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Celtic have been on fire in the Scottish Premiership so far this season and appear to be on course to land a fourth straight title in the division, and a second under Brendan Rodgers since his return.

The Hoops secured a 4-1 win over Ross County away from home on Saturday, with Kyogo Furuhashi scoring twice and Arne Engels and Luke McCowan getting themselves on the scoresheet.

It was a result that initially sent them 18 points clear at the top of the table, before Rangers cut the gap to 15 points on Sunday, and the Bhoys have a healthy lead to hold onto in the second half of the season.

This means that the Hoops could afford to concentrate their efforts on getting as far as possible in the Champions League and on winning the SFA Cup, potentially fielding stronger line-ups in those competitions and rotating players in league matches.

Rodgers will also have an eye on the January transfer window, which opened for business at the start of this month, with a view to potentially bolstering his squad.

In fact, the Premiership leaders are reportedly looking at a potential addition to their options at the top end of the pitch ahead of the second half of the season.

Celtic eyeing in-form striker

According to The Express, Celtic are eyeing up a possible swoop to bring Brondby centre-forward Mathias Kvistgaarden to Parkhead this month.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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The report claims that the Hoops have already made contact with the Danish star’s camp in January to discuss whether or not deal would be viable ahead of the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

It adds that Rodgers is looking to bolster his attacking options and the Superliga star, who was hailed as “phenomenal” and “super consistent” by U23 scout Antonio Mango earlier this season, has seemingly been identified as a potential recruit.

The outlet adds that Celtic have been tracking the young star for the past 18 months and that there are also clubs in England keeping tabs on his situation, which means that they could face some competition for his signature if they decide to press ahead with a move.

It also reveals, though, that a January deal for Kvistgaarden is only likely if Kyogo Furuhashi exits Parkhead, amid interest from MLS side Atlanta United, as the Danish ace is seemingly viewed as a replacement for the Japan international.

24/25 Premiership

Kyogo Furuhashi

Appearances

21

Goals

10

Big chances missed

17

Big chances created

0

Assists

3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the current Celtic centre-forward, who scored twice against Ross County, has been wasteful in front of goal in the Premiership this season.

Kyogo has also been fortunate to record three assists in the division, with zero ‘big chances’ created for his teammates, and this suggests that there is the potential for the Hoops to improve their team by signing a more ruthless forward who also offers more creativity.

Why Celtic should sign Mathias Kvistgaarden

The 22-year-old attacker has been in fantastic form in the Danish top-flight this season and his form suggests that he could come in as an upgrade on the Japanese striker for Celtic.

Kvistgaarden produced eight goals and five assists in 18 Superliga starts in the 2023/24 campaign, and has taken his performances to another level this term.

The Denmark U21 international, who scored against Iceland in his last international outing, is a forward who combines clinical finishing with creativity for his teammates in the centre-forward position.

24/25 Superliga

Mathias Kvistgaarden

Starts

12

Goals

10

Big chances missed

6

Big chances created

4

Assists

4

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Kvistgaarden has contributed to a whopping 14 goals in 12 starts in the Danish top-flight so far this season, with only six ‘big chances’ missed to go along with his ten goals.

These statistics show that the Celtic target is a ruthless and consistent finisher who can also create high-quality opportunities for his fellow forwards, which Kyogo has failed to be this season.

The Brondby star is not the only forward linked with a move to Parkhead, though, and he could thrive as part of a double deal for the Hoops this month, alongside Sarpsborg winger Sondre Orjasaeter.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph recently reported that Celtic are in talks with the Norwegian side over a potential deal for the left-sided attacker, who could join to form a partnership with Kvistgaarden if the stars align.

Why Kvistgaarden and Orjasaeter could be an exciting pairing

Celtic could have an exciting and new-look front three in the second half of the season if all the pieces fall together and Kyogo moves on, followed by Kvistgaarden and Orjasaeter coming through the door.

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As aforementioned, the potential Kyogo replacement has the potential to be a lethal number nine for the Scottish giants, given his goals to ‘big chances’ missed ratio in the Superliga this season.

