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Ange Postecoglou’s primary concern heading into the new campaign is Celtic’s leaky backline.

The Hoops surrendered their dominance of Scottish football last term by ending proceedings without a single trophy to their name. The main reason for their ineptitude was defensive mistakes.

On the chalkboard

Celtic didn’t struggle to score goals last term with the influence of Odsonne Edouard in Paradise still proving valuable.

The Frenchman bagged 22 goals in all competitions and finished the campaign as the Premiership’s top scorer.

However, at the opposite end of the pitch, Neil Lennon and John Kennedy had no answer to keeping the goals out.

Celtic shipped 16 more strikes than Rangers in the league and conceded a whopping 19 times in the Europa League group stage.

Since then, the Bhoys have been linked with a number of defenders from former employee Erik Sviatchenko to Hajduk Split’s promising centre-half Mario Vuskovic.

The solution

If Postecoglou is looking for a player approaching the prime of his career then he should carefully consider Manchester City’s Ko Itakura, somebody linked with a move to Parkhead this week.

Vuskovic is just 19 years of age and has plenty to learn while Sviatchenko is now 29 and getting slower as he grows older.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-transfer-news-posetcoglou-ryan-delap-wyke” title= “Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]

Itakura, on the other hand, is developing nicely at the age of 24, that’s despite not having a proper permanent home. The defender was brought to Manchester City in 2019 but is yet to make a single appearance for them.

Instead, the Japan international has enjoyed a productive two-year loan spell with FC Groningen in the Netherlands.

Speaking about his game previously, former Dutch footballer Haans Kray waxed lyrical about the centre-back’s style of play. He said: “One of the very best central defenders in the Eredivisie. He can play football well, he can head well and he is incredibly fast. He’s such a good player but Manchester City don’t see anything in him.”

His speed immediately elevates him above Sviatchenko while the two years of experience he’s gained in European football should place him just on top of Vuskovic too.

The Croatian has a particularly high ceiling but Ange Postecoglou already has Liam Shaw and Leo Hjelde from a young perspective that he could blood next season.

With Kristoffer Ajer potentially departing, signing a player at a similar age would make more sense for the Australian.

He’s certainly got the qualities to thrive at the back for Celtic too. Strong in the air, Itakura won 2.1 aerial duels per game last season and was adept at playing the ball.

During 2020/21, the Japanese ace was successful with an impressive 88% of his passes, just 0.2% fewer than Ajer.

Furthermore, he ranks in the 88th percentile from chosen European leagues in terms of his tackle success; 76%.

With that in mind, he’d be a brilliant piece of business from the new manager. He can play out from the back like Ajer, reign supreme in the air and win challenges on a regular basis. Itakura’s pace would also set him apart from others in the Celtic defence.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Edouard: Celtic must sign “dangerous” 22 y/o beast, he’s a “goal machine”…

There were plenty of reasons to be positive for the Madejski Stadium faithful, even though Reading narrowly missed out on a top-six finish in the Championship.

The Royals had previously been the team to beat in the second-tier standings early into the 2020/21 league campaign, but a poor run of results in the second half of that campaign saw them finish seventh in the Championship under the management of Veljko Paunovic.

A number of players caught the eye with some strong performances in that campaign, with Michael Olise’s showings in particular seemingly not going unnoticed.

The 19-year-old made 46 appearances in all competitions for the Royals and chipped in with seven goals and 12 assists in total for the Berkshire-based side, which also saw him named as the EA Sports’ Young Player of the Season.

The likes of Leeds United and Aston Villa were rivalling Chelsea and Liverpool to a potential agreement for Olise’s services this summer, although it remains to be seen as to whether which clubs will push ahead with their interest in landing his signature.

You can understand Leeds and Aston Villa’s interest in signing Olise, as he’s a player that could potentially take them to the next level, and slot in well into their starting XI’s in the near future.

