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Celtic captain Callum McGregor has hailed Anton McElhone’s impact at Parkhead, Celts Are Here report.

The Lowdown: McElhone’s arrival

Postecoglou highlighted the need for a Head of Sport Science addition in Glasgow and brought in McElhone back in September.

The former Morton caretaker, who prefers a 4-2-3-1 system, has previously worked as a fitness coach at Tottenham and with MLS side New England Revolution.

Celtic have never officially confirmed McElhone’s arrival, so some might not even know he was at Parkhead, however, Postecoglou’s first backroom staff signing appears to be settling in nicely.

The Latest: McGregor’s comments

McGregor, who has been a regular this season, was quizzed on McElhone’s impact in a press conference on Tuesday, relayed by Celts Are Here.

This is what he had to say in reply, with the Hoops regular labelling the head of sports science as ‘a great personality’.

“It was a position that we were looking for throughout the summer in terms of trying to recruit the best type of people that we could get in the building with good knowledge.

“Anton’s certainly got that. He’s been at Spurs – worked in America – and he’s come in and been a great personality. He’s just helping the good work that’s been done as well.

“There are a lot of good guys in the building that are desperate to do well and get the boys fit and hungry on the pitch.

“Anton’s certainly come in and helped on top of that with the ideas that he’s brought from Tottenham and America.”

The Verdict: Good signs

McGregor has clearly been impressed by what McElhone has brought to Lennoxtown, and results have also been on the up in recent weeks.

The Hoops are unbeaten in six domestic games, winning their last four, and hopefully, things will only get better under Postecoglou and McElhone in the background.

There seems to be a feel-good factor at Celtic Park at this moment in time, which may have a lot to do with the work the likes of McElhone and others are putting in.

In other news: Nicholson may be close to Celtic signing with electric speed and the player has now spoken. 

Lucas Digne has taken to Instagram to offer an apology to Everton fans after they were beaten at home by Watford on Saturday. 

The Toffees went down 5-2 to the Hornets at Goodison Park, having conceded four goals in the space of 18 minutes, and back-to-back defeats have seen Rafael Benitez’s side slip to eighth in the Premier League table.

Digne wrote that there was ‘no excuse’ for the loss and that all he could say was ‘sorry’, adding that Everton’s players must now ‘work hard’ and ‘show you our real face’.

How did Digne play?

If you go by SofaScore’s ratings, Digne was actually one of the Toffees’ better performers on the day.

Only Michael Keane, Richarlison (7.2 each) and Tom Davies (7.3) bettered his score of 7.1, while he won eight of his 12 ground duels and five of his seven aerial battles. Going forward, he was able to create three chances for team-mates.

However, he was also guilty of losing possession 23 times over the course of the game, and given that Watford were given just an 18% chance of winning beforehand, you can certainly understand Everton supporters’ overriding anger.

Fan feed Toffee TV relayed Digne’s post, and here’s what some supporters made of it, with one irate Toffees fan calling the Frenchman a “fraud”.

These Everton fans rip into Digne

“He was pants. Responsible for the equaliser with a daft, needless foul, was caught out of position for one of the others. Woeful. He should say sorry. Must do better. Much better.”

Credit: @petermorris1878

“Hmmm, he was really poor yesterday defensively. We have heard these sound bites before and it wont change anything”

Credit: @Byrdsman75

“Meaningless, empty words”

Credit: @TimBlueKangaroo

“Well you can’t play any worse or can you !!! But you are not alone… Keane and Rondon”

Credit: @johnsonk62

“Not seen his real face for over 18 months”

Credit: @jayjones33

“Means nothing, straight from the Phil Neville and Jags book of excuses”

Credit: @gary2monty

“Should be sorry for the last 2.5 seasons, the fraud”

Credit: @DannoJ21

In other news, the figures show that these three players were Everton’s worst performers on Saturday

Football Insider have shared the real reason why Richard O’Kelly has left his role at Aston Villa.

The Lowdown: Club announcement

Villa, who have already lost John Terry this summer, confirmed last week that O’Kelly left his position as Aston Villa assistant manager.

The 64-year-old, hailed as an ‘unsung hero’, departed just days before Villa’s Premier League opener, with no real reason as to why he parted ways with the club.

Dean Smith was coy when quizzed on the announcement, with Villa now expected to appoint a new assistant to work alongside Smith and Craig Shakespeare with interviews ongoing.

The Latest: Source shares insight

Football Insider shared a story on Wednesday after being informed by an Aston Villa source.

They revealed that O’Kelly quit after the club tried to demote him to coaching Villa’s Under-23 side.