The Brondby striker could thrive at Parkhead if the team is able to provide him with ‘big chances’ on a regular basis and that is something that Orjasaeter could help with, as he is a creative winger who looks to cut inside off the left to provide his teammates with opportunities to score.

In the 2024 Eliteserien campaign, the Hoops target showcased his creativity quality and the direct threat he can provide on the left flank, as shown in the table below.

2024 Eliteserien

Sondre Orjasaeter

Appearances

28

Goals

5

Big chances missed

5

Assists

5

Big chances created

12

Dribbles completed per game

2.4

Stats via Sofascore

Orjasaeter created a whopping 12 ‘big chances’ in 28 matches for the Norwegian side, whilst no current Celtic winger or midfielder has created more than eight this season.

This suggests that the winger has the qualities required to form a lethal partnership with Kvistgaarden in the final third, because he could consistently create chances for the striker to find the back of the net.

Related Bigger deal than Engels: Rodgers plots Celtic move for Kuhn 2.0

Celtic are reportedly interested in the star who would cost more than Arne Engels did.

Posts ByDan Emery

Therefore, Rodgers could overhaul his attack and find a new star duo for Celtic by signing both of them in the January transfer window, or by waiting until the summer to bring them in.

Glasgow Rangers were meant to overhaul the playing squad in the summer window by selling various first-team players while adding in high-quality replacements.

Philippe Clement did manage to offload high earners such as Sam Lammers, John Lundstram, Connor Goldson and Borna Barisic, but the reality is, the incomings have been fairly underwhelming as a whole.

Clement is certainly going for a youth-based transfer policy, as evidenced by the signings of Clinton Nsiala, Connor Barron, Hamza Igamane and Oscar Cortes.

A few experienced arrivals joined, with Vaclav Cerny proving, in the first few weeks of the season anyway, that he could be an inspired signing for the Light Blues.

Vaclav Cerny’s statistics for Rangers

The winger joined on a season-long loan deal from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg and has impressed so far.

In just six games this term, the Czech dynamo has scored once while grabbing two assists in the process. He has started just three of those matches, however. Once the 26-year-old manages to establish regular appearances in the starting XI, his output will only increase.

The player was only signed by FC Twente last summer for £6m, hence why the Light Blues opted for a loan move rather than a permanent one, as Wolfsburg would likely have held out for a fee in this region.

Clement does have a player he signed in the squad who is worth more than Cerny, however, in the form of Mohamed Diomande.

Mohamed Diomande’s market value at Rangers

The Ivorian initially joined the Ibrox side in January on a six-month loan, before making the move to Scotland permanently in the summer for a fee of £4.6m.

A tally of two goals across 19 appearances during the second half of last term showcased his talents early on in his spell and hopes were high for the current season.

Diomande may not have scored this season in the Premiership, but the dynamic midfielder has already grabbed an assist, created two big chances, averaged one key pass per game and succeeded with 1.3 dribbles per game – a success rate of 57% – which shows how effective he has been going forwards in the league this term.

The 22-year-old is still learning and developing with every passing game, but the consensus is he will be sold for a substantial profit in the coming years if he manages to keep up these levels of performance.

Mohamed Diomande in the Premiership this season

Goals

0

Assists

1

Big chances created

2

Key passes per game

1

Shots per game

1

Total duels won per game

3.3

Via Sofascore

According to the CIES Football Observatory, the young gem is currently worth €12m (£10m) and this value will continue to rise if he continues to shine in Scotland.

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Cerny has proven his worth thus far at Rangers, but Diomande is still worth far beyond the £6m-rated Czech wide man, indicating that the Belgian manager struck gold on signing the Ivorian midfielder at the start of the year.

He won't be at the club long, that’s for sure, as his ceiling appears to be limitless. Diomande will be one of the club’s key players this season, no doubt about that.

Related Rangers struck gold on "high quality" gem who's worth more than Propper

Philippe Clement has a player in his squad who is worth more than a new signing

Posts ByRoss Kilvington

Chris Sutton has aimed another dig at Rangers after their shock Scottish Premiership defeat away to Ross County over the weekend, as he looks to get a rise out of supporters once again.

