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Celtic are closing in on a deal for Bologna left-back Aaron Hickey after they submitted a formal approach for his services, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Celtic prepare for 2021/22 in earnest

Moving into 2021/22, Hoops supporters will be eager to see how newly-appointed manager Ange Postecoglou goes about re-shaping a team in need of surgery in order to win the Premiership next season.

Making inroads in the transfer market, the Glaswegians have tied up deals for former Sheffield Wednesday pair Osaze Urhoghide and Liam Shaw.

Parkhead chiefs could now be braced for a third signing in quick succession following recent reports.

The Latest: Celtic set to open talks with Hickey this week

Celtic are set to open talks with Hickey in the next week following the initiation of a £3.5m bid for the 19-year-old [The Scottish Sun].

His current employers are rumoured to be interested in a swoop for now free agent Aleksandar Kolarov, paving the way for the Serie A outfit to cash in on either Hickey or Dutch full-back Mitchell Dijks [The Scottish Sun].

Intriguingly, the former Hearts defender is a boyhood Celtic fan who also spent his footballing upbringing in the Bhoys’ academy. Might this prove pivotal in negotiations?

The Verdict: Hickey would be an excellent asset for Celtic

Upon reflection, Hickey would be an excellent asset for Celtic should he complete a move back to his homeland.

He endured a frustrating 2020/21 campaign in Italy, making just 12 appearances in all competitions due to injury issues and suffering from a viral infection [Transfermarkt].

Nevertheless, his eagerness to progress the ball and awareness of surroundings is commendable. Across the pitch, he recorded an impressive 88.4% passing accuracy which, would suit Postecoglou’s high-intensity possession-based style of football [WhoScored].

He also drew high praise from his former coach Austin MacPhee, who in January 2020 gushed: “He’s so young he could play a lot of positions. He could end up being like Busquets.” [The Scottish Sun]

Needing to play regular football at a critical point in his development, Hickey and Celtic may be perfectly suited should negotiations reach a successful conclusion.

In other news, this Celtic midfielder has been linked with a Premier League move.

Carney Chukwuemeka will make just his second start of the season for Aston Villa against Burnley on Saturday, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has predicted. 

The lowdown

Chukwuemeka’s only previous Premier League start this term came in the 1-1 draw with Brentford back in August.

He then watched on from the sidelines until returning to the fray as a substitute in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester City at the start of this month.

The 18-year-old’s runout at Norwich City in midweek only lasted seven minutes, but it was enough time for him to tee-up Ollie Watkins for a late goal.

Chukwuemeka, who’s been on Villa’s books since 2016, is only valued at £2.25million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Preece thinks that Ashley Young could drop out of the starting line-up, pointing out that the 36-year-old has played 220 minutes in the space of ten days.

Jacob Ramsey could be pushed into a left wing position, but he reckons it’s more likely that Gerrard will turn to Chukwuemeka following his ‘brilliant’ assist against Norwich.

The verdict

In truth, Chukwuemeka didn’t make too much of an impression against Brentford. He only completed 13 passes during his 63 minutes on the pitch, and he failed to register a shot or create a chance (via SofaScore).

But having caught the eye at Carrow Road, he could well be in line for gametime over the busy festive period. Villa are due to play four matches in the next 15 days, and that could force Gerrard to rotate.

What’s more, handing opportunities to the ‘supremely gifted’ and ‘imposing’ youngster may convince him that Villa Park is the best place for him.

In other news, fans fumed at this news from the club.

Celtic followed up last weekend’s Old Firm victory with a blistering 7-0 thrashing against St Johnstone at Parkhead this afternoon.

The Hoops were 3-0 up and cruising at half-time thanks to goals from Reo Hatate, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda. The second half saw a penalty from Josip Juranovic, a brace from substitute Matt O’Riley and a clinching goal from Liel Abada put the icing on the cake for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Despite this emphatic victory and plethora of goals for the home crowd to enjoy, not every player wearing a Celtic shirt delivered a strong performance.

Having scored the equaliser against Rangers last weekend which eventually helped the Hoops to secure all three points at Ibrox, Tom Rogic found himself in the starting XI once again today.

However, with just 50 touches of the ball, nine fewer than goalkeeper Joe Hart, the Australian failed to have much of a positive impact for his team on this occasion. The 29-year-old ended up losing possession of the ball 16 times during the first half before he was replaced by O’Riley at the interval.

