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Celtic will want to put the past few days behind them as they have suffered two defeats which could impact on their hopes domestically and in Europe.

After a chastening home defeat against Glasgow Rangers left them four points behind their rivals in the Premiership, the Hoops began their Europa League group stage campaign with a 1-3 home loss to AC Milan.

Manager Neil Lennon remains upbeat about the season despite those setbacks as he spoke following the Milan defeat.

What Neil Lennon had to say following the Milan defeat

Speaking via the Daily Record, the Celtic manager said: “We’re making too much of one result and one performance. We will come back stronger than ever and we’re looking forward to the challenge and the challenges that lie ahead. We’re not panicking, we’re staying calm.

“We have a great belief in the players and I have every right to believe in them because of what they have done and what they can do. I am past the stage of my career where criticising players probably works and I don’t think they deserve it.

“I think they should be cut a bit of slack. They will come again and they will be stronger than ever and looking at them they have got the bit between the teeth again.”

Lennon eager to move on from poor results

Despite the bad week, it is fair for the manager to remain upbeat, as Celtic still have a game in hand in the Premiership and five more games in their Europa League group. His mentality also shows that he is the right man to get them out of this rough patch, as he has guided them to four league titles and multiple domestic cups at the helm of the club.

Lennon has only lost 47 of his 308 games in charge, so his record at Parkhead across his two managerial stints commands respect.

The manager has had a lot of success in Glasgow and has the second best win percentage in the Bhoys’ history, just behind Martin O’Neill, so there is no reason for Celtic to panic despite consecutive home defeats.

Celtic fans, have a look at the fan base discussing Lennon after the Old Firm defeat here!

Leeds have been linked to a return move for former Whites man Lewis Cook following the relegation of Bournemouth last season.

According to the Daily Star, the midfielder was on Marcelo Bielsa’s radar over the summer as the likes of Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser all jumped ship to return to the Premier League. It would certainly make sense in terms of Cook knowing the club well, having spent his youth career and then some at Elland Road.

However, Bielsa is in need of goalscoring players and those who can conjure up exciting passages of play. On paper, the 23-year-old Cherries man simply doesn’t fit the bill.

Leeds must avoid re-signing Lewis Cook

With talent like Patrick Bamford leading the line, the club must be kitted out with similar calibre players in order to keep the striker fed with chances. The manager has been scratching his head over his best midfield formation, which seemingly no longer includes fan favourite Jamie Shackleton.

The youngster was hauled off the pitch at half-time against Leicester and was dropped from the squad completely against Crystal Palace. Bielsa’s no-nonsense approach when it comes to finding ways to win is admirable. But he may have no choice but to turn to the transfer market in January if things continue as they are.

Carlton Palmer spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about his ex-side’s form and fears that unless the Whites pull some performances out of the bag, they’ll be “out the Premier League by Christmas”.

Indeed, as it stands Leeds have conceded the joint most amount of goals this season, with only West Bromwich Albion to match their 17 goals shipped. Whilst Bamford is way out in front with seven goals and is currently the fifth highest scorer in the league, the next highest Leeds scorers are Mateusz Klich and Helder Costa, both on two (via BBC Sport).

The chasm between Bielsa’s target man and the rest of his attackers is staggering. The Whites need more creative players to assist Bamford and find the back of the net themselves. Spending £15million on Cook, who hasn’t contributed to a goal in more than two years would be a foolish move for the Championship winners.

Especially after already making a profit on him by cashing in for £6million back in 2016. And on £35,000 per week, Cook would only eat into Leeds’ wage budget during a troubling financial climate.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa must change formation tactics or risk Premier League exit…

Celtic’s chances of keeping hold of star striker Odsonne Edouard are looking more and more bleak. With just two years left on his current contract, the Hoops must start considering their options or risk losing him for a reduced fee or even on a free transfer.

Time is not on Neil Lennon’s side. Whilst the club will want to tie the Frenchman down on a new long-term contract, it doesn’t seem like this is what the player wants. Hearts defender Andy Halliday recently commented on Edouard’s status at the club and believes he looks “unhappy” at Celtic. If this is the case, it won’t be long before his head starts to be turned by interested clubs.