Rangers suffer damaging defeat

Philippe Clement's side had the chance to close the gap at the top of the table on Celtic on Sunday, keeping destiny in their own hands at the same time. They fluffed their lines horribly, however, falling to a surprise 3-2 loss which could have been worse if not for a late James Tavernier penalty.

Having taken the lead in the first half, heading into half-time 1-0, things went badly wrong for Rangers, who suddenly found themselves 3-1 down and facing one of their most disappointing results of the season.

There was time for Tavernier to score a late consolation from the penalty spot, giving them faint hope of a last-gasp comeback, but the Gers were unable to find an equaliser during a frantic ending.

The defeat means that Rangers are now four points adrift of Celtic with only one game in hand, firmly handing their rivals an advantage in the Scottish Premiership title race, and there is now huge pressure to respond, starting with Wednesday night's trip to Dundee.

Sutton takes aim at Rangers again

Speaking on Sky Sports on Sunday [via Ibrox News], Sutton once again had a sly dig at Rangers, even though he admitted that their penalty was deserved on Sunday: "It’s the position of the arm. You could say it’s a little bit unlucky, but he jumps using his arms, his knee is up. I don’t think any of us are going to complain, we’re used to Rangers getting penalties."

This is just the latest example of Sutton looking to rile Rangers supporters, even if he has made far more controversial comments than this in the past. He can never prevent himself from taking a swipe, given his Celtic past, perhaps knowing that he has the knack of annoying Gers fans, and he has taken plenty of criticism from them recently.

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That came to the fore during the 3-3 draw at home to Celtic earlier this month, when Sutton's bias came across on Sky Sports commentary, leading to former Rangers midfielder and manager Graeme Souness hitting back on talkSPORT: "I can't believe how biased Chris is when he's talking about Rangers. He was saying 'it's embarrassing, it's not a penalty'.

"It was easily a penalty. It's not even a discussion to have for me that. And here's a question. Do VAR listen to the commentary for the game? Because I'm thinking 'Chris is going that strong here he's trying to influence whoever is listening maybe in the VAR.'"

Related Clement could now ditch 3/10 Rangers man after County disaster

Clement must have a clear out of his squad in the summer…

Posts ByRoss Kilvington

Tottenham Hotspur avoided a fourth straight loss as they held Manchester City to a 3-3 draw at The Etihad on Sunday in the Premier League.

Spurs have gone 1-0 up in each of the last four games but this was the first match that they were able to come away with a point from.

Ange Postecoglou's side has been hit with a host of injury and suspension issues that have caused a drastic slide in form, after going unbeaten over the opening ten league games of the campaign.

The likes of Cristian Romero, James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, and Manor Solomon, among others, were all unavailable for selection.

Maddison, in particular, has been a miss after starting the season with three goals and five assists in 11 Premier League appearances, having joined from Leicester City over the summer.

However, they were able to secure a fantastic point, that could have been all three, thanks to goals from Heung-min Son, Gio Lo Celso, and Dejan Kulusevski.

The final and equalising goal from Kulusevski was a fantastic moment for Postecoglou and Spurs as the Sweden international showed great determination to beat Nathan Ake in the air and inadvertently used his shoulder to find the top corner of Ederson's goal.

Van de Ven and Romero have been huge absentees from the Spurs backline as full-backs Ben Davies and Emerson Royal have been tasked with keeping things tight, which is something that they have been unable to do.

However, defensive problems are not solely caused, or solved, by central defenders or full-backs, as you defend as a team and one of Postecoglou's midfielders failed to play their part – Yves Bissouma.

The Mali international lost the midfield battle and allowed players to bypass him far too easily as City seemed to create chances at will in spells throughout the game.

The central midfielder was worse than makeshift centre-back Davies, who struggled at times but also had some strong defensive moments.

Ben Davies' performance against Manchester City in numbers

The central defender, who is a natural left-back, was left isolated at times during the first half as Pedro Porro failed to provide him with sufficient protection against Jeremy Doku.

