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Transfer insider Pete O’Rourke has revealed that Celtic are “looking” to sign a new central midfielder, despite Ange Postecoglou’s recent comments.

What’s the story?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “Celtic, back to the drawing board looking for a central midfielder.

“So, despite what Ange said, that they weren’t in the market for any new faces, I think if a midfielder does come up, and he fits what Celtic are looking for, I would think Celtic will try and bring one in before the close of the window.”

Exciting transfer twist for Celtic fans

Speaking just last week, Postecoglou said: “As we speak right now, there are no other offers or people I have spoken to. So the 20 names that come out tomorrow are all lies or fabrications. Or they’re from people at home bored and Googling names and throwing them up there, or agents trying to get a little more value for their clients.

“I can’t be any clearer than that, and what I won’t do is lie. There’s no one else we’re talking to, there’s no other offers, no one else I’m showing interest in. If that changes, I’ll let you know.”

The Hoops boss was very insistent that the club seemed to have no plans to strengthen further in this January window, and that might have just deflated fans a little.

However, O’Rourke’s revelation that the Scottish giants are still in the market and are looking for a new central midfielder is sure to have the Celtic faithful excited about what could potentially happen over the final few days of the transfer window.

The revelation that the club have their eyes open and haven’t just firmly shut the door on any new signings is a welcome one, and there could well be some late developments for Celtic fans to anticipate despite what their manager recently said.

Meanwhile, Celtic could strike gold with a move for this Ligue 1 star…

Aston Villa have been one of the clubs linked with a January loan move for PSG midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, with the Dutchman struggling for game time in Paris.

What’s the story?

After a transfer to Spanish giants Barcelona fell through during the summer, Wijnaldum opted to go to France and join PSG after his contract at Liverpool expired.

However, the 31-year-old has only managed to accumulate 949 minutes of football this season under Mauricio Pochetinno, who once labelled the £27m-rated midfielder as “aggressive”.

According to 90min, the former Liverpool star has been linked with an array of Premier League clubs, including Newcastle, Everton and Aston Villa with the Parisians reportedly willing to allow the Netherlands international to go on loan in January in a quest for minutes.

The major implication to any deal going through is the fact that Wijnaldum is reportedly earning over £300k-per-week, meaning that the French giants would have to cover a significant proportion of his salary if he was to play elsewhere for the remainder of the season.

Imagine him & McGinn

It has already been reported that the Villans plan to invest heavily and Steven Gerrard will be assessing his squad over the coming weeks to identify areas for improvement.

The 41-year-old appears to have found his preferred midfield trio for the time being, with John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba all starting together in the last three games.

McGinn in particular has been a stand out performer under the Englishman scoring in the 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace and has averaged a 7.62 match rating under Gerrard, according to SofaScore.

The Scotsman has been linked with a £50m move to Manchester United with new manager Ralf Rangnick looking to “inject energy” into his team. It’s easy to see why he’d be a good addition for anyone, let alone Villa after he was described as “unbeatable” by Ryan Babel.

The Dutchman has amassed a pass success rate of 89.5% proving his ability to keep things ticking over with a measured approach in the middle of the park which combined with McGinn’s dynamic and bullish approach would be quite the sight.

Should McGinn stay and Wijnaldum join, the Villans would certainly mean business with a mouth-watering midfield with one of either Luiz or Nakamba likely to fill the third place in the middle.

Furthermore, if Villa were able to land such a deal, it would prove a major statement of intent from the West Midlands club, with Villa seven points off of the top six.

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Albert Gudmundsson to Parkhead.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that Ange Postecoglou’s side are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the AZ Alkmaar winger, who is out of contract at the end of the current campaign.

However, the report goes on to state that Celtic are not the only Premiership side keeping tabs on the 24-year-old forward, with the club’s Old Firm rivals also believed to be interested in a move for the Iceland international, while a number of other top sides across Europe are also thought to be monitoring the situation of Gudmundsson.

Bye-bye Ajeti

Considering just how impressive Gudmundsson has been for AZ Alkmaar in recent seasons, should Celtic be able to secure a deal for the versatile winger, it would undoubtedly be a massive coup for Postecoglou and his side – particularly if he were to arrive at Parkhead on a free transfer.