Villa could soon be preparing for life without Jack Grealish, who continues to be linked with a move to Manchester City, whilst Leeds’ Raphinha has emerged as a potential transfer target for Premier League giants Liverpool in recent months, although it remains to be seen as to whether Marcelo Bielsa’s side will entertain any offers for his services.

Olise is entering the final year of his contract with Reading, and it remains to be seen as to whether the Royals will look to cash in on him.

But despite the considerable previous interest in Olise’s services, no formal offers have been submitted for the Royals talisman at this stage of the summer transfer window though, which will be pleasing to hear for the Madejski Stadium faithful.

Silence is golden

Olise was heavily linked with a move away from Reading during the 2020/21 season, and it is somewhat surprising to see that no formal offers have been submitted for him this summer.

At the age of 19, you would imagine that he’s still got his best years ahead of him, but it remains to be seen as to whether that’ll be with Reading moving forwards.

But to hear that no offers have yet been made for his services will have Reading fans potentially excited heading into the new league campaign.

Could a promotion push be on the cards again?

Reading took the Championship by surprise last season, as they finished seventh in the second-tier standings under the management of Paunovic.

Some Reading supporters could be forgiven for not being as optimistic heading into the new league campaign, with the likes of Omar Richards departing the club, and there being a considerable lack of depth in the senior squad heading into pre-season.

But if the club can keep together the core group of players, and most notably Olise, then the Royals will stand every chance of challenging for a timely promotion into the Premier League next season.

The fact that it looks like Olise could well be staying at Reading will be a huge boost, one that will have the club’s supporters buzzing.

Queens Park Rangers have agreed a deal to bring Sam McCallum to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the latest?

In a move that was initially reported by Football Insider on Monday afternoon, QPR have now tied up a deal that will see the Norwich City left-back link up with Mark Warburton’s side on a season-long loan deal, with the 20-year-old becoming the Rs’ sixth signing of the summer transfer window.

Indeed, shortly after the original reports had been published, the club released a statement on their official website unveiling the defender, who claimed that a move to QPR was a “no brainer” because the west London side are a “massive club.”

Warburton also appeared ecstatic with the capture of McCallum, stating: “I am really pleased we have been able to bring Sam in. He showed his undoubted quality in the Championship last season with Coventry.

“He brings real ability and will add competition to the squad which is so important.

“He also understands the wingback role, he has an attacking instinct, great physicality and is aerially very strong as well. Sam is a player who can have an impact in both boxes, and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Fans should be buzzing

As the 58-year-old QPR manager suggests, McCallum’s loan spell at Coventry City last season should indeed be a reason for fans to be buzzing about the 20-year-old’s arrival at the club this summer.

Over his 41 Championship appearances for Mark Robins’ side last term, the £3.15m-rated defender made an average of 1.9 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 1.6 clearances and won a whopping 7.2 duels per game.

The left-back also impressed in an attacking capacity for the Sky Blues, scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.7 key passes per league appearance.

These returns saw the man Jason Farndon claimed has “got the lot” earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Coventry’s second-best performer in the second tier of English football, playing a key role in helping his side comfortably secure survival in their first season back in the Championship.

As such, with Warburton hoping to build a team in the summer transfer window that is capable of going on to mount a push for a top-six finish next season, the addition of the £4.6k-per-week man certainly appears to be a step in the right direction for QPR, who are quietly putting together what could be a brilliant Championship team ahead of their upcoming campaign.

In other news: McIntyre drops big transfer update on £900k-rated QPR target, fans should be gutted

Leeds Live’s Beren Cross has revealed what new signing Junior Firpo is up to behind the scenes at Thorp Arch following his move from Barcelona.

What’s the story?

Writing initially on Twitter, Cross revealed: “No murderball for Firpo yet. As with many new faces at Thorp Arch, Bielsa has him grafting on his own for now. Firpo admits Leeds training is different to anything, anywhere. #lufc”

And then, in a piece for Leeds Live, he added: “Murderball has not been on the immediate menu for Junor Firpo at Leeds United as Marcelo Bielsa keeps the former Barcelona man on his own. Firpo was straight up to Thorp Arch to begin his training on Tuesday, but has, for the first few days at least, been training alone under Bielsa’s instructions.”

