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Leeds United may look to reignite their interest in Celtic defender Leo Hjelde this summer.

That’s the views of former Scotland boss Alex McLeish, talking to Football Insider after Ross County manager John Hughes revealed the Whites “were after” the teenage centre-back prior to his loan move to County in January.

The 17-year-old, capable of playing as a centre-back or as a left-back, has impressed Hughes, turning out on nine occasions in recent months, scoring once.

Hjelde, who stands at 6 foot 1, is under contract at Celtic Park until 2022, and McLeish believes Marcelo Bielsa’s side could return for the Norwegian, claiming he could become a ‘terrific’ centre-back.

“Yeah, Leeds could. Scotland’s been a good hunting ground for a few of the big clubs.

“Celtic have, over the years, done good business with players like van Dijk. He’s not the only one they’ve sold for a big fee at the end of his Celtic career.

“If John’s young kid keeps progressing, his loanee, then there’s no doubting he can become another terrific foreign centre-half.

“It seems to be, over the years, the top teams in Scotland have gone for foreign centre-halves.”

Transfer Tavern take

Celtic appear to be losing a number of talented youngsters, and with Hjelde previously wanted by the Whites, we wouldn’t be surprised if the teenager moved on.

Liam Hughes joined Liverpool earlier this year, while Vincent Angelini and Karamoko Dembele look set for summer exits.

Hjelde may well be the next to look towards a Parkhead exit, and a move to Yorkshire could see him link up with Leeds’ talented Under-23 side with a view to progress into Bielsa’s first-team plans down the line.

Considering Hughes’ glowing praise of the youngster, this would certainly be a blow for Celtic if they lost the chance to develop him into a more expensive player before selling, something they did so successfully with Virgil van Dijk and countless others.

In other news: Celtic source shares huge off-field update regarding 57 y/o; massive 2020 blunder rears its head, find out more here. 

Celtic’s search for a new manager has turned into somewhat of a circus. Rumours are flying all over the shop but we could be about to finally find out who is hired the Bhoys’ new head coach.

Eddie Howe has emerged as the favourite in recent days as the Hoops have moved away from Roy Keane.

What’s the word?

Howe is reportedly in advanced talks with the Celtic hierarchy to become their new manager. He has held discussions with majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and performed due diligence on behind-the-scenes matters.

According to the Daily Mail, he is already working on his backroom team. However, in a surprising turn of events, he wants to bring his own technical director with him in Richard Hughes.

Nick Hammond left his role as Head of Football Operations this week, a position which was reportedly being changed to a Director of Football. That role was set to be filled by Manchester City’s Fergal Harkin.

A deal was 90% done but news that Howe wants to bring Hughes with him instead puts a cloud of doubt over Harkin’s future.

Sportsmail reported that Howe is happy to stick with John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan, but wants Hughes to oversee a restructuring of the football operations. It is also claimed that former Celtic man Mark Burchill – now a scout at Bournemouth – is also in line for a job.

Bad news for Celtic

Hughes is currently technical director at Bournemouth but news that Celtic could now move away from Harkin shouldn’t be welcomed by supporters.

The latter has developed a reputation as a transfer guru during his time with Manchester City and has been in charge of their loan system.

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That has allowed Harkin to help the development of young players, streamlining the transition from youth team to senior football.

He has worked with the likes of ex-Hoops Patrick Roberts and Olivier Ntcham, while he played a large role in the progress of City first teamer Oleksandr Zinchenko.

For a club like Celtic who have neglected some of their younger players this season, this would have been a great appointment.

Instead, they’re looking at a director who has arguably spent poorly on the south coast of England. Although he built a squad which ultimately got promoted to the Premier League, some of his signings after Bournemouth came up were abject.

He spent £19m on Dominic Solanke, a player who has scored just 15 times in 81 outings for the Cherries. Hughes also played a role in bringing Jordon Ibe to Bournemouth in a deal worth £15m. The 25-year-old was released last summer after netting only five goals in 92 matches.

