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Celtic may be on the verge of finally hiring their new manager but that hasn’t stopped external claims for other names.

Eddie Howe is reportedly close to taking over at Parkhead after a number of stalling points but the Bhoys still have time to consider other options.

What’s the word?

Despite talks being at an extremely advanced stage for Howe, there are still doubts over whether he’s the right man to take Celtic forward.

That’s the view of pundit and Dumbarton manager Jim Duffy.

He was speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard this week and said: “Until you’ve got something signed, sealed and delivered, that speculation is going to continue. Other names are going to be mentioned like Jack [Ross]. I think Jack is a progressive young manager and has a lot of potential.”

Duffy added: “I’m sure he would have learned from his experience at Sunderland which is a huge club. I think he will be on the radar of clubs, not that Hibs isn’t a top club, but even bigger clubs provided Hibernian continue to progress.”

Desmond must consider him

Ross might be one of the most eye-catching managers coming through the Scottish game but you have to doubt his credentials at a top club.

He has guided Hibernian to third spot in the Premiership season but the fact of the matter is that his spell at Sunderland was pretty disastrous.

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The Scot crumbled under the pressure of a big fan base and was left with no answer as he tried to navigate them to promotion from League One in England. His team reached the EFL Trophy final but lost to Portsmouth and then they lost in the play-off final too.

That said, if Dermot Desmond is looking for a manager that’s like Brendan Rodgers, they simply have to consider him.

After all, the Northern Irishman absolutely adores him and he’s already familiar with Lennoxtown and Parkhead.

Speaking to Open Goal (via Glasgow Times) last year, Lewis Morgan commented: “Brendan Rodgers loves him and used to invite him to Lennoxtown all the time. He’d taken his Alloa team to Parkhead and done well and he’s got a similar coaching style, that’s his coaching idol. He loves him. All our team talks or analysis it would be like what Brendan was doing at Celtic.”

Regular dialogue has occurred between the two and plenty of Ross’ tactics and methods are right from the Rodgers playbook.

Lennon attempted to continue the Leicester manager’s drills during his second stint with the Hoops but it simply didn’t work.

Having someone familiar in his ways, therefore, should be highly beneficial to Celtic. Ross has failed at one big club but he should have learnt from those experiences.

He is evidently a far better manager and coach now.

AND in other news, Tierney 2.0: Celtic can forget about Laxalt by signing 18y/o with “enormous potential”…

Manchester United will be looking to return to winning ways when they take on Watford at Vicarage Road in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Red Devils slipped to sixth place in the top-flight table when they suffered a crushing 2-0 defeat to local rivals Manchester City prior to the international break, falling nine points behind league leaders Chelsea as a result.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be desperate to halt United’s recent slump amid mounting pressure on the 48-year-old.

Several reports have indicated that the Norwegian is on borrowed time after suffering six losses already in the opening weeks of the current campaign, so a positive result against the Hornets could be crucial for his future.

However, Solskjaer will have to contend without key players Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane through injury, while Edinson Cavani and Luke Shaw may also be sidelined.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expected United to line up when they take on Watford, with two changes to the side which started last time out in the Manchester derby…

David de Gea is set to keep his place in goal after maintaining his strong start to the season, increasing the speculation regarding the future of backup ‘keeper Dean Henderson.

Ahead of the 31-year-old will be a fairly unfamiliar back four due to a couple of enforced absences, with Alex Telles replacing Shaw. Club captain Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof will make up the centre-back unit, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right as the 20-time English champions go in search of just their third clean sheet of 2021/22.

The midfield should see the double pivot of Fred and Scott McTominay return as Solskjaer opts for a tried and tested 4-2-3-1 approach, while Bruno Fernandes will play ahead of the defensive-minded duo, reverting from the more withdrawn role he took up in the derby.

In attack, Marcus Rashford is set to return to the starting XI as United change from a back five to four, which duly sees the £9m-rated Eric Bailly drop to the bench after his horror own goal two weeks ago.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Mason Greenwood will complete the starting lineup in a must-win clash for the Red Devils and Solskjaer.

In other news…Huge blow: Man Utd suffer potential selection setback pre-Watford, Ole will be gutted

A number of Liverpool supporters are happy that Jurgen Klopp has hinted at fielding a weakened team in tonight’s Champions League clash with Porto.

The Reds roared back into form last weekend, beating Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield in the Premier League. After dropped points against both Brighton and West Ham, it was the perfect response by Klopp’s men, who performed like title challengers against an in-form Gunners side.

