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Times are tough for Celtic currently. They are in a rough patch as their last three games have seen them lose two and draw one.

The mood hasn’t been great, with the Hoops receiving a lot of criticism, so it is vital that Neil Lennon reverses the slump sooner rather than later, especially in the Premiership as they are six points behind first place.

However, there is some positive news coming out of UEFA which might make Lennon’s objectives slightly easier to achieve.

UEFA’s breaking news which benefits Celtic

Sky Sports journalist Pete O’Rourke reported: ‘Scottish Premiership clubs have received a major boost as UEFA confirmed Scotland will have two spots in the Champions League qualifying round next season.’

This ruling has come at the perfect time for Lennon

With the recent run of poor results, and Rangers opening up a commanding lead in the Premiership at the early stages, the Hoops would be worried if only one Champions League qualifying spot were available.

However, some of the pressure on Lennon may be eased, knowing that second would at least be good enough for Celtic to get into the qualifiers for Europe’s flagship club competition.

Having won the last nine Premiership titles to get into the Champions League annually, at least the Hoops would have that as a safety net for next season if they finish second domestically this time around.

In other Celtic news, a former Scotland manager has criticised one Hoops star following his poor form. Have a read of the article here!

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…

Fulham haven’t quite got off to the start they would have hoped for after their return to the Premier League.

The Whites sit bottom of the league after four games, and while the 11 goals conceded are a big problem, their own goal tally of three should also have alarm bells ringing.

There are no prizes for guessing who has scored the majority of the London club’s goals either, with Aleksandar Mitrovic netting two of the Cottagers’ three strikes so far.

It’s the same story as we saw last season, Scott Parker was over-reliant on Mitrovic for his team’s goals as he netted 26 of Fulham’s 64 strikes, just over 40% of their goals.

With Premier League defences being tougher nuts to crack, Parker’s side needs more dimensions up top than just Mitrovic, and they might be about to land just the player they need.

Indeed, The Star have linked Fulham with a move for Brentford winger Said Benrahma, and it’s fair to say that this is exactly the player they need.

The Whites’ wingers have been dreadful this season, with Ivan Cavaleiro, Neeskens Kebano and Aboubakar Kamara contributing no goals or assists so far in the league this term, and Benrahma would be able to change that immediately.

The Algerian netted 17 and assisted nine last year, and while that was only against Championship opposition, he has shown he can do it against Premier League sides, something Fulham saw first-hand as he netted a wonder strike against them in the Carabao Cup.

Mitrovic is under a lot of pressure at the moment to get Fulham moving in the right direction, he’s undoubtedly their main attacking outlet averaging 2.5 more shots per game than any other player, but the signing of Benrahma could help alleviate some of the weight on his shoulders.

Kevin Phillips described him as a player who ‘can win a game on his own’ on an episode of Quest’s EFL highlights show last year (via Derby Telegraph), and with Fulham sitting on zero points after four games, they certainly need more attackers who have that sort of ability at the club.

Fingers crossed Tony Khan can get this one over the line.

Tottenham Hotspur and the striker position has been a troublesome saga in recent transfer windows but might that soon change?

What’s the word?

According to TVI24 in Portugal, Spurs are one of the teams interested in signing Benfica striker Carlos Vinicius this summer with three Premier League clubs alleged to have made an enquiry.

They even claim that a bid of €45m (£41.5m) has already been made by an unnamed team, though the Primeira Liga outfit are holding out for €55m (£50.5m).

Kane successor?

It’s hard to imagine Daniel Levy splashing out in excess of 50 big ones for a striker, let alone one that would be a backup to Harry Kane, so perhaps there’s more to this interest.

Back in March, the England talisman spoke about his frustrations of not winning trophies at Spurs, even hinting towards an exit one day if such success cannot be achieved and after their opening day defeat to Everton, the signs aren’t very encouraging.

Just two years ago, it seemed like Real Madrid were prepared to make Kane the first-ever £200m player, as per the Times, so there will definitely be similar suitors again in the future.

But in Vinicius not only do they have a primed successor but also an archetypal Jose Mourinho striker – powerful, quick and a lethal eye for goal.