If and when it does, the Hoops must take to the transfer market and bring in a replacement, which will be much easier said than done. They were linked with a move for Sheffield Wednesday’s Steven Fletcher over the summer, but talks dismantled and the striker eventually moved to Stoke City.

Celtic’s mistake not to scoop up Fletcher

If Edouard is to leave Scotland, Lennon and co need to bring in a forward of similar calibre. The France youth international was on fire for the Bhoys last season, notching an astonishing 21 goals and 12 assists in 27 Premiership appearances (via Transfermarkt).

He has been quieter this season following his spell on the sidelines through self-isolation, but is still making an impact in front of goal. The only player to match his quality this campaign is Mohamed Elyounoussi, who is only with the Scottish outfit on loan. Should the Hoops lose both the Norwegian and Edouard, they will wish they’d made a move for Fletcher when they had the chance.

The 33-year-old veteran signed for the Potters on a free transfer this summer after enjoying four years in Sheffield. His final season for Wednesday saw him net 13 Championship goals and he has already gotten off the mark with four for Stoke so far this term (via Transfermarkt).

Fletcher also represented Sunderland for a large chunk of his career and attracted a lot of praise from his teammates. Eight years ago, Adam Johnson lauded the striker as an “unbelievable” signing for the Black Cats, who kept him for four years before his move to Sheffield Wednesday.

Both he and Edouard are natural goalscoring talents and it should have been a no-brainer to snap up the 33-year-old. Now it’s back to the drawing board for Lennon and Nick Hammond, who will be biting their nails over Edouard’s potentially looming departure.

In other news, Celtic must prioritise permanent transfer for “revelation” striker Mohamed Elyounoussi…

Tottenham Hotspur are enjoying a blinding start to their 2020/21 Premier League season. The Lilywhites are currently second in the table after slipping behind Liverpool who edge in front by one point. A win, or even a draw against Chelsea on Sunday will see Jose Mourinho and his crew reclaim their top spot.

The pieces of the jigsaw seem to be nicely aligning for Spurs this season and club icon Gary Mabbutt thinks that bringing Gareth Bale back to the club has played a huge part in it.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, the former defender said that the current squad is “coming together” under Mourinho.

“The resigning of Gareth Bale has really changed the dynamics in the dressing room from a very positive point of view,” Mabbutt said.

Indeed, Spurs are very much on an upwards trajectory and have already played out statement results against the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United. They already boast personnel like fiery forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min but adding the Real Madrid star to their ranks has boosted morale around camp.

Bale knows what it takes to win at the highest level. The 31-year-old Wales international has won four Champions League titles with Real Madrid as well as three Super Cups and four Club World Cups. The winger has also been named as Welsh Player of the Year on six occasions (via Transfermarkt).

Before his loan move, Bale had fallen out of favour at Madrid and made just 16 La Liga appearances. His current contract runs until 2022, which could force the Spaniards into striking a deal for the Welshman.

If his impact on Spurs this season can carry them to Champions League football, there’s a big chance Daniel Levy will push to sign Bale on a permanent deal.

In other news, This Spurs transfer target could be the perfect Son Heung-min protege…

To put things kindly, Sunderland’s transfer business in the last few years has been nothing short of disastrous.

Although there have been some good acquisitions in the form of Luke O’Nien and Bailey Wright – two of the first names on the team sheet – there has been some appalling transfers.

Chief suspect in this is Stewart Donald, someone who has never really got things right in terms of recruitment.

He has worked through tough circumstances – having to keep budgets in check for a big club in League One – but he hasn’t helped his cause either.

When the Black Cats were led astray by Josh Maja’s agent when he left the Stadium of Light, desperate measures were taken.

Sunderland needed a new striker and they forked out £4m to sign Will Grigg. On paper, it was a good signing given his record for Wigan in the same division, but he has scored just eight goals in nearly two years.

Therefore, it will be interesting to see what kind of approach is taken under prospective new owners Kyril-Louis Dreyfus and Juan Sartori.

