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Celtic saw many players make the move to Parkhead during Peter Lawwell’s reign as the club’s chief executive.

As tends to be the case with a lot of clubs across Europe and beyond, not every deal that gets completed ends up being particularly successful.

One example of this happening at Celtic was their 2013 move for striker Teemu Pukki.

Signed during the 2013 summer transfer window on a four-year deal from Schalke worth a reported fee of £3m, the Finnish international ended up making just 38 appearances for the Hoops across all competitions.

Finding the back of the net just nine times, the centre-forward then joined Brondby on loan in 2014 before signing on a permanent deal in 2015.

With 26 league appearances in the 2013/14 season, the centre-forward could only register 13 shots on target, the same number as midfielders Scott Brown and Joe Ledley.

Having started just 14 of these league fixtures, the £15k-per-week attacker failed to really nail down a place in the team, particularly towards the end of the campaign.

Described as being “unplayable” by former Norwich City manager Daniel Farke, Pukki failed to repay the transfer fee that the Hoops shelled out for him.

Speaking about the striker’s time at Celtic Park, former Hoops boss Neil Lennon had this to say on the matter.

He said: “He is a quiet boy. He had a few injury problems as well and at a club like Celtic, when you’re brought in for money, you have to score goals.

“And he wasn’t really an out-and-out goalscorer. He played within himself a little bit, I thought. He didn’t really show his capabilities. He’s very quiet. I don’t know if it was too big for him because he had been at Sevilla and Schalke, so he had been at big clubs. 

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“He was never prolific but we felt he had the qualities we wanted but he would maybe say he never got the chance to show that on a consistent basis.”

Taking all of this into account, as well as the fact that the Hoops only got a fraction – £608k, to be exact – of the transfer fee from Brondby that they originally paid to bring him to Celtic Park, it’s safe to say that Lawwell and the club had a nightmare on this particular deal.

AND in other news: Ange must now revive Celtic swoop for £2.7m-rated “rocket”, he’s a “massive talent”

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that his side will be without Thiago for the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg clash against Arsenal on Thursday night.

What’s the story?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Gunners at Anfield, he said: “Trent and Ali trained yesterday (Tuesday). Div and Thiago not. That’s it pretty much.

“Like always in these times, all players, apart from the injured ones or in Africa playing (the) Africa Cup of Nations, who test negative should be available. Robbo got a little knock in the Shrewsbury game but is fine. I’m not sure if I forgot anybody but the rest are available.”

Klopp will be gutted

Klopp did offer a more detailed update on Thiago’s situation earlier in the week after speculation initially emerged suggesting the Spaniard would actually be out for the entire season.

He reassured: “No. Neither March nor end of season is in my mind. It is something around the hip. That is the situation he needs time. He didn’t train this week but we expect him to start rehab from Monday.

“It’s not the case that he is out until the end of season.”

While that in itself is a major relief to the Reds, it remains the case that Thiago will play no part in the first leg of their crunch Carabao Cup semi-final tie against Arsenal later tonight.

According to FBREF, he averages 72 completed passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, with Manchester City’s own Spanish maestro Rodri being the only midfielder to have played at least 300 minutes who averages more with 77.

Thiago is the conductor of this Liverpool side when he’s in the team, and that ability to control the tempo of the game is something unmatched in the rest of the squad.

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It’s a major hole that doesn’t have a quick fix, and with the added fact that Liverpool have lost their second leg home advantage due to last week’s postponement, being without Thiago is another major setback and huge blow for Klopp.

It’s sure to leave him gutted that he won’t be able to count on his midfield play-maker tonight.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are in interested in this star Klopp absolutely loves…

Following on from their dramatic 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Liverpool will now be turning their attention back to the Premier League with a big clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on the horizon for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Manchester club were also in Champions League action in midweek for their 3-2 victory over Atalanta after finding themselves 2-0 down at half time.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the match at Old Trafford on Sunday, one Liverpool player that Klopp included in his starting XI in midweek that we feel should not be in the team to face United is Naby Keita.

