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Celtic’s decision to sign 12 new first-team players this summer has left their new manager Ange Postecoglou with some serious selection dilemmas.

Despite Kristoffer Ajer’s departure from Parkhead and their dismal defensive record in 2020/21, his biggest headache is actually at centre-half.

On the chalkboard

Nir Bitton’s reckless early season form has all but eradicated his selection from the manager’s head.

However, after signing Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers, you’d have thought they’d be automatic picks in the middle of the backline.

Carter-Vickers started his Celtic career in the best way possible with a man of the match display against Ross County last weekend.

The defender scored a deflected effort from long range and was a pillar of solidity at the back.

However, one man who hasn’t been so reliable is Starfelt. The Swede looked an eye-catching addition from Rubin Kazan and judging by a pass success rate of 92%, he certainly buys into Postecoglou’s philosophy of transitioning and building play from the back.

Yet, his defensive abilities have left a lot to be desired. He scored an own goal against AZ Alkmaar in their last European tie and has been caught in possession multiple times. All of that provoked John Hartson to describe him as “clumsy.”

The solution

With Carter-Vickers shining on debut, he should be an automatic pick for Celtic’s clash with Real Betis tomorrow.

It’ll be an incredibly tough first group stage fixture for the Hoops but they can combat the likes of Nabil Fekir and Cristian Tello by unleashing Stephen Welsh.

The 21-year-old has only missed one European outing this term and has proven to be a very reliable figure.

His development has come on leaps and bounds and he would offer Postecoglou more assurance than Starfelt on Thursday evening.

Dubbed “fearless” by Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan last month, the young defender has made 1.3 tackles per game in the Premiership this term. That happens to be the highest number by a centre-back at Celtic in 2021/22.

Furthermore, he commits fewer fouls (0.7) per match than the rest of Celtic’s centre-backs.

On that evidence, Welsh could be vital to stopping a Betis side that has enjoyed the third-highest average possession (61.5%) in La Liga throughout the new campaign.

Clearly a team who love to pass the ball around, his tackling and discipline will have to be on point. That’s an area that’s evidently eluded Starfelt so far.

AND in other news, Ange could unearth Celtic’s new McGregor in rarely-seen 20 y/o with “great potential”…

Liverpool will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten start to the new season when they take on Norwich City in the Carabao Cup this evening.

Manager Jurgen Klopp is expected to make several changes to his starting lineup, partly due to injury and illness issues and partly due to his tendency to rotate in the domestic cup competitions.

During Tuesday’s press conference, assistant manager Pep Lijnders confirmed that Roberto Firmino, Thiago, Harvey Elliott and Neco Williams will be unavailable due to fitness concerns, while Trent Alexander-Arnold has not yet recovered from a sickness that saw him miss the weekend’s clash.

However, he did reveal that academy graduate Curtis Jones is set to make his 50th appearance for the club at Carrow Road, while fellow youngsters Caoimhin Kelleher and Kaide Gordon are also expected to make their first outings of the campaign.

If 16-year-old winger Gordon does come into the side, it will be his senior debut for the club and that could add extra excitement to an already intriguing tie.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects Klopp’s side to line up against Norwich, with eight changes from the team that defeated Crystal Palace…

In goal, 22-year-old shot-stopper Kelleher appears to have overtaken Adrian as the Anfield outfit’s No.2, meaning he should receive his first minutes of 2021/22 against the Canaries. Ahead of the Irishman is expected to be a similar back four to the one that started against Palace, only with one major change.

Left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas should keep his place alongside Ibrahima Konate and James Milner, but talismanic Virgil van Dijk is likely to be rested, allowing Joe Gomez to return to the starting XI.

The engine room is set to have a rather unfamiliar feel to it, though, with Klopp completely changing the midfield personnel for this one.

Naby Keita’s wonder strike last time out will see him line up alongside Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as club captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho watch on from the sidelines.

But it’s in attack where Klopp is likely to make his boldest decisions. Gordon could replace the £90m-rated Mohamed Salah on the right-wing, with Takumi Minamino getting his first taste of action on the opposite flank and Divock Origi leading the line through the middle.

