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John Kennedy’s Celtic tenure began with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen last weekend but it wasn’t entirely convincing.

That has been the story for the Hoops this term, a campaign which has been an arduous slog for all involved.

On the chalkboard

There have been very few constants at Celtic this term besides woeful inconsistency. That being said, if we are looking for one positive, it has to be the form of Odsonne Edouard.

Very rarely has the Frenchman let all the negative talk to get to him and that was evident when he fired home against Aberdeen last weekend.

Edouard now has 20 goals in 32 games to his name but there are still concerns over where his future lies. This week he was linked with an eye-catching move to Arsenal, while Leicester are also in the race to sign him in what could be a pretty measly £15m deal.

If he departs Parkhead, then Celtic could be in a lot of bother. Their striking options beyond the bullish forward are rather poor.

That was evident last weekend when Patryk Klimala was afforded a rare start. He was abysmal in all facets of his game and has demonstrated regularly that he won’t be the man to take on the mantle from Edouard if he leaves.

Drop him

Kennedy’s first starting XI as interim manager of the Bhoys was always going to be interesting and indeed, it provoked a talking point as soon as it was announced.

Klimala has only started three Premiership games this term, so to throw him in was incredibly surprising. The Polish attacker has found the net on just three occasions in 2020/21, the last of which came all the way back in early October.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

It was no surprise to see him struggle last weekend. He let Kennedy down and was relatively anonymous when leading the line. He made only five passes in the entire game, had fewer touches than Scott Bain and spurned a big opportunity in front of goal. That was a moment which had Hoops pundit Frank McAvennie perplexed.

“Strikers like Morelos and Defoe would eat up the deliveries that Jonjoe Kenny puts in the box,” he told Football Insider.

McAvennie continued: “We just do not have anyone like that apart from Griff, who is not playing. You would think Ajeti or Klimala would but they don’t and it is just one of them.

“It must be soul-destroying for the full-back to keep putting the ball into the box and look up to see nobody there.”

To be described as soul-destroying sums up Klimala’s Celtic career. He has never found a consistent rhythm and has found the net on just three occasions in 28 matches since signing last January.

As McAvennie has hinted, perhaps bringing Leigh Griffiths back into the fray would go down well. Albian Ajeti scored brilliantly against Kilmarnock a few weeks ago but is now goalless in his last three games again.

Kennedy could even go with Ryan Christie. The winger only has one strike to his name in his last 24 appearances but, at least during his shambolic outing against Ross County, was still in positions to score and trying to make things happen. The same cannot be said for Klimala.

Sufficient options are thin on the ground for Kennedy in forward areas but one player on whom he certainly can’t rely is the Polish striker. He needs to be axed from the starting XI on Sunday against Dundee United.

AND in other news, Celtic could finally axe veteran star by hiring 49 y/o who’s done “phenomenal” things…

Tottenham could unearth a potential new Luka Modric in Torino play-maker Sasa Lukic.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Jose Mourinho’s side are very much interested in the 24-year-old, and that they have had their eye on the midfielder for quite some time now.

It’s been suggested by Tuttosport (via Sport Witness) that Spurs could face competition from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace for his signature, although there has been no mention of a bid just yet.

Shades of Modric

Comparing someone of Modric’s proven class to Lukic seems a bold call to make, but the Torino man’s ability to dictate the play in the middle of the park is very reminiscent of the former Tottenham and current Real Madrid star.

His performances for Serbia in the UEFA Nations League this season have seen him at his free-flowing best, where he’s been tasked with being the side’s chief talisman in midfield.

As per Whoscored, he averages an impressive two key passes and 1.3 shots per game in the competition, which are both better than what Modric has managed in La Liga this year – 1.4 and 1.2 respectively.

And, just like the Croatian, Lukic doesn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities either, getting himself stuck into challenges. He manages three tackles and one interception per match, again better than what Modric has averaged this campaign – 1.2 and 1.4.

A piece on his style of play by Breaking The Lines showcases just how akin to Modric he is, noting: “Lukic has above-average technical and tactical means, which will enable him to excel in any midfield position, as well as the rare virtue of vision, which, if exploited, will pave his way to becoming a fine play-maker – a rarity in modern football.”

Both in his time at Spurs and now Madrid, Modric has been best known for his silky dribbling and incredible passing. In the £4.5m-rated Lukic, Daniel Levy could find something similar, and at just 24, the Torino magician has got plenty of time to come into his own.

Given his ability with the ball, and his defensive work off it, he seems a perfect fit for Mourinho and what the Portuguese man wants from a player.

After a long, long wait, Leeds United finally ended their London hoodoo with a 2-1 victory over Fulham in the Premier League on Friday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side had a wretched record in the capital heading into the clash at the capital, having lost 13 of their past 14 games there in all competitions.