O’Kelly had no intentions to depart Bodymoor Heath prior to Villa’s U23 plans and offered his resignation after learning the news.

The Verdict: Strange

With Terry leaving earlier in the summer, you’d have thought that Smith would have relied on O’Kelly, who he has worked with for ten years, even more during the upcoming campaign.

That was obviously not the case, going off the latest report, so it’ll be interesting to see who the club bring in to replace O’Kelly – if they were planning to demote him, perhaps they already had an alternative for the first-team lined up?

Villa have already added a set-piece coach in Austin MacPhee this summer and it appears as if another backroom staff addition will materialise soon.

In other news: ‘We’ll win the league’ – Lots of AVFC fans flock to Ward-Prowse update. 

Aston Villa reporter Ashley Preece thinks Steven Gerrard may swoop for Liverpool forward Divock Origi in January.

The Lowdown: Origi’s Liverpool career

Origi has been at Anfield since 2014 and is out of contract in the summer at this moment in time.

The 31-cap Belgium international has made 167 appearances for the Reds, 10 of which have come this season. He’s netted 40 goals in total, with his most recent strikes earning Jurgen Klopp’s side wins at Wolves and AC Milan.

The 26-year-old was linked with a move to Villa Park last year, and Preece feels Johan Lange and co could be back in for Origi over the coming weeks.

The Latest: Preece’s comments

Preece ran a Q&A on Birmingham Live on Wednesday, answering all things Villa-related.

One of the questions was on Origi, with a fan asking Preece if Villa should launch a loan move for the forward in January.

Here’s what the journalist had to say in reply, seemingly backing Gerrard to look at a loan-to-buy deal for the ‘fabulous’ striker, should Keinan Davis depart in the New Year.

“It’s one that Premier League clubs – and Villa – will be closely monitoring given his recent form. Still just 26 and happy to play second fiddle but will no doubt back himself to become a regular starter away from Anfield. It all depends on what he does from now until January but I expect Origi to be available and, should Keinan Davis move out, Origi would make perfect sense. A fabulous finisher. Loan to buy sounds ideal, for me.”

The Verdict: Needed?

Gerrard’s main New Year priorities are thought to be a new centre-back and defensive midfielder.

Villa already have experienced forwards Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings on the books, so perhaps a move for Origi isn’t needed at this moment in time.

If Villa are to make an attacking addition, it could be wise to look at another marquee wide addition. That’s because Gerrard is thought to be open to moving on two senior wingers in January, whereas Leon Bailey is out injured one again.

It’ll be interesting to see if Villa move for Origi, though, especially after Preece’s latest claim.

In other news: ‘Massive’ – Sky Sports pundit reacts as Lange weighs up Aston Villa swoop for £85k-p/w speedster. 

West Ham have missed out on signing West Brom playmaker Matheus Pereira, first reported by ExWHUemployee. 

The midfielder chipped in with 12 goals and six assists from his 34 appearances for the Baggies last term, although his efforts weren’t quite enough to avoid relegation into the Championship.

West Ham were interested in a deal to sign Pereira, as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2021/22 campaign and find a suitable alternative to Jesse Lingard.

But they have now missed out on the Brazilian’s signature as he has penned a deal with Saudi-Arabian side Al-Hilal.

Ex-WHUemployee first shared to Hammers fans that they were no longer pushing to sign the 25-year-old, and it’s fair to say they didn’t take it well.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from Twitter below, where Irons supporters are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of transfer activity this summer…

Hammers fans react

“This club is such a joke. Until we get no ownership there is no point is us being excited. Our best season ever is followed with the areola signing I love and sales and nothing else. Can’t wait for them to sell rice for a cheap fee also because they just see $$$ coming in.”

Credit: @HubVikings

“We are actually embarrassing at times.”

Credit: @Borzenii

“What are we doing.”

Credit: @RB_Younger

“At this point…… Who is going to join us, we have become a club that people don’t want to join, and who can blame them with the chuckle brothers and girl blunder at the helm.”

Credit: @DrTWarley

“I believe in the squad, I think we will have a good season, it just could have been better, westham will never be a consistent top table team with the poor investments!”

Credit: @RossFright

“Why do we always leave things so late, I’d of taken Danny Ings in a heartbeat.”

Credit: @gavin_stanley

“I think we are in some serious trouble. Can’t maintain presence in two competitions with our paper-thin squad.”

Credit: @MrshllClrke

“This club is so embarrassing.”

Credit: @AnthonyDRegan1

A major update has emerged on Benjamin Siegrist, regarding Ipswich’s interest in the Dundee United beast.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, Ipswich are working hard to beat Celtic to the signing of Dundee United goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist. The Blues are said to be negotiating a deal with United that could be worth around £350k, amid interest from Scottish giants Celtic.