And, in other news…Liverpool suffer double selection setback ahead of Norwich, Klopp will be gutted

It’s very rare in the modern game that you find a player capable of holding such a strong influence over a team even when they’re not playing, especially at a club like Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, Conor Coady is very much following the example of players like John Terry and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Their quality obviously eclipses that of the Wolves centre-back but his captaincy, leadership and motivational skills are right up there among the elite.

Coady didn’t play a single minute for England at the European Championships but he was a pillar of the squad and someone Gareth Southgate can’t help but admire.

The Three Lions boss has his own leadership methods but Coady has all of the desirable personality traits you’d want from a skipper.

“Conor Coady, Ben Chilwell, Sam Johnstone, Aaron Ramsdale, they’re the ones making this team successful. The spirit in the group is phenomenal,” Southgate said this summer.

“The squad mentality is fantastic. That’s uppermost in my mind, looking after those guys,” he concluded.

Coady was arguably the most important member of that quartet.

After all, he has already captained England, an honour Southgate is all too keen to hand him again: “He’s got that real infectious personality,” the former defender remarked.

“He ended up with the armband and I wouldn’t have hesitated to give it to him at the start.”

The Wolves star’s performances have been top drawer for a while now but he owes much of his career to Nuno Santo.

Kenny Jackett signed the 28-year-old for just £2m from Huddersfield Town back in 2015 but it was Nuno who transformed him from a central midfielder to a centre-back.

He is calm on the ball and his sweeping abilities make him a natural fit for a position in a back three that’s been defined as the ‘Conor Coady role’.

The England international plays in the middle of a three-man defence and has rarely missed a game because of his commitment, dedication and attitude to the cause at Molineux.

Dave Edwards once commented: “Two of his main attributes are leadership — he always talks, and now he could see the whole pitch — and his range of passing, which was already good but he’s got better and better at it, to the extent he’s arguably now one of the best passing centre-backs in the Premier League, which is phenomenal.”

Such are his good performances that his transfer value has ultimately soared considerably. From a £2m youngster, the Wolves captain is now rated at £22.5m by Transfermarkt.

It’s unlikely he’d ever move but if the time did come, it’s likely Bruno Lage would demand a hefty fee.

AND in other news, Wolves already have a new Neves in rarely-seen 5ft10 gem who’s a “delight to watch”…

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Lazio midfielder Luis Alberto as manager Brendan Rodgers looks to add further reinforcements to his first-team squad.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes (as relayed by the Leicester Mercury), the Foxes are interested in securing the highly-rated 29-year-old’s services as they plan for life without James Maddison and Youri Tielemans.

The report states that Alberto would arrive at the King Power Stadium as a replacement for either Maddison or Tielemans should one of Leicester’s prized assets depart next summer, allowing the Midlands outfit to continue their recent progress.

With four years remaining on his current contract at the Stadio Olimpico, though, the Spaniard would command a sizeable transfer fee, meaning director of football Jon Rudkin would have to use all of his negotiating skills to agree a satisfactory deal.

Leicester City fans will be buzzing

Alberto rose through the ranks at boyhood club Sevilla before spending a season on loan with Barcelona B and then moving to Liverpool in 2013.

His arrival on Merseyside was warmly welcomed by current Leicester boss Rodgers, who was in charge of the Anfield outfit at the time, and the now 48-year-old likened him to Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

“He’s another Coutinho-type,” Rodgers told talkSPORT (as relayed by Goal). “We brought in young Philippe Coutinho in January when he was 20, but he had good experience and, more importantly, fit the profile of what we’re trying to do here and what we’re trying to build.

“Young Luis is exactly the same – a talented, very highly rated young player when he was at Sevilla but obviously spent last season at Barcelona B.”

The two players had extremely contrasting spells during their time at Liverpool, however. While Coutinho went on to establish himself as one of the Premier League’s star performers, Alberto made just 12 appearances for the Reds, failing to score a single goal.

Loan spells at Malaga and Deportivo de la Coruna saw mixed success, earning a move to Lazio in August 2016.

Since arriving in Italian football, Alberto has showcased the potential that convinced Rodgers to sign him in the first place, bagging 36 goals and providing a further 51 assists in 182 appearances for the capital club, winning the Italian Cup along the way.