Indeed, over his 26 Eredivisie appearances in the club’s 2020/21 campaign, the £3.6m-rated man scored seven goals, registered four assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.2 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

These returns saw the 24-year-old – who can play anywhere across the front three, in addition to central and attacking midfield – earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as AZ’s eighth-best performer in the top flight of Dutch football.

Meanwhile, over the £1.9k-per-week forward’s 16 league outings this season, Gudmundsson has already bagged four goals, provided one assist and created three big chances, as well as making an average of 0.9 key passes and taking 1.2 shots per fixture.

These returns have seen the 29-time capped international average a SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as his side’s ninth-best player in the Eredivisie.

As such, it is clear that a player who carries both the goalscoring threat and creativity of the winger would make a fantastic addition to Postecoglou’s current options in attack, while his potential arrival would very much appear to spell the end for the £18k-per-week Albian Ajeti.

Indeed, the player who Neil Lennon signed for £5m back in the summer of 2020 has been labelled a “problem” by Packie Bonner, and looks to be heading for an exit from Glasgow in the not too distant future – something which the arrival of Gudmundsson would all but confirm.

In other news: Forget Forrest: Ange must unleash 19 y/o Celtic gem who’s been “bright” at Lennoxtown

Many Nottingham Forest fans have been left slamming the display of Lyle Taylor in their 0-0 draw to Luton Town in the Championship on Tuesday night.

The striker endured yet another frustrating game in a Forest shirt, as he could not add to the three goals that he has only managed to score so far this season, and was subsequently hauled off in the 65th minute for Tobias Figueiredo.

Taylor did not put much of a fight up top, losing out on all six of his duels, as he also failed to record a single shot on target, dribble or key pass in the match, losing possession of the ball five times and even picking himself up an early booking midway through the first half (SofaScore).

Nottingham Forest fans on Taylor display

These members of the City Ground faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one NFFC supporter even going as far as to claim that he is ‘dreadful’:

“Taylor really is a terrible striker. Tonight demonstrated how the poor depth of the squad is, when you see Taylor, Bong and Cafu on the pitch.”

Credit: @_mrjoey

“If only Lyle Taylor’s arrogance translated to him being a half decent footballer…”

Credit: @95Redss

“Drop your main striker to play a team we aren’t going to probably beat regardless then fail to beat Luton. I will never understand the logic. If Grabban was on that pitch that a different game. Taylor is dreadful”

Credit: @Bobisyour

“Lyle Taylor once again proves to me yet again that he is League One at best”

Credit: @stekallen

“The only thing Taylor has done right is pretend to be injured so we can make the sub”

Credit: @ruddred

“Swap Taylor for Grabban so we can stop playing with 10 men”

Credit: @mikewood77

In other news, find out whose display against Reading was slammed here!

Crystal Palace will be hoping to end their three-game winless run when they take on Manchester United in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Eagles have followed up an entertaining 3-3 draw at Burnley with consecutive defeats against Aston Villa and Leeds United in the last few days after making a very promising start to the current campaign.

Patrick Vieira is once again expected to be without key duo James McArthur and Joachim Andersen due to their respective injury issues, but he could still be confident of securing a positive result.

Palace have already pulled off shock victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City this season, showcasing their ability to cause an upset on Sunday.

Their opponents will be boosted by having new manager Ralf Rangnick in the dugout for the first time, though, and Vieira may err on the side of caution in this intriguing clash.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the 45-year-old to line up at Old Trafford, with just one change from the side which started last time out against Leeds…

Vicente Guaita will keep his place between the sticks for this one, and the Spanish goalkeeper will be looking for a clean sheet after Raphinha’s injury-time penalty denied him one in midweek.

Ahead of the 34-year-old shot-stopper will be a back four made up of Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guehi, James Tomkins and Joel Ward, with Andersen’s thigh problem keeping him on the sidelines.

Vieira’s engine room selection could have a considerable bearing over proceedings, and we fancy him to opt for the experienced and more defensive-minded Luka Milivojevic over the £8.1m-rated Jeffrey Schlupp.

