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Celtic have made a move to bring Riley McGree to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Anthony Joseph, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Celtic have made an offer of an initial £2.5m for the Charlotte FC midfielder, with various add-on fees currently being finalised between the two clubs.

Joseph goes on to state that both Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough are also interested in a move for the 23-year-old, who has spent the last 14 months on loan at fellow Championship side Birmingham City.

However, Ange Postecoglou’s side are now believed to have reached an advanced stage in their discussions regarding the Australia international’s transfer this month.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Celtic have made a move for Charlotte FC midfielder Riley McGree. Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough also expressed their interest. But talks with Celtic are understood to have reached an advanced stage on a deal worth an initial £2.5m, with various add-ons being finalised.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how impressive McGree had been for Birmingham this season – before being recalled by Charlotte FC in December – the news that Celtic appear to be closing in on the signing of the central midfielder this month is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 13 Championship appearances in the current campaign, the £540k-rated man scored two goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 key passes and taking 1.8 shots per game.

The £5.7k-per-week midfielder also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 1.3 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 22 passes and winning 4.8 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the 23-year-old earn a rather remarkable average SofaScore match rating of 7.02, ranking him as Lee Bowyer’s sixth-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, it is clear for all to see that McGree would make an exceptional addition to Postecoglou’s current options in the middle of the park at Celtic, which is why the news that the Bhoys appear to be closing in on a £2.5m deal for the Australian is sure to have left everyone involved with the club extremely excited.

In other news: Ange could be set for grave Celtic error on “rock-solid” 21 y/o as Jan bids confirmed

An update has emerged on PSG striker Mauro Icardi, regarding the chances of him signing for Newcastle in January…

What’s the talk?

According to Foot Mercato, the Argentine striker has been offered to the Magpies, along with Barcelona, Tottenham and Juventus as he attempts to leave the Ligue 1 outfit.

The report claims that he would like to find a ‘quieter’ club where he can be an important player for the side, rather than being a small fish in a big pond in France.

Complete Howe’s attack

The signing of Icardi could complete Howe’s attack by allowing him to deploy his favoured 4-4-2 formation. At the moment, the Magpies do not have two natural strikers who can effectively play alongside each other at the top end of the pitch, with Joelinton finding more success elsewhere and Allan Saint-Maximin at his best out wide.

Callum Wilson could find a dream partner in the Argentine striker, who has proven that he can score goals at the top level. In 296 games for Inter and PSG, he has scored a whopping 160 goals and provided 39 assists – showing his quality as a finisher.

Juventus and Italy centre-back Giorgio Chiellini lauded the Argentine in his autobiography, comparing him to French icon David Trezeguet. He said:

“Among the great attackers I have faced, I highly value Icardi, who inside the area is almost impossible to mark. Mauro against Juve has often scored, it hurt me.

“He’s a world-class centre-forward, even if he lacks something in the collective game, he’s a Trezeguet but with different characteristics, lethal in the aerial game but perfectible outside the surface.”

Trezeguet scored 34 goals in 71 caps for France and 171 goals in 320 games for Juventus during his playing days as a striker, which emphasises how highly Chiellini rates the Argentina international as he has been willing to compare him to such a legend of the Turin club.

This, along with his statistics for Inter and PSG, shows why the £31.5m-rated beast could be able to complete Howe’s attack at St. James’ Park.

Having a lethal finisher with a proven track record of scoring goals could take some of the pressure off Wilson and allow him to thrive, with defenders potentially offering him more space as they pay attention to Icardi. It would also leave Saint-Maximin and Joelinton to play out wide in midfield, with Ryan Fraser and Miguel Almiron also pushing to start.

Therefore, Howe must ensure that Newcastle are able to get a deal over the line for Icardi in January to bolster their striking options and complete his attack heading into the second half of the season.

AND in other news, Discussions underway: NUFC must land £100k-p/w beast compared to “Ballack” and “Gazza”…

Having won their first league game of the season at the 15th attempt against Burnley last Saturday, Newcastle will be looking to form a winning habit going into the festive period as they travel to a Leicester City side who were knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday.

The Magpies are three points off safety with a game in hand on 17th-placed Watford after the Hornets’ 2-1 defeat to Brentford on Friday night. They will also be facing a Foxes side who might be low on confidence, having won just one of their last six league outings as well as their elimination from the Europa League after a 3-2 defeat to Napoli.

Furthermore, Brendan Rodgers’ side have shipped 13 goals in their last six matches in all competitions and will be without a handful of key players after a viral outbreak at the East Midlands club, making it the ideal opportunity for Newcastle’s frontline to pounce and add to the Magpies’ tally of 17 goals in the Premier League.