However, goals from Patrick Bamford and Raphinha were enough to ensure the trip back north was a far more positive one this time around, with the Whites now heading into the international break in much better spirits.

One man who arguably outshone Bamford, though, was Diego Llorente.

After missing a large part of the season through injury, the £18m-rated Spain international is finally beginning to show why Leeds brought him in last summer, with the centre-back now having played the full 90 minutes in the past five games in the top flight.

His performance against the Cottagers on Friday was one of his best, completely dominating Fulham’s front men and once again showing why he appears to be a perfect, ball-playing centre-back for Bielsa.

As per Sofascore, Llorente completed 88% of his passes on the night, which was by far the highest of any starter for Leeds, and found a team-mate with four out of his six attempted long balls.

That extra bit of composure in bringing the ball out of defence shone through for the Whites, while he also stuck to his task defensively. Only Gjanni Alioski won more than his seven duels, while his tally of four tackles was the second-highest of any Leeds player (Sofascore).

Writing in his post-match player ratings, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross gave the Spaniard a seven, saying: “Took Josh Maja out of the game and forced him off at the break. Aleksandar Mitrovic was similarly impotent. Reading the game so well and acting on it. Assertive in breaking out from the backline too.”

In a post-game tweet, the BBC’s Adam Pope raved about Leeds’ display and hailed Llorente in particular as being “imperious”.

While Bamford may have been involved in both goals, the 27-year-old’s calmness at the back was vital to ensuring that Fulham barely laid a glove on Leeds – even with the scoreline remaining so close at 2-1, Scott Parker’s side only managed two shots on target in the entire second half despite trying to chase an equaliser.

Llorente’s return to fitness has been a welcome boost for Bielsa, and his performances in recent weeks must surely have Leeds fans nodding in approval too.

Meanwhile, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa should urge a move for this Premier League star…

Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has expressed his disbelief over Liam Shaw’s impending move to Celtic, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

In controversial circumstances, the 20-year-old recently agreed a pre-contract with the former SPFL champions to join them in the summer, with his current Wednesday deal set to expire then.

Shaw is not the only player at Hillsborough whose contract is up at the end of the season but, being one of the younger members of the squad with potential, Palmer is frustrated with his situation in particular.

Speaking on the situation, the ex-England international exclusively told FFC:

“I don’t understand how Sheffield Wednesday are losing another young player who’s come through the ranks.

“Another young player that they’ve nurtured, paid for, developed and they’re losing him to Celtic. I just don’t understand what’s going on, really.”

The fallout from Shaw’s transfer to Celtic arguably could not have come at a worse time for manager Darren Moore and Wednesday. The Owls are currently on an awful run of form, losing their seventh consecutive game last weekend following their 2-1 defeat to Norwich City, and have a real relegation fight on their hands.

Without a doubt, this Shaw debacle is the last thing Moore and Wednesday need right now. The former West Brom and Doncaster Rovers boss, however, must now move on as the Yorkshire club look to avoid the drop, next taking on Huddersfield Town at home.

Manchester United have been linked with an extraordinary move for Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris.

According to L’Equipe, the Red Devils are keen to swoop for the Spurs stopper, with Jose Mourinho reportedly considering replacing the Frenchman with compatriot Mike Maignan.

Whilst Lloris has proven himself to be a solid stopper in the Premier League, he is simply not needed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils.

As it stands, United are well-stocked for goalkeepers. David de Gea and Dean Henderson are both currently vying for the no.1 shirt at Old Trafford, whilst the club also have Sergio Romero, Lee Grant and Joel Pereira in reserve.

With as many as five first-team stoppers, there is not a necessity to bring in any more options should all of them remain into next season.

It could be argued that Lloris would intensify that competition further, a statement that would certainly be true considering he has made 289 appearances in the Premier League and claimed 103 clean sheets – not to mention winning a FIFA World Cup with France in 2018.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=” Latest Man United transfer rumours and news!”]

However, Lloris has developed somewhat of a mistake-ridden reputation. In his Premier League career, the 34-year-old has made 19 errors directly leading to a goal – at a rate of one every 15 games.

For comparison, de Gea has only made 14 in 337 appearances – one approximately every 24 matches in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Henderson is averaging an error every 21 matches, again some way higher than Lloris’ average.

Away from his presence between the sticks, Lloris would likely cost the Red Devils a considerable amount – money that could be spent better elsewhere.

Rated at a modest £8.1m, United would have to stump up his £100k per week wages. For a player that they may not even need, that seems a considerable amount to invest.