Conor Gallagher and Cheikhou Kouyaté are expected to partner the club captain in the middle of the park , providing a solid foundation for the forward line from which to build.

Completing the starting XI should be a front three of Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Edouard, with the summer signing just getting the nod over Christian Benteke once again, perhaps due to the Belgian’s shocking and ultimately costly miss at Elland Road.

In other news… Palace could seal dream deal in “outstanding” 25 y/o wizard with “the world at his feet”

Wolves are interested in signing Atletico Mineiro left-back Guilherme Arana in the January transfer window, according to journalist Ekrem Konur.

The Lowdown: Wolves still without Jonny

Bruno Lages’s men have recovered impressively from a disappointing start to the season and now sit 11th in the Premier League, picking up three wins from their last four matches.

While Wolves’ squad looks relatively strong, signing a new left-back could be a priority in January, with Jonny still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury and no certainty he will return the same player.

The Latest: Arana linked with move

According to Konur on Twitter on Monday, Wolves have added Arana ‘to their transfer list’ and ‘plan to talk’ to his club about a move in January.

The 24-year-old has one cap to his name for Brazil, also scoring nine goals and registering 15 assists in 81 appearances for Mineiro.

The Verdict: Exciting acquisition?

Arana is a relative unknown to European fans, even though he played 25 times for Sevilla earlier in his career, but he could be an exciting signing for Wolves.

His aforementioned statistics suggest he provides a goal threat from left-back, whether it be through creating or scoring himself, and he is at a good age, in terms of his peak hopefully still being yet to come.

Arana could thrive at wing-back if Lage continues to play a three-man defence, too, with his versatility an added bonus.

In other news, one player has been linked with a return to Wolves. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham winger Jack Clarke is attracting interest from a number of Championship sides ahead of the January window, according to TEAMtalk.

The Lowdown: Clarke impressed Mourinho…

Clarke, described as a player with ‘huge talent’, made the move to north London from Leeds United back in 2019 for £9.9m when Mauricio Pochettino was still in charge.

He’s spent time out on loan at three Championship clubs since signing, most recently Stoke City, and has made just four senior Spurs appearances.

Clarke, who will turn 21 later this month, ‘really’ impressed Jose Mourinho during his time in charge, but it appears as if he could be heading out in the New Year following Antonio Conte’s arrival.

The Latest: Four clubs interested

TEAMtalk shared a story regarding Clarke on Thursday morning, claiming four second-tier sides are interested in his services.

They suggest that Barnsley, Derby County, Luton Town and Millwall are keen on a winter window swoop.

The Verdict: Time running out?

The same site has recently suggested that Spurs are leading the way for Fulham youngster Fabio Carvalho, who can also play out wide, so time may well be running out for Clarke in north London with a possible replacement already on the shopping list.

Labelled as a player with very deceptive speed, Clarke has struggled to break into a Spurs side under multiple managers and now has just 18 months remaining on his contract.

On that basis, you’d think Spurs may well make a firm call one way or the other in the summer when Clarke enters the final 12 months of his deal, and at this moment in time, you’d say it’s not looking good for him.

In other news: Ball lost 38 times, 0 crosses, just 3 tackles: 3 Spurs players struggled in Conte’s first game. 

Newcastle United are now reportedly targeting a move for Mauro Icardi after the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium went through.

The Lowdown: Game time limited

The 28-year-old is currently enduring a tough time at Paris Saint-Germain, where he has seen his game-time becoming limited following the arrival of Lionel Messi from Barcelona.

Icardi has only managed to play the full 90 minutes on two separate occasions so far this season, with many of his appearances coming as a substitute.

The Latest: Icardi targeted

As per Calciomercato, Newcastle are now targeting a move for Icardi ahead of the January transfer window coming up.

However, they will reportedly face competition from both Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus for his signature.

The Verdict: Sign

As money is no object to the new owners, the Tyneside club should be looking to sign the £31.5m-rated Icardi. He should be relatively easy to acquire given his lack of game-time at PSG, and he may be a player who they would consider selling for the right price.

