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Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has been tipped to pursue a deal for a new Hoops midfielder from one of the club’s Premiership rivals…

What’s the talk?

The Herald journalist James Cairney has urged Celtic to make a move for St Mirren midfielder Jamie McGrath in the January transfer window.

His contract at St Mirren expires at the end of the season and Cairney believes that the Hoops could benefit from snapping him up on a cut-price deal in the winter market to improve their options in the middle of the park.

Armstrong 2.0

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou could land Stuart Armstrong 2.0 by completing a deal to sign McGrath in the January window.

Mo Elyounoussi was the only midfielder or wide player to hit double figures for goals in the Premiership for Celtic last term, with David Turnbull’s eight the next most by a player from those positions.

Coincidently, Elyounoussi has now returned to Southampton to play alongside another player who knows a thing or two about scoring goals for Celtic – Armstrong. In his last two seasons in Scotland, Armstrong produced 22 goals and 13 assists in all competitions for the Hoops, including 18 goals in the league, and was then sold to the Saints in 2018 for £7.16m.

McGrath showed last season for St Mirren that he has the quality to come in and be Celtic’s next goalscoring attacking midfielder, just like Armstrong was during his time at the club. He scored 17 goals and provided six assists in all competitions last term, including ten goals in the Premiership.

St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin previously lauded the player and claimed that his bravery in possession of the ball is second to none, saying:

“He had been pigeonholed as a No 10 at Dundalk and people looked at him as a luxury player, but I had a very good conversation with Jamie and his representatives and explained that I saw there was more to him than that.

“My belief was that he could become a No 8 and be a box-to-box player and I think he’s shown he can do that.

“He’s not one to fly into tackles, but he gets close to opponents, he’s fit, he’s quick and his composure on the ball is incredible. His creativity and bravery when in possession is second to none.”

This highlights the level of quality he could bring to Postecoglou’s side and why they should act upon Cairney’s advice and make a swoop for him in January. The Australian head coach could unearth the next goalscoring central midfield sensation, Armstrong 2.0 if you will, by snapping McGrath up from St Mirren.

AND in other news, Ange must ruthlessly axe 26 y/o dud who left Celtic “livid”, he’s not good enough…

Fabian Delph could leave Everton this summer, but Dean Windass has ruled out the 31-year-old returning to Leeds.

The midfielder left Manchester City to join the Toffees two years ago, but his short stay on Merseyside has been overshadowed by injuries.

Delph has missed 39 games across all competitions for Everton with several muscle problems preventing him from making any real impact on the pitch.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton are open to selling him this summer after making just 30 appearances in a Toffees shirt.

Following their promotion back to the Premier League 12 months ago, Leeds were plotting a move to bring Delph back to Elland Road as reported by the Daily Star to add experience to their squad.

Delph began his playing career with Leeds and made 50 appearances before he left for Aston Villa when the Yorkshire giants were still playing League One football.

But Windass exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he doesn’t expect to see the midfielder return to his former club this window.

“I don’t think he’s a Bielsa type. He’s always injured.

“The one thing about football now is all on stats, they want to see how many games you’ve played, what you’re good at, what you’re not good at. How many games has he played for Everton? So, I can’t see that.”

Crystal Palace will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to eight games when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League over the weekend.

The Eagles were held to a 3-3 draw against Burnley last time out as Christian Benteke’s brace was cancelled out by a resolute performance from the home side.

However, with Palace returning to their own patch on Saturday, Patrick Vieira must be brave and make the bold decision to field an attacking line-up.

Against the Clarets, Vieira opted for the hard-working Jordan Ayew on the right-hand side of his attack in the knowledge that the 30-year-old would get back diligently to do his defensive work.

The tactic worked a treat against reigning champions Manchester City a few weeks ago and it almost had the same effect at Turf Moor.

However, in order for the capital club to keep making progress and climbing the top-flight table, Vieira will need to be bold enough to drop the defensive forward in games where three points are there for the taking.