The 25-year-old bagged 24 goals and provided 13 assists for Benfica last season and has also been described as a “clever penalty-box poacher” despite being 6 foot 3.

That is more than what fellow mooted targets Arkadiusz Milik (14), Joshua King (six) and Willian Jose (11) managed last term.

Spurs are crying out for some sort of addition in the striking department with a hectic season ahead, so it could be quite a smart decision to bring in someone like Vinicius sooner rather than later – if he impresses again this term, then that price tag will rise quickly.

At least then, there will be less to worry about should Kane actually leave north London sometime in the near future.

AND in other news, Spurs reignite interest in January transfer target…

Tanguy Ndombele’s future at Tottenham Hotspur has taken another twist, as Spurs insist that he is not for sale despite interest from Inter Milan.

That’s according to The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare, as per @TheSpursExpress, who claims that the 23-year-old will not be leaving north London this summer.

Rarely a day goes by without the six-cap French international being linked with a move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as he has attracted attention from Inter, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, among others.

The young Frenchman has endured a difficult time in the Premier League after arriving for a club record £55m fee from Lyon last year. Ndombele made just 17 starts for Spurs last season in all competitions, so it’s perhaps hardly surprising that he wants to leave north London.

However, it is understood that Daniel Levy is not prepared to sell a player in whom he has invested so much money, as the chairman is convinced he will eventually come good. Levy has even gone so far as to slap a £63m asking price on his head to ward off any potential suitors.

The 23-year-old scored two goals and supplied two assists in the top flight last term and hardly featured at all after the restart, making just knee injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.

Ndombele has shown flashes of brilliance in the Champions League so Spurs should stay patient as they may reap the rewards later on in his career. Time is still on his side but Mourinho must get the best out of a player who was once considered one of Europe’s hottest prospects.

However, Ndombele also has areas he needs to address, as he must fix his fitness issues sooner rather than later. He has all the attributes to be a major asset for Mourinho’s side, although he now needs to show that he remains committed to the cause.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy should sell Ndombele in the summer? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Tottenham haven’t had the best of times as of late, but they finally had something to cheer on Sunday as they secured a precious win over their bitter rivals Arsenal, beating them 2-1 courtesy of goals from Heung-min Son and Toby Alderweireld.

While a win over the Gunners is always cause for celebration for Spurs supporters, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the white half of north London.

Indeed, the fanbase still had some grievances to air, namely about the performance of Serge Aurier.

Spurs’ 2017 signing had a day to forget, his pass accuracy was barely above 80 per cent, and of the five crosses he attempted, not a single one of them found their desired target.

On top of that, he had more unsuccessful touches than any other Tottenham player, so you can understand exactly where these complaints are coming from.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Tottenham have been able to call right-back their problem position.

Last season it seemed as though Spurs supporters’ favourite activity was to bash Kieran Trippier, but some fans thought Aurier was that bad on Sunday that they actually started to miss the Atletico Madrid man.

Liverpool fans have been left in a frenzy after fresh reports emerged surrounding long-term target, Timo Werner, this week.

According to The Athletic, via Anfield Edition, the Reds could agree to a similar deal to that of Naby Keita with RB Leipzig, meaning the German striker remains in the Bundesliga for another season.

While this hugely remains to be seen, the current financial climate and situation facing football clubs post-pandemic raises plenty of question marks, but that hasn’t stopped the Anfield faithful from going nuts on Twitter.

It’s believed that Werner and Liverpool are destined to meet at some stage given the substantial amount of reports circulating over the past year or so and for the time being, it is hard to envisage him getting a place in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI as Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane still the main trio.

The 24-year-old has been in impressive form this campaign, providing 27 goals and 12 assists in 37 appearances in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

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Sky Sports claim that the Leipzig talisman has a £52m release clause which is set to expire on June 15th, so a decision would have to be made very soon – and clearly plenty at Anfield are desperate to land him.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Liverpool fans react to Caglar Soyuncu transfer claim…

West Brom fans have been left furious by Saido Berahino some three years after the controversial academy star departed the Midlands outfit.

This week the 26-year-old was in conversation with the Counter Attack podcast where he claimed that he supports the Baggies and would “100%” welcome a return to the Hawthorns if the opportunity ever presented itself.

