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Celtic have no manager at present but that doesn’t seem to matter to the club’s hierarchy, who are busy tying up some pre-contract deals.

Liam Shaw has already agreed a move with the Hoops while they’re also targeting Kyle Joseph from Wigan Athletic.

What’s the word?

It appears that the Bhoys are making an effort to bring plenty of young talent to Glasgow over the summer. That’s because fresh reports state that they’re targeting another teenager embedded within the English Football League.

GIVEMESPORT reported that Rochdale’s flying winger Kwadwo Baah is a target for Celtic ahead of the next window. The 18-year-old’s contract expires this summer and thus, the Hoops will be able to sign him on a free transfer.

However, they face competition from both Manchester City and West Ham to secure his signature.

Timely move

With Cameron Harper now back in America and Karamoko Dembele set to wind down his contract (via reports relayed by The Scottish Sun), securing some more young talent is a timely statement from the Hoops.

Dembele has long been the darling of the Celtic academy but, after finding first team opportunities hard to come by, he is seemingly on the hunt for chances elsewhere.

It will be a shame, especially given his glowing qualities. The teenager made his debut as a 16-year-old but hasn’t really built on what was a very early glimpse of his qualities.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Signing Baah would therefore seem an excellent addition in order to replace him. The two players possess similar characteristics, too.

In League One this term, the Rochdale forward has scored three times and provided two assists, but one of the most eye-catching aspects of his game is the ability to take on and beat a defender.

Like Dembele, Baah loves to leave full-backs in a tangle, something his 1.6 dribbles per match signifies.

Judging by their ages – Dembele is also just 18 – they are at a similar stage of development, too. That being said, the Celtic target has far more senior experience and exposure to his name.

While the Hoops prospect has made just five senior appearances, Baah has featured on 37 occasions for Rochdale, being praised highly in the process. Speaking in December, Dale manager Brian Barry-Murphy said: “He’s a very special talent, he’s going to attract the headlines – and rightly so because he’s a very dangerous player.”

Barry-Murphy clearly rates him highly, commenting after Baah signed a new deal a year ago: “His talent is exceptional and he’s someone we’re very excited about for the future. He’s made a huge impact on the squad already.”

In terms of the impact made at senior level, Baah is already ahead of Dembele. That should be music to the ears of Hoops supporters.

AND in other news, 108 aerials won: Celtic could replace Edouard with “special” 6 ft 7 colossus…

Celtic’s managerial vacancy is one of the most talked-about gigs in world football right now.

Of course, the Hoops are a massive club so they likely won’t have any shortage of suitors in their hunt to replace Neil Lennon.

Big names like Roberto Martinez have been linked with the vacancy but another name mentioned in recent days is Thierry Henry.

He has recently left his role with Montreal Impact in MLS due to family reasons but a number of coincidences have occurred since. Indeed, the man he wanted as his number two a few years ago, Julien Stephan, has left his role at Rennes.

That provoked journalist Robin Bairner to comment the following on Twitter: “Interesting that Stephan has quit just days after Thierry Henry left Montreal. Henry wanted Stephan to be his assistant at Monaco but Rennes refused permission to talk. Could they team up, Henry as figurehead, Stephan as the coach?”

Described as someone with “a science to football” by Radamel Falcao, his coaching methods have drawn mixed results. He was sacked as manager of Monaco after just three months for instance.

That being said, it would certainly be an interesting line of approach for Celtic to take but it could be game-changing in keeping one of their star players.

Odsonne Edouard has regularly been linked with a move away, most recently to Arsenal. Given the mass interest and Celtic’s trophy-less season, it would be very difficult to keep him in Glasgow. That being said, he is a man that Henry rates incredibly highly.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Speaking about the relationship between the two last year, Ally McCoist told talkSPORT; “I spoke to Thierry Henry at the Liverpool vs Leicester City game and he really rates Edouard. He was saying in France in particular [he’s rated] and he personally really, really thinks he’s got a chance of going right to the top.”

Henry, of course, is a legend of the French game and there would be few better strikers to learn from than the Arsenal great.

He is one of the most lethal strikers we’ve seen over the last two decades and if Henry sees Edouard as someone who could reach the top, he’d surely be central to his plans at Parkhead.

Of course, a move to a bigger club may be on the cards but surely a man of Henry’s influence in French football could sway him to stay?

After all, why wouldn’t he want to learn from a master craftsman in Henry? The 43-year-old could take him to the next level and help him earn an even bigger move than may initially be on the cards.