Rogic, who has been described as being like a “ballet dancer” in terms of his midfield play in the past by A Celtic State of Mind pundit Kevin Graham, also failed to complete two of the three dribbles he attempted.

Off the ball, things weren’t much better for the midfielder, who lost 86% of his duels, committed one foul and getting dribbled past on one occasion.

This display ultimately earned the Old Firm derby hero an underwhelming overall match rating of 6/10, making him the lowest-rated player in a Celtic shirt according to SofaScore.

Given how O’Riley had an instant impact on the scoreline in the second half, it turned out to have been a masterstroke from Postecoglou to put him on for Rogic at the interval.

The Hoops boss may well feel let down by what he saw from his compatriot this afternoon and will be hoping that the 29-year-old can improve on this less than stellar performance.

In other news: £2.7m down the drain as Celtic had a howler on “difficult” £450k-rated Parkhead flop

According to a report by Super Deporte, via Sport Witness, there has been a behind-the-scenes update on Leeds United’s search for a possible heir to Marcelo Bielsa.

The Lowdown: Bielsa era ending?

The Argentine, who has worked wonders at Elland Road overall, guiding them back to the Premier League after many years of waiting, could be on the way out of Yorkshire at the end of this season.

Sources suggest that the 66-year-old could decide to part company with his contract set to expire at the end of 2021/2022 as things stand.

There has been no sign of an extension at Leeds so far as the club hover just two points above the relegation zone after a very lacklustre start.

Former Granada boss Diego Martinez has been heavily tipped to potentially succeed Bielsa at the end of this season as an update emerges.

The Latest: ‘Everything suggests’ Martinez to Leeds…

As per Super Deporte (via Sport Witness), ‘everything suggests’ the 40-year-old will eventually succeed Leeds’ manager as the Spaniard is even in England studying the game.

Indeed, as per their information, Leeds chief Victor Orta has already held talks with Martinez – making a ‘first approach’ with him behind the scenes.

However, the out-of-work boss does not want to take charge of a team mid-season – with the feeling being he will arrive in the summer when Bielsa’s contract runs out.

The Verdict: Ideal replacement?

Lauded as a miracle worker and Spanish football revelation for his job at Granada, it’s safe to say Martinez certainly knows how to get the best out of what he has.

Guiding his former side from the second tier to Europa League quarter-finals, his candid interview with ESPN details a hard-working, charismatic boss potentially in the Bielsa mould.

He was adored by his former club’s supporters according to writers associated with Granada, with there being some suggestions they were calling for a statue (LaLigaLowdown).

Taking this into account, he could be a more-than ideal heir for Bielsa at Leeds.

Everton completed the ultimate smash and grab by winning a point from their game at Goodison Park park last night against Leicester City, with another point tallied up in their battle for safety from relegation this season.

Frank Lampard will be delighted that his team have managed to build a four-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone with just seven games left to go and the belief in the dressing room will hopefully push the team on to put in a performance in the Merseyside derby this weekend.

Despite only having 36% possession, fewer shots on goal and no big chances created throughout the game, the hosts refused to let the game pass them by to ultimately take a point away from the difficult game against the Foxes yesterday evening.

Leicester opened the scoring early when Harvey Barnes found the back of the net in the fifth minute of the first half, and from that moment it looked like it was going to be a tale of ill-fate for the Toffees, a situation we’ve seen the side find themselves in numerous times this season.

However, Lampard’s side remained resilient and held off the visitors from taking their further chances over the rest of the game, and Richarlison took the opportunity to find a last-minute winner scoring to undo Leicester’s work in the 92nd minute, sealing a point in the process.

One player who will go under the radar for his huge influence in the centre of the pitch with a performance that kept Everton in with a chance was Fabian Delph, someone who is currently enjoining a renaissance period at Goodison Park.

According to SofaScore, the 32-year-old midfielder won 100% of his five aerial and ground duels combined, made five blocks, two interceptions, one key pass and two tackles.

Furthermore, he only lost possession nine times in his 53 touches of the ball in an all-round impressive display that made him the real hero in the team.

The Toffees boss will surely be absolutely delighted that Delph has come back into the team to make such an influential impact on the side following a long-term injury.