This allowed the impressive Belgian wizard to cause constant problems with his pace and dribbling ability. There was one particular chance where the forward faced up Davies in the box and was able to dictate the situation with ease before firing an excellent shot against the crossbar.

The Wales international struggled to deal with the pace of City's frontline at times but also showcased some of his strong defensive attributes.

Davies won 100% (4/4) of his duels throughout the match, including both of his battles on the deck and both of his aerial contests, as he displayed his strength against the likes of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez.

The left-footed enforcer made five clearances, one tackle, and one interception across the 90 minutes as he made a number of impressive interventions, one of which led to him winning the ball off Haaland to initiate the move that Kulusevski scored from.

However, there is no getting away from the fact that City did create 2.64 xG (Expected Goals) worth of chances and Davies was part of that defence.

To his credit, the Welsh titan did work hard to prevent the hosts from creating even more opportunities to put the game to bed before Spurs were able to equalise.

And he was far from the worst performer on the pitch, which is an unwanted title that could be awarded to Bissouma after his poor showing in the middle of the park.

Yves Bissouma's performance against Manchester City in numbers

The central midfielder had a howler against City as he struggled throughout the game and failed to make an impact in or out of possession.

He returned to the starting XI after being suspended for the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa last time out and was tasked with controlling the game in the engine room for Tottenham.

Bissouma was unable to do that as City's players got the better of him far too often throughout the game, and he did not showcase the best of his qualities.

He did complete 88% of his 48 attempted passes but they were not of much consequence for Spurs as the midfielder did not create a single chance for his teammates and failed to consistently break past City's press.

The worst moment of his performance was a huge one in the match as his sloppy play in possession allowed Manchester City to win the ball back on the edge of the box.

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Bissouma was unable to find his way past several Cityzens forwards and then lost out to Rodri in a 50/50 challenge, which allowed the Spaniard to tee up Erling Haaland, who then rolled the ball across to Jack Grealish for him to slot in what could have been the winning strike without Kulusevski's subsequent intervention.

Jamie Carragher, who was on co-commentary duty for Sky Sports' coverage of the match, described it as an "absolutely stupid" piece of play from the former Brighton man.

Elite teams, such as City, will punish silly errors at the back and Spurs may wonder what could have been if they had not given away such a cheap goal.

Off the ball, Bissouma's performance also left a lot to be desired. He lost five of his eight ground duels and only made one tackle to win the ball back, along with zero interceptions.

The Mali international has averaged 4.6 tackles and interceptions combined per match in the Premier League this season, which shows that his return of one against City was a significant drop off from his usual defensive output.

FootballLondon reporter Alasdair Gold gave him a match rating of 4/10 and described his performance as a 'sloppy' one, which is backed up by the aforementioned statistics.

His contributions, or lack thereof at times, on and off the ball left far too much to be desired as the central midfielder had a howler against the reigning champions.

Postecoglou will now be hoping that Bissouma is back to his reliable best when they host West Ham United in midweek on Thursday night.

Leeds United need additional recruits, and they need them fast. However, they should not sacrifice speed and quantity over the quality of their potential new signings…

Who are Leeds United signing this summer?

As such, the main goal will to be avoid the expensive mistakes of the past that have led to their miserable relegation. There is a reason why many frustrations surround the tenure of Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta.

High-profile signings with clearly little thought process behind them saw the pair often pick a bigger name over a more intelligent acquisition, and it left them in the lurch with a squad unsuitably bolstered.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

Few embody such a failure more than Junior Firpo, who joined from Barcelona in 2021 and has failed to live up to his reputation.

This should mark a cautionary tale for the new ownership and Daniel Farke, and yet reports from earlier in the window did link them with another star from Camp Nou, Abde Ezzalzouli.

Whilst there is every chance the young star would thrive at Elland Road, there is far from enough form to suggest that it would be worth the gamble if they still indeed retain their interest a few months on.

Who is Abde Ezzalzouli?

Having only enjoyed brief stints of senior football, the 21-year-old wide man has shone at times during his short career thus far, earning himself a switch to the Catalan giants.