This has the potential to be a dream combination. Dermot Desmond needs to see if it can become a reality.

AND in other news, Celtic may have their new Ajer in 17 y/o “hungry talent” never-seen in the first team…

In recent comments, the agent of Illan Meslier, Xavier Fleury, discussed potential interest in the Leeds United goalkeeper, as well as hinting at the shot-stopper’s future exit from Elland Road.

Since arriving at Leeds on what was originally a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2019 – with the club making Meslier’s signing permanent in a £5.85 million deal last summer – the 21-year-old has so far gone on to feature 36 times for the Whites, conceding 48 goals and keeping 15 clean sheets along the way.

So far this season, despite his tender age, the £10.8 million-rated Frenchman has highly impressed over his 25 Premier League appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, making an average of four saves and per game, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.04 – ranking him as the club’s sixth-best performer in the top flight.

And, speaking recently on the LUFC Fan Zone podcast, as cited by Leeds Live, Fleury claimed that a number of big clubs could be interested in signing the France U21 international, as well opening the door to the ‘keepers potential exit from the club.

He said: “When you are so young, the youngest starting goalkeeper in Europe, for sure, big clubs could be interested, following him. Illan is starting at Leeds. He loves the club. Perhaps in one, two seasons, if you have a club like Real Madrid that knock on the door, who knows?”

Transfer Tavern Take

With Leeds not exactly having great strength in depth in the goalkeeper department – Kiko Casilla being Bielsa’s back up shot-stopper, with the club losing all three games the 34-year-old has featured in this season – keeping Meslier at the club is likely to be a priority for the Whites this summer.

However, with Fleury claiming that the 21-year-old is currently loving life at Elland Road, it would appear as if the Frenchman is in no rush to leave any time soon, which is likely to be very pleasing news for both Bielsa as well as fans of the club.

In other news, Phil Hay shed light on this Leeds star’s contract details – find out more here!

Carlo Ancelotti should urge Marcel Brands to launch a summer swoop for Everton to sign a second Richarlison-type player in VfB Stuttgart forward Silas Wamangituka.

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, Wamangituka has caught the attention of a clutch of Premier League clubs with his dazzling efforts in the Bundesliga this season.

The 21-year-old has been the star of Stuttgart’s campaign since Die Roten returned to the German top-flight last summer, netting 11 of his side’s 44 goals while providing three assists.

Wamangituka, who is under contract at the Mercedes-Benz Arena until 2024, is considered to be one of the most exciting talents across the Bundesliga, having delivered an instant impact while tackling matches with a distinctive style of play.

His pace and finishing excellence from a wide position is thought to have Everton and Fulham on alert, along with talent spotters from some of Germany’s bigger clubs.

The DR Congo native is likened to Arsenal’s £72m forward Nicolas Pepe for the way he broke out at LOSC Lille to seal his move to the Emirates Stadium in 2019, having provided 22 goals and 11 assists in 38 Ligue 1 appearances.

Should Everton sign Wamangituka?

Ancelotti urging Everton’s Director of Football Brands to launch a pursuit to sign Wamangituka this summer could see the Dutch chief acquire a versatile dynamo, who is capable of playing on either wing as well as in behind the striker.

The £22.5m-rated speedster is able to find the back of the net on either wing, too, having struck nine goals and produced three assists from 19 games on the right-flank along with two goals in two Bundesliga outings from the left.

Fitness rarely seems an issue for the 21-year-old, either, with the energetic winger starting 21 of his 22 appearances while sitting out just one fixture to date this term.

Arsenal’s Pepe is not the only player Wamangituka has been likened to, as well, with former Gunners Head of Scouting Sven Mislintat, now Stuttgart’s Sporting Director, comparing the Paris FC product with Gabon star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

“There are some differences between them, of course, but also many, many similar things,” Mislintat told Bundesliga.com. “His father was a player, defensive midfielder, playing for the national team of Gabon, hard worker and Auba got this attitude.

“And he has learned quite a lot also from Jurgen Klopp in working defensively. If they adopt this and they are able to do this, then they will become big, big stars in football with their qualities and their mindsets. And this is what Silas did as well.”

Mislintat also describes Wamangituka as a “scoring machine”, along with being “humble, hungry for success, [and] he would like to improve his game every day.”

Wamangituka’s drive, output, style and versatility would not be too dissimilar to Richarlison if brought to Everton, offering Ancelotti two high-calibre options for either wing.

“I think he [Richarlison] cannot play centre-forward because he is really good at attacking the line and to play centre-forward, most of the time you have your back to the goal,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “I think for him, better is centre-left.”