The former Manchester City star also played a huge part in the victory over Manchester United, and Lampard will surely be hoping that his inclusion in the team will continue to inspire further positive results.

AND in other news: EFC plotting £25m bid for “dangerous” £152k-p/w ace, it could be bye-bye Richarlison

New Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo could be in line to secure his sixth signing during his short time in the dugout after the capital club were linked with a move for West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun, Spurs are one of three Premier League clubs eager to secure the signature of the highly-rated 28-year-old, with West Ham United and Southampton also credited with an interest.

Johnstone has entered the final year of his contract at The Hawthorns, which means he could leave for free next summer or for a reduced price over the winter window.

The report stated: “Both West Ham and Tottenham have pencilled in offers for Johnstone if he leaves, while West Brom have let him know there will be a lucrative deal to stay.”

It also claimed that the Saints would be willing to make an offer for the ‘keeper in the January window rather than waiting for him to become a free agent in the summer, so new Spurs director of football Fabio Paratici will need to act quickly if he is to secure his transfer target.

Spurs fans would love him

Johnstone rose to prominence during 2020/21 after putting in several impressive performances despite West Brom’s struggles ultimately leading to their relegation from the Premier League. Indeed, the £7.2m-rated ‘keeper was named the players’ and supporters’ Player of the Year at The Hawthorns for his heroics as the Baggies’ last line of defence last season.

Based on that, it’s hardly a surprise that Micah Richards described him as “outstanding.”

He has carried his exceptional form into the current campaign, starting ten of Albion’s 11 Championship fixtures so far this term, keeping four clean sheets and conceding just seven goals.

A recent article published by The Atheltic revealed that Johnstone has also begun to adapt his game to the modern demands of a goalkeeper under Valerien Ismael’s tutelage, completing 31 keeper-sweepings and six-headed clearances already, which is the same as his last three campaigns combined.

He is also down on saves and catches per game as he has been forced to become a more modern shot-stopper, and he appears to be coping well with the change.

With current Tottenham number one Hugo Lloris set to turn 36 in December, the north London outfit will need a fresh face between the sticks before long, and Johnstone would likely prove to be a popular choice amongst the club’s fanbase given his impressive displays for West Brom.

In other news… Imagine him and Hojbjerg: Spurs must swoop for £25m gem, he’s an “outstanding talent” 

With Southampton having failed to win a game in the Premier League so far this season, it’s safe to say that Saints fans have not had a lot to shout about recently.

However, one shining light that supporters can take some pleasure in is the progression and development of full-back Kyle Walker-Peters since his arrival at the club.

Southampton originally signed Walker-Peters on a loan deal from fellow Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in the 2020 January window before securing him on a permanent deal in the following summer transfer window for a fee of £12m.

In terms of his development and progression since joining Southampton, the defender’s market value in April 2020 was £7.2 million according to Transfermarkt. However, after making a total of 51 appearances for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side across all competitions where he’s managed one goal and provided four assists along the way, Walker-Peters’ current market value has increased to £16.2m.

That’s a fine increase of 125% since penning terms on the south coast and suggests it was somewhat of a masterclass from the manager to sign him.

The rise in value shows just how well the 24-year-old, who is apparently earning a weekly wage of just over £23k-per-week according to Spotrac, has done since stepping away from Spurs and joining Southampton.

So far this season, the defender has made six appearances across all competitions where he has registered one goal and provided one assist, both coming in their 8-0 win over Newport County in the Carabao Cup.

For his five appearances in the Premier League, Walker-Peters has earned himself an overall season rating of 6.83/10 for his performances which puts him as Southampton’s third-highest rated player according to WhoScored.

Walker-Peters latest appearance for Southampton saw him play the entire 90 minutes in their recent 3-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea.

Despite the poor result, Walker-Peters still managed to earn himself a respectable match rating of 6.8/10 for his efforts against the west London club. He won six duels all while playing out of position on the left-hand side of defence. His rating, via SofaScore, made him the second-highest-rated outfield player on the day from a Saints perspective.

Moving forward, we see no reason why Hasenhuttl would consider not continue starting Walker-Peters throughout the remainder of their Premier League campaign. However, they will need to make sure they secure their first win of the season as soon as possible or else they could find themselves in real trouble.

In other news: Forget JWP: £12.5k-p/w Southampton gem who made just 6 passes let Ralph down v CFC – opinion

Manchester United have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Manchester United website, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed that the 24-year-old midfielder will miss the clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, as the Scotland international has undergone surgery on his groin.