Despite any move for Lloris being an extraordinary one, it is one that Ed Woodward should avoid.

AND in more news, have a look at which current Manchester United star should bring his time at the club to a close this summer…

Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld delivered a timely reminder to Jose Mourinho in midweek as he excelled for Belgium in their 3-1 win over Gareth Bale and Joe Rodon’s Wales.

The 31-year-old centre-back has fallen out of favour at Spurs in recent weeks, featuring in just one of their last four matches in all competitions – that being the north London derby defeat.

Since Christmas, Alderweireld has been snubbed from the starting XI a total of ten times, with Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier often preferred despite calls for them to be sold by ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara.

It’s even more surprising as the long-serving powerhouse was one of the first players to sign a fresh contract extension under Mourinho.

He was absent for the trip to Villa due to a reported illness but, just days later, he has started and starred in the Red Devils’ opening World Cup qualifier.

Alderweireld was arguably their most influential player on the night, managing a whopping 154 touches of the ball – nearly double what Man City superstar Kevin De Bruyne managed (88) throughout the same time frame.

This suggests that Roberto Martinez was confident enough to deploy a gameplan through the veteran Spurs defender. This was accompanied by a squad-high 137 passes, completed at an accuracy rate of 93%, as per SofaScore.

Belgian radio station RTBF had Alderweireld rated amongst their best defenders and claimed: “Several long balls as usual. Rarely caught failing, except in the 56th [when Dan James fired off a shot at goal].”

Against a tricky-looking front three of James, Bale and Harry Wilson, the £13.5m-rated star was rock-solid, also providing one clearance and winning 50% of his aerial duels.

By comparison, his current Spurs rival Rodon managed only 50 touches and 36 passes all game, as per SofaScore.

In the Premier League for Spurs, Alderweireld only averages 65.9 touches and 44.8 accurate passes, so that certainly suggests he was playing out of his skin for his country this week.

Spurs’ defensive issues over the course of the season have been well-documented – as mentioned above, both Dier and Sanchez have been particularly error-prone.

The forgotten Spurs colossus has certainly thrown his name back into the hat with such a commanding and impressive display on international duty this week.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Lamela: Spurs eye “creative” £35m-rated beast…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer has reacted to comments made by Garry Monk regarding his decision to take the Sheffield Wednesday job back in 2019.

Speaking to The Athletic (via Sheffield Star) this month, Monk admitted signing up for the role in the Hillsborough dugout was a mistake.

After 14 months in charge, the 42-year-old was sacked as the Yorkshire club found themselves second from bottom in the Championship.

In his interview with The Athletic, Monk also claimed he knew that there were a lot of things wrong at Wednesday under the Dejphon Chansiri regime, something which Palmer felt he obviously had to know from the get-go and should have served as a warning sign.

Discussing Monk’s recent comments, the former Wednesday midfielder told FFC:

“Anybody who takes the Sheffield Wednesday job surely must have been doing their homework. There’s just too much of a managerial merry-go-round going on, so there’s something not right at the football club. But the problem that you’ve got is that it’s a massive club, it’s well supported and, you know, it’s a big job. So you believe, right, I can get in there, I can do a good job and this, that and the other.

“But there’s clearly issues there. I know there’s issues over the way Chansiri controls the playing side of things in terms of players coming and players going out. I’d be very shocked if Garry wasn’t aware of that when he went in there.”

With eight Championship games still to play, survival is not out of Wednesday’s reach yet. However, if the Owls do end up dropping down to League One, it will be interesting to see if Darren Moore is kept on or given the same treatment as the likes of Monk and Tony Pulis.

According to a report by Voetbal 24, via City Xtra, manager Pep Guardiola ‘wants to push’ for the signing of Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge this summer as a possible replacement for club legend Fernandinho – prompting excitement from a set of Manchester City fans. 

Berge, who has spent most of this season on the treatment table (Transfermarkt), has still managed to attract Premier League interest from the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham – with the two north London clubs said to be eyeing the promising 23-year-old (Jeunes Footeux).

As per Voetbal 24, City are now weighing up a move and Berge is even top of the Sky Blues’ transfer target list as a successor to their Brazilian enforcer and fan favourite.

The 35-year-old, having signed an extension last season, now looks set to leave this summer as Guardiola looks likely to ‘push’ for Berge as his midfield heir.

Reacting to this news, it’s safe to say many City fans were overjoyed with the idea of Berge’s acquisition despite his absences this season – with one fan calling him a would-be ‘amazing signing’.

An international teammate of long time transfer target Erling Haaland, it appears supporters are now excited by another Norwegian prodigy.

Find all of their verdicts down below.