The Toffees boss has also praised his star Brazilian for his defensive contribution, noting via quotes by the Mirror: “I was not happy with him against Newcastle because I think he could work more. Against Leeds, he did fantastic defensive work and I was pleased with that performance.”

It remains to be seen how much Stuttgart would value Wamangituka at the end of the season, but Everton should certainly sound out the Bundesliga side’s position.

AND in other news, Everton are tracking a prolific 15-goal winger backed to reach another level…

Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend proved costly against Arsenal as it ended all square at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.

Alexandre Lacazette came close to breaking the deadlock before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang forced a fine save from Vicente Guaita.

But Roy Hodgson’s side dug deep and held firm against Arsenal to secure a point at a ground where Chelsea and Newcastle have previously come unstuck.

Having endured a torrid night at Molineux last time out, where they lost 1-0 to Wolves after Adama Traore scored his first goal of the season, it looked like Hodgson’s side hadn’t shaken off the hangover from the FA Cup when Aubameyang evaded Townsend to cut inside from the left flank and fire off a shot on target.

While Tyrick Mitchell may receive a portion of the blame for the early lapse in concentration, it would be wrong to pin the blame solely on the 21-year-old, who otherwise enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular, performance on the left-hand side of the back four.

In fact, Mitchell received the joint fourth-highest SofaScore rating out of all his teammates, including midfielder James McArthur. Despite his diminutive stature, the 5 ft 7 in left-back was a colossal at the back for Hodgson’s side – he made one tackle, four clearances and four interceptions, which was more than he is currently averaging per game this season so far, meaning he was a level above his average work rate in terms of his defensive shift.

The same can’t be said for Townsend, who was also utterly wasteful in terms of his possession, as the right winger managed to lose control of the ball ten times despite taking 52 touches throughout the entire 90 minutes.

Indeed, the 29-year-old lost 12 out of his 16 duels overall (75%) on the right wing last night, and was dribbled past five times, which shows that he was run ragged by the likes of Aubameyang and Ainsley Maitland-Niles all evening, with the pair winning the same number of individual battles between them, as per SofaScore.

On top of that, Townsend took one shot off target to sum up his frustrations after he blasted a shot well over the bar inside the first ten minutes of the first half following a promising passage of play, so it’s perhaps hardly surprising he failed to find the back of the net for the 16th game in a row this season. He also only managed to produce one accurate long ball from four attempts, which just goes to show the kind of quality Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha had to work with on the night. It’s fair to say that he lacked any real ambition and looked fairly sloppy on the ball.

The former England international didn’t take too kindly to Arteta’s tackle whilst he also intervened to separate Zaha and David Luiz, but those were his only real contributions of note as he endured a night to forget at the Emirates.

SofaScore graded Townsend as the worst Palace player on the pitch with his 6.5 score and quite rightly, too, after his lack of genuine quality in the final third proved costly as the two sides were forced to settle for a point apiece.

The Independent’s Karl Matchett was left unimpressed by his performance and noted he was ‘a hard-running but peripheral figure.’

The £8.5m-rated right winger, who earns around £55,000-per-week at Selhurst Park, was largely ineffective against an Arsenal side who otherwise struggled to break down the well-drilled visitors. He failed to record a shot on target for the second time in as many games in all competitions this season, via SofaScore.

Had he decided against lashing a hopeful shot into the stands, the score line may have read very differently indeed, as he could have created a chance for either Benteke or Zaha instead.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace shouldn’t renew Nathaniel Clyne’s contract…

What a difference a few games have made for Arsenal.

After losing to Everton in the Premier League, things looked really bleak for Mikel Arteta’s side, but the Gunners started to turn things around with an impressive 3-1 victory at home to rivals Chelsea.

That was then followed by up another couple of fine away victories against the likes of Brighton and West Brom respectively, and the momentum is well and truly with the north Londoners now.

On late Saturday afternoon, Arsenal entertain Newcastle at the Emirates as they begin their defence of the FA Cup, and Arteta is likely to ring the changes to keep his team fresh.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up.

In goal, Bernd Leno is likely to keep his place, with Alex Runarsson certainly not showing enough in the time that he has been on the pitch that he can be a reliable no.2 for Arteta’s side.

In front of Leno, the Arsenal boss may wish to completely change things up, with the likes of Cedric, David Luiz, Gabriel and Ainsley Maitland-Niles ready to come in and give the first-team regulars a rest.