Even though the midfielder managed to open the scoring for the Reds against Diego Simeone’s side, Keita was actually incredibly disappointing in the middle of the park.

Per SofaScore, he failed to make any key passes, crosses or accurate long balls and lost possession on nine occasions during what was a sloppy evening on the ball. That meant he actually surrendered the play once every five minutes in a very sloppy showing.

Furthermore, he only won one of the nine duels he was involved in and got dribbled past three times, ultimately earning himself a rather poor overall match rating of 6.5/10, making him the joint-lowest rated Liverpool player that started the match according to SofaScore after being subbed off at the break.

In addition to this, Keita’s performance also caught the attention of former Liverpool player Dietmar Hamann who described the midfielder’s latest outing for the Reds as “hugely disappointing” and that he is “simply not good enough.”

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2018 summer transfer window after Liverpool secured a deal with German club RB Leipzig in 2017 worth a reported fee of £52.75m, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £28.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made 84 appearances for the Reds across all competitions in which he has managed to score nine goals and provide four assists along the way.

The midfielder has suffered his fair share of injury issues since becoming a Liverpool player which has significantly impacted his playing time at the club.

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Looking ahead to the United match, we feel that Klopp must take Keita out of the starting XI to give his side the best chance of beating the Red Devils at the weekend.

However, with Thiago Alcantara, Harvey Elliott and possibly Curtis Jones all out injured, Klopp’s hand may well be forced on the Guinea international on this occasion.

In other news: Imagine him & Thiago: Klopp must secure LFC move for “incredible” £36m-rated machine – opinion

The Transfer Tavern’s EFL spy reckons that Dwight Gayle could score the goals that were missing for Fulham last season.

Whilst former manager Scott Parker showed the Cottagers up defensively, they managed just 27 goals in the Premier League last season, with only rock-bottom Sheffield United scoring fewer.

Talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic failed to hit the heights of the previous campaign, scoring just three in the league, whilst top goalscorer Bobby Decordova-Reid ended with just five.

And if Fulham are to achieve promotion at the first time of asking once again, they’re going to need someone to step up to the plate and fire them back into the big time.

That someone could be Dwight Gayle, who only signed fresh terms with Newcastle earlier this month, but the Northern Echo believe that was to protect his value.

Gayle scored just once in the Premier League last season, but is proven at Championship level, netting 23 times in each of his previous two campaigns at this level, to go with the 13 he managed at Peterborough prior to signing for Crystal Palace – a total of 59.

The EFL insider exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

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“I’m expecting some big hitters with the money that Fulham have available. I am expecting a big push and a lot of the players will come from abroad and will probably be full internationals.

“Dwight Gayle of Newcastle has scored goals in the Championship and the Premier League, and could give Fulham something they missed last season being an out and out goalscorer.”

As it became clear that Leeds United would not be anywhere near relegation and would comfortably survive, talk turned to the future of Marcelo Bielsa. Former Leeds midfielder David Norris has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that the Argentine has already signed a new deal.

There had been talks about the Leeds hierarchy planning for life without Bielsa and were looking at potential candidates and former Juventus manager, Massimiliano Allegri was thought to be one of them.

However, it is now widely expected that Bielsa will sign at least another 12-month contract which will see him guide Leeds into their second Premier League season but this time with the roar of the Elland Road faithful behind him and the team.

Bielsa has worked wonders at Leeds taking them back into the Premier League and then helping them finish in the top 10 and Norris claims that the Argentine will be staying for at least another season as he exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“It didn’t look like he was ever looking to move or was biding his time to see if anything better was out there. It was just never on his list of priorities.

“I’ve heard from inside that he has already agreed on a new deal so that’s just a matter of time now before that comes out, and that’s a massive signing for Leeds because it lets everyone just relax over the summer knowing that he isn’t going to leave.”

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Bielsa has earned himself some rave reviews during his first spell in the Premier League, with the current league winning manager, Pep Guardiola, being in awe of Bielsa as he was in shock to find out that the Leeds boss had praised him and his management style.

