All posts by h716a5.icu

Former Hearts and current Bologna youngster Aaron Hickey has failed to rule out a move to Celtic in the future.

Hickey joined Sinisa Mihajlovic’s Bologna in the summer transfer window, but the Scottish youngster has now talked about a potential move to Parkhead and the fact that the Hoops wanted to sign him.

Hickey doesn’t rule out Parkhead move

Hickey was recently talking to Herald Scotland about his situation and the transfer saga in the summer transfer window.

In the interview, Hickey revealed that Celtic indeed tried to sign him last summer but the move didn’t go through as the youngster didn’t think that it was the right step for him. Hickey admitted that he’s a Bhoys fan and the fact that his club was interested in him was ‘massive’ for him.

He also went on to say that he will never rule out a potential move to Parkhead in the near future (via Daily Record).

The youngster said: “Celtic came in a lot and I was excited and happy about it. I don’t know if it was the right option for me, though, because of the deal or something.

“I’m a Celtic supporter and it was massive for me, but I just didn’t think it was the right time to go there. I wouldn’t ever rule it out down the line, who knows.”

The Rossoblu paid a fee of £1.80 million to sign him, around two years after Hickey initially joined Hearts from Celtic as an academy player.

Hickey move would be favourable for Celtic

Hickey has made multiple first-team appearances for Bologna this season, making 12 appearances in all competitions for the Italian outfit. He currently finds himself injured though (as per Transfermarkt).

In the current season, Celtic have had Diego Laxalt and Greg Taylor as their out-and-out left-back options. Laxalt though, is only on loan from Milan and he could return to the San Siro.

This will leave the Hoops with just one out-and-out left-back option. The fact that Taylor hasn’t been a regular this season shows that he might not be their long-term option for that role either.

Because of that, it won’t be a surprise if Celtic move to sign £4.50m-rated Hickey in the future.

In other news, ‘I would question that’ – Pundit drops ‘worry’ for Celtic fans over Eddie Howe – read more here.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie revealed that he is not keen on the idea of his old club signing Liverpool striker Divock Origi in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Origi is currently being linked with a move to Villa Park, a development that could see him leave the Reds and find more first-team football.

Opportunities for the 25-year-old striker have been limited this season, with Jurgen Klopp understandably sticking with his trusted trident of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

The trio helped fire Liverpool to their first English league title in 30 years last term, cementing positions in Klopp’s starting XI. Origi, as a result, has had to settle for a role on the bench, making it little surprise that he could leave the Merseyside club in the summer.

Hendrie, however, has warned Aston Villa about signing the 6 ft 1 Belgium international, believing his acquisition would be a gamble.

“Definitely not for me, not at all,” the ex-Villa player told FFC when asked whether his former side should pursue Origi. “I’ve obviously watched a lot of Liverpool over past seasons and, you know, he’s been brilliant when he’s been introduced.

“We’ve seen him in the Champions League make a big impact, but he hasn’t played enough minutes for me. It’d be half taking a gamble. I’m not saying he’s not worth taking a gamble, but he’s not the sort of player that I think would fit the bill for Villa.”

Hendrie concluded by saying: “Not for me, and I certainly wouldn’t even recommend to the club that they bought Origi – he’s not my sort of player.”

Should Villa decide to bring Origi in, the former Lille forward would be going up against Ollie Watkins for a spot in Dean Smith’s team, a player who has really impressed this season.

Watkins has reached double figures in the current Premier League campaign and recently earned his first call-up to the England squad.

Plenty of Sunderland supporters have been reacting to Tom Flanagan’s first half display against Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Trophy Final on social media.

The 29-year-old was handed his 21st appearance in all competitions this season, with Lee Johnson making four changes from the 2-0 win over Portsmouth last time out.

Flanagan, who started just twice in the EFL Trophy during Sunderland’s road to Wembley, didn’t exactly make a positive impression amongst several Sunderland fans.

He turned out in a back four, partnering Luke O’Nien at centre-back, with Max Power at right-back and Callum McFazdean at left-back.

The backline came under some early pressure from Tranmere, with Grant Leadbitter almost opening the scoring at the wrong end, only for goalkeeper Lee Burge to bail the midfielder out.

Here is what these Black Cats supporters had to say about the 29-year-old’s first half display against Keith Hill’s side, with one describing him as ‘half-fit’ given his recent injury concerns.

Sunderland fans react to Flanagan’s first half performance

“Sorry but Flanagan is a liability”

Credit: @Safcftm2016

“Tom Flanagan makes me so nervous”

Credit: @Tom_D23

“Tom Flanagan with the ball at his feet isn’t good for my heart rate”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

“You can tell Flanagan is back, the ball is like a hot potato when it’s at his feet or with McFadzean. Very noticeable the difference when O’Nien or Power are playing out from the back”

Credit: @Kevsol

“Started poorly. The Flanagan pass out between the lines is one of the scariest things in football”

Credit: @carlrutherford

“Makes a big difference when you replace Sanderson, who has the potential to be a PL player, with a half-fit Flanagan”

Credit: @gyrwum

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers striker Jermain Defoe is expected to leave Ibrox this summer, with the 38-year-old entering the final four months of his existing contract.