Considering some of the deals Hammond concluded at Parkhead – namely Albian Ajeti and Vasilis Barkas – this wouldn’t necessarily be an upgrade.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Edouard: Celtic must sign 16-goal gem who plays “in the style of Robben”…

Tottenham Hotspur are in need of a squad overhaul this summer, irrespective of whether or not Jose Mourinho remains in charge.

However, the reality is that the Portuguese is likely to keep his job given he’s one of the highest-paid managers in world football and remains under contract until 2023 without a break clause, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

A mega-money payout is probably the last thing Spurs chairman Daniel Levy wants to do and you also have to consider the fact that much of this squad was inherited, so many of Mourinho’s problems have been lingering long before he arrived.

And as such, the Telegraph’s Matt Law believes a rebuild could happen at the end of the season, with many players facing an unlikely future…

Dele Alli

One name mentioned is, of course, Dele Alli.

The 24-year-old midfielder saw a move to Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain collapse in January and is still struggling for game time under Mourinho.

Indeed, Alli has played only 964 minutes in all competitions this campaign; an average of 43 minutes per outing, via Transfermarkt.

As a result of him festering away on the bench and often on the sideline, his overall transfer value has plummeted 71% in the space of two years, with CIES Football Observatory now rating his worth at just €30m (£26m).

Now Football Insider claim that PSG could come back in for him in the summer.

Alli certainly has a lot to prove after the international break, though his route into the starting XI looks rather difficult. Tanguy Ndombele is now a first-team regular, and Giovani Lo Celso has recently returned from injury.

It seems hard to imagine that his Spurs career is done for at just 24, but if he can make a point to Mourinho in training in the coming months, then who knows what can happen.

He’s certainly going to have to fight for his future in north London, if he wishes to remain.

Harry Winks

Another name mentioned by the Telegraph is Harry Winks, who has gone from a trusted and highly-rated marshall in midfield under Pochettino to a forgotten man.

He too has been linked with interest ahead of the summer transfer window – Sport (via Sport Witness) claim the 25-year-old will insist for a move this summer amid likely interest from La Liga.

It would be an interesting move to make as he was once dubbed England’s Andres Iniesta by the ex-Spurs boss.

“Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player,” explained Pochettino to the Evening Standard. “His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and Iniesta, he’s like this type of player.”

However, Winks has played only 24 times this campaign, of which only seven appearances are starts in the Premier League. And just one of those has come since the middle of January, as per Transfermarkt.

And just like Alli, his value has sunk from £36m in December 2019 (Transfermarkt) to €30m (£26m) in March 2021 (CIES).

As a graduate from the Hotspur Way system, you’d imagine there is nothing he’d like more than to feature but again, just like Alli, he’s out of the England fold and may need to move onto pastures new.

He’ll have to make a big statement if given an opportunity to do so before the end of the season.

Serge Aurier

A third name mentioned by the report is Serge Aurier. Perhaps the most surprising, given his turnaround in form this season.

The £18m-rated defender looked set to be replaced in the summer when Spurs clinched Matt Doherty for £15m from Wolves but if anything, that only spurned the Ivorian on, as he’s often been preferred at right-back.

Darren Bent once lambasted Aurier as a “liability” whilst Mourinho was seen telling the former PSG man that he was afraid of his ‘poor’ defending during Amazon’s ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries last year.

Maybe that still grates on his mind and with the £70k-per-week star soon-to-be entering the final year of his deal, it’s easy to see why he may be moved on.

He’ll need to keep performing at a higher level to Doherty in these coming months to remain in N17 for the long-term. He too must be playing for his Spurs future alongside Alli and Winks.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Rodon: Spurs can build defence for the future with £22.5m-rated “leader”…

Celtic have offered Kyle Joseph a long-term deal ahead of the expiry of his Wigan Athletic contract, according to Football Insider.

The report claimed that the Hoops have submitted a formal offer to the 19-year-old striker in a bid to stave off growing competition from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, who are understood to be waiting on a character assessment before they step-up their interest.

The deal would apparently involve a £300,000 compensation payment to Wigan, who sit second from bottom in League One.

Who is Celtic target Kyle Joseph?

Joseph graduated from the Latics’ under-18s to the under-23s last season and this term he has made his first team breakthrough (via Transfermarkt). He has been handed 14 appearances in League One, 12 of which were starts, and scored five goals. Most notably, he netted a hat-trick in a 4-3 away win at Burton Albion just before the turn of the year.