It is not just Bielsa’s situation that Leeds fans will currently be sweating over as they wait to see if Kalvin Phillips is fit enough to be part of Gareth Southgate’s European Championship final 26-man squad, although it is expected that he will be.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who scored 34 Premier League goals, claims Newcastle United fans being in attendance for their final home game against Sheffield United could prove to be either very good or very bad for the team.

Newcastle have been labelled as “wild” by former manager Graeme Souness and Lee claims every team knows if you can silence the crowd for the first 10-15 minutes then the Newcastle fans can turn on their team.

There have not been any fans inside St James’ Park for over 12 months now as they’ve had to sit and watch their team freefall closer to the relegation zone on their TV screens every week, but the Premier League are hoping they will be back for the clash against the Blades in May.

Speaking on how having fans back could impact the Newcastle players and the one bit of advice Kevin Keegan used to give his players, Lee told FFC exclusively:

“I think it could go either way but the fans will 100% be behind the team from kick-off. However, Sheffield United will know if they go there and can quieten the crowd then it could be detrimental to the Newcastle players.

“Kevin Keegan used to say to us in the first 10-15 minutes go out and entertain the crowd and get them on your side and then they’ll be behind you for the entire match.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/rob-lee-exclusive-newcastle-united-premier-league-steve-bruce” title=”Exclusive! Rob Lee’s thoughts on Newcastle”]

“That’s what Newcastle fans want to see right from the off their team flying into players, pressing the opposition and creating chances and then they’ll get behind you.”

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Newcastle fans will be looking at their final two games of the season and will be hoping they are safe before that as they face the Blades and Fulham.

The relegation battle appears to be between Fulham, Newcastle, Brighton and Burnley, with the latter two starting to put positive results together when it matters.

Jose Mourinho can finally finish Daniel Levy’s long-drawn quest to clinch silverware with Tottenham Hotspur thanks to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s instant success in north London.

The midfielder joined Spurs in a £15million deal from Southampton this summer, after Mourinho identified Hojbjerg as a player he believed was capable of bringing leadership to a side he accused of lacking grit.

Everton were also keen on the Danish international but Hojbjerg rebuffed the Goodison Park natives and made it clear he wished to leave the south coast for the capital, where he has since failed to feature in just one of 16 fixtures across all competitions.

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand firmly believes Hojbjerg was Spurs’ best piece of business in the summer market, having heaped praise on Mourinho for signing a true game-changer for Tottenham.

“Hojbjerg – an absolutely massive signing for Jose,” Ferdinand said on Rio Ferdinand Presents Five.

“You have to give him huge, huge, huge credit identifying him – he is going to come here, and he is going to be the breaker, the person that sits in there, does all the nasty work, the hard jobs, stops the other teams from playing, pass it to the people like the Kanes and the Sons to go and do their bits of magic.”

It is hard to argue with Ferdinand’s assessment, as Hojbjerg has proven to be a true game-changer in north London by instilling the leadership and grit that Mourinho sought so much.

The Special One even noted last month how Hojbjerg acts like a captain without the armband, after soldiering on after requiring stitches following a head clash in Tottenham’s 3-0 win over LASK in the Europa League.

Even after the 21st-minute blow, the 25-year-old pulled off an audacious piece of skill that left Mourinho considering Hojbjerg and France icon Zinedine Zidane in the same breath.

“We were having a laugh at half-time and we were all calling him Zidane. Very nice but don’t do it again Pierre!” Mourinho said, via quotes by Goal.

“He’s a very good player, a good leader and a captain without the armband.”

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Hojbjerg’s commitment to doing the dirty work in the centre of the pitch to help his side in whatever way needed has helped to his instant success, and can prove to be a deciding factor in Mourinho living up to his word, having declared earlier in the year that he will win trophies at Tottenham against claims his best days are in the past.

