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GOAL rounds up all of the completed La Liga transfers this season so far

Transfer activity rarely gets more frenetic than when it involves Real Madrid or Barcelona, two of the world's biggest forces in football, but across La Liga there is fierce competition each summer for new players.

Teams battle for their prized possessions in a bid to make their side stronger on paper ahead of a typically grueling battle for Spanish supremacy.

GOAL rounds up all of the completed La Liga transfers this season so far.

• Transfer INs and OUTs for all La Liga clubs

  Club	2021-22 position
  Real Madrid	1st
  Barcelona	2nd
  Atletico Madrid	3rd
  Sevilla	4th
  Real Betis	5th
  Real Sociedad	6th
  Villarreal	7th
  Athletic Club	8th
  Valencia	9th
  Osasuna	10th
  Celta Vigo	11th
  Rayo Vallecano	12th
  Elche	13th
  Espanyol	14th
  Getafe	15th
  Mallorca	16th
  Cadiz	17th
  Almeria	1st La Liga 2
  Valladolid	2nd La Liga 2
  Girona	Champ. play-off

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• Pedro Vale/CBF
  

  Almeria transfers

  New signings summer window

  Player	Nationality	Previous club	Fee
  Kaiky	Brazil	Santos	€7m
  Marko Milovanovic	Serbia	Partizan	€3.5m
  Gui Guedes	Portugal	Vit. Guimaraes	€3m
  Alejandro Pozo	Spain	Sevilla	€3m
  Leo Baptistao	Brazil	Santos	€1.50m
  Srdjan Babic	Serbia	Esrella Roja	€1.10m
  Houboulang Mendes	France	Lorient	Free
  Fernando Pacheco	Spain	Alaves	Free
  Martin Svidersky	Slovakia	Man Utd U21	Free
  Arnau Sola	Spain	Barcelona Juvenil A	Free
  Adrian Embarba	Spain	Espanyol	Undisclosed

  New signings January window

  Player	Nationality	Previous club	Fee
  Arvin Appiah	England	CD Tenerife	End of loan
  Luis Suarez	Colombia	Marseille	Loan
  Diego Marino	Spain	Sporting Gijon	€80k

  Departures summer window

  Player	Nationality	New club	Fee
  Juan Villar	Spain	Huesca	Free
  Giogi Makaridze	Georgia	Ponferradina	Free
  Nikola Maras	Serbia	Alaves	Loan
  Cristian Olivera	Uruguay	Boston River	Loan
  Javi Robles	Spain	CF Fuenlabrada	Loan
  Daniel Carrico	Portugal	Released	Free
  Aitor Bunuel	Spain	Released	Free
  Jonathan Silva	Brazil	Released	Free
  Jose Carlos Lazo	Spain	Espanyol	Undisclosed
  Arnau Sola	Spain	Real Murcia	Loan

  Departures January window

  Player	Nationality	New club	Fee
  Juanjo Nieto	Spain	SD Huesca	Free
  Arvin Appiah	England	Malaga	Loan
  Iván Martos	Spain	FC Cartagena	Undisclosed
  Javi Robles	Spain	Pontevedra	Free
  Fernando Pachecho	Spain	Espanyol	€2.2m

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  Athletic Club transfers

  New signings summer window

  Player	Nationality	Previous club	Fee
  Gorka Guruzeta	Spain	Amorebieta	Free
  Ander Herrera	Spain	PSG	Loan

  Departures summer window

  Player	Nationality	New club	Fee
  Unai Lopez	Spain	Rayo Vallecano	Free
  Jokin Ezketia	Spain	Racing Santander	Free
  Juan Artola	Spain	Burgos	Loan
  Inigo Cordoba	Spain	Fortuna Sittard	Free
  Youssouf Diarra	Spain	Cordoba	Free
  Inigo Vicente	Spain	Racing Santander	Free
  Nico Serrano	Spain	Mirandes	Loan
  Alex Petxa	Spain	Andorra	Loan
  Imanol Garcia de Albeniz	Spain	Eibar	Loan
  Unai Nunez	Spain	Celta Vigo	Loan
  Benat Prados	Spain	Mirandes	Loan
  Peru Nolaskoain	Spain	SD Eibar	Loan

