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Celtic’s first pre-season encounter threatened to disappoint until the fruits of Ange Postecoglou’s labour shone through.

The Hoops endured a nightmare start by conceding after three minutes but the pressing that the Australian is renowned for became greater as the game went on, eventuality prevailing 3-1.

What’s the word?

Wednesday afternoon’s win was the ideal start to Postecoglou’s tenure but you sense as though his opening few months at Parkhead will be judged on transfer activity.

The Bhoys have already welcomed Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide to the club in the last few weeks but they are keen to press on with further acquisitions.

That was the word of the new manager who in his post-match press conference, excitingly revealed that they hope to have some more announcements in the next week or so.

The 55-year-old commented: “We are working on multiple fronts. There are some pretty obvious gaps we have in the squad. They are the areas we are working really hard to find the right players.”

Postecoglou continued: “I know exactly how I want to play and the kind of players we need. So we are looking far and wide. There’s challenges with getting players into the country and doing business so early in the window.

He concluded: “The whole club is working hard and I’m hoping over the next week or so, we have some announcements.”

Ideal news

These are a set of quotes that are likely to leave the supporters at Paradise absolutely elated.

Celtic have started the transfer window in promising fashion and they are in talks to sign a number of players.

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

Conversations have reportedly been taking place over the signing of Croatian defender Mario Vuskovic while discussions have been had over Bologna’s Aaron Hickey as well.

Those two players aren’t the only defenders in the crosshairs of Celtic as they aim to improve on a disastrous 2020/21 campaign.

A move for Swedish centre-half Carl Starfelt could be on the cards while Cameron Carter-Vickers is on their radar as well.

This summer, more than any other, Postecoglou needs to complete transfer activity quickly.

They have a number of holes to fill in the squad with Scott Brown departing and loan players heading back to their parent clubs.

The sooner they get new players in, the quicker they’ll be up to speed with the manager’s style. It’s doubly important that fresh faces arrive over the next week so that they’re ready to feature in Champions League qualifying.

At the moment, Celtic could head into that game with Midtjylland without James Forrest who is a doubt. They also have a particular shortage at right-back.

Consequently, Hoops fans should be delighted if they address those areas during the next seven days.

It will be a major boost to their hopes of being in the group stages of Europe’s premier competition next term.

AND in other news, Celtic open talks to sign “unbelievable” 13-goal gem, he may end Christie’s Hoops stay…

Some Everton fans have been left begging for the signing of Allan Saint-Maximin as a transfer update emerged.

As per The Daily Mirror, Rafa Benitez could make a £50m move for the Newcastle United star if Richarlison ends up going to Real Madrid to reunite with former Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Saint-Maximin is known for his exceptional dribbling ability, having recorded the second-most successful dribbles (3.8) per game in the Premier League last 2020/21, bettered only by Wolves speedster Adama Traore with 4.1 (WhoScored).

£50m is admittedly a lot of money to pay, especially for Everton, but the Frenchman is more than capable of bringing the X-factor to Merseyside. Also, at just 24 years of age, he could turn out to be a solid purchase for several years to come.

Everton fans on Saint-Maximin transfer update

These Everton supporters begged the club to sign Saint-Maximin as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one fan calling the winger an ‘incredible talent’:

“PLEASE”

Credit: @JoeyDeAngelis11

“I don’t want Richy to leave but Saint-Max is EXACTLY what we’re missing”

Credit: @SmithGotMuscles

“Yessssss pleaseeeeee”

Credit: @bobmarl03974950

“Yes please.”

Credit: @Matt_Wolfson

“I love this, Maximin has incredible talent. But how about Richarlison and Maximin? With James playing the 10?”

Credit: @Sir_Vincent

“PLEASE”

Credit: @ParrettGost

In other news, Everton are eyeing this Champions League colossus

Glasgow Rangers fans were far from happy with a video published by the club on Twitter ahead of their pre-season clash with Arsenal on Saturday.

The Gers enjoyed a fantastic campaign last term as they won the Premiership for the first time in 10 years without losing a single league game (thefishy.co.uk). However, the Gers supporters were unable to enjoy that success as they usually would – the coronavirus pandemic prevented them from attending Ibrox and other stadiums across Scotland.