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Domestic commitments make way for European duties tonight, with Liverpool taking on Porto at Anfield, having not only qualified for the knockout stages already but even won their group with two matches to spare.

The hope is that Klopp makes plenty of changes in order to keep legs fresh amid a spate of injuries, and speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday [via journalist David Maddock on Twitter], he hinted at doing as such.

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Liverpool fans happy with Klopp’s team news hint

These Reds fans took to Twitter to react positively to the manager’s comments, claiming it would be a wise decision ahead of a busy schedule, as well as considering the costly three-month injury incurred by a flying Diogo Jota in a similar dead rubber against Midtjylland last December.

“Sense prevails”

Credit: @liamtogher88

“Bring it on. I want to see the most random starting 11 ever”

Credit: @TweetGiffen

“Good, we respected it by qualifying two games early. Play the under 12s”

Credit: @SirLeonP

“Get Carol & Caroline out on the pitch too I reckon”

Credit: @footyyuxun

“VAMOS”

Credit: @tombelcerf

“Get in, love it. Gordon, Kelleher, Morton all start I hope”

Credit: @LFCPG90

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited about a Reds transfer rumour that has emerged. Read more here.

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has been reacting to the injury that Liam Cooper sustained against Brentford on Sunday.  

The Lowdown: Phillips and Bamford worries

Marcelo Bielsa has had to deal with plenty of injury issues this season and may well have three more players sidelined after the 2-2 draw on the weekend.

Kalvin Phillips had to make way in the second half against Brentford, with The Daily Mail now believing that he could be out until February with a hamstring injury.

Patrick Bamford made his return to action late on against Thomas Frank’s side and managed to salvage a draw with a 95th-minute equaliser. However, he too may be back on the injury table after reportedly suffering a hamstring issue in the celebrations after the goal.

The Latest: Cooper’s injury; Whelan reacts

Cooper also had to be withdrawn early on at Elland Road against the Bees, with Bielsa unsure in regards to the extent of the Scotland defender’s injury. However, reliable reporter Phil Hay believes the Scot is facing a ‘lengthy spell out’ along with Phillips.

Whelan, who contributes as a pundit for the BBC, was talking to Football Insider about the injuries to Cooper and Phillips in a story on Tuesday morning, saying: “It’s a massive worry. One’s our club captain, and the other is invaluable to how we play.”

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Whelan added: “We can’t afford this, to be missing players like them over this Christmas period, they’re vitally important.”

The Verdict: Back to square one…

Bielsa was edging closer to a fully fit squad prior to the latest triple blow, with Pascal Struijk and Robin Koch the only major first-team absentees on Sunday. However, it now seems as if the Whites could be back to square one when it comes to injuries at the worst possible time.

Leeds have five fixtures before the end of the year, and it seems as if Bamford, Phillips and possibly Cooper may end up missing some of those, leaving Bielsa searching for answers once again at a crucial stage of the season. It’s no wonder that Whelan is so worried about the Whites’ immediate prospects given the latest glut of body blows.

In other news: Leeds receive boost in quest to sign 13-cap beast who’s been hailed as a “young star”. 

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has laid into Diego Llorente, picking out one particular ‘terrible’ incident against West Ham.

The Whites were beaten 2-0 at the London Stadium on Monday evening, as their Premier League season threatens to peter out a little.

It’s now four defeats in the last five league outings for Marcelo Bielsa’s men, who are 11th in the table ahead of Saturday’s visit of Chelsea.

Llorente comes in for criticism from Whelan

Someone who had a bad night at the office against the Hammers was Llorente, with the centre-back at fault for Craig Dawson’s goal.

The Spaniard joined Leeds from Real Sociedad back in September, but has made just four starts in the league to date, struggling badly with injuries.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan didn’t hold back in his criticism of Llorente, saying much more is needed from a player with so much experience:

“You are looking at a centre-half who is a Spanish international.  You have to do your homework beforehand. I knew that Dawson was their most dangerous, aggressive player from set pieces. In the second-half Bielsa rectified that mistake because he made Liam Cooper mark him instead.

“When you look at Dawson’s goal, it’s terrible defending. It’s weak and too easy. You do not expect that from a Spanish centre-half.

“He gave Dawson so much room and freedom inside the penalty area. You cannot do that. It was a free header at the far post.

“We have been like this all season. Set pieces have once again been our achilles heel.”

Transfer Tavern take

In fairness to Llorente, his aforementioned fitness woes have made it difficult for him to settle at Elland Road, so Whelan’s judgment is slightly harsh.

