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It doesn’t take a lot to work out that proceedings in the Celtic boardroom have been rather unclear for the Bhoys and their supporters over the last 18 or so months.

As the Hoops lost their stronghold on Scottish football last term, supporters protested outside Parkhead against the ownership for their lack of ambition.

Neil Lennon was leading a sinking ship but the Northern Irishman had to take matters into his own hand and left of his own accord rather than being sacked by Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell.

The latter has since left, retiring from his role and following Nick Hammond and Lennon through the exit door.

His replacement, Dominic McKay, has already taken his leave which has left Michael Nicholson as their acting CEO.

What Celtic have struggled to do, however, is bring in some with plenty of football expertise. It looked over the summer as though the Bhoys would bring in a director of football but a move for Fergal Harkin fell flat.

Judging by how some of Celtic’s summer signings have turned out, this issue is now all too apparent.

Speaking in a Q&A with The Athletic, reporter Kieran Devlin shared his own worries when debating the acquisition of James McCarthy on a free transfer.

He said: “I believe the board’s thinking on McCarthy is that on paper he offered the experience and cultural affinity to replace the leadership/Celtic connection gap left by Brown’s farewell, even if it hasn’t panned out like that so far.”

Devlin continued: “But this is where having executives make crucial football operations decisions is a potential issue, rather than someone with expertise and experience in that role like a sporting director or head of recruitment, who can step in and say ‘is this a rational sporting decision’?”

This should be a hugely concerning statement for Celtic supporters to read. After all, the addition of McCarthy to the side has hardly been helpful.

The Irishman should have offered plenty of experience in the middle of the park but the fact of the matter is that he’s been poor. Supporters have torn him apart and although the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota have been successful signings, proceedings won’t improve in the long run until Celtic appoint a proper director who can lead their recruitment.

Unfortunately for the Parkhead faithful, it doesn’t appear as though that model of working behind the scenes is going to be forthcoming with few updates on the matter in the last few months.

Consider Harkin’s prominent work at Manchester City where he was described as a transfer, and this would have been an inspired appointment. Instead, they are left to rue their mistakes of a few months ago.

AND in other news, Less touches than Hart: Celtic dud who made just 5 passes all game badly let Ange down…

Leeds United may have won 2-1 at Norwich City on Sunday, but Liam Cooper, Daniel James and Jack Harrison all struggled at Carrow Road.

The Whites made the trip to face the Canaries in what was a vital Premier League clash at the bottom-end of the table.

After a drab opening 45 minutes, the game sprung into life after the interval, with Raphinha, Andrew Omobamidele and Rodrigo all scoring in the space of five minutes.

Leeds hung on in the end, sealing a massive three points in the process and taking them out of the relegation zone.

However, not everyone in the visitors’ line-up had a hugely impressive afternoon. As per SofaScore ratings, these were the Whites’ three worst players of those who featured for 45 minutes or more.

Liam Cooper – 6.6

Cooper started at the heart of the defence but he was never quite at his dominant best at Carrow Road.

The 30-year-old lost five of his 11 duels against Norwich, also losing possession 16 times overall, while his 61% passing accuracy rate was the lowest of any outfield player to feature for Bielsa’s side in Norfolk.

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Dan James – 6.6

James is still waiting for his Leeds career to fully take off and he went another Premier League game without registering a goal or an assist. He now has no goals in his first seven top-flight appearances for the Whites.

Not only that, but the Welshman only won four out of his 12 duels and was dribbled past twice, along with losing the ball five times. He completed only 13 passes this afternoon, the fewest of anyone in Bielsa’s starting line-up.

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Jack Harrison – 6.5

Harrison’s season is yet to kick into gear, having been Leeds’ joint-second top goalscorer in the 2020/21 Premier League campaign.

The winger was arguably his side’s poorest player on the day against Norwich, picking up a yellow card and completing no accurate crosses. The 24-year-old also gave the ball away 11 times and came off second best in 10 of his 13 duels.

In other news, Beren Cross has made a claim regarding one Leeds player. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Royal has been sent a warning by Tim Sherwood after a tough debut for the club at the weekend.

The Lowdown: Palace thrashing

The 22-year-old swapped Barcelona for Spurs on the transfer deadline day and made his debut in the 3-0 London derby defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The wing-back lost more duels than he won and attempted only one dribble, with which he failed to beat his man. Whilst not at fault for any of the three goals, the Brazilian endured a difficult time against Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park.

It remains early days in his time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the £25.73m arrival will be hoping to settle in sooner rather than later.