  Departures January window

  Player	Nationality	New club	Fee
  Asier Villalibre	Spain	Alaves	Loan

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  Atletico Madrid transfers

  New signings summer window

  Player	Nationality	Previous club	Fee
  Nahuel Molina	Argentina	Udinese	€10m
  Samuel Lino	Brazil	Gil Vicente	€6.5m
  Axel Witsel	Belgium	Borussia Dortmund	Free

  New signings January window

  Player	Nationality	Previous club	Fee
  Memphis Depay	Netherlands	FC Barcelona	Undisclosed
  Matt Doherty	Ireland	Tottenham Hotspur	Free

  Departures summer window

  Player	Nationality	New club	Fee
  Luis Suarez	Uruguay	Nacional	Free
  Sime Vrsaljko	Croatia	Olympiakos	Free
  Giuliano Simeone	Argentina	Real Zaragoza	Loan
  Hector Herrera	Mexico	Houston Dynamo	Free
  Sergio Camello	Spain	Rayo Vallecano	Loan
  Rodrigo Riquelme	Spain	Girona	Loan
  Nehuen Perez	Argentina	Udinese	Undisclosed
  Samuel Lino	Brazil	Valencia	Loan
  Manu Sanchez	Spain	Osasuna	Loan
  Borja Garces	Spain	Tenerife	Loan
  Vitolo	Spain	Las Palmas	Loan
  Victor Mollejo	Spain	Real Zaragoza	Free
  Daniel Wass	Denmark	Brondby IF	€1.75m
  Renan Lodi	Brazil	Nottingham Forest	Loan Fee: £4.50m

  Departures January window

  Player	Nationality	New club	Fee
  Marcos Paulo	Brazil	Sao Paulo	Loan
  Matheus Cunha	Brazil	Wolves	Loan
  Joao Felix	Portugal	Chelsea	Loan
  Manu Lama	Spain	Fuenlabrada	Loan
  Felipe	Brazil	Nottingham Forest	€2.3m

The sense of anticipation is building ahead of Qatar 2022, but some of the game's best players will be absent…

Thirty-two nations will compete for the World Cup trophy when the tournament kicks off in the winter for the first time ever, with reigning champions France set to face stiff competition from the likes of Brazil, Spain, Argentina and Belgium in their pursuit of back-to-back titles.

England are also among the favourites, while household names such as Portugal and Netherlands have been billed as dark horses, but not all of the traditionally strongest nations will be present in Qatar.

Euro 2020 winners Italy were expected to return to the biggest stage after failing to qualify for Russia 2018. However, Roberto Mancini's men let their tickets slip after suffering a humiliating playoff defeat to North Macedonia.

Sweden, Colombia, Chile, Nigeria and Egypt also fell short, and then there's the fact that some of the qualifiers are starting to lose key players to injuries in the run-up to the big kick-off on November 20.

Indeed, below, GOAL takes a look at the most notable absentees, including a certain in-form Manchester City frontman…

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  David Alaba – Austria

  David Alaba is revered as one of the greatest Austrian players of all time, having won everything there is to win at club level while also amassing 96 caps on the international stage.

  The Real Madrid defender has never appeared in the World Cup finals, though, and Austria's latest qualification bid was scuppered by Wales in the European play-offs.

  Alaba will be 33 when the next tournament rolls around, with a new expanded format of 48 teams set to be debuted in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

  He will surely be past his peak by then, though, and may not even be a guaranteed starter as the next generation of Austrian talent continues to come through.

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  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Gabon

  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's hopes of appearing in a World Cup at least once in his career now appear to be well and truly over.

  The 32-year-old scored twice during the CAF group stage but Gabon finished a distant second to Egypt, who progressed to the play-offs with the minimum of fuss.

  Aubameyang, then, is going to have to just content himself with trying to finish his club career with a flourish after the former Arsenal forward returned to London from Barcelona during the summer to join Chelsea.

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  Giorgio Chiellini – Italy

  Giorgio Chiellini was almost at a loss for words after Italy's shock 1-0 loss to North Macedonia, admitting he was "crushed" by his nation's failure to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup.