This term, there is likely to be supporters allowed throughout the campaign, although massively reduced. For the Gers’ pre-season clash with Arsenal, only 2,000 supporters were allowed (rangers.co.uk). Prior to the match, the Gers shared a video requesting fans to follow their instructions on how to act in the stadium throughout the 90 minutes.

The video was shared on the Gers’ official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the video below

“Big crowds ain’t happening any time soon. Shambles.”

Credit: @TremendoHendo72

“A match against such a great club should have been held back until the crowds were allowed back to normal, even if that meant next summer. Shambles.”

Credit: @LiverpoolGer

“Sounds absolutely garbage. I get the club are in a thankless position, but this is just grim.”

Credit: @scottjamnic

“Haha what a shambles”

Credit: @chr1sbett

“No worth the hassle IMO. I would rather watch in the house or in a pub with my mates. This is gonna be brutal, especially when we start seeing full crowds elsewhere in the UK.”

Credit: @MrGaryValentine

“This is depressing nonsense. If tests are required, then how can restricted attendance be justified?! Control, thats what this is about!”

Credit: @FacelessRanger

In other news, Kieran Maguire shares this Dave King fear.

Sheffield Wednesday continue to hold an interest in signing Burnley goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, according to The Athletic.

What’s the story?

Sheffield Wednesday’s interest in signing Peacock-Farrell was first revealed by journalist Alan Nixon, who claimed that the Owls had set their sights on signing the shot-stopper on a temporary basis ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Peacock-Farrell has found regular game time hard to come by with Burnley, since moving to Turf Moor in 2019, after catching the eye with some strong performances for Leeds United.

He has been restricted to just eight appearances in total for the Premier League side, and it seems as though Sean Dyche could be set to move him on in before the new season gets underway in under a month’s time.

The goalkeeper situation

Sheffield Wednesday certainly need another goalkeeper ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, as they look to win promotion back into the Championship at the first time of asking.

The Owls were recently in action during pre-season, as they took on Yorkshire rivals Barnsley in a fiery encounter at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon, as the Tykes ran out 2-0 winners on the day.

Cameron Dawson started between the posts for Darren Moore’s side in that clash, and didn’t cover himself in too much glory for Barnsley’s opener, as Jordan Williams’ strike deceived him at the near post.

Peacock-Farrell, who earns a reported £18k-per-week at Turf Moor, could be a solid addition to the Sheffield Wednesday team if they landed his signature as well, with the Northern Irish international already having experience of playing in the Championship with Leeds United earlier in his career.

Speaking after Peacock-Farrell’s penalty save in a 1-0 win over Reading back in 2018, Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa revealed that the goalkeeper has a ‘very big influence’ on the team when he was with the Yorkshire-based side.

“I’m very happy for him and I’m very happy for the team.

“We had an intervention which resolved the game. He has a very big influence.”

Burnley’s loss could turn out to be Sheffield Wednesday’s gain this summer, as the Owls are in need of a goalkeeper that can replace Keiren Westwood, who left the club when his contract reached a conclusion at the end of the 2020/21 season.

Peacock-Farrell kept ten clean sheets in 28 appearances for Leeds in the 2018/19 season, whilst both Cameron Dawson (three clean sheets) and Joe Wildsmith (five clean sheets) were in far from inspiring form last term.

Therefore you can understand Sheffield Wednesday’s rumoured interest in signing the 24-year-old this summer makes perfect sense for all parties involved, as he’ll be keen to get his career back on track, after it’s somewhat stalled since moving to Burnley.

Sheffield Wednesday are set to take on Charlton Athletic in their first match of the League One season, in what is likely to be a tricky test up against Nigel Adkins’ side on Saturday 7th August.

Fulham have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Harry Wilson to Craven Cottage.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Goal, who claimed that Marco Silva’s side are now leading the race to sign the Liverpool winger this summer, with the Cottagers appearing the most likely destination for the 24-year-old.

The report added that personal terms would not be an issue between the Wales international and the Championship club, although it remains to be seen whether or not Fulham will be willing to match Liverpool’s £15m valuation of the forward.

Finally, it is claimed that Jurgen Klopp’s side are unwilling to consider a loan move for Wilson, which is believed to have ruled out the likes of Swansea City, Benfica and West Bromwich Albion, all of whom have been reported to be interested in the winger.

