conference as his side prepare to take on LASK in the Europa League, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed the late return of Davinson Sanchez who ‘will play’ this evening – coming after he was left out in favour of Joe Rodon against Chelsea.

Sanchez, whose return to the squad could come as a boost for Spurs given Rodon is ineligible to play in the Europa League, will replace the recovering Toby Alderweireld, who won’t be fit in time for this encounter.

Sanchez return confirmed

Indeed, as the Belgian made a surprise return to training yesterday, Mourinho has explained the match tonight comes too soon for him to make a return – admitting there is a ‘chance’ he could feature against Arsenal in the north London derby.

For now, Mourinho has confirmed the boost of Sanchez’ return as his centre-back options potentially grow thin – with Rodon ineligible and Alderweireld still working to get back to 100% fitness.

The Colombian, valued at £40.5 million by Transfermarkt, is coming in to potentially provide cover at centre-half as he, Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga remain as Mourinho’s only available centre-back options.

Transfer Tavern take

Spurs only need a point tonight to qualify for the knockout stages as Mourinho aims to guide his side to potential European glory in a competition he has already won twice before, one with Porto in 2003 and once win Manchester United in 2017.

Described as a ‘beast’ by ex-manager and former fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino, the Lilywhites could do with Sanchez’ return tonight as they aim to secure a place in the Round of 32.

In other news: Jose Mourinho is ‘excited’ after this ‘incredible’ Spurs development, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Dean Windass has tipped Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish to walk into Manchester City’s starting line-up tomorrow.

The former Hull City and Middlesbrough striker believes Pep Guardiola’s Citizens, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur are the only clubs Grealish would leave the Villans for, as Manchester United would refuse to meet the asking price set by Villa’s owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.

Villa recently increased their valuation of Grealish to £100m and set a marker for any potential suitor to make the five-cap England international the most expensive British player in history, after he penned a new, five-year contract.

The 25-year-old has endured a troubled week after being banned from driving for nine months and fined more than £80,000 after pleading guilty to two motoring offences.

Windass would not hold the incidents against Grealish, and firmly believes Sawiris and Edens are well within their rights to demand a British record fee for the midfielder.

He told FFC:

“Yeah, in today’s market, forget about what he’s done off the field, we all make mistakes, I’ve been there and worn the t-shirt.

“But he’s a talent, local boy, he loves the club, he’s going to make mistakes he’s a young boy, he’s a young kid, and these young kids just need reminding every now and then.

“They’re on that much money now that the world is their oyster. Yeah, he’s been done drink driving, and now he’s paid the price, does it really hurt players nowadays that they’ve been done drink driving? You can afford to get a driver, it’s not as if they’ve got to get the bus.

“It’s wrong what he did, he’ll pay that price, and you’ve got to learn from it. We’ve all got learn from mistakes. I’ve been there. You learn from mistakes, and Dean [Smith]’s probably good for him, pull him to the side [and say] let your football do the talking and stop doing daft things off the field. But he’ll learn from that.

“But £100m, I think it was £80m before he signed his contract, he had an £80m clause in his contract. So £100m is a fair valuation now without a shadow of a doubt.

“He could go in Man City’s team tomorrow, and he’d be a good player. That’s the only teams he would go to, Liverpool or Man City or Tottenham. Manchester United would sign him tomorrow, but they won’t pay £100m.”

Grealish has been in outstanding form under Smith this season, providing five goals and six assists in 11 Premier League games ahead of the Birmingham-based outfit facing West Bromwich Albion on Sunday night.

Manchester United were linked with a potential move for the midfield maestro in the summer but baulked at Aston Villa’s £80m asking price, with Executive Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward adamant that the figure in question was unrealistic.

Any move by the Red Devils would now likely face competition from their Etihad Stadium neighbours, with Guardiola said to have discussed a move for the 25-year-old with Kevin de Bruyne after marking Grealish as his top target.

AND in other news, Sold for £1.5m, now a PL winner: MCFC made a big mistake selling “world class” leader…

Tottenham Hotspur must regret it. The player must certainly regret it. Perhaps the north Londoners missed a final piece of the jigsaw this summer transfer window…

What was the word?

There is an argument to be made that Spurs are yet to fully replace Christian Eriksen following his departure back in January.

Yes, we’re finally seeing a breakthrough for Tanguy Ndombele but neither he nor Giovani Lo Celso looks to be the complete creative threat from attacking midfield. The Dane scored and assisted goals for fun in N17, contributing to a total of 158 goals in 305 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

Perhaps they were looking at his ideal successor in former Ajax sensation Donny van de Beek, who subsequently joined Premier League rivals Manchester United in a £40m deal.

According to the Mirror, the Red Devils succeeded with a last-gasp bid to clinch the 23-year-old ahead of Spurs. There were even claims that Dutch teammate Steven Bergwijn tried to convince him to sign.

One that got away?

Van de Beek seemed to be the ideal player to fill that creative void.

Lo Celso has only scored four and assisted three, failing to average over 1.4 key passes per game in any competition, since arriving last summer whilst Ndombele has contributed to eight goals, managing no more than 1.3 key passes per game in any league.

For the Eredivisie champions, the 23-year-old scored at least eight goals and assisted at least five goals in every Dutch top-flight campaign since 2017/18, via WhoScored.

This is very much in the same ilk as Eriksen, who never six goals in any Premier League campaign and only dipped below nine assists twice, per Transfermarkt.

During his final season at the Johan Cruyff Arena, van de Beek averaged 1.8 key passes, a career-best number.

Amid interest from Juventus, former youth coach Brandon Roy waxed lyrical over his talents, and said: “Physically he has always been devastating, since he knows how to attack and defend with the same skill. He was very shy but already smart on the playing field. He is a total footballer, offensive runs are one of his great specialities.”

Spurs have relied heavily on the exploits of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane already this season – the pair have combined for 13 goals in the Premier League already, which is a new record.

Someone like van de Beek in the hole would have been absolutely perfect for Mourinho. Instead, he’s slaving away on the bench at Old Trafford.

Not only should Daniel Levy rue the late steal from United, but the player too as he was never going to start ahead of Bruno Fernandes.

AND in other news, £80k-per-week Spurs star was absolutely anonymous vs Burnley…