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Former England international Steven Caulker has admitted that he wished he’d signed for Celtic four years ago, The Scotsman report.

The Lowdown: 2017 links

Back in 2017, when Brendan Rodgers was the manager at Parkhead, centre-back Caulker was heavily linked with a move to Glasgow.

Caulker was 25 years of age at the time and The Scottish Sun believed he was set to become Rodgers’ latest signing.

However, as we know, a summer move never materialised and Caulker ended up leaving QPR by mutual consent at the end of the year.

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The Latest: Caulker’s comments

Talking to The Scotsman in an in-depth interview, Caulker, who Calum Butcher said is ‘like Rio Ferdinand’, addressed a possible move to Celtic in the past.

He revealed that he had the opportunity to join the Hoops, however, he stayed in London, a decision which he later regretted.

“The summer before it, 2017, I had an opportunity to go to Celtic which I turned down because I felt London and QPR were better for my recovery.

“A few months after that I was then out of the squad at QPR and we mutually terminated my contract. At that point, of course I thought I should have gone to Celtic.”

The Verdict: A dodged bullet?

Since leaving QPR, Caulker spent 18 months with Dundee where he made just 17 appearances and is now with Turkish side Alanyaspor, where he is on £12,000-a-week.

The Hoops continued to win trophies under Rodgers and then Neil Lennon, so really, Caulker’s Celtic snub didn’t affect things at Parkhead.

You could say it was even a dodged bullet, especially as he didn’t exactly take the Scottish Premiership by storm with Dundee.

In other news: Celtic fans could be in line for ‘disaster’ following Saturday’s events

A new season of the EFL Championship presents new opportunities for either promotion and happiness or relegation and heartbreak. Coming off the back of Fulham’s fall from grace back into the Championship and Brentford’s overdue return to top-flight football, everyone’s wondering what the story of the 2021/2022 campaign will be. Will there be late drama? Will the promoted teams win by a landslide?Betting on the Premier League is one thing, but as teams spend more money on superstars, it almost becomes a given with regards toÂwhich teams will performÂwell. There hasn’t been an underdog story since Leicester’s run in the 2015/2016 season. The Championship draws its fair share of drama,Âas the seasons often pair with intense promotion and relegation battles, and showcase players whose previously unheard of or underappreciated talent shocks the nation.This year, theÂChampionship bettingÂcurrently has Fulham and West Brom withÂodds of 8/13Âand 4/6, respectively, to be promoted. However, bettors can’t ignore the start teams like Coventry City have had so far in this campaign. The 2021/22 Championship betting tipsÂpromisingly have Coventry priced at 12/5 for a top-six finish.

The Perfect Start

When theÂfailed Super LeagueÂwas announced, football fans were enraged. Not only was it a money-grabber, but the entire premise would have removed a crucial element of the game that fans love:Âthe romance.

There’s something special aboutÂunderdog stories, which is probably why the nation came together after Brentford’s shock win against Arsenal in August; as the Championship season kicks off, it looks like we could potentiallyÂhave another underdog story on our hands.

Coventry City, notorious for being slowÂin previous campaigns, has started the 2021/2022 season better than expected, with four wins out of their first six games.ÂOf course, it’s still early, and the run may not last. However, it’s evident the Sky Blues underdogs have clicked this season as established players like Jamie Allen and their summer signings such as Todd Kane and Simon Moore are all contributing.

New Players Making A Mark

Moore, especially, could prove vital to the success of Coventry City this season. After moving from Sheffield United, the 31-year-old goalkeeper has impressed City fans with his performances, particularly after his heroics in his sides’ 2-0 win against Middlesborough on September 11th. Moore was commanding in goal and pulled off an unbelievable triple save that earned him a spot in the EFL Championship Team of the Week.

There’s no doubt Moore has played a massive role in Coventry’s encouraging start to the season. Having a goalkeeper that’s both commanding and focused is crucial, especially when facing strikers like Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has odds of 2/1 to be the top goalscorer this season.

There will always be favourites amongst bettors and the 2021/2022 Championship season is no different. Justifiably, eyes are on Fulham and West Brom, two teams who were in the Premier League in the 2020/2021 season. As we saw with Norwich’s return this year, the teams that go down are often the ones that bounce back up. However, the Championship season has demonstrated that nothing is a guarantee and based on Coventry’s performance so far, there are more reasons to fear them than belittle them.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Aston Villa were open to selling Douglas Luiz in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer suggested that Serie A giants AS Roma were interested in signing the Brazil international, but a move failed to materialise.

Now, Evans has delivered an update on what went on behind-the-scenes at Villa Park.