  It's easy to understand why. The veteran centre-back knew he'd never get another chance to take to the game's greatest stage and he called time on his international career just a couple of months later.

  That's good news for forwards all over the world, of course, but a blow for neutrals, who felt one of the great defenders of the modern era deserved to bow out in Qatar.

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  Luis Diaz – Colombia

  Luis Diaz has been an instant hit at Anfield since joining Liverpool from Porto in January.

  The all-action winger helped the Reds win the FA Cup and League Cup in his first few months at the club, quickly becoming a fixture in Jurgen Klopp's front three following the departure of Sadio Mane.

  Despite a recent injury, Diaz's club future certainly seems to be bright, but he is part of a squad very much in transition on the international stage.

  Colombia reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2014 and the second round four years later, with global stars such as James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao leading their charge.

  However, they could only manage a sixth-place finish in the 10-team CONMEBOL qualification process this time around, with Diaz unable to carry their hopes on his shoulders alone.

GOAL counts down the top talents born on or after January 1, 2003 from all around the world

• GOAL
  

  20Paulina Gramaglia

  One of the most intriguing moves of the NWSL off-season was that which saw the Houston Dash complete the loan signing of Paulina Gramaglia, one of the most promising young stars coming through in Argentina. 

  Previously the captain of her country’s Under-17s, Gramaglia is a hard-working forward with plenty of positivity and confidence in her play.

  The 19-year-old scored nine goals in seven games in the top-flight for UAI Urquiza in 2021, and made her senior international debut in November, too.

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  19Juliet Nalukenge

  A star at home in Uganda for her exploits with the youth and senior national teams, Juliet Nalukenge has long had dreams of playing professionally. Last summer, she achieved that big move, joining Apollon in Cyprus on a two-year deal.

   The 18-year-old then joined AMOK Chrysomolia on loan in a move that should help her settle into life in Europe – and she is making an impact there, scoring her first professional hat-trick in December.

   A young player who is already so important for her country, her experience abroad will only make her a more valuable asset for the Crested Cranes.

• GOAL
  

  18Maya Hijikata

  A quick, technically gifted forward with a fantastic first touch, Maya Hijikata is one of Japan’s most exciting young stars. 

  Part of Nippon TV Beleza’s Under-18s side that defeated two WE League sides in the Empress’s Cup, scoring six times in five games, Hijikata has also been a fixture throughout the youth national teams in Japan.

  A creative goal-scoring talent, the 17-year-old has everything it takes to be at the very forefront of Japan’s next generation of stars.

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  17Aemu Oyama

  Another top talent coming through Nippon TV Beleza, Aemu Oyama is the youngest goal-scorer in the short history of the WE League.

  She is still only 17 years old, but is generating a lot of excitement in her home country about what her future could hold. 

  A talented midfielder who has a wonderful balance of power and technique, she was part of the Japan team that won the AFC Under-16 Women’s Championship in 2019, and has been thriving for her club in Tokyo, both with the U18s and in the WE League.

Leeds must win the race to sign Crystal Palace star Patrick van Aanholt in this summer transfer window amid reports linking him with a move elsewhere.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have got their eye on signing the Dutchman on a free transfer when his contract expires this summer.

However, Football Insider now claim that Galatasaray have offered a contract to Van Aanholt as they look to beat the Whites to his signing, with the Turkish giants also the team who have supposedly agreed a deal to land Leeds’ Gjanni Alioski.

Premier League proven

Van Aanholt is battle-hardened in English football, having played 209 times in the Premier League, and would surely be more of a guarantee in terms of hitting the ground running at Elland Road.

His more attacking style of play as a left-back is also right up Bielsa’s wheelhouse, with Gus Poyet, his former manager at Sunderland, saying: “You need to be really on top of him for his defensive duties and maybe have people around who can help him to maintain the mentality you need to defend. He’s a very offensive full back. He has an explosive ability to go forward and help the team to create chances.

“I would say use him as much as you can on the offensive side, and convince him to help with his defensive duties. But that’s his character. It is what it is. We can’t change that and he can’t be a different player than he is.”

The £55,000-a-week earning Dutchman would be a shrewd signing for Leeds given his Premier League experience and the fact he would arrive as a free agent once his contract expires.