 The Latest: Another Soldado

Speaking to Premier League Productions (11/09/21 at 12:20 pm) [via HITC], former Spurs manager Sherwood said that he hopes Royal does not struggle in the Premier League after a move from Spain, similar to Roberto Soldado under the 52-year-old in 2013/14.

The ex-Spurs boss said: “We have had one there at Tottenham as well. He was a centre-forward in Soldado. He came over with a massive reputation, he couldn’t wait to score a bundle of goals in the Premier League.

“It never really materialised. He couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t hand the tempo and the intense competition of the Premier League.

“Hopefully, for Royal and Tottenham fans, he can be really interesting.”

The Verdict: Still early days

Soldado, who is now back in Spain with Levante, had a horrid spell at the north London club as he only scored 16 goals in 76 appearances at White Hart Lane.

Royal’s debut performance was not terrible by any means and having to face Zaha, one of the trickiest players in the league, in his first game was always going to be tough, especially when Japhet Tanganga was sent off.

With Matt Doherty waiting in the wings at right-back, Royal now faces a tough upcoming three games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa. That could be his chance to prove why Spurs signed him and show Sherwood that he isn’t going to be another failed signing from La Liga like Soldado.

In other news, Nuno Espirito Santo has been dealt another blow about Tottenham ace. Find out more here.

Tottenham were held to a draw by Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday as they wasted a number of gilt-edged chances to score.

Harry Kane notched just his second league goal of the campaign for Spurs to open the scoring, before headers from Jota and Andy Robertson put the away side ahead. Heung-Min Son sealed a point with his strike, but the attacker, along with Dele Alli and Kane, had enough chances to put the Reds to bed to claim all three.

Robertson was shown a late red card for Liverpool as VAR overturned the initial yellow card he was given by referee Paul Tierney for his challenge on Emerson Royal.

Forget Kane

Whilst Kane was able to find the back of the net with his strike to break his duct at home in the Premier League, another player was the shining light for Antonio Conte’s side – Harry Winks.

The midfielder came in for Ollie Skipp and was given an opportunity to catch the eye in the middle of the park alongside Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli. He grasped his chance with both hands and sent a clear message to the Italian head coach – give me more minutes.

If he can continue to put in performances like the one he has just produced against the Reds then he could go on to become a crucial player for the club this season. He was high-intensity, high-quality, all match and was constantly hassling Jurgen Klopp’s side to disrupt their play before getting on the ball himself and starting attacks.

Defensively, he was superb. As per SofaScore, he prevailed in nine defensive battles; making one clearance, one tackle, four interceptions and three blocks, whilst also winning four of his seven duels.

This shows how much effort he put into his defending as he was consistently getting in the way to stop Liverpool from creating chances, which Conte will surely be delighted with as it provided the forwards with a solid base upon which to build from.

On the ball, he dictated the game at times. As per SofaScore, he had 79 touches of the ball and completed an impressive eight of his 13 attempted long passes. This shows that he wanted to be in possession and kept trying to switch the play to create new angles and cause problems for the Liverpool defenders.

Therefore, Winks was Conte’s shining light on Sunday as he was excellent at both ends of the pitch and showed that he is capable of producing an all-around display in midfield.

AND in other news, Levy preparing huge Spurs offer for “absolute leader”, he’d be “outstanding” for Conte…

Some Wolves fans have been left buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Odsonne Edouard.

As per The Daily Telegraph, the Midlands club are one of a number of teams in the Premier League that have considered signing the Celtic striker in the summer window, along with Leicester City, West Ham United, Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.

Edouard is a player who is likely looking to make the step up from the Scottish Premiership, having scored no fewer than 22 goals and supplied a further six assists in 40 games in total over all competitions across the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the Molineux faithful could do with another experienced player up top to cover or play alongside Raul Jimenez, and the French 23-year-old may well fit the bill.

Wolves fans on Edouard transfer update

These WWFC supporters buzzed as the transfer update on Edouard was shared by Talking Wolves on their Twitter page:

“YESSSS”

Credit: @Ethan74917547

“Tears in my eyes”

Credit: @TobyMarshall__

“Yes. Yes. And twice on Sunday’s.”

Credit: @PaulLappage

“I beg of you get him in, I know we need players in other areas but I love him”

Credit: @Millenwwfc

“Get it done Jeff”

Credit: @JStanley_wwfc

“This would be an excellent signing. I’ve been wanting Edouard at Wolves for ages!”

Credit: @amarsmusicshow

In other news, find out what pre-Tottenham news has Wanderers fuming here!

When Rafa Benitez was appointed as the new manager of Everton it sparked controversy amongst supporters at Goodison Park.

Already frustrated by Carlo Ancelotti’s surprising exit, Toffees fans were incensed that Benitez was the wrong man.