It’s already been suggested that Dreyfus could look to operate in the French market but have we received another inkling of how they could operate?

Well, according to France Football (via Sport Witness), the 22-year-old is looking to build a portfolio of clubs in France and Uruguay after taking over at Sunderland.

Now, this sounds a lot like the kind of process that’s in play at both Manchester City and Watford. Their respect owners – Sheikh Mansour and Gino Pozzo – have both ploughed investment into a host of clubs throughout world football.

The City group has a stake in Melbourne City, New York City and Girona in Spain among others. As for the Pozzo’s, they famously used their ties with Udinese to their advantage at Watford.

But why is this relevant to Sunderland? That’s because if Dreyfus takes influence from the Pozzo’s, then he could save millions in the transfer window.

By building a network of clubs, he can easily negotiate either sales or loan deals to benefit the Black Cats going forward.

When Watford were in the Championship, they signed no fewer than nine players from Udinese in the 2013/14 season. All of those deals were on free transfers. Had that link not been there, their squad will have looked vastly different and it is unlikely promotion would have been achieved.

If Dreyfus can invest in other clubs around the globe, it should only benefit Sunderland in the transfer market.

This is a cunning plan from the young businessman.

In other news, Forget Wyke: “League One cheat code” with 97 touches was Johnson’s real hero last weekend…

Oleksandr Zinchenko’s time at Manchester City looks to be coming to an end, as Pep Guardiola seems to favour at least three options ahead of the Ukrainian at left-back.

Nathan Ake, who joined in the summer from Bournemouth, started at left-back for the Citizens against Marseille on Wednesday, suggesting that Guardiola sees the Dutch international’s future in that position.

We have also seen Joao Cancelo impress at left-back so far this season, whilst Benjamin Mendy has done fairly well in his few appearances there, which leaves Zinchenko as potentially fourth-choice.

You could argue that the 23-year-old would have left City last summer if it wasn’t for Mendy’s injury history, but if the French international can prove his fitness this season, then it would not be a surprise to see Zinchenko leave either in January or next summer.

So far this season, he has made just one substitute appearance in the Premier League and four appearances in the Champions League, although with the group stages now over, you suspect that Guardiola might omit the defender in favour of Cancelo, Ake or Mendy for the knockout fixtures.

Unfortunately for the former FK Ufa man, he has never really managed to establish himself as a regular in City’s first-team, with just 73 first-team appearances to his name since joining the club in the summer of 2016.

His performances in 2018/19, both in the Premier League and the Champions League, were extremely impressive, as he averaged comfortably over a 7/10 match rating in that season but unfortunately, his performances since then have declined.

In February 2019, Guardiola was full of praise for the left-back, saying:

“Incredible is the only thing I can say.

“Oleks has [shown] me the importance and value of being a good guy.

“At the beginning of the season he was close to making a transfer, and I never saw him have one bad face or had a bad training session from him.

“Some players want to show me how disappointed they are, but Zinchenko is the complete opposite. When this happens, you are always going to play [well].

“He is going to have a long career, here (at City) hopefully!”

However, the signings of Cancelo and Ake, as well as Mendy’s return to fitness, have seen Zinchenko slip down the pecking order at City and his lack of appearances this season suggest that an exit could be close for the £18 million-rated defender.

And, in other news… Forget Foden: Man City star who had 107 touches was Pep’s star man vs Marseille

Liverpool could find the closest thing to a potential Steven Gerrard successor in Lille midfielder Renato Sanches.

Jurgen Klopp would love him

Whilst most Premier League fans will remember Sanches’ awful time whilst on loan at Swansea, the Portugal international has since developed into one of European football’s finest box-to-box midfielders.

And according to TuttoMercatoWeb, Jurgen Klopp’s side have “moved forward” in finding an £18m agreement for the 23-year-old, who is currently shining for French side Lille.

With speculation over Georginio Wijnaldum’s future persisting, Klopp could find a perfect replacement for him in Sanches.