Firpo himself said meanwhile: “They told me, they told me, but now I can’t do it because the first days, Marcelo wants me to train alone to introduce the work because the style of training here is really different from Barcelona and from other teams.”

Fans will love it

News that Bielsa is putting Firpo through his paces on his own to kick off his Leeds career is an understandable first step for the Spaniard to make before he really begins to get involved with the intense sessions that the Argentine has come renowned for.

As the left-back himself says, the style of training is different to anything he is likely to have experienced before, so Bielsa having him just dip his toes into the water in terms of his methods and practices is a sure-fire way to help him get up to speed.

With the Premier League campaign getting under away in just over a month, the Leeds boss will need his summer arrival to hit the ground running, especially with last season’s usual left-back Gjanni Alioski having departed for good from Elland Road.

Both Bielsa and the club’s supporters will be desperate for Firpo to be ready for that first game of the new season against Manchester United at Old Trafford, and getting him settled into life at Elland Road as quickly as possible will be key to that.

It’s exactly why Leeds fans will love Cross’ latest update on their new signing.

Meanwhile, Alan Nixon has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Sides from Italy are keen on signing Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi this summer, according to Gregg Evans of The Athletic.

The Lowdown: El Ghazi’s Villa career

El Ghazi made the move to the Midlands on loan back in 2018. He helped Villa earn promotion to the Premier League and was signed permanently from Lille in a deal worth £8.1m the following summer.

The 26-year-old, on £38,000-a-week, has made over 100 appearances for Villa in all competitions, with 62 of those coming in the Premier League.

He netted 10 times in 28 top-flight appearances last season, four of which came in Villa’s last seven league games.

The Latest: Evans’ claim

Evans shared a Villa mailbag on Thursday, answering numerous questions from supporters on a number of topics.

He was asked if any permanent departures were expected at Villa Park, aside from Jack Grealish, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City.

Evans said that Conor Hourihane is the most likely to leave but revealed that a few clubs from Italy are keen on El Ghazi.

El Ghazi, described as ‘remarkable’ by pundit Adrian Clarke, has two years remaining on his Villa deal, and Evans admitted he would be surprised to see the Dutch winger leave.

The Verdict: Keep

Although Villa have already bolstered their wide ranks with the club-record signing of Emiliano Buendia this summer, it would make sense to keep El Ghazi ahead of the new season, unless a big-money bid that proves too hard to turn down comes in.

He was Villa’s second-highest scorer last season and now appears to have adjusted to Premier League football following a tricky first season.

Trezeguet is also out with a serious injury, so El Ghazi, Buendia, Jack Grealish, Ashley Young and Bertrand Traore are currently Dean Smith’s wide options at this moment in time.

In other news: ‘I beg we sack Smith’ – Many Aston Villa fans react as plans for £50k-p/w ace emerge.

West Bromwich Albion are interested in a move to bring David McGoldrick to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Valerien Ismael’s side have made an approach to Sheffield United regarding the possibility of signing the centre-forward.

The report goes on to state that Albion are in the market for a proven Championship goalscorer this summer, with the 33-year-old having emerged as a favourable option for the West Midlands side.

Football Insider also claim that the Blades are willing to listen to offers for the Republic of Ireland international, as he has just one year remaining on his current deal at Bramall Lane.

Big mistake

While it is undeniable that McGoldrick does indeed boast a significant amount of Championship experience, whether or not the veteran forward would be a good signing for the Baggies this summer is much more open for debate.

Indeed, over his 35 Premier League appearances for United last season, the £1.35m-rated man scored eight goals, provided one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £27k-per-week forward earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.88, ranking him as the Blades’ second-best performer in the top tier of English football.

However, over his 28 Premier League appearances in the season prior, McGoldrick failed to hit anywhere near these heights, scoring just two goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, earning an average SofaScore match rating of 6.78.