It is also why the €40m-rated (£36m) powerhouse has started all nine of Spurs’ top-flight fixtures and ranks third for successful tackles (29), sixth for clearances (18), 12th for ground duels won (40) and 14th for aerial duels won (12) by all Premier League midfielders this term, per SofaScore, as Mourinho’s men sit top of the table with the division’s best defensive record.

AND in other news, an £80k-p/w Spurs man’s struggles may have re-opened the door for a “perfect” outcast to return.

Glasgow Rangers central midfielder Nicolas Raskin dominated the headlines for the right reason last weekend when he scored in the League Cup win at Ibrox.

The Belgium international had been left out of the last two matchday squads in the Scottish Premiership, but returned to score the opening goal in front of the home supporters on Saturday.

Raskin met James Tavernier’s corner brilliantly to head the ball into the back of the net for the first of what will, hopefully, be many goals this season.

Why Nicolas Raskin is a key player for Rangers

Russell Martin needed to get the central midfielder back into the squad as quickly as possible after the manager claimed that a breakdown in trust led to the player being left out of the clashes with Celtic and Hearts.

The Belgian star is a terrific operator in the middle of the park because he can deliver quality at both ends of the pitch, having scored five goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions last season, per Sofascore.

Nicolas Raskin (24/25)

Premiership

Europa League

Appearances

33

12

Tackles per game

2.8

3.7

Interceptions per game

0.6

1.3

Ball recoveries per game

5.6

7.4

Ground duel success rate

57%

50%

Aerial duel success rate

56%

55%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Raskin was particularly impressive when it came to the defensive side of the game in the 2024/25 campaign, with his ability to disrupt attacks and win possession back for his side.

Despite the Belgium international’s quality in the middle of the park, it is Djeidi Gassama who has the potential to be the club’s best player this season.

Why Gassama could be the best player for Rangers this season

The Light Blues signed the electric winger from Sheffield Wednesday for a fee of £2.2m in the summer transfer window, and he has already shown plenty of promise on the pitch.

Chalkboard

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Gassama has delivered four goals and one assist in 12 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, per Transfermarkt, showing that he can provide a big threat in the final third.

The clip above shows that Rangers signed a player who they knew was capable of “glorious” goals from the left flank, cutting in to create something out of nothing.

Gassama has already shown that he can score glorious goals for Rangers, as his first strike for the club against Panathinaikos was very similar to that goal for the Owls.

The 22-year-old magician has the quality to simply create something out of nothing when the Light Blues need a moment of magic, which is an incredibly valuable trait to have.

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Gassama has yet to score in five matches in the Scottish Premiership, unfortunately, but he has been in a side that has struggled to progress the ball. As much as he can provide quality out of very little, the winger still needs to get the ball to his feet out wide to isolate his man.

If Martin can get the system and the starting XI right, the former Sheffield Wednesday winger could deliver consistent quality out wide with his impressive dribbling ability and ball striking.

That could make him a real difference-maker, as he was in the Champions League qualifiers with four goals in six games, for the Gers moving forward this season.

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Therefore, Gassama could be the club’s best player because of his ability to win games on his own with his goalscoring and creating potential, but it is down to the manager to put him in a position to exceed and shine brighter than the likes of Raskin and Bojan Miovski.

West Ham United have come forward to sign an “outstanding” striker, who is now likely to leave his club in the summer transfer window, according to a report.

Hammers set sights on striker after Forest defeat

Graham Potter would have been hoping the 2-0 victory over Manchester United would give his side the platform to have a strong end to the Premier League season, but his side fell to yet another defeat on Sunday afternoon, with Nottingham Forest prevailing 2-1 at the London Stadium.

Jarrod Bowen, who has been one of the only bright sparks for the Hammers this season, was once again on the scoresheet, netting his 12th Premier League goal of the campaign, with the England international featuring as a striker.

Bowen’s output this season indicates he could be capable of remaining the first-choice centre-forward in the 2025-26 campaign, rather than moving back out wide, with Potter currently short on options in that area of the pitch.