The midfield area could also see some changes, with Mohamed Elneny coming in to replace Granit Xhaka – Dani Ceballos may be one of the few players who actually keeps his place from the superb victory over West Brom last time out.

Further forward, the likes of Reiss Nelson, Nicolas Pepe and Joe Willock could all get their chance to impress, with Eddie Nketiah starting up front.

Predicted XI: Leno; Cedric, Luiz, Gabriel, Maitland-Niles; Ceballos, Elneny; Pepe, Willock, Nelson; Nketiah.

Glasgow Rangers duo George Edmundson and Jordan Jones are facing suspensions after breaching coronavirus protocols, reports say.

What’s the story?

According to Sky Sports, the Rangers players will face a hearing conducted by the Scottish FA next week, having attended a gathering with people from outside their household. They have already been suspended by the club following an internal investigation into their antics at a house party.

Despite this, Steven Gerrard has recently hinted that they could still have a future at the club after breaking his silence on the disgraced duo earlier this month. However, the Ibrox boss would be making an inexcusable error by giving Edmundson a second chance.

Set the standards

Given his young age, it seems a little harsh to write his Rangers career off completely, as he has still has plenty of time to continue to grow and develop as a player.

But the reality is that Rangers have an abundance of talent in the defence who can collectively and individually do better than Edmundson in near enough every area. Gerrard isn’t exactly short of centre-backs, as Leon Balogun and Connor Goldson have been in such fine form in recent weeks, whilst Filip Helander has impressed after returning to the starting line-up.

Edmundson has almost always been the odd man out. Last season, the £1m-rated Englishman made seven appearances in the Scottish Premiership, scoring one goal in the 2-1 win over Hibernian FC. He has found his chances even harder to come by this season, as he hasn’t made a single appearance in the top flight this term, whilst he has been limited to just two games overall so far.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Rangers defender Alan Hutton criticised the youngster for his “silly” mistake. Admittedly, it’s almost part and parcel of being a young player, as Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood were sent home by Gareth Southgate for inviting two females into England’s COVID-secure bubble.

But the trouble is, Edmundson just isn’t on the same level as either of those two players, who are first-team regular starters at Manchester City and Manchester United respectively. His performances so far this season haven’t merited a place in Gerrard’s side, let alone a reason to allow him to return to the fold. It’s about time the Ibrox boss set an example as his behaviour surely cannot be tolerated.

Why would Gerrard want to invest his time and energy into a fringe squad player who has broken his trust? It just doesn’t make any sense.

AND in other news, Rangers have discovered true gem in James Tavernier, who has drawn comparisons with Steven Gerrard…

Manchester United will want to get back to winning ways following their defeat to Paris Saint-Saint Germain on Wednesday night when they travel to the London Stadium to take on West Ham.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side saw their four-game winning streak snapped after they slumped to a disappointing defeat to the French Ligue 1 defending champions at Old Trafford.

Marcus Rashford faces a race against time to face the Hammers having been forced off during the midweek defeat to PSG with what looked like an side-effect of the shoulder injury he sustained whilst away on international duty last month.

However, the England international is expected to return, although Saturday’s game may come too soon for Luke Shaw, who is working his way back to fitness. Otherwise Solskjaer has close to a fully-fit squad to choose from, with Eric Bailly and Jesse Lingard also available for selection.

Here is our predicted line-up for Manchester United this afternoon, which sees Solskjaer ring four changes to the team that lost to the French giants.

Maybe Dean Henderson could come back in, but United’s undisputed No. 1 goalkeeper David de Gea has been in such fine form in recent weeks that we reckon Solskjaer will stick with his first-choice stopper this afternoon having been trusted for every single Premier League game so far this season.

Not only was Victor Lindelof lightweight, he was also largely anonymous against Paris Saint-Germain, so Axel Tuanzebe may be pushing for a recall to reunite with Alex Telles, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire to form the rest of the back four.

The 23-year-old is available once again after missing the Champions League clash with PSG due to suspension so could be in contention to start alongside the club captain.

Donny van de Beek could be handed a rare start next to Scott McTominay after Fred disgraced himself in the midweek defeat, which means Paul Pogba looks set to miss out.

Solskjaer will likely turn to Edinson Cavani to lead the line once more as Anthony Martial has suffered from an inconsistent run of form, so switching Rashford back to the left wing and bringing Juan Mata in on the right could be a tempting option for the club legend, who can also call upon Daniel James if required.