Whether Rudkin makes a formal offer for the £40.5m-rated forward remains to be seen, but the Leicester supporters will surely be buzzing at the latest revelation as Alberto’s return to English shores would be a significant coup for the Midlands outfit.

And, in other news…Bought for £30m, now worth £16.2m: Rudkin has endured transfer nightmare over LCFC dud 

A journalist has now dropped a big blow to Newcastle United and their hopes of hiring Antonio Conte as their next manager.

The Lowdown: Conte linked

Conte has reportedly been linked with a move to St. James’ Park after the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium was completed.

With new owners now in the North East, Steve Bruce’s job is under threat, and him and Lee Charnley are expected to be casualties of the new regime.

The Latest: Conte stance

Duncan Wright from The Sun has now given an update on Conte and his link to Tyneside, revealing that he has “no interest” in managing the Magpies at this stage: “Not what NUFC fans may want to hear, but understand Conte has no interest in managerial job at this stage.”

He expands on this in his latest piece for The Sun, claiming that he wants his next job to be one at a team who are already in a position to genuinely challenge for titles.

Conte does not want to join a side with a long-term building programme, and an insider shared that he has “higher expectations” about his managerial career.

The Verdict: Shame

It would certainly be a shame if the Toon were to miss out on the chance to hire Conte as their next manager.

The Italian has a glittering CV, having ended the dominance of Juventus in the Serie A by winning the league title with Inter Milan last season, not to mention also having the added experience of managing in the Premier League before with Chelsea, again where he managed to win the league back in the 2016/17 term (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the fact that they are even being linked with managers of his calibre just shows the kind of ambition that the new owners seemingly have.

In other news, find out which ‘proven winner’ NUFC are plotting a move for here!

West Ham have endured a transfer nightmare with Andriy Yarmolenko.

The 30-year-old has arguably been one of the Irons’ biggest-ever disappointments, having signed in an £18m deal from Borussia Dortmund in July 2018.

Other big-money duds like Sebastian Haller and Felipe Anderson have already been and gone, but it’s the Ukraine veteran that still remains at the London Stadium.

Across the last three-and-a-bit years, the 31-year-old has only been able to record 63 appearances, in which he has delivered ten goals and six assists, via Transfermarkt.

Yarmolenko started just one Premier League game in 2020/21 and is yet to be granted more than a late cameo in the English top-flight this term. It’s just not what you need from one of your highest-paid players.

It’s thought that the versatile 6 foot 2 forward is earning around £115k-per-week in east London, which was more than anyone else before the arrival of World Cup and Champions League winner Kurt Zouma, who is only earning £5k-per-week more, as per Spotrac.

The Hammers have even been said to have been ‘sorry’ for paying so much for the Ukraine international, which speaks volumes itself.

He is now valued at just €4m (£3.6m) by CIES Football Observatory and that’s hardly a surprise given his lack of game time and quality on the pitch over the past three seasons.

That’s a drastic decrease of 81% for a player that should be in the prime of his career.

By comparison, Jamie Vardy is still doing the business for Leicester City at 34, not to mention Cristiano Ronaldo, who will soon turn 37, and of course, Thiago Silva’s impact at Chelsea, aged 37, cannot be understated.

Once dubbed “special” by teammate Declan Rice, the Hammers’ hierarchy tried to offload Yarmolenko in the summer but that failed to garner much success and that’s no wonder given his decrease in transfer value.

Yarmolenko has been nothing short of a nightmare situation for the club’s owners, GSB. They can count their lucky stars that he’s out of contract at the end of the season, it seems unlikely that anyone will pay a fee for him this January.

AND in other news, Injury update emerges ahead of West Ham’s clash with Everton, Moyes is surely sweating…

The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland has provided a potentially concerning update on the recovery of Everton defender Ben Godfrey after he contracted the dreaded pandemic at the start of the season.

What’s the word?

Godfrey was absent from the Toffees’ first four matchday squads at the start of the current campaign after returning a positive test prior to their curtain-raiser against Southampton.

And although the highly-rated 23-year-old has started all six of Everton’s games since his return to action, it’s believed he’s still some way off being fully fit.