What’s the word?

The English striker’s game time in Glasgow has been severely limited this season following the arrivals of attacking duo Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe in the summer, while Alfredo Morelos has been in decent form for Steven Gerrard’s side in recent weeks.

Defoe has yet to start a match in the Scottish Premiership since the turn of the year while the veteran has been left as an unused substitute on the bench for just over half of his top-flight appearances so far this season.

And now, Football Insider claim Rangers are willing to grant him an amicable exit from the club in the summer to thank him for his good service, despite the fact he has no desire to hang up his boots anytime soon.

Keep at all costs?

Without wanting to sound too contrarian, unlike the hapless Greg Stewart, Defoe has demonstrated his value to Rangers on more than one occasion over the years.

Since arriving at Ibrox, Defoe, who earns a reported £65,000-per-week, has helped the Light Blues finish second in the Premiership, with the Englishman scoring his 300th career club goal against Livingston in October.

Gerrard in the main has been reluctant to sever his attachment to his former international teammate, affording him chances as and when he can at a time when the 54-time Scottish champions have lit up the Premiership with the ethos of an all-out attack.

Ever the consummate professional, Defoe has patiently had to bide his time, but has still shown signs of what he has to offer, having made 12 appearances across all competitions this season with four goals and two assists to show for his four starts.

The Ibrox boss has openly admitted his admiration for his countryman and made no effort to disguise his wonder after Defoe scored again against Ross County.

He said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if he went on to 900! He is in incredible shape and he loves coming into work and he is still trying to learn and improve and get better.”

Morelos is clearly gifted if temperamentally suspect while Stewart has also been tipped for the Ibrox exit. But the arrivals of Itten and Roofe have been a fundamental problem for Defoe, for they occupy the position to which he has made his own over the years.

However, as one of the most senior and more experienced members of the squad, his knowledge could still prove invaluable in the dressing room as they look to build on their recent success, while he has proven to be a useful backup option on the bench.

Ultimately, however, it is more of a question of the kind of player, and therefore the type of football Rangers fans want to see.

AND in other news, Leon Balogun badly let Rangers down against Royal Antwerp…

Celtic have sought out for Martin O’Neill for guidance in their search for a new manager.

That’s according to Football Insider, who claimed that O’Neill’s views will be taken into consideration because is he is held in such high regard by the club.

The 69-year-old won three league and four cup titles in his tenure at Parkhead between 2000 and 2005. Most notably, he led the Hoops to the UEFA Cup final in 2003. Having claimed the scalp of Liverpool along way, they were beaten by FC Porto in the decider.

They are hopeful their next boss can forge a similar legacy and quash the resurgence of newly-crowned champions Rangers under Steven Gerrard.

Neil Lennon resigned in February, and John Kennedy is in interim charge as Celtic pore over the long-term candidates.

Celtic reportedly wanted O’Neill on temporary basis

Football Insider also claimed that Celtic reached out to O’Neill last December about the possibility of taking over until the end of the season as Rangers opened up a healthy advantage at the top of the Premiership.

The 69-year-old turned down the offer, but his current involvement demonstrates his ongoing investment in Celtic’s success, continuing to watch their matches frequently.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Some Celtic fans may fear that the board’s receptiveness to external opinion points to a lack of direction, but it is arguably a good thing that they are mulling over their options over an extended period and taking in different perspectives rather than rushing into a hasty decision.

There is no immediate need to appoint Lennon’s successor, with little to play for this season, and all that really matters is that the new manager can oversee the club’s summer transfer dealings to begin the rebuild.

In other news, Kevin Campbell has ruled out one managerial candidate for the Celtic job.

Tom Davies has been saved from getting undeservedly axed from Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, as Everton will not have Allan back in contention to play in midweek.

That’s according to the Liverpool Echo’s Adam Jones, who notes that the 30-year-old is not ready to make a return following hopes he could be declared fit and made available for selection on Wednesday night when Jose Mourinho’s Spurs visit Goodison Park to contend for a place in the Quarter-Final.

Allan has not been seen on the field since limping off against Leicester City in mid-December with a hamstring injury, which ruled the £21m summer signing from Serie A side SSC Napoli out of 11 fixtures across all competitions.

Ancelotti hopes to be able to call on Allan against Fulham on Sunday, which would leave Jean-Philippe Gbamin as Everton’s only player unavailable while James Rodriguez is still being monitored, having been withdrawn in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Manchester United due to a tight calf.