They went as far as posting signs outside his house in protest of his arrival in Merseyside. The reason was a simple one; his association with Liverpool.

Benitez coached the Reds to Champions League glory in 2005 during a six-year stay at Anfield. In the process, he labelled their fiercest rivals a ‘small club.’

The 61-year-old has since apologised for that but he’s not done a great deal since arriving at Everton to calm the waters.

They’ve made mediocre efforts to improve their squad in the transfer window and lost 4-0 to Manchester United in a pre-season friendly last weekend.

However, it’s important to remember just what Benitez has achieved in his managerial career. He is one of the most renowned coaches on the globe and has helped to define certain aspects of modern football.

You only need to look at Xabi Alonso, a footballer who introduced a new role to a tactics board; a creative defensive midfielder.

The Spaniard played 210 times under Benitez, spraying passes in various directions while showing a bullish approach to defending.

He was a remarkably composed footballer but wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when it mattered.

During the 2014/15 campaign at Bayern Munich, he took a mind-boggling 163.5 touches per game, orchestrating play from deep on a regular basis.

Speaking about his style of play, ex-Bayern director Matthias Sammer once said: “Xabi Alonso has incredible skills, passing and ball control. He has an eye for the game, he knows how to defend and he is physically strong.”

But why is this all relevant to Everton? Well, Benitez could discover his new Alonso this summer in the form of Sander Berge.

The Norwegian is valued at a mighty £35m and has been linked with a move to Goodison throughout the last few months.

He has only played three times for the Blades in 2021 but like Alonso was, he’s a composed footballer who loves a tackle.

Described as the “complete midfielder” by Chris Wilder, he completed 85.6% of his passes in the Premier League last term. Sitting deep and distributing play in the manner Alonso did for Liverpool, Madrid and Bayern, he also produced 1.1 successful tackles per game.

It speaks volumes that it wasn’t Berge’s best season either. His greatest tally for tackles came in 2016 when he recorded 2.1 per match for Valerenga in Norway.

That final statistic is close to Alonso whose career average according to data tracked by WhoScored, stands at 2.9 an outing.

The former Spain international was, of course, a class above. Berge would have to do a lot to be registered in the same category but he’s certainly got similar attributes.

He’d be a fantastic signing for Everton based on the aforementioned traits.

AND in other news, Everton dream of signing “dangerous” £34m-rated gem, he’s perfect for Benitez…

Spurs are interested in a deal to bring Youssef En-Nesyri to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), who claim that Spurs have joined West Ham United in monitoring the situation of the Sevilla centre-forward ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

It is reported that Julen Lopetegui’s side require a big-money sale of one of their more valuable players in order to fund their own transfer business, and that, if the LaLiga side fail to sell Jules Kounde, they could be tempted into parting ways with the Morocco international.

However, En-Nesyri himself is not thought to be sold on the idea of a switch to Tottenham in the current transfer window, and is instead hoping that “one of the greats” will make a move for him ahead of next season.

Nuno would love him

While it would appear that a Tottenham move for En-Nesyri would be a difficult deal to get over the line this summer, it is undeniable that the 24-year-old would make a fantastic addition to Nuno Espirito Santo’s attacking options next season, as well as generally being a player the Portuguese boss would love to have at the club.

Indeed, the £49k-per-week man scored 18 goals and set up six big chances over 38 LaLiga appearances for Lopetegui’s side last season, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 0.4 key passes per league fixture.

These metrics saw the striker earn an impressive average SofaScore match rating of 6.98, ranking him as Sevilla’s eighth-best player in the Spanish top-flight, playing a key role in his team securing a Champions League spot via a fourth-place finish in LaLiga.

However, it was not only in domestic competition that En-Nesyri impressed, with the 24-year-old also bagging six Champions League goals over eight appearances in the tournament, with his displays earning him an average SofaScore rating of 7.33 – the third-highest rating of any Sevilla player.

As such, with a clinical season in Spain behind him, the centre-forward Euan McTear claimed was “like Benzema” would certainly appear to be a signing Nuno would love to get done this summer, particularly as Harry Kane has been heavily linked with a move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, with the £36m-rated man appearing to not be overly enthused by a move to Spurs, perhaps the 47-year-old Tottenham boss should turn his focus elsewhere in the summer transfer window.

In other news: Spurs dealt big blow over “important” £51.5m target, Levy will be fuming

The expectations of Aston Villa fans may not have been overly high when their club signed Tyrone Mings for a rather sizeable £20m back in the summer of 2019, however, the centre-back has gone on to prove he was well worth Johan Lange’s considerable gamble.