A replacement for Wijnaldum

The box-to-box dynamism and drive is something Sanches has in abundance, with Bayern Munich icon Lothar Matthaus waxing lyrical about his ability after an eye-catching goal against Benfica.

He said: “The way Sanches began and then scored the goal, it was similar to how I played. The commitment, dynamism, speed, participation, steadiness – he could have fallen twice en route to goal. But he wanted to get the goal he needed – he prevailed and received his reward. In that sense, he really reminded me of myself.”

And the “beast” Sanches is also a familiar name to a manager of Liverpool’s title rivals, Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard described him as a “fantastic” player with a “great future” ahead of him, and the midfielder is proving the Manchester City boss right at Lille.

As per Whoscored, he is averaging an impressive 0.8 tackles, 1.5 shots, 0.9 key passes and 2.1 dribbles per game, and his all-round influence and game is just continuing to get better. Liverpool could wave goodbye to Wijnaldum if they can manage to pull off a coup for Sanches.

Whilst suggesting Sanches could fill the shoes of Steven Gerrard is a massive stretch right now, the Portuguese starlet’s style of play is eerily reminiscent of the Liverpool legend’s early years at Anfield and could be a massive hit on Merseyside.

Glasgow Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack has been ruled out of the crunch Old Firm clash with Celtic after picking up a knee injury against Aberdeen.

What’s the news?

Rangers’ worst fears have now been realised and Light Blues boss Steven Gerrard confirmed the news to Glasgow Times’ Christopher Jack (no relation to Ryan).

Gerrard said: “I made it quite clear that it was important we got someone in the door before the window shut.

“Getting Bongani [Zungu] up to speed was the priority because over the course of the season, with the schedule we have, we were always going to get a knock or two.

“Ryan Jack being out for the amount of time he has has been a real disappointment for me.

“Scott Arfield’s absence is a bit of bad luck from a challenge he had against Hibs. So it does make us slightly light in that area.”

Jack has been sidelined since November after he suffered an injury against his former club Aberdeen. He was replaced by Steven Davis who could now find himself thrown in for the game against Celtic.

Likely impact?

The 28-year-old’s absence will be a bitter blow for the Ibrox boss in the midfield as he has established himself as an integral part of Gerrard’s side.

Jack’s injury struggles have been well-documented but he has still managed to start 12 of his 13 appearances in the Premiership this season, via Transfermarkt.

With games coming thick and fast this month, the timing couldn’t be any worse for Gerrard, who already faces the prospect of juggling domestic and European competitions without two of his key men for the foreseeable future.

Steven Davis has done a stellar job for Gerrard in his absence and he is another option for the Rangers manager ahead of the pivotal Premiership clash with Celtic trailing 16 points behind the league leaders.

However, the 35-year-old midfielder was far from his very best against St. Mirren – he lost possession 11 times, as per SofaScore – which will no doubt give Gerrard some real cause for concern heading to the clash with their arch rivals.

The only real other option is Zungu, who arrived at Ibrox from French Ligue 2 side Amiens on an initial loan deal with the option to buy on transfer deadline day.

But the Bafana-Bafana midfielder has yet to start for the Gers in the Scottish top flight this season as he has so far failed to find the back of the net or record a single assist in 10 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Jack has shown time and again that he can be a big-game player for the 54-time Scottish champions. After all, he scored in the first half to inflict former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers’ first defeat in the Old Firm in 2018.

This game could be make-or-break for Gerrard’s managerial career, who faces some tough decisions before kick-off on Saturday afternoon. He will certainly have to consider his midfield options very carefully indeed as he simply cannot afford to slip-up.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must recall Ryan Kent to face Celtic in Old Firm derby…

Everton striker Moise Kean risks making a blunderous decision over his career by deciding to re-join Juventus at the end of his loan spell with Paris Saint-Germain.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Juve will resume their efforts to take Kean back to Turin in the summer after accepting defeat last year when the Italian’s wages proved an issue.

The Serie A heavyweight pulled out all the stops but matching the forward’s demands in hope of making Kean the fourth striker in Andrea Pirlo’s squad, and continue to believe the role is missing at the Allianz Stadium today.