At 28 years of age, the Argentina international is a goalscorer in his prime, and with no fewer than 172 senior goals to his name for club and country combined, he certainly knows how to find the back of the net.

The striker would certainly be a statement signing which should hopefully persuade other global stars to follow him to St James’ Park.

In other news, find out which ‘phenomenal’ ace Newcastle are also eyeing

Rangers are set to host Aberdeen at Ibrox tonight as they look to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

The Gers are three points clear as it stands after beating St Mirren 2-1 on Sunday to overtake Hearts. Steven Gerrard’s side went 1-0 down early on, but goals from Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos secured the win for the away side.

Whilst Gerrard will be delighted with his team’s ability to come back from behind, it was far from a perfect performance and he could be tempted to make some changes to his XI for this clash with Aberdeen.

One player the head coach must ruthlessly axe from the team is left-back Borna Barisic.

The Croatian international should be dropped to give Calvin Bassey the opportunity to show that he can produce a better display than the one Barisic managed against St Mirren on Sunday.

As per SofaScore, the full-back recorded a rating of 6.5 in the match as he put in a shocking showing for the Gers at left-back.

He lost 66.6% of his nine individual duels on the pitch and was dribbled past as many times as he completed tackles (two), as he struggled badly defensively. The lightweight also lost possession of the ball 18 times as he failed with seven of his nine attempted crosses.

This is why the £18k-per-week dud does not deserve to keep his place in the side against Aberdeen. Gerrard knows that Bassey has the quality to come in and produce a top-class display, which is another reason why he could be tempted to axe the 28-year-old.

The Nigerian international has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.10 in four Premiership appearances this season.

He has won 63% of his duels and only been dribbled past 0.3 times per match, to go along with his 2.5 tackles and interceptions combined. The ex-Leicester man has shown that he is a reliable, viable, option for the manager to call upon at left-back or centre-back.

This suggests that he has the potential to come in and perform to a higher standard than the level shown by Barisic against St. Mirren.

Resting the Croatian for this match could also allow him to get himself fully prepared for the match against Motherwell on Sunday, with rotation – along with form – an important part of Gerrard’s team selection decisions.

AND in other news, Rangers fumbled the ball with decision on “irreplaceable” £25k-p/w “all-round player”…

Manchester City will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight games as they face PSG in Paris tonight.

City travel to France to play PSG in the Champions League, having won six of their last seven matches. Pep Guardiola’s side have not been beaten since their opening day Premier League defeat to Tottenham, with their most recent success coming against Chelsea.

The Cityzens beat Thomas Tuchel’s side 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, thanks to a deflected winner from Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus.

How many changes will Pep make from the win over Chelsea? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to his team, with Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres and John Stones coming in.

The first change we believe could be made is John Stones in at centre-back for Aymeric Laporte. Stones is still awaiting his first appearance of the season and is now back fit after injury, which could tempt Guardiola to hand him some much-needed minutes against PSG.

He proved last season that he has the quality and consistency to be a huge player for the club. The England international averaged a terrific SofaScore rating of 7.22 in the Premier League as City kept 14 clean sheets in the 22 league matches he started.

It would also give Laporte a rest ahead of a big Premier League clash with Liverpool at the weekend. Rest and rotation are important with a sizeable squad to maintain fitness levels and keep everyone on their toes, which is why this change could make sense.

There could also be two changes to the front three, with Phil Foden and Jack Grealish being axed from the XI. We published an article earlier this week explaining why Torres should return to the team with Foden dropping out, due to the Englishman’s performance against Chelsea.

However, we also believe that Sterling could be given a chance to strut his stuff instead of Grealish. The summer signing from Aston Villa has been wasteful in front of goal in the Premier League, missing a ‘big chance’ and taking three shots without scoring against Chelsea.

Sterling has scored 10 or more Premier League goals in each of the past four seasons for City and has proven over time that he can find the back of the net on a regular basis. This is why he should come in for Grealish to start out wide on the left against PSG.

AND in other news, Pep must unleash 21y/o Man City “top player” vs PSG, he could be the match-winner…