He said: “They expected more interest in Douglas Luiz, too. Strong messages that Manchester City were ready to activate a buy-back clause found their way to members of the Villa hierarchy, and for some time they were preparing for such an outcome.

“Villa were also open to moving Luiz on elsewhere and at the right price, but there wasn’t enough interest. Roma continue to be linked with Luiz and if they come in strong during the January window, Villa will be in a good position to get a higher transfer fee should his form remain at this high level.”

Then, in response to a question from a fan, Evans added: “Multiple sources confirmed that Villa would have listened to offers for Luiz at the right price. They would have had to move on a midfielder if Ward-Prowse arrived.”

Villa fans will be worried

While last season was a bit of a difficult one for Luiz – as per Whoscored, his average match rating of 6.67 was only good enough to rank him 15th in the entire Villa squad – his start to the current campaign has been outstanding.

In fact, his average rating of 7.08 is the best of any Villa player, and he continues to be a cornerstone of Dean Smith’s midfield. – last year saw him play 33 out of the possible 38 Premier League games last term, as the Midlands club finished just outside the top ten.

As Evans himself suggests, given the kind of “high level” his form is at right now, it would surely be ludicrous from Villa to be selling him in the January transfer window, even if his market value would be at its highest.

In fact, in a recent poll done by FFC, 73% of Villa fans who answered said that they would not sell Luiz this summer (1180 votes to 66) – an indication of just how concerning it would be were the Brazilian to make the move to Roma or somewhere else.

Evans’ latest update is sure to have Villa fans worried about Luiz potentially making an exit in January.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered an Aston Villa update on Emi Martinez…

Having kicked off their 2021/22 Championship campaign in impressive fashion, with Mark Warburton’s Queen Park Rangers side having picked up seven points over their first three fixtures of the season, the Rs were somewhat fortunate to escape Saturday’s clash with Barnsley with a point.

Indeed, QPR found themselves 2-0 down after just 27 minutes of the game at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, with strikes from Dominik Frieser and Cauley Woodrow threatening to make it an extremely long afternoon for the Rs in the first half of the match.

However, Warburton reacted quickly, making two substitutes in the 36th minute, which saw both Andre Dozzell and George Thomas replaced by Albert Adomah and Dominic Ball – something which appeared to turn the tide of the fixture.

While it took until the 71st minute for Ilias Chair to pull one back for the Rs, Charlie Austin’s injury-time equaliser ensured that his side would not leave the game empty-handed, with this goal going a long way to justify the 58-year-old manager’s decision to switch his team up in the first half.

And, while Warburton was eager to state that his actions bared no reflection on the performances of the two withdrawn players, it is undeniable that Dozzell’s display, in particular, was in no way the best game of the 22-year-old’s career.

Indeed, over his 36 minutes on the pitch, the central midfielder completed 14 of his 19 attempted passes, gave away possession of the ball on 10 occasions, conceded one foul and was dribbled past once.

The £810k-rated man also lost six of his eight duels – a win rate of just 25% – and touched the ball a grand total of 29 times.

These returns saw the former England U20 international earn a SofaScore match rating of 6.2, the lowest rating of any QPR player to feature in the match.

As such, while Warburton may publically state that Dozzell’s substitution was purely tactical, the argument could easily be made that the youngster’s performance also played a part in the manager’s decision, with the midfielder more than likely having to gain back the 58-year-old’s trust in training before he is selected from the off once more.

Fulham central midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa is set to leave Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Fabrizio Romano, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that the 25-year-old looks on course to join Serie A side Napoli, with a deal expected to be announced in the coming hours.

Romano continued by stating that an agreement between the Cottagers and Napoli has been reached, with the move thought to initially be a season-long loan deal, with the Italian side having an option to buy the Cameroon international next summer.

Finally, the journalist claimed that the midfielder is due to have a medical in Italy today, and, all being well, will become a Gli Azzurri player shortly afterwards.

In his tweet, Romano said: “Fulham midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa is set to join Napoli, done deal. The agreement has been reached on loan with buy option – deal to be announced in the next hours. Medical today in Italy, Anguissa will play for Napoli.”

Silva will be gutted

With Marco Silva having publically stated his desire to retain the services of Anguissa beyond the closure of the summer transfer window on Tuesday, the fact that the club look to have sanctioned the 25-year-old’s departure is sure to have left the Cottagers manager gutted.

It is clear to see why the 44-year-old had hoped to keep the midfielder in west London this season, as the £22.5m-rated man demonstrated his importance within the Fulham side in the club’s Premier League campaign last term.