Boyland delivered an update on the England international’s current status after some below-par performances of late, revealing some rather frightening information about the centre-back’s symptoms.

He tweeted: “Ben Godfrey contracted Covid just before the start of the season & has not (yet) been the same since. His energy levels sapped, his heart had swollen & simple sprints took their toll. This was one of Everton’s fittest and quickest players…

“While he is being carefully monitored, this is all relatively new for sports science/medical departments. Scant data or literature. Still uncertainty in the game about best practice.”

Fans should be concerned

Although there have been some promising signs of recovery in recent weeks, in particular an impressive performance against Manchester United where he won eight of his defensive duels, Everton fans should still be worried about Godfrey’s health and fitness levels.

The most recent international break also allowed the versatile defender extra time to return to 100%, but he informed the Everton website that it’s already been a long and worrying road to near recovery.

“The first couple of games were awful — my breathing — and I found myself fatiguing really early on in games, even after a single sprint when normally I’d back myself to be up and down,” Godfrey said.

“I’d be blowing in the first few minutes — it was mad… you can’t describe it unless you’ve experienced it. It was like you had someone else’s body. I’d make a sprint, and it’d feel like I’d played 88 minutes, even though it was five minutes into a game.

“The past couple of games, I’ve felt a lot better and more or less back to myself now, which has been good.”

After a strong start to the season, Everton fans will be hoping Godfrey can play a part in a push for European football, but more importantly, they will all be hoping he makes a full recovery and returns to full fitness as soon as possible.

And, in other news…Everton could soften big Doucoure blow by unleashing “skilful” rarely-seen 18 y/o gem 

It may have been pouring with rain at full-time at Old Trafford on Sunday evening but for Liverpool, all they could see was sunshine and rainbows.

This was a blisteringly good performance from Jurgen Klopp’s men as they completely demolished one of their biggest rivals on their own patch.

The Reds struck five unanswered goals past Manchester United as a devastating hat-trick from Mohamed Salah really put the gloss on what is proving to be a fine season for the Egyptian.

There have been cries in recent weeks that he is the best player on the planet and despite United’s woeful defending on Sunday, he was still mesmerising in the opposition’s penalty area.

None of his goals were of the pure ingenuity we saw versus against Manchester City and Watford but he was still a class apart.

However, we want to focus on the player who provided the goal that sealed his match ball; Jordan Henderson.

The midfielder’s future in Merseyside appeared to be in doubt at the beginning of the campaign but after penning new terms at Anfield, he is continuing to deliver consistent performances on a regular basis for the Reds.

It was a timely performance from the England international who with Thiago Alcantara injured and Curtis Jones only regaining his fitness, was one of the stars of the show for Klopp.

His ball for Salah’s third and final goal was stupendous. He took the ball in midfield and then sprayed a quite delightful pass in behind that left Liverpool’s most important player to prod the ball home.

It was a piece of play that rolled back the years to a former Liverpool captain, one that goes by the name of Steven Gerrard.

Henderson might not like those comparisons but on the biggest of stages, he handled the pressure just as Stevie G did on so many occasions.

He ran the game in the middle of the park and put in a near-perfect display that will undoubtedly have sent the supporters home happy.

As well as providing that delicious ball in behind for Salah to add the club’s fifth, the 31-year-old completed 128 passes at a success rate of 96%.

That is a mind-boggling number, especially when you consider that he made more passes over the 90 minutes than Fred, Scott McTominay, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba put together.

His touch count of 144 was also more than McTominay and Fred combined, exacerbating just how good he was this weekend.

What made Henderson’s impact even better were the three key passes that he provided for his teammates.

Incredibly, the experienced midfielder only conceded possession on six occasions. Given how many times he picked up the ball, that is a phenomenal tally, one that proved just how composed he was in the middle of the park.

Liverpool’s attackers will deservedly grab the headlines in tomorrow’s newspapers but Henderson deserves praise too. He laid the platform with a delicate display from the base of Klopp’s XI.

AND in other news, Signed for £0, now worth £7.2m: Klopp has struck gold on “unbelievable” LFC beast…

Manchester United enjoyed a successful summer transfer window, but their struggles on the pitch since have seen them linked with a move for Juventus winger Federico Chiesa.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Red Devils are interested in securing the highly-rated 24-year-old’s services as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to add further reinforcements to his faltering forward line.