Berahino infamously fell out with the Albion hierarchy over a failed transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 and relationships were never repaired as he joined Stoke City in the summer of 2017 for £15m.

He now finds himself plying his trade in the Belgian top-flight for Zulte Waregam.

But there’s clearly no love lost between the West Brom graduate and the Baggies faithful.

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Many have quickly slammed Berahino for his behaviour and hoped that he would never make the return to his boyhood club – even if he has grown up considerably since his acrimonious departure.

Here’s how the supporters have been reacting to his comments…

AND in other news, West Brom unlikely to revisit January target this summer

Southampton travel to north London this Saturday to take on an Arsenal side who aren’t in the best shape, to say the least.

Unai Emery’s side currently sit sixth in the Premier League table – one place behind Sheffield United – having won just four of their 12 league games so far this season.

Having said that, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side would be sat bottom of England’s top-flight were it not for Norwich’s ineptitude. The Saints have won just twice this season, while also conceding the most goals in the division with 29 in 12 games.

Hasenhuttl, formerly of RB Leipzig, can’t seem to settle on a consistent starting XI, while also shoving square pegs in round holes on numerous occasions – the Austrian played Stuart Armstrong, a natural midfielder, at right wing-back last time out.

In that respect, here’s the XI that we think Hasenhuttl should put out against an Arsenal side with definite weaknesses…

To begin with, we feel that Hasenhuttl has to bring Ryan Bertrand straight back into the starting XI following the end of his three-match suspension, purely due to the lack of left-back options at the club.

On the other side, Cedric Soares, who recently revealed his intention to leave at the end of the season, played at left wing-back last time out, although Hasenhuttl must restore him to his natural position on the right – again due to the lack of quality options in that area.

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Ahead of the back four, a defensive-midfield duo of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Oriol Romeu should provide enough cover for the backline.

In attack, we outlined how Sofiane Boufal will cause Calum Chambers some problems on the left flank given how much the Arsenal man – a graduate of Southampton’s academy – struggled against another tricky winger in Wilfried Zaha a few weeks ago.

Danny Ings – the Saints’ top-scorer with seven goals – must start up top, while £15m summer signing Moussa Djenepo should be given the nod out on the right flank having scored two Premier League goals this season.

Nathan Redmond – who has started ten Premier League games this season – should be dropped having seemingly reverted to type this term, having scored just one goal amid a string of ineffective performances.

Both Boufal and Djenepo seem like much more of a handful for defenders to contend with, and for that reason, Hasenhuttl should take the former Norwich man out of the firing line and stick him on the bench.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic has been handed a major boost ahead of this weekend’s Championship return, but he’s unlikely to call upon it.

What’s he said?

The Baggies host Sheffield Wednesday at the Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon looking to extend their run at the top of the table, although they do so without the presence of everlasting duo Romaine Sawyers and skipper Jake Livermore.

It means there are two clear places up for grabs, and returning midfielder Gareth Barry has thrown his name into the hat despite only making his comeback from a career-threatening injury in midweek.

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The 38-year-old has signed a contract until the end of the current campaign after he started 15 of his 24 league games last term.

And he now feels ready to be called on.

Speaking after the reserve game on Tuesday, Barry said:

“I feel good.

“We had a training game on Saturday and another game on Tuesday. I’ve come through both of those unscathed. The knee is feeling good and I’m looking forward to getting back whenever I am needed.

“There’s nothing like being out there in front of the fans and the adrenaline rushing through.

“I’ll never put myself out of a game. If the manager asked me what I was thinking in terms of Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, I’ve always put myself up for selection so it’s then down to the manager and the coaching staff to make a decision on the squad.”

Unlikely starter

This comes as a significant boost at precisely the right time for Bilic and West Brom.

They’ll be without Livermore and Sawyers, who have started every single game this season. The latter has even played every minute available.

And with Albion sitting at the Championship summit, their contributions are clearly vast.

However, it may not be wise to rely on a 38-year-old whose last competitive game was back at the start of March, when the Baggies rolled over 4-0 at Leeds United.

Barry may believe he’s ready, but he’s still a long, long, long way off being match fit – 62 minutes against Port Vale’s reserve team just isn’t enough to warrant selection just yet.