As such, when taking into account the 33-year-old’s apparent inconsistency, as well as the fact that the striker is very much entering the twilight years of his career – McGoldrick turns 34 in November – the question must be asked whether the potential rewards of his signing outweigh the risks.

We would argue they do not, with Ismael already possessing a proven Championship goalscorer in Karlan Grant, while McGoldick’s age, inconsistency and lack of resale value, in addition to the fee Albion would have to pay a likely promotion rival for the transfer, would appear to suggest that there would be much better options available for the Frenchman to pursue in the current market.

In fact, we would go as far as to suggest that, should the 45-year-old go on to land a deal for McGoldrick, it will be the biggest mistake of his – albeit limited – West Brom career to date.

In other news: Ismael could land Yokuslu 2.0 in swoop for “complete” £12k-p/w gem, West Brom must act

Arsenal have registered their interest in signing Inter striker Lautaro Martinez this summer.

What’s the story?

With reports in recent days claiming that Alexandre Lacazette could be set for an exit, there had been suggestions that Mikel Arteta’s side are interested in Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham.

Now, The Telegraph claim that the Gunners have set their sights on Martinez, with an inquiry having been made for the Argentina international.

The report adds that the north London side are embarking on a more ambitious summer transfer window, with the club keen to bridge the gap to the top four under Arteta.

Shades of Alexis Sanchez

The £72m-rated Martinez has established himself as one of the top marksmen in Serie A football over the past few seasons, and enjoyed an impressive campaign for Inter in the one just gone by – he netted 17 goals and provided another ten assists in 38 league games.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has waxed lyrical about his Argentine teammate, telling Mundo Deportivo: “Lautaro is an impressive forward, especially because I think he is a very complete striker: he is strong, he dribbles well, he has a goal, he knows how to protect the ball.”

He added: “He’s spectacular. He has impressive qualities. You could tell he was going to be a great player, and he is showing that He’s very strong, really good one on one, scores a lot of goals, and in the area he fights with anyone, holds it up, he can turn, scrap to win it all on his own. He has a lot of quality. He’s very complete.”

That ability to work hard off the ball despite his obvious technical quality is something very much reminiscent of Alexis Sanchez in his prime at Arsenal.

His former Gunners teammate, Carl Jenkinson, said: “On the ball he’s fantastic and people know what he offers and what he can bring, and just to see his work rate is great. People underestimate how hard he works sometimes because people always look at what he can do with the ball, but his work rate is exceptional.”

While Sanchez predominantly played off the left-wing, Arsene Wenger did use him through the middle on occasion as his side’s number nine, hoping his pressing, movement off the ball and eye for goal could lead the line well – in fact, in the 37 games that the Arsenal boss played him as a striker, the Chilean scored 20 times and set up another 13.

Letting Lacazette go this summer, and bringing in Martinez, who very much has shades of Sanchez in his game, could be a real coup for the Gunners as they look to compete once more.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are eyeing a move for this European star…

Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield believes Aston Villa kept their cards close to their chest in terms of their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey, after the club confirmed a deal was agreed on Saturday.

German outlet Bild had previously reported that Dean Smith’s side had tabled a bid for Bailey, worth £25.5m, but Leverkusen are keen to receive £29.8m for him.

Both Leicester City and Wolves had also been linked with a move for the forward, who was in impressive form for Leverkusen last season.

Bailey made a total of 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring 15 goals and registering 11 assists, and he can play on both flanks as well as up front.

Villa have been aggressive in their recruitment this summer, bringing in Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City and Ashley Young on a free transfer from Inter Milan.

Jack Grealish could well leave, with reports suggesting that Manchester City have opened talks over a huge deal that could cost in excess of £100m, perhaps explaining Villa’s desire to bring in a number of new players.

Asked about Bailey, Hatfield said: “I imagine they have kept their cards close to their chest. No club really likes people knowing who their targets are, particularly months before a transfer window.