Man City fans swoon over Berge links

“Dude is 6’5 . Wow”

Credit: @qnbrew88

“Brilliant player, would be a great signing, remember when we played them and he was immense.”

Credit: @JoeymanCITY

“This would be an amazing signing don’t care what anyone says”

Credit: @KZN22_

“Yes.. This is make sense alot. He has the quality and would be perfect for rodri/ferna backup. His club is about got relegated so it much cheaper”

Credit: @KenSadja

“Class player”

Credit: @CanceloFCCity

“Oh hell yes! This would really be a great signing aaaaand Norwegian”

Credit: @Loutoo2

“Get him”

Credit: @not_aguero

“Would be cheap as chips and also offers something in the attack from what I’ve seen of him so I would back this”

Credit: @Rodridiculous

In other news: Man City fans lauded this news from Guardiola, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, Steve Bull, who scored 306 goals for Wolves, has claimed that West Ham should value Tomas Soucek around £35-40 million.

Soucek originally joined the Hammers on loan for the second half of last season but was quickly snapped up on a permanent deal after impressing David Moyes in helping turn West Ham’s fortunes around.

Moyes has admitted that West Ham may have to listen to offers for both Soucek and Declan Rice this summer, even if they do qualify for the Champions League, with Rob Lee telling Football FanCast that the latter is worth £100 million.

Speaking on how much Soucek could cost for any team looking to sign him and how Moyes could be tempted to cash in, Bull told The Transfer Tavern:

“If he is good enough then somebody will approach West Ham and try to prise him away for around £35-40 million.

“Someone will tempt West Ham with an offer because he’s a very good player.”

During the latest round of international fixtures, the £62,000 per week midfielder continued to impress as he netted the perfect hat-trick for the Czech Republic as they beat Estonia 6-1.

West Han are currently in pole position to qualify for the Champions League but have been rocked by the recent injury blows to both Rice and Michail Antonio.

Everton have a decision to make regarding Jonjoe Kenny’s future at Goodison Park as the defender nears the final year of his contract.

The Toffees had sought to sell their academy product in January but failed to find a suitor willing to spend £10m, with Burnley claimed to have baulked at paying out big on a player who was not a part of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans.

Kenny eventually sealed a last-ditch loan to Celtic where he has proven to be a pillar of the Hoops backline, but his efforts have failed to see a rise in the 24-year-old’s TransferMarkt valuation which has plummeted by 41% over the past 16 months.

Riding high on a wave of form with Bundesliga outfit FC Schalke 04 during a loan spell at the Veltins Arena last season, the reputable transfer market analysis website graded Kenny at a value of £10.8m in December 2019.

It was the highest that Kenny had ever been valued at throughout his career with a previous best while on Merseyside of £4.5m, and remains a personal high having hit a rapid decline in the year that followed.

By the end of his time in Germany, Kenny’s value had already fallen to £8.5m and continued to drop to its current fee of £6.3m in the subsequent months in line with Ancelotti looking elsewhere in his squad for his first-choice right-back.

Even when Seamus Coleman was unavailable, Ancelotti often turned to Mason Holgate – a natural centre-back – to slot in and even awarded minutes to midfielders Tom Davies and Alex Iwobi in the role.

It meant that Kenny joined Celtic having only played 313 minutes over eight appearances in all competitions this season, while starting just four of his outings – one of which in the Premier League coming between ankle and knee injuries.

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Game time has not been an issue for Kenny to secure at Parkhead with 11 outings to his name already, having not missed a single fixture, and he is keen to now use that platform as a chance to settle down at one club.

“Personally, I haven’t heard anything about my future. There are a lot of games to go and things to sort out. I just want to take it week-by-week,” he said, via quotes by the Glasgow Times.

“I’ve got to stay focus on what I’ve got to do, which is performing to the maximum of my ability every week. I think I’ve done okay on my loan spells. I’ve been to some great places and enjoyed it and had some good seasons.

“But as a player you want to have a home for the long-term, wherever that may be. I want to get the head down and really push on. The discussions will go on, but I need to go out and perform.”

It is unlikely that Kenny will find his long-term future at Everton and his desires of finding that home could now put suitors on alert, giving the Toffees’ Director of Football Marcel Brands room to work with and avoid losing the right-back on a Bosman deal next year.

Celtic pundit Colin Watt may have claimed Kenny has been “very impressive” in the Premiership, but Ancelotti clearly did not see enough from the defender during his time at Goodison Park and now has eyes on a host of alternatives.

Reports by the Daily Mail have also suggested that the Liverpudlian is expected to be moved on in the summer in what is surely a must, for a player whose value will only continue to dwindle the longer he remains under contract.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands could deliver Everton’s own Virgil van Dijk with £17.5m summer swoop…