However, with Michail Antonio now 35-years-old and Niclas Fullkrug failing to make an impact in his debut Premier League campaign, it could be wise to bring in another striker this summer, and a forward with top-level experience has now entered the frame.

According to a report from Italy (via Sport Witness), West Ham have now come forward to sign AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham, who is set to leave the Italian side permanently this summer, upon returning from his loan with AC Milan.

A deal will not be easy, however, with Abraham setting his sights on a move to a ‘top-tier club’, despite his recent struggles, and there are doubts over whether he would be tempted by a move to the London Stadium.

Related West Ham now racing to sign £84m striker who's been "blowing teams away"

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Posts ByDominic Lund "Outstanding" Abraham could reignite career at West Ham

In truth, the 27-year-old is unlikely to be in a position to be too picky about his next club, given that he has hardly set the world alight in the Serie A this season, picking up just three goals and five assists throughout the campaign.

The Englishman could get his career back on track by moving back to his native country, however, and a move to the London Stadium could be a good fit for all parties, with Potter currently lacking options in the striker department.

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Despite his recent struggles, the “outstanding” former Chelsea man also has a lot of experience at the top level, having made 22 appearances in the Champions League, winning the competition during his time with the Blues.

As such, Abraham, who cost AS Roma £34m back in 2021, could be a solid signing for West Ham this summer, should he be willing to change his stance and move to a club of the Hammers’ stature.

Arsenal have been handed a key advantage in the race to sign a highly-rated forward this month, after discovering that he’s keen to link up with Mikel Arteta.

Arsenal "highly likely" to sign new forward in January

The Gunners boss has publicly confirmed that his side are actively pursuing a fresh forward option before deadline day on February 3rd, leading to multiple reports linking Arsenal with a host of high-profile strikers.

Related "Extremely quick" £60m striker is very keen on joining Arsenal in January

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RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres, Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen and Botafogo star Igor Jesus are just some of the reported Arsenal striker targets, as interim sporting director Jason Ayto weighs up the best possible option.

“We lost two very important players in Saka and Jesus, we lack goals and options in the front, it’s clear,” said Arteta on signing a centre-forward.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League games

Date

Wolves (away)

Today

Man City (home)

February 2

Leicester City (away)

February 15

West Ham (home)

February 22

Nottingham Forest (away)

February 26

“If we can get the right player, that’s what we’re actively looking at. They’ve [the players] all been there, we have very short numbers for many weeks, they recognise the situation. Sometimes I consult the players on signings, especially if they know them. It’s away from the computer and the data, they can sense it, they know about them.”

While talks are yet to advance over any of their targets as things stand, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has reassured supporters – saying it is “highly likely” that Arteta’s side to end up bringing in a new centre-forward before the January deadline.

“It’s highly likely,” said Romano on Arsenal’s search for a striker to GiveMeSport.

“This is the expectation of Mikel Arteta, so I expect the club to back him and find a solution on the market even if big clubs are not available.”

Another heavily-linked striker comes in the form of Wolves star Matheus Cunha, who is yet to pen a fresh contract at Wolves despite apparently agreeing financial terms. The sticking point has reportedly been Cunha’s desire to include a relegation clause, with the Brazilian’s talks over a new deal stalling and handing a transfer opportunity to interested sides.

Reliable journalist Ben Jacobs writes that he won’t come cheap, though, and Vitor Pereira’s side could demand as much as £80 million.

Arsenal discover Matheus Cunha wants to join them in January

In better news regarding their pursuit of Cunha, as per GiveMeSport, Arteta has been handed a “significant boost” in the race for his services.

The outlet claims Arsenal have discovered that Cunha wants to join them this month, with the Gunners in pole position ahead of fellow suitors Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

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However, that being said, Wolves remain determined to land the former Atlético Madrid star who’s scored 10 goals and assisted four others in all competitions so far this term – and in five different positions across the attacking third.

It could take a big-money bid from Arsenal to prise the “phenomenal” Cunha away from Molineux, but that was always going to be the case with any world-class forward midway through the campaign.