According to WhoScored, Joseph’s predominant strengths lie in his dribbling and his finishing. However, he is currently out of action after injuring his back.

Transfer Tavern verdict

This could be another shrewd move from Celtic after they captured 19-year-old Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Liam Shaw on a pre-contract agreement in February (via Yorkshire Live) – a move with echoes of the potential deal for Joseph on a similar arrangement and at a similar age.

Deals like this enable the Hoops to build for the future with minimal expense, and it is always a good sign when there are high-profile competitors for a deal – once they can be seen off, of course.

If Spurs to make an offer of their own, it may come down to who can provide Joseph with the clearer and more exciting vision of his future.

In other news, this ex-Celtic player has taken aim at the club’s board.

According to a report by Foot Mercato, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino and Lilywhites defender Serge Aurier have been in contact over the possibility of a move to Paris-Saint Germain – with the Ligue 1 giants keen to strengthen at right-back.

Aurier, who has been a regular for Tottenham this season, starting more matches in the Premier League than summer signing Matt Doherty (WhoScored), has just one year left on his current deal – prompting PSG to take note.

Jose could lose Aurier

Foot Mercato even claim that former Spurs favourite Pochettino has been in contact with Aurier over a potential return to the Ligue 1 giants, coming after the 28-year-old openly admitted he would like to end his career at the Parc des Princes.

Tottenham have now even set his asking price, with Daniel Levy demanding around €12 million (£10.2m) if a deal is to be done.

Jose Mourinho, as a result, faces losing Aurier if these contacts evolve into more concrete negotiations – possibly leaving the Portuguese with few right-back options unless Tottenham take to the transfer market.

Transfer Tavern take

Indeed, Pochettino is allegedly keen on signing Aurier for the Parisiens, but it’s clear that the defender could still do a job for Tottenham when called upon.

During his resurgence earlier this season, the Ivorian received widespread media praise, with pundit Kevin Campbell calling him ‘top class’ and insisting Mourinho will be ‘over the moon’ with his form (Football Insider).

Time will tell what comes of this report, but Aurier has an admirer in Pochettino ahead of the summer window.

In other news: Tottenham have been offered a chance to sign this ‘extraordinary’ star, find out more here.

Leeds United will welcome Aston Villa to Elland Road this afternoon in a bid to recreate their emphatic 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture. The Whites are coming off the back of their 3-0 win over Southampton and morale will be sky high in camp. They will hope to add another three points to the bank in their bid to keep progressing up the Premier League table.

Marcelo Bielsa confirmed in his latest press conference that Rodrigo and Kalvin Phillips will not be available for the match, but he is uncertain over the fitness levels of Mateusz Klich. However, he stressed the importance of Diego Llorente’s return to action against Southampton.

Football FanCast has predicted how Bielsa will line up to face Villa this afternoon…

It’s not often a team that bags a 3-0 win gets altered, however, the boss may opt to make one change in his usual 4-1-4-1 formation. The match against Southampton saw Bielsa stray from his staple lineup, opting for a 3-3-3-1 instead. This saw Raphinha play on the left, Jack Harrison on the right and Tyler Roberts just behind Patrick Bamford in attack.

Roberts bagged himself an assist, pleading a strong case for his spot in the starting XI. It’s unlikely Bielsa will want to drop the playmaker, who is on the cusp of unleashing his full potential with the Whites. Accompanied by Stuart Dallas, he will have freedom to get forward whilst his teammate operates between attacking and tracking back to help defend.

£15,000-a-week man Harrison had an oddly quiet game against the Saints, managing just seven successful passes before he was hauled off after the break, according to Sofascore. The Manchester City loanee struggled to find his usual clinical groove and was replaced by Helder Costa. The 27-year-old winger also registered an assist, marking his second goalscoring contribution in his last three fixtures.

Costa could be rewarded for his hard graft these last few games by earning a spot on the team sheet ahead of Harrison. Villa are without a win for two consecutive games now and will be throwing everything at trying to get three points today. Leeds will need their most clinical attack to catch them out and Costa could make a huge statement by troubling their defence.