Indeed, over his 36 Premier League appearances last season, Angussia made an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.2 tackles, 0.4 clearances and won a whopping 7.3 duels per game.

The £70k-per-week midfielder also impressed in a creative capacity, providing three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, along with making an average of 0.8 key passes per league fixture.

These metrics saw the Cameroonian earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as the Cottagers’ 10th-best performer in the top flight of English football.

Angussia has continued this fine form into the club’s Championship campaign this time out, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.87 over his three substitute appearances for Silva’s side this season.

As such, the departure of the midfielder is sure to come as a blow to the Portuguese manager, who will now undoubtedly be frantically searching for a replacement for the 25-year-old over what remains of the summer transfer window.

In other news: Get him gone: Silva must ruthlessly axe Fulham’s “valuable” £24k-p/w Jokanovic flop

Newcastle United have opened negotiations for AS Roma winger Carles Perez as they look to strengthen their squad this summer.

What’s the story?

Steve Bruce’s side have had a slow start to the transfer window thus far, but they appear to be ramping up their efforts to sign a new wide player.

According to journalist Rudy Galetti on Twitter: “#Newcastle officially stepped forward for #CarlesPerez . Notified to #Roma an offer from approx €10M: ongoing evaluations.”

Better than Almiron

Paraguay international Miguel Almiron endured another difficult season on Tyneside, with just four Premier League goals to his name all year – in fact, he went on a shocking run of form towards the end of the campaign which saw him fail to find the back of the net, or even provide just a single assist, since February 6.

In Perez, they would be getting someone who’s just as versatile as Almiron, but crucially, who also has the end product to really make a difference on a consistent basis for the Magpies.

As per WhoScored, in the 2,669 minutes he has played in his professional career thus far, he has contributed seven goals and seven assists, contributing to a goal just over every two games. Compare that to Almiron, who’s managed just 11 goals and assists in 6,235 minutes of football for the Magpies – that’s a goal contribution once every six games.

Perez’s performances in the Europa League last season for semi-finalists Roma paint the biggest picture of just how much potential he has, averaging an impressive 1.6 shots and 1.9 dribbles per match – those numbers are significantly better than what Almiron produced in the Premier League.

The Magpies would be getting a real upgrade on the Paraguayan by signing Perez this summer.

Meanwhile, Newcastle could sign a big Jonjo Shelvey upgrade in this ace…

Liverpool have received a boost in their pursuit of Watford winger Ismaila Sarr, with manager Jurgen Klopp keen to bolster the club’s forward line.

What’s the story?

The Reds have been linked with the highly-rated 23-year-old throughout the summer after first being credited with an interest 12 months ago.

However, a move to Merseyside now looks more likely than ever for Sarr after the 34-cap Senegal international reportedly informed his current club that he wants to leave, according to TransferMarketWeb (via The Express).

The report states that Liverpool are preparing a £40m bid to secure the youngster’s services, who has also been on Manchester United’s radar.

Any move for Sarr is likely to hinge on the futures of unwanted pair Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri, though. The duo are edging towards an Anfield exit, and Klopp may need to proceeds of their sales to fund a move for the Watford ace.

Jurgen Klopp needs him

During his single campaign in the Premier League back in 2019/20, Sarr bagged five goals and provided six assists in 28 appearances, earning praise from the likes of Gary Neville, who labelled him “special” following a scintillating performance against West Ham United.

The Sky Sports pundit went on to praise the flying forward further, praising his natural assets, intelligence with the ball at his feet and decision making.

“He’s a big, big talent, honestly he really is,” the former Manchester United full-back said.

On what makes Sarr so good, Neville continued: ‘I always think, particularly as a wide player, what would I have not wanted to have played against? The first thing is pace.

“And then you’ve got to think about, can he use his pace? Well, yes, he can, because he makes really good quality runs: the spin in behind, straight, but also the run inside in between full-back and centre-back – which I always think is the most difficult to mark.”

With Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino struggling to hit top form last season and Origi and Shaqiri not up to the required standard, Klopp needs another quality addition in the final third.

The likes of Manchester City and Chelsea have a plethora of options at the top end of the pitch, and if Liverpool are going to beat them to the Premier League title, their German tactician will require greater strength in depth.

And, in other news…Liverpool tipped to make a move for £117m-rated “phenomenon”, Klopp would love him

Aston Villa will be confident about signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey this summer, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

The MailOnline recently reported that the Midlands club have the 23-year-old firmly in their sights, with BILD reporting that the player’s father has confirmed talks between the two clubs.

Improving Villa’s attack has been a priority for manager Dean Smith in this transfer window, with the former Brentford boss signing Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City before making an unsuccessful move for Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe.