It has also been reported that winger Ryan Fraser has overcome a hamstring issue after missing the win over Burnley. Miguel Almiron was the man to step in for the Scotsman that day, so there is no reason why the Paraguayan should lose his place after a performance which went down a treat with many  members of the Toon Army.

On the chalkboard

It is fair to say that the 27-year-old has been underwhelming since joining Newcastle from Atlanta United in January 2019 for a then-club record fee of around £20m. A return of 13 goals and five assists in 105 appearances is rather tepid, but there is certainly an opportunity for Almiron to get into the Newcastle team now, with Eddie Howe still in the early stages of his tenure at St James’ Park.

Against Burnley, the £74k-p/w attacking midfielder had an 82% passing accuracy, as well as making three tackles and successfully completing 100% of his dribbles (per SofaScore). It was a solid performance and a decent foundation to build upon in an attempt to be a regular starter under the former Bournemouth boss, who has said of the Paraguayan: “When you give someone an opportunity you want them to take it and I thought Miggy did that. His energy is very infectious and I thought his work rate from a defensive perspective was very good. Also he had really good moments going forward.

Like Almiron, the aforementioned Fraser is yet to score for the Magpies this season. However, the Scotland winger hasn’t been particularly impressive of late, with SofaScore rating the performance in his last game, a 1-1 stalemate with Norwich City, at a lowly 6.4/10.

None of United’s wide men have been particularly impressive this season, which is why Almiron is certainly within a shout of getting a frequent run in the team. The Paraguayan just needs to take whatever opportunities come his way.

In other news – Paid £5m, now worth £3.15m: Ashley had a Newcastle transfer howler with this dud who’s “out of his depth”

On-loan Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan has ‘caught the eye’ of Manchester City, according to The Mirror’s chief sports reporter Tom Hopkinson.

The lowdown

The 25-year-old is on loan at Molineux from RB Leipzig, and Bruno Lage’s side have the option to sign permanently for £13m at the end of that spell (via Sky Sports).

The South Korea international has begun the campaign in fine form, netting four goals in his first six starts for the club. By contrast, while City are second in the table, their top scorers are Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden with three each.

Hwang may have first caught the attention of English audiences when Salzburg faced Liverpool in the group stages of the 2019/20 Champions League. He scored in a 4-3 defeat at Anfield, having sent Virgil van Dijk ‘out for a hot dog’, as per a Telegraph report from John Percy.

The latest

As per The Mirror, City and title rivals Liverpool are both said to be interested in Hwang, with Pep Guardiola ‘keen to add more firepower up top’.

Wolves are trying to fend them off by sealing a permanent deal for the forward in January rather than waiting until the end of the season when his loan expires.

The verdict

Hwang isn’t just a goalscorer. According to WhoScored, he also excels at dribbling, passing and defensive contributions, indicating that he is a very well-rounded forward player who’s not averse to doing some of the dirty work for the good of his team.

He is also a versatile player, having operated as a winger 36 times during his career. That could well please Guardiola, who has utilised the likes of Foden, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres in wide attacking roles as well as at centre-forward.

You can see why the Korean an attractive option for elite clubs, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if there is a sharp hike in his relatively modest price tag if he were to join Wolves on a permanent basis.

In other news, fans loved these KDB comments.

As per Daily Mirror reporter Darren Lewis, eight Tottenham players are now safe from Antonio Conte’s axe after ‘impressing’ him behind the scenes.

The Lowdown: Conte sends stern message…

After Tottenham’s humiliating 2-1 defeat to Slovenian minnows NS Mura in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, adding to their European woes in recent years, Conte sent a stern message.

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The Italian, seeking to guide Spurs back to the summit of European football over two years after Mauricio Pochettino’s Champions League final run, explained that he is assessing his squad ahead of the January transfer window.

Speaking to the press, Conte lifted the lid on how he is currently making ‘evaluations’ over how deserves to be at Tottenham.

“We need players with the right mentality and with the quality, players that deserve to play for Tottenham and aspire to be competitive, to fight for this shirt, to win something,” said the former Inter boss.

“I’m making my evaluations and then I’ll speak with the club.”

The Latest: Eight players safe…

Writing for The Mirror, reporter Lewis has revealed that eight more players are safe from his looming axe, but most ‘if not all’ of the others squad members are fighting for their futures at the club.

He explains that Sergio Reguilon, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Lucas Moura, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp have all ‘impressed’ Conte behind the scenes – with Ryan Sessegnon also expected to be given more chances despite his red card in midweek.