Chiesa was linked with a switch to the Premier League following his impressive exploits during Euro 2020 before eventually staying put in Turin, but United’s woes in the opening weeks of the current campaign could see them make a move over the coming months.

Imagine him and Rashford

The Italy international spent last season on loan at Juve from Fiorentina, but the Old Lady made the deal permanent after splashing out €60m (£51.44m) following an eye-catching maiden campaign by the youngster.

In 46 appearances in all competitions, Chiesa bagged 15 goals and provided a further 11 assists for his teammates before carrying his form onto the international stage with the Azzurri.

He was a crucial component of Roberto Mancini’s victorious side at the European Championship, finding the back of the net on two occasions during his seven outings as Italy were crowned champions.

And Chiesa has continued to dazzle his opponents upon his return to the Allianz Arena. After he scored the winner against Chelsea in their recent Champions League encounter, pundit Rio Ferdinand claimed his English suitors had missed out on a star after not signing him during the summer.

He told BT Sport: “He’s a huge player and he’s been linked with a few clubs in England. I’m sure they’re thinking ‘why didn’t we get him?’. He’s just a fantastic footballer.

“The intensity with which he plays with, we saw in the Euros he was the main goal threat for the Italians who went on to win the tournament. It’s his pace, his drive. He’s the one who is the threat, he’s potent, he wants to run in behind.

“He’s that modern-day striker who can play anywhere across the front line and he’s as comfortable out wide as he is through the middle. He unnerves defenders with that pace, he’s so direct,” added Ferdinand.

With Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo deep into the twilight of their careers and Mason Greenwood expected to fill the void up front when the pair eventually depart, United may well be in the market for another winger sooner than expected.

And Chiesa could be the ideal candidate to wreak havoc down the flanks, with Marcus Rashford on the opposite wing.

The duo could form a formidable partnership at Old Trafford for many years to come, and the £76m-rated gem has the potential to fire the 20-time English champions back to their former glory, especially as Jadon Sancho’s struggles continue.

And, in other news…Murtough must seal MUFC swoop for “complete” £58.5m-rated beast, fans will be excited 

David Sullivan and David Gold could remain at West Ham even after any future takeover of the club, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire…

What’s the word?

The Irons are expected to secure fresh investment from Czech billionaire and Sparta Prague co-owner Daniel Kretinsky, who is in talks to take a minority share of 27%, as per The Athletic.

It’s thought that this could see the 46-year-old take a majority stake in the future and would spell the ‘beginning of the end’ for the club’s current ownership in this guise. However, Maguire believes that GSB would stick around in the boardroom even if that does come to fruition.

He told Football Insider this week: “You can see the benefits in respect of David Gold and David Sullivan. They both have huge affection for the club – from a nostalgia point of view, they might want to keep some ownership.

“I think they’d like to continue to be a presence in the West Ham boardroom.

“I anticipate that the club will be issuing some more shares, and Gold and Sullivan will transfer some of their shares.

“My understanding is the club will get a financial injection as well. If you’re putting in that amount of money, you’ll want a seat at the table. But I think it’s a case of being heard rather than being a dictator.”

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Like a lingering smell

There would be very little benefit in Gold, Sullivan and Karren Brady remaining in any capacity at the London Stadium, should the Hammers get taken over by Kretinsky – or anyone else in the future.

The ownership trio have regularly faced backlash from the club’s fanbase over their tenure, leading to numerous demonstrations, marches, protests, chants and much, much more.

West Ham may be flying high in fourth place, competing in the Europa League and looking on the up under David Moyes, but that doesn’t excuse the ineptitude in the boardroom, and many fans will not forget the years before this either.

If they were to stick around after any takeover, then much of the Irons faithful will surely be concerned and quite angry by their potential involvement when the east Londoners should be continuing to progress under a new and exciting era.

Therefore, this latest claim should be enough to leave fans fearful of what might lie ahead – whilst plenty will be getting their desire of promising new owners, it seems as if they may never truly be rid of GSB.

Only time will tell.

AND in other news, West Ham fans will surely love this latest Daniel Kretinsky claim…