Villa may have stopped the rot with a victory in Steven Gerrard’s first game at the helm, but the Midlands outfit are still vulnerable, especially away from home.

Therefore, Vieira would be wise to drop Ayew, who hasn’t scored a Premier League goal in over a year, in favour of a more clinical attacking option.

Summer signings Odsonne Edouard and Michael Olise have both made tremendous starts to their Palace careers, providing a combined six goal contributions in the opening weeks of the current campaign.

Ayew has received much criticism in recent weeks and months due to his extended drought in front of goal, including from Thierry Henry, and tomorrow’s clash could be the ideal time for the £32,500-per-week flop to take his place on the bench.

What’s more, even his international form is being criticised, with the Ghanaian’s displays being described as “worrying” by Dan Quaye.

Clearly, he has not been up to scratch this term, so Vieira must ask him to sit it out this weekend.

In other news… Palace set for big boost on “phenomenal” £55k-p/w maestro, fans will be elated

As per Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur managing director Fabio Paratici has made an exciting transfer plea to club chiefs involving Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes Serie A upgrades…

As widely reported, Conte may turn his attention to Serie A as he seeks to bolster his Tottenham options and transform his new side back into a force.

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It has been two-and-a-half years since Mauricio Pochettino guided the Lilywhites to a Champions League final against Liverpool, and the new manager is tasked with returning Spurs to those lofty heights.

According to Calciomercato, the Italian top flight could be a fruitful transfer pool for Conte and Tottenham, and one of the stars they’ve been tipped to target is Juventus defender De Ligt.

The Netherlands international is one of many players currently on Conte’s radar (Calciomercato.it), with Football Insider now bringing an exciting update involving Paratici.

The Latest: Paratici makes exciting plea…

As per their sources, Tottenham’s transfer chief has told fellow club officials that a ‘deal can be done’ to sign De Ligt from Juventus.

Indeed, the 22-year-old centre-back is ‘on the radar’ of Paratici as he aims to seriously strengthen Conte’s defensive options. As such, Spurs have now ‘set their sights’ on De Ligt ahead of the January transfer window.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Of Tottenham’s defensive targets, which includes Inter Milan mainstay Stefan de Vrij, it is clear that De Ligt stands out as the most ambitious signing of them all.

Spurs would need to smash their transfer record to sign the player going by his £63m valuation according to Transfermarkt, nearly £10m more than the fee they paid to sign Tanguy Ndombele (BBC).

It would signal a real statement of intent by Paratici and the north London club, as evident by the notion that De Ligt ‘can’t be stopped’, according to the player’s representative Mino Raiola.

Likened to an ‘oil tanker’ by his agent, the £200,000-per-week star averaged an impressive 92.5% passing accuracy out from the back over 25 Serie A starts last season – a higher rate than any Spurs player managed (WhoScored).

This sums up his class and composure at such a young age, but if Paratici really does believe that a deal can be done, he may need to pull out all the stops.

In other news: Tottenham tell rising star he is free to leave as they green light surprise exit from N17, find out more here.

New Fulham manager Marco Silva has already made a bright start to the transfer window, and Football FanCast’s EFL spy reckons John Swift would be another shrewd addition for the Cottagers.

The Whites boss recently made two impressive coups in Liverpool attacker Harry Wilson and goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga following his release from Tottenham.

And despite suffering their third relegation in the space of eight seasons, Fulham are yet to lose any of their best players as they go in search of a third promotion in six years.

Swift has established himself as a goalscoring midfielder in recent seasons, netting 28 times in his Championship career.

In 2019-2020, Swift served up six goals and 10 assists for Reading but was unable to replicate that form last season after missing no fewer than 39 matches with an ongoing hamstring problem.

Swift has since recovered from that long-term issue, featuring in all the Royals final five league matches.

With that in mind the EFL insider exclusively told FFC that he could add plenty to the Fulham midfield next term, when asked who they could target after the additions of Wilson and Gazzaniga.

“John Swift at Reading is a high end Championship player. He’s technically very good and has proven his worth year after year.”