The Verdict: Interesting claim…

Most of these names, like Reguilon, Dier, Lucas, Hojbjerg, Tanganga and Skipp have all arguably impressed at some point this season, leaving little surprise Conte favours them.

However, one surprise names in this list is arguably Davies, mainly because he has attracted real criticism for some of his displays this season.

Perhaps the Wales international’s experience, plus versatility as both a left-back and left-sided centre-back, has landed him in good stead with Conte.

As this interesting claim emerges, Spurs fans will be watching on eagerly to see if this crop of players become mainstays under their new manager.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist drops exciting transfer claim with ‘biggest offer’ on the table, find out more here.

Flocking to Twitter, many Southampton fans have shown their excitement as their club dropped an official announcement on academy talent Caleb Watts.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men, languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table, are yet to win a top flight match so far this season despite some solid performances against European sides like Man City, Man United and West Ham.

After losing key players such as Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard in the summer, this season could be a nervy one for supporters and club chiefs as they fight to maintain their English top flight status.

As such, any positive news is welcomed, and it appears there is some cause for celebration as the club drop an exciting announcement.

Indeed, Southampton have now confirmed that promising youngster Watts has put pen to paper on a contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2023.

His previous deal was set to expire at the end of this season but the 19-year-old has now signed fresh terms which will keep him at St Mary’s until the following summer.

Flocking to this development, many Saints supporters have raved about the news – find all of their best reactions from social media down below.

Southampton fans rave over new Watts deal…

“This is great news!”

Credit: @GKBeer

“Yes!!!!”

Credit: @josefsfc

“Good to hear”

Credit: @penntycotton0

“Great news, congratulations Caleb.”

Credit: @HackedOffStu

“Great to hear some positive news!”

Credit: @Robsticks7

“He’s one of our own”

Credit: @upsidedownsaint

In other news: ‘What a time to be alive’, ‘On my knees’…Saints supporters flock to behind-scenes managerial claim, find out more here.

Crystal Palace have made great progress on the pitch under Patrick Vieira in the opening weeks of the season, but his squad rebuild off it is far from complete.

What’s the story?

The Frenchman oversaw significant changes in personnel during his first summer at the helm, replacing several experienced campaigners with a host of exciting young talents.

So far, it appears as though Vieira has expertly identified some astute acquisitions for the south London club, and he must do so again over the coming months if they’re to continue making progress.

It was recently reported that striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is set to depart Palace in January after failing to impress during his loan spell, so Vieira is likely to be in the market for a replacement for him in January.

One player who would be an ideal candidate to do just that is Arsenal’s unwanted forward Eddie Nketiah.

The Eagles were first linked with the 22-year-old in the previous transfer window when The Athletic claimed that Palace were willing to pay £10m for the youngster, but a deal couldn’t be agreed between the two clubs as the Gunners were holding out for a £20m fee.

Patrick Vieira needs him

If Mateta does leave Selhurst Park over the winter, Christian Benteke and Odsonne Edouard would then be the only recognised strikers in Vieira’s first team squad.

With the latter already deputising out wide on multiple occasions this season due to Palace’s limited attacking options, a new striker will be needed if Palace are to fulfil their potential in 2021/22. In Nketiah, Vieira could unearth a gem capable of finding the back of the net on a regular basis for the Eagles for many years to come.

The £10.8m-rated gem was lauded by his current boss Mikel Arteta last season, with the Spaniard lauding the forward’s maturity and potential.

“I want him to keep doing what he’s doing. The way he played last night against those players, in those difficult conditions, for me is extraordinary at his age,” said the Arsenal manager.

“He has an immense personality to play, confidence, he’s powerful and is developing in every area I think. I have a lot of faith in him.”

Despite only receiving two starts this season – both in the Carabao Cup – Nketiah has continued to show his class, scoring on both occasions, including a delightful goal against Leeds United last time out.

Therefore, Palace chairman Steve Parish must revive his interest in the former England under-21 international, providing Vieira with the strength in depth that he needs to bring the club forward.

And, in other news…Vieira could unearth Palace gem in “talented” 20 y/o colossus, fans should be excited 

Crystal Palace staged a dramatic second-half fightback to secure a point against Leicester City in their Premier League clash at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

The visitors raced into a two-goal lead going into halftime thanks to strikes from Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy, but Patrick Vieira’s substitutes proved pivotal, with Michael Olise and Jeffrey Schlupp coming off the bench to rescue a 2-2 draw.

Palace largely dominated proceedings in the opening half an hour, yet a mistake from one of their usually more reliable stars turned the game on its head.