The United manager said: “Scott has undergone surgery for an ongoing groin injury that was causing significant pain when playing. Having tried all other treatment options in pre-season, surgery was deemed necessary to resolve the issue. We hope to have him back soon.”

Solskjaer will be gutted

Considering just how important a player McTominay has become in the United first team in recent seasons, the fact that the Red Devils will be without the services of the midfielder for what is sure to be a difficult trip to Molineux on Sunday will undoubtedly have left Solskjaer gutted.

Indeed, the versatile £31.5m-rated man’s form for United last season illustrates his importance to the side, with the 24-year-old scoring four goals, registering one assist and creating three big chances over his 32 Premier League appearances, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 1.3 clearances and winning 5.2 duels per game.

These returns saw the £20k-per-week Scot earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.08, ranking him as Solskjaer’s fifth-best performer in the top flight of English football last season.

As such, McTominay’s importance in the United side is clear for all to see, with his absence from the first team – the predicted length of which, at present, has not been revealed by the club – undoubtedly coming as a huge blow to the Norwegian manager, who will have to find a way to work around the midfielder’s absence for the trip to Wolves on Sunday.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops Man Utd claim which will be music to the ears of fans

Liverpool had no issue in keeping their unbeaten run in the Champions League going after last night’s 2-0 victory over FC Porto at Anfield.

Goals from Thiago Alcantara and Mohamed Salah secured the win for Jurgen Klopp’s side in front of their home fans after convincingly beating Arsenal 4-0 at the weekend in their previous Premier League fixture.

However, one player that started in midweek that did not take the opportunity to shine with both hands was Takumi Minamino.

Despite playing the full 90 minutes of the game against the Portuguese club, Minamino only managed to have 33 touches of the ball, which was fewer than the 51 touches Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker had throughout the game.

In addition to this, Minamino failed to have much of an attacking impact as well, despite starting through the middle in between Salah and Sadio Mane.

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The Japan international failed to register even one shot at goal, only completed one of the two dribbles he attempted, make just 14 accurate passes and get caught offside on two occasions.

Minamino also managed to win just 35% of the 14 duels he was involved in and lose possession of the ball on nine occasions, ultimately earning himself a rather uninspiring overall match rating of 6.7/10, making him the lowest-rated Liverpool player that started the match according to SofaScore.

Given how Minamino scored in the 4-0 win against Arsenal after coming off the bench to replace Diogo Jota who picked up a knock to the knee against the Gunners, it’s easy to see why Klopp gave him the chance to shine from the start.

However, looking at his performance, it’s safe to say he didn’t fully use this opportunity to really stake a claim for a place in the team next time around for their upcoming Premier League clash against Southampton at the weekend.

With Roberto Firmino still out with a hamstring injury, it’s likely that Minamino will get the chance to prove himself again in the coming weeks and months for Liverpool and when he does, he will have to make sure he puts in a more assured performance than the one he delivered against Porto.

Otherwise, questions may start getting raised about his suitability to play a prominent attacking role in this team on a regular basis.

In other news: Edwards must avoid LFC catastrophe on £100k-p/w “wild animal”, Klopp would be furious – opinion

Former Leicester City defender Steve Howey does not think Dennis Praet has done too much wrong at the King Power, putting his struggles down to midfield competition.

Praet made just 10 league starts last season, partly due to injury, and could now be heading for the Leicester exit door.

According to The Sun, the 27-year-old has given manager Brendan Rodgers an ultimatum: play him or lose him.

Given the Leicester boss’ current midfield options, though, it is hard to imagine him giving Praet any guarantees. And for Howey, it is those other midfield options that have made life at the King Power difficult for the Belgian.

“I think it’s been difficult for him to get into the team because the players that are in those positions have done exceptionally well,” the former Leicester centre-back exclusively told TT.

“It’s not to say he’s a bad player because he certainly is a very good player. Sometimes a player goes to a club and it doesn’t quite work out.”

Indeed, the likes of Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi have done exceptionally well in the middle of the park for Leicester.

As per WhoScored, the former had one of the best passes per league game averages in the Foxes’ squad last season, while the latter made more interceptions per match than any of his team-mates. It leaves Praet in a real tricky spot.