Huge coup

Considering Wilson’s remarkable record in the Championship, should Fulham indeed go on to get a deal over the line for the 24-year-old this summer, it can easily be argued that the Welshman’s arrival would be a huge coup for the club.

Indeed, over his 37 Championship appearances while on loan at Cardiff City last season, the £15.3m-rated man bagged seven goals, provided 11 assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates.

These metrics saw the man whose Klopp dubbed a “world-class” striker of the ball earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as Mick McCarthy’s second-best player in the league last time out.

His returns during his time in Wales only add to the impressive hauls the £41k-per-week man has managed with Championship clubs previously, having scored seven goals and provided four assists over 13 appearances for Hull City as well as a further 16 goals and four assists over 43 appearances for Derby County.

In total, Wilson has scored 29 goals and provided 19 assists over 90 appearances in the Championship, a fine record considering his position on the pitch. With Fulham being rather goal-shy in the Premier League last term – Bobby Decordova-Reid was their top scorer with five for the campaign – adding a player of the Welshman’s prolific nature can only be seen as a positive for the club.

As such, with Silva undoubtedly hoping to secure an immediate return to the Premier League with Fulham next season, the addition of the Liverpool man would certainly provide a huge boost to the 44-year-old’s chances of going on to achieve this feat.

With the latest reports suggesting that Fulham look on course to win the race for the winger, things would very much appear to be looking on the up for Silva at Craven Cottage.

In other news: Journalist drops 10-word Fulham transfer claim on £27k-p/w machine, fans surely buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur are considering a move to bring Antoine Griezmann to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish outlet ABC (via Sport Witness), who claim that, with Harry Kane being very close to joining Manchester City this summer, Spurs are on the lookout for a replacement for the 27-year-old ahead of next season.

The report then goes on to state that Griezmann would meet all the criteria Fabio Paratici is looking for in the England captain’s successor at Tottenham, while Barcelona are also thought to believe that the north London side are a club who meet all of their expectations regarding a buyer for the France international.

An earlier report by French publication L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) went as far as to claim that the LaLiga side have contacted Spurs over a deal for the 30-year-old, with Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Juventus also thought to have received a proposal from the Catalans.

Griezmann could be Kane’s heir

While it is undeniable that things have not worked out exactly as planned for Griezmann at Barcelona, it would be difficult to argue that, should the Frenchman be able to refind his Atletico form at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there would not be too many better replacements for Kane.

Indeed, over his 37 LaLiga appearances for Atleti in his final campaign with the club, the £54m-rated man scored 15 goals, registered nine assists and created 13 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.1 shots and making two key passes per games.

These returns saw the man Didier Deschamps dubbed a “remarkable” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.38, ranking him as Diego Simeone’s best performer in the top flight of Spanish football.

And, while it is true that the forward has not quite lived up to his £107m transfer fee at the Camp Nou, he has nevertheless scored 35 goals and provided 17 assists over 99 appearances in all competitions for the club – averaging a goal involvement a little under every two fixtures.

As such, should Kane indeed move onto pastures new this summer – an outcome, it should be stated, we do not believe likely – Paratici could certainly do worse than a player who has scored a total of 220 goals over 558 appearances in club football.

In other news: Paratici can land Nuno a serious Winks upgrade with THFC swoop for “really clever” ace

Jack Rosser, the London Evening Standard’s West Ham United correspondent, insists that Tammy Abraham would be a superb signing for the Hammers, and would offer something different to Michail Antonio.

Chelsea are reported to be willing to consider bids for the striker in this transfer window as they look to thin out their squad.

Abraham fell out of favour under the management of Thomas Tuchel, making just 12 starts in the Premier League last term.

Abraham has a good record of hitting the back of the net, though, and still managed to score six goals last term; in total he has netted 30 times in 82 games for the Blues.

And Rosser believes West Ham should look to bring him in this summer, even if he costs as much as £40m, as has been reported, in a bid to add both real quality and genuine competition to their forward line.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Rosser said: “He’s also a slightly different player to what Moyes has through the middle at the moment with Antonio but I suppose they could be good foils for each other, good competition as well.