It’s a deal which Victor Orta and co should be all over.

Meanwhile, Leeds must surely rue letting this star leave…

The Lions of Teranga have been far from convincing in this tournament so far and will be trying to prove they are possible champions

Senegal face Cape Verde in an Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 match in Bafoussam on Tuesday as they push to be crowned continental champions for the first time ever.

GOAL predicts how coach Aliou Cisse could line up his players.

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  GOALKEEPER – Edouard Mendy

  The Chelsea shot-stopper managed to keep a clean sheet against Malawi on his return after recovering from Covid-19.

  Mendy will be hoping to not to be breached and help the Teranga Lions reach the quarter-finals.

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  RIGHT-BACK – Bouna Sarr

  The Bayern Munich man has been mostly used as an attacking right-winger in this tournament but returned to the right-back position in the last game against Guinea.

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  LEFT-BACK – Saliou Ciss

  Ciss has started the last two matches and in the process relegating AC Milan's Fode Ballo to the bench.

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  CENTRE-BACK – Kalidou Koulibaly

  After Covid-19 sidelined Koulibaly from Senegal's first two group games, he returned to help them keep another clean sheet against Malawi.

Two players each from Manchester City, Everton and Leicester help make up an evenly spread XI

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  1Bernard | Everton

  Bernard scored one and created two chances in Everton's away win at West Ham.

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  2Marcus Rashford | Manchester United

  Rashford netted with his only shot on target against Watford, opening the scoring for the Red Devils.

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  3Bernardo Silva | Manchester City

  Bernardo Silva was directly involved in both of Man City's goals against Fulham, scoring one and assisting another.

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  4Abdoulaye Doucoure | Watford

  Doucoure made more passes (61) and more passes in the opposition half (45) than any Watford player at Old Trafford.

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…

Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring the progress of highly-rated midfielder Gabriel Menino, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Sky Sports claim that the north Londoners have been looking into signing talent from South America after the region was opened up to new work permit regulations following Brexit.

The young Palmeiras star is one man who Spurs, among other clubs, have scouted ahead of the summer transfer window.

Menino has emerged as one of Brazil’s brightest prospects and has impressed in both central midfield and at right-back.

Imagine him and Hojbjerg

It’s no surprise to see Jose Mourinho in the market for potentially a new midfielder ahead of next season, with rising doubts over several of his current options.

Harry Winks has been linked with an exit following a serious lack of game time this season – Sport (via Sport Witness) claim the Englishman will ‘insist’ on a departure from his boyhood club.

Moussa Sissoko at 31 isn’t getting any younger and has been out of Mourinho’s starting XI for eight straight league outings, ever since that 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

And there will be concerns over Dele Alli’s future as he’s still not getting regular game time this season, even after Daniel Levy blocked an exit to Paris Saint-Germain in January. According to Football Insider, the Lilywhites will not do the same should they come calling again this summer.

Therefore, eyeing up a new midfield star is a wise call, and they should look no further than Menino as he could well become Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s long-term partner in the engine room.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-spurs-news-mourinho-levy-gossip” title=”Read this week’s latest Spurs news, rumours and more!”]

Dubbed the ‘Brazilian Yaya Toure,’ the 20-year-old prodigy has studied the former City sensation profusely by watching videos of him, and some fruits of that labour were seen when he fired home a stunning strike from range against Bolivar in the Copa Libertadores last year.

In 2013/14, the Ivorian was simply unplayable and perhaps recorded one of the greatest individual seasons of all time. He scored 20 goals and provided nine assists from midfield, created 40 chances and still managed a 90% passing accuracy from 35 appearances, as per GiveMeSport.

Toure was an astonishingly good box-to-box enforcer, and that’s exactly what is required in north London. Hojbjerg, who averages 2.7 tackles and 1.8 fouls per league game, is certainly a more defensively-minded option whilst Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso have had some of their best games in the no.10 role.

Menino can fulfil that role, even with Oliver Skipp set to return from a successful loan spell in the summer. As per WhoScored, the Brazillian wonderkid provided six assists from only 24 starts, and displayed his ability in either box, averaging 1.2 tackles, 1.2 dribbles, 1.3 shots and 1.5 key passes per game.