Whilst that is often a mark of a true talent, there have been plenty of failures to join La Masia and not make it to the top.

However, there is reason to believe that the 5 foot 11 youngster could do, with pace and trickery in abundance. Especially given he added to this four goals and two assists in La Liga last term whilst on loan at Osasuna.

This clearly caught the attention of Xavi too, who handed him 45 minutes in their opening-day score draw with Getafe. The Spanish boss even praised him back in 2021: "Abde is a dagger, a marvel, a surprise. It is great news but I already said that it is also the negative that young people are the ones who stand out the most."

However, Ezzalzouli's career has not been wholly successful, with the 2021/22 season only bringing one La Liga goal all year.

Such an investment could prove disastrous, should he fail to continue his upward trajectory in a similar way that Firpo did not.

The 26-year-old has only spent two years at Elland Road, and neither campaign has been worthy of his £12.8m price tag and £60k-per-week wage.

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His debut term saw the Dominican Republic international post a 6.60 average Sofascore match rating, with the defender emulating such disappointing figures with a 6.55 average rating the following season. Those numbers ensured he ranked as the 22nd-best player in the squad last term and as low as the 23rd-best the season prior.

This was especially frustrating given how highly praised he was, with former teammate Marc Bartra noting: "He is a player who has shown that he has a lot of potential, quality and the ability of being in the right place at the right time."

Pundit Paul Robinson essentially summed up his Leeds career though, lambasting the former Real Betis star for his poor defensive efforts: "Kulusevski picked the ball up in the corner, he was one-on-one with Firpo. All the defender had to do was put in a simple tackle. It is terrible, schoolboy defending. Inexcusable."

Given that Firpo was arguably at a much higher level than Ezzalzouli is currently when he signed, and the failure that has ensued, perhaps Farke could heed this warning issued by Orta's failure and steer clear of the Barcelona outcast if an opportunity emerges to sign him.

An update has emerged on Everton and their plans to improve their options in the final third heading into the summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Yuri Alberto to Everton?

According to GOAL, the Toffees are eyeing up a possible swoop to sign Corinthians centre-forward Yuri Alberto ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The report claims that the club are considering whether or not to make an official offer to land the Brazilian forward's signature, but there has not been any contact between the two teams as of yet.

It is stated that Everton remaining in the Premier League has helped their cause and that Sean Dyche's side has the financial power to make moves in the market.

Who is Yuri Alberto?

He is a 22-year-old Brazil international who is valued at £11m by Football Transfers and his arrival would be terrible news for Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The England international scored a stunning 29 Premier League goals across the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns combined, but his form has fallen off a cliff over the last two years.

Since the start of 2021/22, Calvert-Lewin has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 34 appearances in the top flight – including two in 17 this term.

In the current season, the 26-year-old averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.74 across 17 appearances in the league and contributed with two goals and one assist, with a pass success rate of 61%.

Meanwhile, Alberto averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.88 and provided eight goals and one assist in 20 outings in the Brasileiro Serie A in 2022 and completed 68% of his attempted passes.

The former Santos man, who was hailed as "dangerous" and "powerful" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has plundered 30 goals in 94 Serie A matches throughout his career to date.

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These statistics show that the ace, who is four years younger than the Everton striker, has the potential to be a reliable goalscorer for the Toffees if he can adapt to playing in English football as the finisher has proven himself in the top-flight in Brazil.

Calvert-Lewin, on the other hand, did not make big contributions for the Toffees in the top flight in England and was a liability for the team as the striker did not score or assist enough and gave the ball away too often with his loose passes.

This indicates that Alberto has the quality to come in as an upgrade on the England international and this would, therefore, be terrible news for the ex-Sheffield United man as it could lead to him being the second-choice striker and sitting on the bench week-in-week-out.

Newcastle United were offered Jorginho during the January transfer window before his eventual departure on deadline day.

What’s the latest?

The Toon did not bring in any midfielders over the course of the January transfer window but it seems as if there were some options potentially on their radar.