“Villa will have done their due diligence, though, they will have looked at Leon Bailey and the performances he’s put in for Leverkusen over the past couple of years, and he’s coming off a really impressive season as well. Villa have probably seen that and have probably drawn up a list of players.”

Tottenham Hotspur should look to turn their attention elsewhere after a frustrating update emerged this week.

According to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, talks to sign Atalanta centre-back Cristian Romero have “slowed” down due to the Serie A outfit’s financial demands. Reports in Italy suggested that the Serie A outfit are demanding around €60m (£51m) for his signature, whilst La Liga giants Barcelona have been credited with an interest in recent weeks.

Spurs have not splashed out that sort of money since signing Tanguy Ndombele in the summer of 2019 for a club-record £55m, whilst their biggest fee spent on a defender was Davinson Sanchez for £42m.

His performances since then prove why it’s a massive gamble to spend so much on just one player, and as a result, the North Londoners may want to approach this Romero situation with caution.

For that money, the North Londoners could seal at least two players in the role, especially amid links to fellow Serie A monster Nikola Milenkovic.

As revealed by The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare, Spurs “hold an interest” in the Fiorentina star, and he claims that it would be an easy deal to do as the player would love to play in the Premier League and has less than a year remaining on his current contract.

The reliable journalist also hints that just €15m (£12.5m) would be enough to secure him. That’s a fraction of Romero’s price and he’s arguably just as good.

At just 23, Milenkovic has been likened to Nemanja Vidic, who is arguably one of the greatest to ever do it in the English top-flight.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic told ESPN FC. “He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

The 28-cap Serbian has also been dubbed a “beast”, and during the 2020/21 season, he averaged 3.6 clearances, three aerial duels won, 1.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions in a worse team than Atalanta, who finished third overall.

By comparison, Romero – who won the Serie A’s ‘Defender of the Year’ award – was only way clear with his averages for tackles and interceptions, but again he played in the more solid team.

For just £12.5m, Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could secure a new defender for a bargain fee, especially with Transfermarkt currently valuing him at £22.5m.

The Lilywhites must consider Milenkovic as a bargain alternative to Romero should talks continue to slow down before next month’s deadline.

AND in other news, Paratici must sanction Spurs swoop for 6ft 3 “leader”, he’s a HUGE upgrade on Sanchez…

Liverpool are hopeful of seeing off interest in Jordan Henderson and tying him down to a new contract, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

Romano wrote in his Benchwarmers column that the Reds are facing an ‘issue’ with their skipper because ‘there is no agreement so far’ on a new deal. There are apparently ‘many clubs abroad’ who ‘appreciate’ the Englishman, but his current employers ‘still hope to convince him to renew’.

The Athletic has previously named Paris Saint-Germain and reigning La Liga champions Atletico Madrid as admirers of the 31-year-old midfielder, who has made almost 400 appearances for the Reds in ten years at the club.

Henderson is into the final two years of his existing contract at Anfield. He has led the club to their first-ever Premier League title and also lifted the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies.

He has also shown tremendous leadership off the pitch by contacting fellow Premier League captains to organise a fund in support of NHS key workers during the early months of the global pandemic last year.

However, Henderson’s injury record does make for concerning reading. In the last five seasons, the Englishman has been sidelined for a total of 53 matches.

Fan feed LFC Transfer Room relayed Romano’s update, and here’s what supporters made of it.

These Liverpool fans unhappy with Jordan Henderson situation

“Funny he stood up to the Yanks over the Super League and now he’s been shifted on”

Credit: @boydothewise

“Come on both sides here – get it signed………..you know it makes sense.”

Credit: @Yardie742

“Come on, give Henderson a decent contract Liverpool FC owners!”

Credit: @leroypowellsnr

“Crazy that we’ll let our captain leave”

Credit: @tartanmarvel89

“Just crazy that this is even happening”

Credit: @Pramz

“Yes they need to, because we haven’t heard anything about our captain’s contract”

Credit: @shaquur31

In other news, many Reds fans flocked to this Romano update on a potential incoming.