Evidently, he can read the game in his team’s own third, just as much as he can deliver in an attacking sense too.

The £12.6m-rated gem’s form, both in central midfield and at right-back, caught the eye of Brazil boss Tite and whilst he’s yet to pick up a senior cap, that day will surely come soon having featured seven times at U20 level.

His versatility would be a welcome benefit too, especially given the uncertainty and suspicions over the future of the struggling Matt Doherty, who according to ESPN, could be made available for transfer come the summer.

Furthermore, Mourinho handed Casemiro his Real Madrid debut in 2013, and that is another player Menino has modelled his game on, so that should please the Spurs boss immensely, too.

It remains to be seen how much Palmeiras would command for their undoubted a star of the future, but it’s a move that chairman Daniel Levy must consider irrespective of price. If he has half the impact of Toure, then Spurs are onto a winner.

Just imagine him alongside Hojbjerg.

AND in other news, Spurs handed Sergio Reguilon boost

Pep Guardiola's side have been crowned Premier League champions and these are 10 key moments that helped them get there

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  Sterling strikes late to fix Pep's 'worries'

  It may seem hard to believe now but back at the start of the season Pep Guardiola admitted he was "worried" about his side's failings in front of goal. Less than 24 hours later Raheem Sterling popped up with one of the scrappiest goals of the season, in the 97th minute at Bournemouth, to spark wild celebrations in the away end as City snatched a late winner.

  After not looking overly impressive in their first two games of the season, this was a chaotic end to their third, with Sterling sent off for his celebration and Sergio Aguero intervening as police man-handled fans who had jumped onto the pitch.

  At the time, it was suggested that Sterling’s scuffed effort would be a turning point in the season, or would at least get them through until they signed Alexis Sanchez in the days that followed…

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  Sadio Mane's red card derails Liverpool

  One of the most needlessly controversial moments of the season, but one which set City on their way in the league, and seriously derailed Liverpool at the same time.

  Mane, although he didn’t mean to do it, knocked out Ederson by kicking him in the face, so his red card was justified. City were leading 1-0 at the time but the space between Nicolas Otamendi at left centre-back and Benjamin Mendy at left-back was still being exploited by the Reds – until they went down to 10 men.

  Jurgen Klopp’s side then simply folded, with City flowing through them at will. It certainly seemed that Sterling’s goal at Bournemouth had sparked them into life in front of goal, even if Alexis’ planned move had fallen through. City won this one 5-0, and then scored 19 in their next four Premier League games.

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  Mendy injury forces tactical rethink

  Benjamin Mendy was one of City’s fundamental summer signings, designed to come in and provide the kind of dynamic attacking presence down the left-hand side that was simply lacking last year; the kind of thing Kyle Walker has been doing on the right-hand side all season.

  The Frenchman looked impressive in his first few performances, particularly with his superb low crosses from the left, but he got himself in a mess trying to tackle Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend back in September, and despite walking from the pitch, it was later confirmed that he would miss nine months with a serious knee ligament injury.

  City hadn’t signed another left-back during the summer and this was seen as one of the worst-case scenarios, especially ahead of a key game at Chelsea. Yet Guardiola found the answer and changed City’s approach.

  He converted Fabian Delph into a left-back who was comfortable slotting back into midfield when City had the ball, and tasked Leroy Sane, who had struggled for minutes at the start of the season, with providing City’s width on the left, with David Silva getting into the half spaces to provide an assist or goal.

  The plan clearly worked and Mendy's injury, as cruel as it was, has hardly hampered the Blues.

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  City prove their mettle at Chelsea

  City may have only scored the one goal at Stamford Bridge but it was arguably the most important of their season. Guardiola’s men were clearly in fine form but they went to west London only 12 months on from when things had fallen apart after a fine start to the 2016-17 season, and many were wondering if City were the real deal, or would simply suffer the same old problems. Kevin De Bruyne provided the answer.

  City dominated the champions with an impressive, confident performance, and the key moment was a precise strike from their Belgian midfielder, who had already began to show signs that he could become the pivotal player in this increasingly fine season. 

  City celebrated wildly in the dressing room and victory gave them the belief to go and implement their game plan at some of the toughest grounds in England and beyond.

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…