Summer signing Joachim Andersen took a heavy touch when receiving a pass from centre-back partner Marc Guehi under no pressure, allowing Leicester forward Iheanacho to capitalise on his mistake and put the Foxes ahead.

The 25-year-old was then unable to cut out Harvey Barnes’ pass to Vardy for the second, compounding a tricky six-minute spell for the Denmark international.

As per SofaScore, Andersen received a measly match rating of just 5.8 out of 10 for his underwhelming showing, the lowest total awarded to any player on the pitch over the weekend.

It was an out-of-character display from the former Lyon ace who usually bullies his opponents, with Andersen losing three of his seven duels and failing to make a single tackle during the 90 minutes.

But he was especially sloppy when in possession. He lost the ball on a whopping 22 occasions and completed just six of his 17 attempted long balls, leading to an overall pass completion of only 77%.

Andersen proved to be a liability for Palace as he let Vieira down in south London. However, his previous displays for the capital club have been full of promise, meaning the former Nice boss should keep faith with his £20m acquisition following the international break.

And, in other news…Forget Schlupp: Palace beast who won 75% of his duels was Vieira’s real hero 

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur club source John Wenham has made an exit claim involving 2020 signing Matt Doherty.

The Lowdown: Doherty flounders…

Brought in as one of former boss Jose Mourinho’s major signings of his last summer window at Tottenham, it’s safe to say the Republic of Ireland international hasn’t exactly set the world alight on a consistent basis.

He has displayed flashes here and there since his move from Wolves last year, with Mourinho himself branding the 30-year-old ‘impeccable’ at one point, but those instances have been few and far between.

As new managing director Fabio Paratici seeks to reform Spurs in the transfer market, Wenham has now made a claim involving the right-back.

The Latest: N17 source makes Doherty exit claim…

Speaking to FI, the Lilywhites ‘insider’ has had his say and believes Doherty leaving is certainly a real possibility barring drastic change in his game time/performance level.

“Doherty isn’t getting a look-in,” Wenham explained.

“Japhet Tanganga and Emerson Royal are the two designated right-backs at the club.

“Do we need three right-backs? I would say ‘no’. He’s just come back from international duty where he did really well.

“Now he doesn’t even make the bench. He is really struggling for game time.

“Everyone thought he would get more game time under Nuno. But it was Nuno who was happy to sell him to Tottenham in the first place.

“I think Doherty will be asking himself some questions in the coming weeks.

“That’s another one where I can see a permanent exit if things don’t change.”

The Verdict: Time to go…

It’s safe to say that Doherty is certainly in contention for a move away based off his lack of chances in north London so far, having made just five appearances in all competitions.

Even this week, when a chance is certainly there to make an impression in the Europa Conference League, the defender is injured and will not travel to face Vitesse.

Paratici and co may want to recuperate any form of sell-on value they can muster for the player in January and call time on what has been an underwhelming spell at Spurs.

In other news: Talks ongoing: Paratici now working hard to sign ‘really exciting’ player for Spurs behind the scenes, find out more here.

A number of Rangers supporters are excited by an official club tweet ahead of their Europa League clash with Lyon later this week.

Steven Gerrard’s side suffered the disappointment of not qualifying for this season’s Champions League following a two-legged defeat to Malmo last month.

The Gers must now focus on impressing in Europe’s second-biggest club competition, looking to go one better than last season’s round of 16 finish when they were eliminated by Slavia Prague.

On Thursday night, Gerrard’s men open their Europa League group stage account with the visit of Lyon to Glasgow, which promises to be a fascinating clash.

The Ligue 1 giants may fancy their chances of beating the Gers, but a passionate Ibrox crowd awaits them.

Ahead of the game, the club’s official Twitter account posted a video in preparation for the game, whetting the appetite nicely in advance by posting a clip of the official Europa League intro and music.

Rangers fans hail club tweet ahead of Europa League clash

These Rangers fans gleefully reacted to the club’s Twitter post, showing their excitement ahead of the match, for which some of them are “buzzing”.

“Probably the best side we’ve come up against since 2010, gonna be an exciting one”

Credit: @JamZar2801

“Can’t wait”

Credit: @honeyball69

“Here we go again. We love you Rangers, we do”

Credit: @JambaWATP21

“Inject this theme music into my veins”

Credit: @EveryOtherSatu1

“Tuneeeeee”

Credit: @jasonlamont72

“Cannot wait to be back at Ibrox this week”

Credit: @FrankyRN51

“Buzzing”

Credit: @jamesC1872

In other news, a pundit has made a key claim regarding one Rangers player’s future. Read more here.