In other news, Leeds target Nicolas N’Koulou commits fewer fouls than Cooper & Koch…

Reports by Football Insider earlier this week claimed that Manchester United are keeping tabs on Tomas Soucek, but West Ham should repeat their genius Declan Rice move to fend off the interest in their Czech Republic superstar.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils are thought to be among an array of top European sides keeping a close eye on the midfielder, as Soucek continues to enjoy a remarkable campaign at the London Stadium.

The Old Trafford natives view the 25-year-old as a potential summer target should they first wrap up a deal for a new centre-half, with defensive reinforcements the main priority.

West Ham are braced for bids coming their way at the end of the season for Soucek, who has previously been linked with a potential move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

Yet Irons insider Claret and Hugh believe there are no plans actively in place to negotiate the sale of Soucek, as it would take an astronomical offer that blows the doors off the London Stadium for the Hammers to part with the towering 6 ft 3 box-to-box menace.

Soucek is not only one of the first names on David Moyes’ teamsheets but he is also West Ham’s top-scorer across all competitions with eight goals, three more than anyone else currently in east London.

The former Slavia Prague star’s late runs into the box frequently cause opposing sides problems as he is able to ghost in often unchallenged, having perfectly pre-empted the path of the ball.

It is not only goals that he offers, either, as the £19m summer capture – now valued by TransferMarkt at £27m – provides the second-most successful tackles (2) a game in the Premier League for West Ham and wins by far the most aerial duels (6), with Michail Antonio (2.7) second after Sebastien Haller’s (4.2) winter exit, per WhoScored.

West Ham will absolutely have to do all they can to retain Soucek in the summer having discovered a glistening diamond in the rough, but should take confidence in doing so after fending off Frank Lampard’s relentless pursuits with Chelsea for Rice in the last off-season.

Lampard’s eagerness for the Stamford Bridge natives to lure Rice back to south west London was seen as one of the deciding factors that led to his sacking, having pushed the Blues to sign Rice again this January despite the club’s reservations of re-signing a player they released from the academy as a teenager.

The Hammers told Chelsea they would only sell Rice for £80m and never saw a formal offer in the summer market as a result, per The Sun, and setting a similar asking price to price Manchester United et al out of signing Soucek may be needed so that he remains in claret and blue for the 2021/22 season.

The Red Devils have shown throughout the years that they will refuse to sign anyone for over the odds, having looked away from Sean Longstaff when Newcastle demanded £50m and turned their back on Jadon Sancho when Borussia Dortmund requested €120m (£108m).

AND in other news, West Ham may face added competition to sign a highly-rated 6 ft 7 titan…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is chasing a new central defender this transfer window, according to reports…

What’s the word?

And Sky Sports Germany have linked the north London outfit with a move for Schalke 04 colossus Ozan Kabak as the Bundesliga side are in a sticky situation financially.

It is claimed that the 20-year-old has a release clause of €40m (£36m), but they are unlikely to receive such a fee due to the financial implications from the pandemic.

AC Milan have previously submitted an offer, though it’s thought that the Turkish centre-back would welcome a move to the Premier League with defending champions Liverpool also keen amid their defensive injury troubles.

Van Dijk 2.0?

He may well be inclined to make the move to Merseyside over London due to his admiration for Reds monster Virgil Van Dijk, a player that Kabak idolises and models his game on.

This should only be more reason for Daniel Levy to make the move before anyone else – he is averaging 4.3 aerials won, 3.6 clearances, 1.4 dribbles and one tackle per game this term, via WhoScored.

It is in his imposing presence driving out from the back that bears the best similarities to the Dutch game-changer.

Perhaps it’s no surprise to see the Turkey international likened to Sergio Ramos in that sense. Bundesliga.com wrote: ‘Kabak has a sound in-game radar and a deceptively quick turn of pace. Powerful in the air and with a great sense of timing.’

Whilst former Villa midfielder, now Stuttgart sporting director, Thomas Hitzlsperger dubbed Kabak a “role-model,” he said:

“It’s incredible how worldy-wise he is for his age. It’s astonishing. I see him every day and am amazed at how he mature he is. He wants to know everything; he wants to learn German right away and understand everything. That’s the kind of attitude we need. He’s already a role model, despite his age.”