West Ham United are set to revisit their interest in James Tarkowski, according to a very reliable source…

What’s the word?

The anonymous ExWHUemployee claimed that David Moyes has three names atop his centre-back wish list for the summer transfer window, in which the Burnley colossus features as one.

Speaking on a recent episode of ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast, he said: “Our centre-back targets will be very similar to what they were last year. So you’re talking [Duje] Caleta-Car of Marseille, [Nikola] Maksimovic of Napoli, James Tarkowski of Burnley. There are other names by I think they would be the main ones.”

Get it done, Moyes

A new central defensive option may not sit high on the priorities for the Irons this summer, but if the door opened for Moyes to swoop for Tarkowski, then the club should absolutely back him.

We’ve seen in recent windows that the Scotsman can get it absolutely spot on with his targets, with the likes of Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal and Jesse Lingard as prime examples.

All three should be in contention for the Hammers’ Player of the Year award as they all played a pivotal role in guiding the club from relegation candidates to qualifying for the Europa League by acheving their best top-flight finish since 1999.

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Tarkowski would be a quality addition to a backline which in some ways flatters to deceive. Not many of West Ham’s centre-backs would walk into many teams above them in the table – it’s only really Angelo Ogbonna (once of Juventus) for whom you could potentially make a case.

Moyes is also losing the services of Fabian Balbuena, whilst there are many concerns over Issa Diop, so much so that Aaron Cresswell is often deployed in a back three over him.

The 28-year-old Clarets beast, who is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, has become a solid option in the Premier League, in which he has now registered more than 150 appearances.

In the 2020/21 campaign alone, he ranked as Burnley’s second-best player with an average WhoScored rating of 7.02, a figure only bettered by three Hammers stars – none of whom are centre-backs.

Tarkowski also won 4.7 aerial duels and made 1.8 tackles and 4.4 clearances per outing in the league this season, which again outranks every single one of Moyes’ current central options.

As evident above, he would be an instant upgrade at the London Stadium, so Moyes could well be onto a winner if he is is able to secure the 28-year-old.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Diop: West Ham could seal bargain swoop for £13m powerhouse who “will explode”…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to the news that Cedric Itten has moved on loan to Bundesliga outfit Greuther Furth.

The Gers’ business in terms of incomings for this window is probably complete. John Lundstram, Fashion Sakala and Juninho Bacuna have all made the move Ibrox over the past few months, and after the 55-time Scottish champions beat Celtic 1-0 in the Old Firm derby last weekend, it appears that they may be hitting their stride.

In terms of outgoings, though, it may be a busy day. Brandon Barker has already been told that he can leave the club, and £3.15m-valued Itten (Transfermarkt) has now completed a temporary switch to Furth (rangers.co.uk). With six goals in 42 appearances for Rangers (Transfermarkt), he has not fared too well so far at Ibrox, but Steven Gerrard will be hoping that the Swiss forward can prove himself in Germany.

The news was shared on Twitter by Rangers’ official Twitter channel and it attracted plenty of news from supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Itten’s loan exit

“Gutted! Didn’t see that coming. Good luck Ced, hopefully see you back soon and raring to go.”

Credit: @Tuddie44

“Gutted at that – Good luck Cedric and hope to see you back next year”

Credit: @Keithcareth

“Delete this”

Credit: @ginge_jpeg

“Disappointed with this but the guy is just not getting enough game time as it stands, hopefully he can go play bang some goals in and come back a better player, good luck Ced”

Credit: @AKA_TonyFleck

“Ehhhh??? Surely bringing someone in then? Only got Morelos & Roofe? Unless classing Sakala at ST”

Credit: @JRD1996_

“What”

Credit: @cjnovo992

In other news, Jordan Campbell has provided an update on this Gers defender.

Leeds United could reignite their interest in Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien in the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Endless O’Brien links

The Whites were linked with a number of players in the summer, but few individuals cropped up more than O’Brien.

The 22-year-old was constantly tipped to move to Elland Road, having shone for Huddersfield in recent years, making 86 appearances and winning the club’s Player of the Year award in 2019/20.