AND in other news, Amad Diallo could be Solskjaer’s ideal heir to Juan Mata at Manchester United…

Leeds United gave an incredible account of themselves over the weekend as they held Manchester City to a draw at Elland Road.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been amongst the best teams in the world over the past few seasons, and United made life very hard for them on Saturday.

One of the brightest sparks from that game was undoubtedly Ian Poveda.

The winger came on at half-time and he immediately had the beating of Benjamin Mendy, completing two dribbles, drawing two fouls and playing one key pass.

The 20-year-old’s showing earned him a lot of praise, with former United star Danny Mills describing him as ‘really sharp’.

Unfortunately, it now seems as though he’s going to slip down the pecking order at Elland Road after the £17m deadline day signing of Raphinha.

Poveda was already second-choice on the right wing behind Helder Costa, and now he may now find first-team minutes incredibly hard to come by after Raphinha’s arrival, because you don’t sign someone for £17m to leave them rotting on the bench.

Unfortunately, Poveda isn’t likely to take too kindly to this decision as he has a history of kicking off over things like this.

The Athletic have reported on multiple occasions that he was annoyed by Pep Guardiola’s decision to move him back to the Under-23s after a short spell with the first-team, before eventually deciding to find a new club due to this treatment unsettling him.

Poveda wasn’t happy playing second fiddle to Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling at the Etihad, three players who have all picked up either PFA Player of the Year or Young Player of the Year awards in recent times.

Costa and Raphinha aren’t on the same level as the likes of Mahrez and Sterling, yet Poveda is likely to be asked to deputise behind them for the remainder of the season.

Marcelo Bielsa needs to make sure he caters for Poveda’s needs, whether that’s continuing to offer him substitute appearances, rotating him in cup games or even playing him in a different position, because the youngster’s acrimonious Man City exit indicates that he could easily become unsettled if his role at the club is reduced.

If Bielsa doesn’t strike the right balance and Poveda becomes unhappy that would be an unforgivable error because he looks ready to be an absolute star at Elland Road for years to come.

Chelsea are set to give West Ham United a clear path to sign Antonio Rudiger on loan with reports the Stamford Bridge outfit could block a potential move to Tottenham Hotspur.

What’s the word?

According to Goal, Chelsea are loath to sanction a deal for Rudiger to join Spurs for the 2020/21 campaign as they envisage they will be competing with their London rivals for league positions and silverware this season.

Tottenham would have been the ideal destination from Rudiger’s perspective, as the 32-cap defender is noted to favour remaining in the capital and be playing for a side who are competing in Europe.

Rudiger’s immediate future at Stamford Bridge is in serious doubt on Deadline Day with the German out of favour under Frank Lampard, having made just one appearance on the bench and failing to make any subsequent matchday squads this term.

The 27-year-old has attracted an array of potential suitors this summer in Spurs, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter, AS Roma and West Ham, although interest in the Italian capital has since cooled with the Giallorossi nearing an agreement with Manchester United for Chris Smalling.

Inter will only move for Rudiger if Milan Skriniar leaves the San Siro, too, while Chelsea potentially blocking the £36m-rated centre-half from joining Spurs could leave the Irons with a clear path to strike a deal given his intentions to remain in London.

Chelsea’s “best” defender

West Ham’s hopes of signing Rudiger will not be fulfilled purely on Chelsea potentially blocking the defender from joining Spurs given his aspirations of playing in Europe this season, but the Blues’ stance will come as a major boost for manager David Moyes.

The Irons will also have to contend with AC Milan and PSG as both are said to be pushing for a loan deal, but coming out on top could see David Gold and David Sullivan land who Arsenal icon Martin Keown considers to be Chelsea’s best current defender.

“We’re asked to analyse now in this job, to look at the detail; have a look at Chelsea’s line,” Keown told talkSPORT host Jim White last month.

“I’ve spent hours watching, their defence is a joke, it’s a disgrace! [Thiago] Silva’s come in, maybe he’ll resolve that, but I think Rudiger is actually their best defender.”

Rudiger started 19 of his 20 Premier League appearances last season after overcoming an early groin injury, in which SofaScore data shows he averaged a whopping 84.4 touches, 64.8 accurate passes, won 4.8 duels, made 1.4 tackles, 2.8 clearances and was dribbled past just 0.5 times a game.

To now be cast aside will leave Rudiger with the sense of having a point to prove ahead of his return to Chelsea next summer, something Moyes can tap into as he strives to better West Ham’s record as the fifth-worst defence from the top-flight last term.

AND in other news, West Ham United are considering a late move to sign a Premier League player who recorded just 0.8 key balls a game in 2019/20.