The 27-year-old’s pedigree is undeniable, with six caps to his name for Spain, and he likely just needs a run in the team in order to find his feet.

He will though be forced to defend better when the Whites square off with a red-hot Chelsea side or things could turn ugly.

In other news, Patrick Bamford revealed his feelings towards divisive referee Mike Dean!

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United have been linked with a move for Reading playmaker Michael Olise.

Leeds will face strong competition for Olise

Football Insider have recently reported about Olise’s situation, saying that the Whites are very keen on signing the Reading star but they are expected to face competition because a lot of top flight clubs are looking at him.

Leeds are interested, but they are also aware of other clubs’ interest in the player, who has a release clause of just £8 million and that clause still applies in the upcoming summer transfer window. Apart from Leeds, there is interest from Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal.

The Frenchman has five Championship goals this season, picking up ten assists as well. He has played in a variety of positions across the front line, and the Royals are hoping to extend his current contract and include a larger release clause.

Reading star Sam Baldock heaped praise on Olise, saying: “Michael is a real talent, he’ll get on the ball in any situation. He’s fearless, if you ask him today I’ll guarantee that he had no nerves. He’s a lively character and one who I’ve noticed a real change in the last couple of months.”

Olise would add flair to the Leeds side

In the Championship this season, Olise has grabbed an impressive average match rating of 7.08. Only two other Reading players have picked up better ratings than the Frenchman. He is currently their highest assister and has played the highest number of key passes per game for the side (as per Whoscored).

This shows that he’s a creative outlet and to sign someone like him for a cheap fee could be a very good deal for Leeds. He still young and might still improve in the future, but even now could offer a new creative threat as playmaker Pablo Hernandez approaches the end of his career.

In other news, a Leeds defender has been tipped to leave the club – read more here.

Sunderland provided a huge response following their midweek stalemate with Plymouth Argyle by taking an impressive 5-1 victory from Cambridge United yesterday.

Alex Neil and his team are now on a 12-game unbeaten run, with the Scottish manager only losing once since he arrived at the club in February, and they now find themselves fourth in the League One table albeit only one point safe in the play-off position.

The Black Cats put in a phenomenal attacking performance that was boosted when Cambridge went down to ten men in the 12th minute of the game, with Lloyd Jones getting red-carded awarding their hosts a penalty which Ross Stewart scored to make it 1-0 a minute later.

Sunderland were dominant throughout the game holding 75% possession, making ten more shots on target and over 400 more accurate passes than their opponents on Saturday afternoon.

Elliot Embleton, Danny Batth and Nathan Broadhead all joined Stewart in getting on the scoresheet delivering five goals in total, and Embleton, in particular, was an absolute force in the attacking threat his team imposed on Cambridge and offered an unrivalled presence.

The 23-year-old who was labelled “complex” by former manager Lee Johnson, made an impressive 141 touches, 113 accurate passes, four key passes and was successful in the majority of his long balls and crosses (12/21).

Embleton has been integral in Sunderland’s play-off charge as of late and has delivered in the moments when it has been needed most, grabbing his opportunities to impress his new manager following a lack of game-time since the Scotsman took over at the Stadium of Light.

Neil had been playing the midfielder off the bench, but he has now finally integrated him back into the starting eleven over the last two games following an assist to the last-minute winning goal against Gillingham and scoring the winner against Oxford in the final moments in the following game, with his contribution earning the Black Cats six points in just 27 minutes of play.

The fight for a play-off place isn’t over with the North-East club safe by just a point with one game in hand over their competitors inside the top six, and with no room for error in the last two games, Sunderland must continue their unbeaten form to boost their chances of potential promotion.

AND in other news: Speakman howler: SAFC may now be on the verge of repeating brutal Hugill disasterclass

If Victor Orta was at Molineux at the weekend to watch Leeds United transfer target Adama Traore, then he would have been left in no doubt as to why he would be such an incredible signing for the Whites.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Spain international is on the radar of Marcelo Bielsa’s side and that Elland Road is being seen as his main destination in this January transfer window.

And on Saturday afternoon in Wolves’ 3-2 defeat at home to West Brom, Traore proved why he would be Bielsa’s game-changer.

Despite Nuno Espirito Santo’s men falling to a surprise loss to the relegation-battling Baggies, Adama produced flashes of brilliance that would add a different dimension to Leeds.