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The Latest: Pundit makes January prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, former Arsenal and Everton striker Campbell said Leeds could go back in for O’Brien in January, claiming the funds are available to bring him in:

“The money is there. Sometimes these transfers are to fatten your squad up. The player might not go into the starting 11 straight away.

“£8million to fatten the squad when Leeds actually have players who can do a job, maybe it wasn’t the priority.

“Maybe they will bide their time and return for him in January.”

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The Verdict: Shrewd mid-season addition

While O’Brien may not necessarily have been a must-need signing in the summer, he could be a shrewd acquisition midway through the campaign.

At that point, a gruelling season could be starting to take its toll physically and the midfielder could be a welcome addition, in terms of squad depth and options at Marcelo Bielsa’s disposal.

Not only that, but O’Brien’s age means he would come in as a long-term signing, rather than a short-term quick fix, suggesting Leeds are continuing to build towards the future.

In other news, Leeds have faced a potential blow regarding one transfer target. Find out who it is here.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith must finally land Paulo Gazzaniga after a major development regarding the goalkeeper’s future.

What’s the story?

Reports last September suggested that the Argentine was a target for Smith’s side as they looked to strengthen the goalkeeping department, but the Midlands club moved on from the 1.95m (6 foot 5) titan and signed Arsenal’s Emi Martinez instead.

Gazzaniga saw his time with Spurs come to an end earlier in the week after being released by the north London side, and when asked if he thinks the 29-year-old could go to Villa, football journalist Alan Nixon tweeted (via Birmingham Mail): “Would make a lot of sense. Villa want an experienced No.2.”

Perfect no.2 for Martinez

With recent confirmation that Tom Heaton has left the club, Villa could do with some new competition for Martinez in between the sticks for next season.

In Gazzaniga, they could find the perfect player to come in, with the Argentine having deputised for Hugo Lloris at Spurs numerous times and his former boss Jose Mourinho even hailing him as “magic hands” after a particularly impressive performance against Wolves last season.

Add that to his Argentine nationality, and he should even settle in well at Villa Park given that he already has a international compatriot in Martinez, and the duo will no doubt push each other to greater heights.

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Given that he won’t cost the club a penny in transfer fees either after being released by the Lilywhites, along with having ample Premier League experience, Gazzaniga seems like the perfect backup to Martinez both in terms of quality and value.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped a major Aston Villa transfer update…

Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension their transfer chief Fabio Paratici, have sent a club official to Roma as news emerges on transfer target Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Lowdown: Conte loves him…

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte, according to reports, is a big fan of the playmaker and really wants to see him make a move to the Premier League.

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Indeed, a report by Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) shared news that the 52-year-old ‘really likes’ Zaniolo and would ‘really like him’ as a part of his Tottenham team.

Links to the 22-year-old have been fairly consistent, going as far back as the Mauricio Pochettino era, with yet another report now surfacing this week.

The Latest: Tottenham official travelling…

La Gazzetta dello Sport, as shared by Sport Witness, claim that a Lilywhites official has been sent to run the rule over Spurs’ long-time target tonight as Roma take on Leicester City in the Europa Conference League.

The Tottenham scout will be watching over his performance as Paratici continue to keep close tabs on Zaniolo.

The Verdict: Make a move?

Calciomercato.it recently reported that Roma value their Italy international at around €70 million (£58m), a heavy price, with Juventus, AC Milan, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid also courting the attacker.

His recovery from a shattering ACL injury, which caused him to miss the whole of 2020/2021, has been quite remarkable as he now begins to find form again.

Ex-Liverpool and Juventus midfielder Moussa Sissoko, recently calling Zaniolo an ‘excellent’ player, is certainly an admirer, with the starlet even earning comparisons to Steven Gerrard in past seasons.

As Paratici sends a club official to keep watch, it will be interesting to see how he fares in the Spurs audition.

In other news: Source: Tottenham edge closer to ‘top signing’, he really wants to join Conte! Find out more here.