And now, with the Smith Rowe saga over, the Villa boss has moved on to Bailey as he looks to bolster his offensive options further.

For Hatfield, it is a deal he feels Villa will be confident about getting done. On the club’s pursuit of the player, the Express & Star journalist said:

“Villa will be very confident in themselves with any bid that they go in with. I don’t think there’s any bid that they put down where they think, ‘We’re not going to get this player.’

“I imagine they’re very confident with the bid which they’re going to try and put in. I don’t know whether they’ve put in a bid already, there’s some reports saying they have, some reports saying they’re considering one.

“But he’s clearly a player they like and they’ll be confident in trying to bring him to Villa Park.”

Villa fans will surely be delighted to hear the above because Bailey is a quality player and showed as much last season.

The Jamaica international had a very productive campaign, coming up with close to 30 goal contributions in all competitions for Leverkusen.

Nahitan Nandez resisted ‘the flattery’ of Leeds United and expressed a preference to join Inter Milan, according to the print edition of Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

25-year-old midfielder Nandez plays for Cagliari, who finished only four points above the relegation zone in last season’s Serie A.

Predominantly a central midfielder but also capable of playing on the right-hand side, Nandez excels at crossing and is defensively very solid (via WhoScored).

He was called up to the Uruguay squad for the recent Copa America, starting one game for the eventual quarterfinalists.

Serie A expert Mina Rzouki has hailed Nandez as ‘unstoppable’ and labelled him ‘one of the most underrated players’.

The latest

The report says that Leeds held a genuine interest from Nandez, but the player himself wasn’t keen on the move to Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Nandez has instead opted for the move to San Siro, which will be finalised at an upcoming meeting. He’s set to join on an initial loan with an obligation to buy.

The verdict

You’d imagine Bielsa possesses quite an allure for Leeds targets, but perhaps Inter’s status as reigning champions held sway. Nandez will of course be able to play in elite European competition next season.

On top of that, his agent has described Serie A as a ‘perfect league for his characteristics’. Not every player relishes Premier League opportunities.

Leeds, for their part, should continue their search for a new central midfielder. Mateusz Klich is a very good player on his day but his loss of form in the latter half of the season has to be regarded as a concern, while there is little to no depth at the moment behind Kalvin Phillips.

In other news, could Leeds pluck a midfielder from the second tier? 

An update has emerged on Leeds target Matheus Cunha, regarding how much Hertha Berlin want for his services.

What’s the talk?

According to The Express, Leeds transfer target Matheus Cunha has been told that he will be allowed to leave Hertha Berlin for the right price this summer. The Bundesliga club are not going to hold him against his will and are prepared to accept offers in the region of £30m.

The report claims that both Leeds and Atalanta are interested in the attacker, with Victor Orta having held discussions with the player’s agent earlier this summer.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not Leeds would be willing to shell out £30m for the Brazilian.

Imagine him and Bamford

If Leeds can get Cunha in for £30m, he could be a terrific addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad ahead of next season. He is an exciting young attacker who has the potential to form a sensational partnership with Patrick Bamford, due to his quality and versatility as a forward.

Cunha can play anywhere across the attacking set-up, having played on the left, on the right, through the middle and in the number 10 position for Hertha in the Bundesliga.

He also managed to average an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.33 in 27 games whilst changing positions constantly. This shows that he has the consistency and quality to provide top-class performances in a multitude of roles.

Therefore, he could link up with Bamford in a variety of ways. He could play behind him in the 10 role or provide him with service from either flank.

If Bielsa wants to go all-out in a game, he could even play Cunha alongside the former Chelsea man and have them as an attacking pair. Bamford scored 17 goals and assisted seven others in the Premier League last season and the arrival of Cunha could allow him to improve upon that tally, given the ability he has shown for Hertha.

The Argentine coach could also help him to further develop his game on the training pitch, as he only recently turned 22 and has his best years ahead of him.

Last year, ex-Hertha head coach Bruno Labbadia lavished praise on the young attacker, claiming that he has “something special” about his game.

He said:

“Matheus has something special. He can always produce something with a moment of individual brilliance.”

The 22-year-old’s record since joining Hertha is proof of this. He has produced 12 goals and eight assists in 34 Bundesliga starts for the club, showing that he can consistently deliver moments of individual brilliance, as Labbadia explained, and that is why he could be an excellent signing for Leeds.

Bielsa could be set to land a dream signing if Orta can get a £30m deal over the line for the gem.

AND in other news, Orta must sanction Leeds swoop for “magical” maestro, Bielsa would be on cloud nine…