Allan was a constant fixture of Ancelotti’s Premier League plans following his move to Goodison Park in the off-season, starting 12 of a possible 13 games with his only absence in that period coming against Brighton and Hove Albion in early October due to a groin strain.

The Brazilian’s subsequent hamstring injury has now resulted in his longest enforced break between league appearances since 2011, having at worst missed three successive games over the past decade through injuries.

Ancelotti offering the 10-cap enforcer a recall to the Everton starting line-up in the FA Cup would likely have come at the expense of Davies, who stood in as the Toffees’ holding midfielder against Manchester United over the weekend.

Fans waxed lyrical over Davies’ performance on social media following the draw, with select supporters dubbing the Blues academy graduate as their Man of the Match for his hard work and determination in the midfielder’s return to the side.

Davies had played just one minute over Everton’s previous two Premier League games, but was given a reprieve against the Red Devils to earn just an eighth top-flight start of the term.

For Davies to have been axed for Allan to feature against Tottenham would have come as a very much undeserving blow for the £14.5m-rated 22-year-old, who brought energy and grit to the engine room at Old Trafford.

Davies came into his own after the break as he sought to drag the Blues back into the game while two goals behind, with his perfectly weighted pass through to Dominic Calvert-Lewin creating the shot which rebounded into the path of Abdoulaye Doucoure to pull a goal back.

Yet his creativity was nothing compared to his defensive efforts, with Davies offering a joint game-high three successful tackles during the 74 minutes he was on the field, but with a 100% success rate compared to Andre Gomes (43%) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (75%), per WhoScored.

Davies also registered the second-most clearances (4) by any single player, with Michael Keane (5) the only one to lump the ball long in efforts to protect his side’s goal, and trailed only Richarlison (2) for dribbles (1) as one of just two visiting players to carry possession successfully up the pitch.

Davies’ efforts on any other week would have more than ensured he retained a place in the starting line-up for the following game, so missing out for Allan to return at home to Tottenham would have come as a cruel blow that Ancelotti is now able to avoid.

AND in other news, Everton have their eyes on a £10m+ striker boasting 18 goals this season…

Jairo Riedewald has signed a new three-year contract with Crystal Palace which will keep him at Selhurst Park until 2024.

While it’s a welcome boost for Roy Hodgson, the same can’t be said for James McCarthy, who faces an uncertain future in south London.

Riedewald scored a worldie of a goal after his 20-yard screamer took a deflection off Ciaran Clark to ensure the Eagles recorded back-to-back-wins in the Premier League for the first time since September as they overcame a spirited Newcastle United on their own home turf at St James’ Park.

He then marked the special occasion by putting pen to paper to a new deal to commit his future to the club.

McCarthy, on the other hand, has struggled for game time under Hodgson this season, with Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur often preferred in his place, having made ten appearances across all competitions, earning a rather disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.36 overall for his efforts.

By comparison, the 24-year-old has been in superb form for Hodgson’s side since the start of the season, averaging a solid 6.44 for the Eagles in all competitions.

In fact, it’s fair to say that Hodgson’s midfield is pretty well-stocked at present. He’s got Milivojevic, McArthur, McCarthy and Riedewald at his disposal, with the first two making at least 37 appearances between them this season thus far.

And the Eagles also have Cheikhou Kouyate on their books, albeit the 31-year-old has shifted to more of a defensive role as of late.

With Riedewald now penning a new deal, you do worry that McCarthy could soon be deemed surplus to requirements by the south London club.

Hodgson previously praised McCarthy for his role in Palace’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City last season, saying: “He’s been excellent and he’s getting better and better. We knew it would take a little time. He was training with Everton, so when he came to us he was technically fit and there was nothing wrong with him but of course he was not that close to the first-team for periods of time, not knocking on the door if you like.

“I knew the more he did with us, the chances he would get, he would get stronger and stronger. The action he performed for our equalising goal was quite incredible. That amount of running at that point in the game and to produce that pass was a class act. My faith in him and his faith in himself and determination to get back to that level of football has been rewarded. When you get these serious injuries which take you out of football for a long period of time it’s not easy.”

Unfortunately for McCarthy, since those promising comments, he has still been forced to settle for a spot on the bench more often than not so far this season and with Riedewald seemingly here to stay, the Irishman may have to get used to a place on saidthe aforementioned bench.

If he can’t re-establish himself in the first team between now and the end of the season, then it wouldn’t be a a surprise at all to see him leave Selhurst Park in the summer.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace will rue not signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Demarai Gray…

Manchester United are back in Premier League action tonight as they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side find themselves in the midst of a title race at the top of the table, having picked up three wins and two draws from their past five games in a row, with the Red Devils sharing the spoils with Leicester City last time out.