Eddie Howe’s side were linked with the likes of Sander Berge over the final days of the window and it is believed they held an interest in Conor Gallagher.

Adding to their desire to bring in a new midfielder, Howe saw the 30-year-old, Jonjo Shelvey, leave the club for Nottingham Forest.

But speaking on the True Faith podcast, journalist Craig Hope has claimed they were offered the new Arsenal midfielder, Jorginho, by his intermediaries.

He said: “Jorginho was offered to them, again, by intermediaries. Now, there was people within the club who I think were for the Jorginho deal – they saw the sense in it.

“I don’t think Eddie was. Just didn’t think he had the legs to get around in terms of that sort of high-energy pressing style he wants from his midfielders.”

Missing out on experience?

The Italian is a player who would certainly have been able to arrive on Tyneside and provided an awful lot of experience at the highest level to Howe’s midfield.

Jorginho has racked up trophies.

However, it appears as if this is a player who Howe was not keen to bring to St. James’ Park.

Although Bruno Guimaraes has provided the Toon with more shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, the Italian has offered more tackles and passes per 90 minutes (via FBref).

So perhaps this is a player who could have come into Newcastle and provided them with another option as a holding midfielder following Shelvey’s departure.

And he is a player who has been on the end of some big praise from the likes of Jose Mourinho who had the following to say back in 2019:

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“For me, Jorginho is the best midfielder in Europe. The way he controls the game, how he recycles the ball in the transitions between attack and defence. His ability on the ball when he is under pressure is amazing.”

However, he would have done so on a big weekly salary of £110k which would have seen him become one of the highest earners at the club.

And it seems as if the Italian did not exactly impress in the 31-minute appearance at Goodison Park with journalist Sean Walsh only awarding him with a 5/10 rating after the game.

Given this was a position that Newcastle were keen to strengthen last month, it does show the trust put in Howe’s judgement when there were others inside the club who would have approved the potential deal.

Celtic have no doubt enjoyed notable success during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure thus far, although one worrying trend that has emerged in recent times has been seeing a handful of the club’s young talents poached by Premier League sides.

The Parkhead giants have seen both Leo Hjelde and Rory Mahady join Leeds United in the space of the last 18 months, while arguably the greatest loss has been that of Scotland U21 international, Ben Doak.

The highly-rated 17-year-old was snapped up by Liverpool earlier this year having risen up through the Hoops’ youth ranks, with the winger quickly making his mark at Anfield with eight goals and six assists at academy level this season, including four goals and four assists in just six UEFA Youth League games.

The Dalry-born sensation has even made his debut at senior level for the Merseysiders after featuring off the bench in the Carabao Cup triumph over Derby County last month, having been lauded as an ‘exciting prospect’ by former Bhoys hero, Kenny Dalglish.

The “fearless” youngster – as described by journalist Barry Anderson – has already left those back at Celtic Park ruing their inability to keep him in Glasgow, with it looking as if the Reds’ starlet will go on to enjoy a bright future in English football.

For Postecoglou and co, the hope will be to avoid seeing another promising talent follow Doak out the door, with the Scottish champions likely already sweating regarding the long-term future of teenage ace, Rocco Vata.

Recent reports have claimed that the 17-year-old has caught the attention of both Arsenal and Manchester City, as well as the likes of AC Milan, Juventus and Roma, as a result of his sparkling form of late.

The Ireland youth international – who is the son of former Celtic and Albania defender Rudi Vata – has arguably been the star attraction for the club’s ‘B’ team this season, with the versatile forward having scored eight goals and recorded one assist in just 14 Lowland League outings.

That impact has come after the playmaker was included as part of the first-team squad for the trip to Austria in pre-season, while he was more recently part of the travelling party for the Sydney Super Cup voyage.

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The Hamilton-born menace will again have a chance to impress Postecoglou after earning his place in the squad for the warm-weather training camp in Portugal alongside fellow youngster Bosun Lawal, with the title-winning coach hoping to increase the duo’s “exposure” to life at first-team level.