Indeed, having highly impressed over his 15 Championship appearances while on loan at Villa back in 2018/19, helping his side keep six clean sheets, it certainly appeared as if signing the defender was a smart move by the club, albeit with an inflated transfer fee – with the 28-year-old’s Transfermarkt valuation at the time of his switch to Villa Park being just £4.5m.

However, Mings has gone from strength to strength since joining Villa on a permanent basis, demonstrating he was well worth the fee the Premier League side paid AFC Bournemouth for his services.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances for the club in their 2019/20 campaign, the £67k-per-week defender played a key role in helping his side avoid relegation, helping his team keep six clean sheets, scoring two goals and registering two assists, in addition to making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 0.5 tackles, 5.7 clearances and winning 3.2 duels per match.

These returns saw the defender average a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.88, ranking him as Dean Smith’s joint fourth-best performer in the top flight of English football.

However, it was over the centre-back’s 36 Premier League fixtures last season in which he truly came into his own, scoring two goals, providing two assists and helping his side keep a whopping 14 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 4.7 clearances and winning 4.1 duels per league game.

These metrics saw Mings earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 6.95, ranking him as Villa’s joint ninth-best player in the top flight, and earning the defender a call up to Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad.

As such, considering these impressive displays, as well as the fact the England international is now valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, it would indeed appear as if Lange struck gold when signing Mings back in 2019.

In other news: Insider drops claim on “outstanding” £50k-p/w beast, it’ll be music to AVFC fans’ ears

Manchester United could be about to make a huge mistake in the transfer window after Diogo Dalot was linked with a permanent Old Trafford exit.

What’s the story?

According to The Express, the 22-year-old is one of several fringe players who will be allowed to depart Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this summer.

Despite struggling for form throughout his United career, Dalot impressed during a season-long loan spell with Italian giants AC Milan last term, showcasing his top-class potential.

Manchester United heading for a mistake

Throughout his 12-month spell at San Siro, the Portugal Under-21 international made 33 appearances in all competitions, achieving a highly respectable 6.76 WhoScored rating along the way.

His contribution to the success of Stefano Pioli’s charges was sizeable, making 1.5 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, and 1.8 clearances per league game as the Rossoneri finished in second place in the Serie A standings.

Dalot’s aforementioned figures had him amongst the top-six performers compared to his teammates for each attribute, highlighting the progress he made in his time away from English football.

The youngster’s impressive displays earned praise from Milan manager Pioli, who claimed the United gem “will become a complete player” in the future.

Although it’s easy to understand why large sections of the Red Devils’ fanbase and the club’s hierarchy may be prepared to cut ties with Dalot, selling him this summer could prove to be a costly error.

After making just 35 first-team appearances since making a £20 million move to United from Porto back in 2018, the pacey full-back found himself on the fringes of Solskjaer’s squad.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was brought in as the club’s long-term solution to their right-sided conundrum, but the former Crystal Palace man’s own attacking deficiencies have seen Kieran Trippier linked with a move to the 20-time English champions.

While the England international may be a sensible short-term signing, he’s fast approaching his 31st birthday, and before long, Solskjaer will be faced with the same issue.

However, allowing Dalot another campaign or two to develop on loan away from the intense spotlight at United could be the perfect solution.

He appears to have the potential to turn into the ideal modern-day full-back, and Solskjaer should keep faith in him a little while longer, even if that means loaning him out for another season.

And, in other news…Man United handed huge transfer boost over “perfect” £77m beast, Ole will be buzzing 

Former Southampton vice-chairman Les Reed has revealed that the club were interested in deals to sign a clutch of Leicester City’s title-winners, as well as some of their more recent stars.

Leicester have a phenomenal track record when it comes to recruitment, bringing in a number of players for small fees and subsequently enjoying exceptional success.

The signings of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kante helped the club achieve one of the great underdog stories in the sport, when they won the Premier League title.

And this season, Youri Tielemans scored a brilliant goal to win the FA Cup final against Chelsea.

Southampton have not had anywhere near the same level of success, finishing 15th in 20/21, 11th in 19/20, 16th in 18/19 and 17th in 17/18. They have not won a major trophy since 1976, when they lifted the FA Cup, though they were runners-up in the League Cup in 2016/17.

Reed, though, has now confirmed that it could have been a very different story, with a number of Leicester players on the club’s radar before they made the move to the Foxes, including Vardy, who has scored 118 Premier League goals, and Tielemans.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Reed said: “Going back to when they won the league, Simpson, Fuchs, Albrighton, Vardy had all been on our radar; Fofana, Tielemans, Maddison, Praet.”