“He’s a fantastic, fantastic all round striker, his movement is fantastic, his finishing maybe could do with a bit of improvement but I’d say it’s much better than Antonio’s. So that would be an upgrade there.”

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Southampton player Carlton Palmer believes Ralph Hasenhuttl was never going to be able to keep hold of Mario Lemina.

The 27-year-old recently joined Ligue 1 outfit Nice, bringing his time at St. Mary’s to an end.

Hasenhuttl, though, recently told BBC Radio Solent (via HampshireLive) that he wanted to retain the services of Lemina going into the new season.

This comes despite the Gabonese midfielder spending the last couple of campaigns out on loan at Fulham and Galatasaray and away from his former manager’s first-team plans.

Taking that into account, Palmer feels Lemina remaining on the south coast was never an option.

“When you show a player you’re not really keen on him, which is what he’s done, then you’re not going to be able to keep the player in the next breath,” the ex-Southampton star told TT.

“He’s made the decision at the time to loan him out and he’s not been involved and now he’s in a situation where he needs midfield players. But the player’s not going to stay, is he? It’s a difficult one.”

It obviously leaves Southampton now needing to dip into the transfer market, with Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury potentially being one option.

According to a Football Insider report back in June, both the Saints and Newcastle United were competing for the 23-year-old’s signature.

Former Everton player Michael Ball believes that it all depends on what players the Toffees move on, as to whether they make a move for Tottenham’s Harry Winks. 

Just last month, journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that Winks was a possibility for Everton on his Twitch channel, and just a few days ago reported via the same channel that although there had been speculation linking him away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the player is happy in north London.

When asked about the speculation surrounding Winks and if he could come to Everton, Ball exclusively told Transfer Tavern: “Yeah, he’s sort of very experienced already, he’s obviously been at a good club, but it looks like his game time is going to be lessened at this moment in time and I think it’s all about what Everton do with players moving out. 

“Theres a lot of whispers and rumours right now with Andre Gomes, there’s even Allan, even James, Gbamin is coming back from injury so again we can’t really expect him to play 30/40 games next season, so we are going need players in those positions, especially if one or two players move on.”

Winks made 860 minutes of Premier League football across 2020/2021.

Winks featured as a half-time substitute in Spurs’ most recent pre-season fixture, a 2-2 draw against Chelsea.

There was a wobble and an air of uncertainty about Celtic heading into the new season.

Indeed, those concerns were justified when the Hoops were dumped out of Europe’s premier competition at the first time of asking and then beaten in their first league match.

However, Ange Postecoglou hadn’t been backed and there was never going to be an overnight fix to the Bhoys’ lengthy list of problems.

That being said, in Kyogo Furuhashi, Postecoglou has discovered a player capable of turning the tide and injecting positivity into supporters who have waited so long to return to Parkhead.

The Japan international provided paying fans with a treat on Sunday afternoon as a swashbuckling hat-trick sent Celtic on their way to a 6-0 win over Dundee.

This was a perfect performance; one where Ryan Christie returned to his best and Liel Abada ran rampant down the right-hand side.

It was also a superb display in central areas from the likes of David Turnbull and a certain Callum McGregor.

There was slight doubt about the central midfielder’s future in Scotland but after being handed the captaincy following the departure of Scott Brown, he has taken on the extra responsibility fantastically well.

He scored a belter against Midtjylland in the Champions League and kept things ticking over marvellously in a quarter-back position against Dundee on Sunday.

McGregor was described as “outstanding” by Postecoglou for his performances for Scotland at the European Championships and this was a classy showing once more.

The 28-year-old was a pillar of solidity in the middle of the park, taking more touches of the ball (121) than any other player on the pitch.

His 104 passes at a completion rate of 95% were also the second-best number on the pitch behind pass master Carl Starfelt.

Furthermore, the skipper lost possession on just seven occasions and completed two key passes for his troubles. This was a brilliantly composed performance, laying the foundations for Celtic’s attack to run riot at Paradise.

McGregor also won 60% of his ground duels, showing a willingness to get stuck in whenever Dundee looked like coming forward.

It is only a few months into the new season but the Scot has proven exactly why he deserved to be given the armband.

He is relishing life under Postecoglou so far.

AND in other news, Forget Furuhashi: £12k-p/w Celtic gem who made 8 key passes was “astounding” today…