The report claims Ipswich are confident that a deal can be done for Siegrist, as Paul Cook attempts to sign a new number one for next season to bolster his squad as they attempt to achieve promotion from League One.

Back in December 2020, Dundee United boss Micky Mellon labelled Siegrist as a “top drawer” goalkeeper and praised him for his performances against Hibernian. He told BBC Sport:

“He’s a top drawer goalkeeper. At the end of the day, you have to be good enough to beat him and he’s made some terrific saves.

“To come to a place like Hibs and get a result, you need a good goalkeeper and he’s done that today.”

Fans would be buzzing

Ipswich fans would be buzzing if Siegrist arrives at Portman Road this summer. Mark Ashton must make sure that he is able to seal this deal for the shot-stopper to bolster Cook’s team as the goalkeeping position is an area of concern.

Cook is reportedly unimpressed by last season’s first-choice Tomas Holy and as such, he wants a player to come in to replace the Czech giant this summer, which is where Siegrist could come in following this latest update.

Siegrist appears to be an ideal target for the Blues on paper. The Swiss ‘keeper only has 12 months left on his contract at Dundee United and it could allow Ipswich to secure a bargain for him. Transfermarkt values Siegrist at £540k, which is almost £200k more than Football Insider are claiming Ipswich could pay.

This means that Ipswich could be getting outstanding value for money with Siegrist, which is why Ashton must ensure that he is able to get this move over the line in the coming weeks.

The £1.5k-per-week beast enjoyed a fine season with Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership. He kept 11 clean sheets and only conceded 36 goals in 31 games for the club and was named their Player of the Season, showing that he has the quality to perform at the top level in Scotland.

Ipswich fans will be delighted by this signing, if it goes through, as Siegrist is a proven performer at a higher standard than League One in England – suggesting that he could thrive at Ipswich and solve a massive problem for them.

AND in other news, Stuart Watson’s claim on “outstanding” £2.3k-p/w ace will leave ITFC fans livid…

West Ham United may have seen an approach for Jesse Lingard rebuffed in the summer but they could well revisit their interest at the turn of the year, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser claims that there have been suggestions of a fresh approach for the England international during the January transfer window should he not get the game time he wants at Manchester United.

It’s thought that the 28-year-old midfielder has rejected the Red Devils’ latest offer of a new contract, despite himself turning down a return to the London Stadium before deadline day.

Lingard is now into the final year of his £100k-per-week deal and will be free to leave the club for nothing next summer if no agreement is found.

He is yet to start a match for United this season but played a starring role in England’s win over Andorra last week as he seeks to prove his worth to Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer at his boyhood club.

Go get him in January

Of course, many supporters were desperate to see Lingard return to east London after a fruitful loan spell saw him provide nine goals and five assists but you can’t really begrudge him for trying to make an impact at the team he’s been at for 21 years of his life.

Assistant manager Stuart Pearce even reiterated their desire to sign him permanently to talkSPORT but as evident above, his chances of coming back were always going to be slim.

“The ball is in Manchester United’s court. He is contracted to them. We would like him with us, there is no doubt about that,” he said. “He’s a special lad and was very good around the players – the players really like him. His ability shone out last year and gave us a great option in our squad. You never know, but at this moment in time it looks like he is fighting for a place in the United line-up.”

However, it’s a move that cannot be ruled out in the long term.

Lingard could actually be making a very smart decision as the ball is firmly in his court. If he gets minutes, he can sign a new deal. If he doesn’t, then surely he will be eager for another crack at redemption with the Irons.

Hammers boss David Moyes has signed a replacement in former Everton flop Nikola Vlasic, something that needed to happen considering the void that would’ve been left behind and the Croatian playmaker does look like a good alternative, having delivered 12 goals and six assists in all competitions in 2020/21.

Although, that shouldn’t put the Scotsman off from doubling up in the role, particularly as Lingard can also play out wide and in deeper midfield, thus giving him plenty of options in the future.

The £19.8m-rated dynamo, who has now been capped 31 times by England, would be the sort of signing in January – or next summer – that would keep the east Londoners competing at the top, which is the next task after last season’s sixth-place finish.

If the opportunity arises in the future, then Moyes and co would be foolish to not bring Lingard back to the club. Their chances of doing so have certainly been bolstered by this latest contract update and it’s a move that would go down very well with the Irons’ fanbase.