PSG ultimately signed Kean on loan but do not hold an option or obligation to purchase the £53,000-per-week gem, and will have to hold negotiations with Everton should Mauricio Pochettino wish to retain his services after a strong season on loan.

Ancelotti has stated that he will not stand in Kean’s way should he wish to leave Everton in the summer, having made clear the Toffees will make the striker available for offers in excess of £30m as they look to make a profit on the £27.5m paid to Juve in 2019.

Kean has been in terrific form in France so far, netting nine goals in 13 Ligue 1 appearances to earn the praise of Thomas Tuchel, who claimed the 20-year-old is “hard to play against” prior to his sacking at Les Parc des Princes.

Think carefully

Kean must think carefully before deciding where to play his football in the latter half of 2021, as a return to Juventus could prove horrific for his future if the only role he will occupy will be as Pirlo’s fourth-choice striker.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata have often held down the attacking duties at the Allianz Stadium this term with the pair starting 12 and 10 of Juve’s Serie A fixtures to date, in which they have returned 15 and four goals respectively as Pirlo’s top-two scorers.

Paulo Dybala would likely be ahead of Kean in the pecking order in Turin, too, having opened eight of his 11 outings thus far in the central forward role to offer the second-most shots-per-game (2.6) behind only Ronaldo (4.8) to show his attacking threat.

Kean, meanwhile, is proving he can be a first-choice option at a title-chasing, Champions League side alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at PSG, where he has only failed to start one Ligue 1 fixture since departing Merseyside on a temporary deal.

The 8-cap Italy international has also scored four goals in his last five top-flight outings to help the French side enjoy their longest unbeaten run all season, so it would be hard for Pirlo to argue the benefits of the 20-year-old now sitting back on the bench.

A potential return to Everton cannot be ruled out yet, either, as Kean’s return to form after a challenging 2019/20, having scored just twice in 33 games, will have offered Ancelotti reason to believe the forward can rival Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park next term.

Ancelotti has no challenger to Calvert-Lewin following his decision to sanction Kean’s temporary spell, with Cenk Tosun clearly not favoured having played just 43 minutes of Premier League football this season after being overlooked against Wolves on Tuesday.

Going toe-to-toe with Calvert-Lewin for minutes in England will be far more beneficial for Kean’s long-term future than a seat on the bench at Juventus, so his decision must surely fall down to a return to Everton or permanent switch to PSG than a return to Turin in 2021.

AND in other news, Everton must refrain from making a knee-jerk decision to sign a £9m-rated target.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United footballer Steve Howey has been singing the praises of Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse.

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a superb start to the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, having averaged an impressive 7.24 rating for his performances, with four goals and four assists to his name in 18 appearances.

This ranks him as the Saints’ second-best performer in the top-flight, in what has been a promising start to the season from Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, with European football certainly looking a possibility for next season if they maintain their current level of performances.

Ward-Prowse, in particular, has been getting a lot of praise, with Glenn Hoddle suggesting that his old club Tottenham Hotspur should sign the England international this month.

Indeed, Howey has suggested that it is something of a surprise that the Southampton academy graduate is still with his boyhood club, considering his excellent performances for the South Coast club in recent seasons.

Here’s what Howey had to say about Ward-Prowse when speaking exclusively to FFC:

“[Ralph Hasenhuttl] has got some very very good players. I’m still surprised that someone like James Ward-Prowse is still there. What a player he is. They’ve got some very good players that will cause problems for any team.”

Certainly, if Ward-Prowse’s excellent form continues this season, and Southampton don’t achieve European football, then it would not be a surprise if a top-six club from the Premier League club came knocking for the midfielder in the summer.

Fortunately for Hasenhuttl and the South Coast club, the Englishman’s £45,000-a-week contract runs until 2025, so it would have to be a substantial offer if Southampton were to sell him in the future.

Hopefully, the midfielder can help the Saints achieve European football of their own because it would be a massive loss if he were to leave the club in the near future.

And, in other news… “I can’t see him going” – Exclusive: Pundit makes claim on key Southampton man’s future amid exit rumours