As per Sofascore, his 7.4 match rating was the second-highest of any attacking Wolves player, and when you look at his stats, it’s easy to see why.

The Spaniard’s physicality was there for all to see, and he won an impressive 10 of his 13 total duels, proving that he’s becoming more and more of a Premier League tested and battle-hardened winger – only Nelson Semedo won more duels for Wolves.

He also completed five of his seven dribbles on the day, the joint-highest of any player on the pitch, and his ability to go through the gears so quickly makes him a massive danger for opposition defences – The Express and Star’s Joe Edwards noted that he “had the beating of (Kieran) Gibbs on a fair few occasions and got some shots off”.

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen hailed Adama as someone who can “scare any team”, and that’s a testament to the winger’s raw pace and directness – nobody in the Premier League has a better average this season than him with his 3.7 dribbles per game.

Bielsa’s fondness for his wingers is evident by the very simple fact he’s signed an abundance of them in his time in charge at Elland Road.

But in Traore, he wouldn’t just be an ‘option’. The Spaniard has proven that his style of play would be a game-changer for Bielsa, and Saturday’s display against West Brom showed that.

Meanwhile, Leeds should hand this “supremely-gifted” starlet a chance in the Premier League…

In recent weeks Nuno Espirito Santo has seen his name linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job despite signing a new contract at Wolves last year, and club legend Steve Bull has urged fans not to worry about the Portuguese manager’s future in an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern.

Nuno arrived at Molineux in 2017 when he left his job at FC Porto and he managed to bring silverware to Wolves in his first season when they lifted the Championship trophy with a total of 99 points.

Tottenham reportedly hold an interest in the Portuguese manager, despite him still being yet to win a major trophy during his managerial career with Wolves’ best achievement under Nuno being a seventh-place finish.

Speaking on how there was speculation over Nuno’s future earlier this season but why Wolves fans should no longer be worried, Bull exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“There’s no need for them to be worried now, absolutely not. I think at the start of the season when there was speculation about him going to Tottenham that’s when people were worried, but not now.

“I think he’s made a statement in saying he’s staying here with his new contract, and now they just need to give him some money to spend.”

Nuno has a 38.7 win percentage in the Premier League with Wolves which would have been severely affected by their poor season ss they have won just 12 games.

This will be the first season Nuno has finished anywhere other than seventh in the Premier League and this is mainly down to the lack of cutting edge in the final third with their top scorers, Ruben Neves and Pedro Neto, having scored five goals each.

According to a report by journalist Kevin Palmer, via Anfield Watch, the form of defender Nathaniel Phillips over these last few months has done enough to convince Liverpool he has a big role to play next season – prompting many Reds to react as one called it ‘brilliant news’.

Phillips has been forced to stand in for injured first team figures at the back like Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and the colossal Virgil van Dijk (inews).

The 24-year-old has started 13 Premier League matches under Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp as a result, making the most clearances per 90 (4.6) out of any Reds player in the squad (WhoScored).

Palmer now reports that Phillips has done enough to convince the club he can play a big role next season as the Reds seek to rebuild after what has been a title defence to forget.

While some Reds lavish this update, with one calling it ‘brilliant news’, others were also sceptical that Phillips is ready for a bigger role under Klopp next season.

Find all of their best verdicts from social media down below.

Liverpool fans flock to Phillips news

“Wow. Big respect for what he has done this season. But I’m not sure about using him next season. He is very good at winning headers, which is good when LFC face teams like Burnley and palace. Not up to the mark in passing though. But Klopp is a person who believes in training”

Credit: @SociallySober

“Great to hear, we still need to sign Konate but Phillips has absolutely earned his place in the squad”

Credit: @X29Fred

“He absolutely deserves it! Well earned! Can’t wait to see him next to Big Virg, a formidable defence in the making.”

Credit: @JaeTask

“He’s done the job well, very happy to see him be rewarded with a role for next season.”

Credit: @Adam1Marj

“Madness…. sell him while he’s at his highest, u make Him play 4th fiddle his value decreases massively.”

Credit: @pete8837

“Defo excellent player not just for the future but the present YNWA”

Credit: @roysie55

“Yeah he’s been outstanding”

Credit: @EdoFirst

“Buzzing to see this very well deserved”

Credit: @leightxn1

“Are people actually slating him? He’s been a solid 7-8 out of 10 for pretty much all season and it’s his first season in the prem? I think this is brilliant news that he’s gonna play a part next season!”

Credit: @cal_smxth

In other news: Liverpool fans now want this ace out of Anfield, find out more here.