A player with a “killer attitude” who could go right “to the top”, in the words of ‘B’ team coach Darren O’Dea, Vata will certainly be one who could well make the step up from the youth set-up sooner rather than later.

Alternatively, it would also be no surprise if that interest from the Premier League’s big boys ultimately leads to an exit from Paradise for the player, with Postecoglou and co likely dreading a repeat of the Doak scenario.

Liverpool have been struggling to find their form over the season so far with a number of fitness issues in the squad, and now a new injury update has emerged.

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce on Thursday, Naby Keita is, unfortunately, suffering from a serious hamstring injury following his absence from the squad over the season so far.

That followed initial suggestions from Pearce who, speaking in his Q&A after the defeat in Naples, said: “The fact he’s not in the CL squad means it has to be serious.”

However, there have been contrasting reports on the condition of the midfielder as he was named in Guinea’s international squad for the international break later this month.

It will give Klopp a headache

There is no doubt that the situation surrounding Keita will be giving Jurgen Klopp a big headache whilst trying to deal with the ongoing issues in the team following a string of embarrassing performances that continued in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Liverpool took a 4-1 battering from Napoli, the worst result by an English team in the opening fixture of a Champions League campaign since Arsenal in 2003/04.

As a result, the German coach will surely be frustrated with his team and Keita’s injury only adds insult to injury for the Reds as their fitness problems have piled up over the last few weeks.

Jordan Henderson, Fabio Carvalho, Thiago Alcantara, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones have all been struck with fitness issues and thus, Klopp’s mounting problems in that area of the pitch will certainly be giving him a headache when you combine it with their poor results this term.

It was reported before the transfer window closed that Keita was unhappy at the club and was not prepared to sign an extension with the midfielder in the last 12 months of his contract, which left a question mark over his absence in the squad when the season started.

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That being said, if Pearce’s analysis of his current injury problems are true, it begs more questions as to why he has been selected to play for his country when the international fixtures kickstart in less than two weeks’ time and if he is fit to play for Guinea why was he omitted from Liverpool’s Champions League squad? It’s something of a headscratcher, not just for Klopp, but for the entire fanbase at Anfield.

With that being said, it remains to be seen if Keita will start for Guinea when they play Algeria on the 23rd of September and should he play for his national team, concern surrounding his future in Merseyside will surely escalate further.

An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur and their plans to bring in a new forward in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Express reporter Ryan Taylor has suggested that they are more likely to go for Leeds star Raphinha than Everton’s Richarlison in the coming weeks.

Fabio Paratici is looking to add to Antonio Conte’s attacking unit and Taylor believes that the former Rennes magician is the main target.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think Spurs are edging slightly more towards Raphinha at the moment.

“I think if you look at Richarlison’s profile, my personal view is he’s mainly better centrally and if you look at Tottenham’s side, he won’t have many opportunities through the middle. Outside of that, he sometimes plays off the left, and Son plays there as well.”

Supporters will be excited

Spurs supporters will be excited by this claim as Raphinha would be a sublime addition to Conte’s squad for the 2022/23 campaign.

Since arriving in England, the Whites gem has scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists in the Premier League – including 11 goals last term – whilst playing out wide on the right.

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In that time, Richarlison has managed 17 goals and eight assists whilst playing on the left and through the middle as a centre-forward.

This means that Raphinha has been more productive than him in the final third, despite the Everton man spending time as a number nine, and this suggests that he would be the better signing.

There is little between them in terms of their scope for development. They are both 25 and heading toward the peak years of their respective careers, which means that they would both come in with the potential to improve in the years to come.

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Therefore, it should be a matter of current ability and suitability for the team. Taylor explained why Raphinha suits Tottenham’s team more than Richalison and the statistics suggest that the Leeds man is also the better player with his ability to score and assist goals on a regular basis from out wide.

The Spurs supporters will be excited by the prospect of the ex-Ligue 1 attacker coming through the door as he will provide another big attacking threat in the final third. He can support the likes of Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski to form a mouth-watering attack in the top-flight next season.

AND in other news: Conte could land Spurs masterclass in deal for “explosive” £30m gem, he’s Foden-esque…