Mourinho can force Davinson Sanchez closer to an exit with this move too. The 24-year-old has failed to make nine of their last 11 squads in the Premier League and is heavily out-of-favour.

The Athletic believe he would be open to leaving N17 this month, so it could well be the case of Sanchez out and Kabak in, and that would be quite the impressive switch.

Just maybe the leader-like Schalke sensation can have a similar impact to that of Van Dijk at Anfield.

AND in other news, Special £62m-rated enigma has become Mourinho’s sacrificial lamb…

According to The Scottish Sun, Glasgow Rangers are eyeing a pre-contract deal for Bournemouth defender Jack Simpson.

Simpson eyed by Gerrard

The Gers have so far failed to bring in any new players to Ibrox this month, but they have been linked with a number of pre-contract deals – the likes of Scott Wright (Sky Sports via Anthony Joseph), Daniel Johnson and Ben Davies (Football Insider) have all been mentioned.

With Simpson’s contract set to run out at the end of the season (Transfermarkt), he too could be signed now for next term. Bournemouth have already accepted a £750,000 bid from Cardiff for the defender, so the Gers will have to move quickly to get their man.

High-rated

Even at the age of 24, Simpson’s career is yet to really get going, but that does not mean he is not a highly-rated player. Cardiff’s offer indicates that, and the centre-back did feature four times in the Premier League last term, with 11 appearances in the top flight overall.

Simpson’s arrival would likely represent a long-term option for the 54-time Scottish champions, and there is nothing wrong in planning for the future. In this situation, even though a bid has been accepted, it is up to the player to decide where he wants to go. Ross Wilson will be hoping the Gers have enough to lure him north of the border.

In other news, this former Gers man has suggested on current star could leave the club this month.

Ryan Fraser badly betrayed Steve Bruce with an invisible display in Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup quarter-final loss to Brentford on Tuesday night.

The ex-AFC Bournemouth wide man started the action away to the Bees as Bruce sought to secure the Magpies a place in their first League Cup semi-final since 1976, yet left the pitch after 65 minutes having run out of steam with nothing to show for his efforts.

Fraser had returned from a hamstring injury in Newcastle’s 5-2 humbling at Leeds United last week before only making the bench against Fulham, and would have sought to use a meeting with lower-league opposition as his chance to display his importance to the side.

Yet he could not deliver anything of true significance as Brentford emerged 1-0 victors thanks to a 66th-minute effort from Josh Dasilva, moments after Bruce had replaced Fraser with club-record striker Joelinton.

Fraser came close to assisting fellow summer arrival Callum Wilson with a teasing delivery into the Brentford box, but his cross proved his only telling contribution on a night where goalkeeper Karl Darlow had more touches of the ball (31) than the 26-year-old (30), per SofaScore.

The Scotland midfielder further failed to impress having offered no additional crosses than the ball which failed to meet Wilson in the centre, while also losing out in his sole attempted dribble, two of four ground duels and each of his two aerial contests.

Fraser hugged the left-hand touchline inside the Bees’ territory at the Brentford Community Stadium, so Bruce would have expected a greater offensive contribution than what he saw from the £10.8m-rated man, with left-back Jamal Lewis recording five attempted crosses and one key ball despite venturing forward into the final-third just as often.

Bruce has previously lauded the impact he expected Fraser to add to his plans alongside Wilson, feeling the pair’s initial influence would bring a bright future the Toon are yet to see.

“It gives me what we have never had. I think, since the summer, the four players added to the squad has given us options and we’re better for it,” Bruce said, via quotes by the Chronicle.

“Certainly, Callum and Ryan have given us another dimension if you like. That is what we’re looking for.”

But Bruce will struggle to see a reason to hand Fraser only his third Premier League start in black and white when Newcastle visit Manchester City on Boxing Day after his horror show against Brentford, whose players dribbled past the Aberdeen-born winger more often than he was able to make a successful tackle.

AND in other news: “No point him going to…” – Exclusive: Rob Lee drops huge claim on Newcastle star’s future.