AND in other news, West Ham receive huge transfer boost as exciting report emerges behind-the-scenes…

Loads of Everton fans have been left to applaud a view shared by Simon Jordan about the Goodison Park faithful.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he claimed that it is ‘difficult’ to say that The Toffees are a well-run club, and he even went as far as to say that they are ‘all over the place’ and ‘struggling’.

This comes after the Merseyside outfit spent a mere £1.8m in total on players in the summer transfer window, and while finances have been difficult due to the impact of the global pandemic, perhaps they have had to cover for poor spending in past windows, notably in the 2019/20 season where they spent over £100m and ended up finishing in 12th place in the Premier League table.

In fact, they have not finished higher than 7th since the 2013/14 term (Transfermarkt), suggesting that the work happening off of the pitch has not been translating to sucess on the field of play.

Everton fans on Jordan’s view

These Toffees supporters applauded Jordan’s view as it was shared on Twitter:

“Absolutely spot on. Moshiri trusted “experts” in football to get the transfers right. There was no strategy, it was like Brewster’s millions at time. There needs to be a new strategy and a competent board appointed”

Credit: @Everton77871432

“He talks a lot of sense”

Credit: @SteveSm27154296

“You and me both pal! It’s being ran terribly! Top to bottom!”

Credit: @ABlue90

“The fans have known for years”Credit: @emyr85″Couldn’t hit the nail on the head any more accurately!”Credit: @N9GJR”Horrible but true”Credit: @abbot551In other news, find out what confirmed news has Blues fuming here!

Selling Adama Traore would be a mistake, former Premier League forward Dean Windass has warned Wolves amid interest from Chelsea.

According to The Telegraph, the 25-year-old is a target for Chelsea as Thomas Tuchel looks to bring in competition for Reece James at right wing-back.

Prior, it had been reported that Traore was close to signing a new deal at Molineux, but interest from the European champions could now easily change that.

For Windass, though, the decision to sell the Spanish winger this summer would be a bad one. He told TT in an exclusive interview:

“I think it’d be a mistake because obviously, listen, the kid’s only young, but he catches pigeons. He’s probably the quickest lad in the Premier League.”

While Traore has yet to sign the new deal that is reportedly being discussed, he still has a couple years left on his current contract, so Wolves are under no immediate pressure to sell.

Last season, the Spain international averaged a whopping 4.1 dribbles per game, the most in the Premier League (per WhoScored), so he is virtually irreplaceable on that front. Furthermore, you can see why Windass is urging Wolves not to part ways with their man this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Pau Torres to north London in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication La Razon (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite the Villarreal centre-back having rejected a move to Spurs last summer, Fabio Paratici will once again launch an offensive for the 25-year-old at the end of the current campaign.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

The report goes on to state that, now the Spain international has fulfilled his dream of playing in the Champions League with his boyhood club, Unai Emery will agree to part with Torres in the summer transfer window – as long as an offer of around €60m (£50m) is submitted.

Paratici’s next De Ligt

Considering how impressive Torres has been for Villarreal this season, in addition to it being reported that Tottenham will prioritise the signing of a left-sided centre-back this summer, it is easy to see why Antonio Conte and Paratici would be interested in a move for the Spaniard ahead of 2022/23.

Indeed, over his 28 LaLiga appearances in the current campaign, the £58m-rated centre-back has been imperious in the heart of Emery’s defence, helping his side keep ten clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.6 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 3.3 clearances and winning 4.1 duels – at a success rate of 65% – per game.

The £126k-per-week defender has also impressed in an attacking and creative capacity, scoring four goals and creating three big chances for his teammates, in addition to completing 55.2 passes, 4.5 long balls, 3.8 chipped passes, 0.9 dribbles and taking 0.7 shots per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who journalist Simon Collings dubbed “classy” and Javi Calleja labelled an “extraordinary talent” average a fantastic SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as Villarreal’s third-best player in the Spanish top flight.

The 25-year-old has been equally as impressive over his ten Champions League outings this season, helping his side keep three clean sheets, scoring one goal and creating two big chances, with these metrics seeing the left-footer average a SofaScore match rating of 7.08 – with the centre-back playing a crucial role in the Yellow Submarine’s run to the semi-finals of the competition.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Torres would make an exceptional addition to Conte’s current defensive options at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leading us to believe Paratici must do all he can to get a deal over the line for the Spaniard this summer – especially if he is available for a figure of around £50m.

And, with the managing director having been the man behind Juventus’ €75m (£67.8m) capture of Matthijs de Ligt back in 2019, Torres could very well prove to be the Italian’s next seismic centre-back signing.

AND in other news: “Tottenham could consider…”: Romano drops huge transfer claim, Conte would love him