United have a number of fringe players who will be looking to make an impact tonight as Solskjaer prepares to rotate his side ahead of the clash with Wolves.

Here is Football Fancast’s predicted starting XI, which sees Solskjaer make four changes from the trip to the King Power Stadium for this evening’s entertainment.

David de Gea should be given the gloves once again, meaning Dean Henderson will have to settle for a place on the bench.

Even with Solskjaer taking the opportunity to rotate his squad, it’s hard to imagine Harry Maguire won’t be starting at centre-back tonight.

Alex Telles will most likely be handed a start tonight, giving Luke Shaw some time off before the weekend clash with Aston Villa; Victor Lindelof won’t be risked so Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe will start on the right-hand side of the defence.

Paul Pogba is set to start in the midfield alongside Scott McTominay with Bruno Fernandes just in front of them as the classic No. 10.

Despite scoring against Leeds, Daniel James offered very little against Leicester, so recalling Mason Greenwood and keeping Marcus Rashford on the left wing with Edinson Cavani leading the line makes most sense.

That means that Anthony Martial will have to drop to the bench, such is the strength in Solskjaer’s squad right now.

AND in other news, Solskjaer must force Man Utd to sign Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle…

When the January transfer window comes around, Victor Orta must yelp in horror at what could be to come.

In the last two years, his work with Leeds has been nothing short of a nightmare, but that’s not entirely been his fault.

In 2019, a deal had been agreed to sign Daniel James from Swansea. The winger penned his contract and was pictured holding a Leeds shirt at Elland Road. However, in the dying embers on deadline day the Swans didn’t pick up the phone and a move fell through.

Then, just a year later, a move for Jean-Kevin Augustin turned into a complete failure.

The Frenchman had enormous potential but he is failing to discover it, and his spell at Leeds summed things up. He played just 48 minutes for the first-team with a major flaw proving to be his fitness.

He didn’t work himself into Marcelo Bielsa’s plans and then a fierce legal battle followed. The Yorkshire side had an obligation to buy but failed to cough up the money required to RB Leipzig because of how the loan spell had gone.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as though Leeds have learnt their lesson. That’s because they’re supposedly chasing Fiorentina striker Christian Kouame this month.

The forward, who earns £16k-per-week in Italy, has been nothing short of a flop in Serie A and has scored just once for La Viola. His season has been disastrous and bears huge similarities to the one that Augustin was having before he came to Elland Road.

He spent the first half of last season at Monaco but like Kouame, scored a solitary goal. Therefore, one has to question why Leeds are pursuing someone with such a shoddy record once again.

Of course, adding squad depth is important but Patrick Bamford has been the undisputed number 9 for the last two and a half years now. Even when he’s not playing well Bielsa still picks him.

Though, the fact of the matter, is that the attacker is in the form of his life. Bamford already has ten goals in 17 outings this season so it’s not as though he’s going to be dislodged in a hurry.

Consequently, signing Kouame would be nothing more than a waste of money. Like Augustin, he wouldn’t play and thus, would find it difficult to score goals.

AND in other news, Leeds must swoop for £13m brute with “long levers”, Orta has found the new Phillips…

Speaking to Sport TV, as reported by Sky Sports News, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has hinted at the club’s next move surrounding loanee Gedson Fernandes – with the Portuguese boss claiming Spurs will be open to letting him return to Benfica in January for the good of the player. 

Fernandes, who has found game time difficult to come by under his compatriot since signing for Tottenham on loan in January, could now return to his parent club despite possessing a ‘big reputation’.

Indeed, described as a player in the mould of Spurs fan favourite Moussa Dembele, Fernandes hasn’t been given a chance to replicate the Belgian’s prowess – falling short of working his way into Mourinho’s plans.

Mourinho hints at Fernandes stance

Now, speaking to Portuguese broadcaster Sport TV, Mourinho has confirmed that Spurs will not stand in Benfica’s way as Fernandes’ season-long loan deal shortly comes to an end.

The Tottenham boss, while ‘comfortable’ with letting him stay in north London, concedes that it is likely he will depart back to Benfica as he cannot guarantee him regular playing time.

“For me, it is never a problem, but a solution. Having him in the squad, even if he is not called up and not playing, is an extremely comfortable situation,” explained Mourinho to the press.

“I will never be the one to push him or say that I don’t want him here but I understand the situation of the kid and Benfica.

“If the club wants to end the relationship here, we will be here to collaborate, because we want the good of the player. Benfica has the power to decide and will be accepted by us.”

Transfer Tavern take

Described as a ‘raw talent’ by Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold, Tottenham could have potentially had a star in the making – but the player also once labelled as a potential ‘next Sissoko’ could be set to part company due to a lack of action this season.

In other news: Levy has been tipped to make this Tottenham move which would drive Spurs fans ‘crazy’ – find out more here.