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Celtic forward Mikey Johnston has been spotted training with the squad ahead of this afternoon’s League Cup final against Hibernian.

The Lowdown: Ange’s attacking woes

Ange Postecoglou has had to deal with plenty of injury issues during his first season in charge and has been without a number of his attacking players in recent weeks.

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Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Kyogo Furuhashi, Albian Ajeti, James Forrest and Karamoko Dembele are all sidelined, whereas Johnston also missed the 2-1 win over Ross County in the week.

The 22-year-old, who has been described as ‘sensational’ by Callum McGregor, had been involved in the previous nine Premiership matchday squads, but it seems as if his absence may only be a short one.

The Latest: Spotted at Lennoxtown

On Friday afternoon, Celtic’s official Twitter channel shared footage of the squad training at Lennoxtown.

As reported by Celts Are Here, Johnston was pictured back in training, which may mean he is ready to feature at Hampden Park today.

The Verdict: Boost

Postecoglou had to shuffle his pack massively during the week, with full-backs Adam Montgomery and Josip Juranovic playing further forward and winger Liel Abada lining out in a centre-forward role. [SofaScore]

On that basis, having a forward like Johnston ready to go against Hibs should come as a big boost for the Hoops manager.

It’ll be interesting to see what Postecoglou goes with at Hampden Park, with another option using Abada and Johnston out wide with either David Turnbull in a false nine role as he has done recently or even risking Furuhashi, with the Celtic manager set to give the Japan star as long as possible before making a call on whether he can feature today.

In other news: Postecoglou wants 49-cap colossus at the peak of his powers to cap Celtic’s January business 

According to Takvim, Glasgow Rangers have fallen short in their first attempt to sign Bright Osayi-Samuel from Turkish outfit Fenerbahce.

The Lowdown: Gers eye Osayi-Samuel

The Gers have been heavily linked with a move for Osayi-Samuel (Fotospor), who made the switch to the Super Lig from Queens Park Rangers earlier this year.

The Gers were also linked with him prior to that move (Football Insider), but the 23-year-old decided to switch to Fenerbahce instead.

The Latest: Osayi-Samuel bid to fall short

It is now being reported that Rangers will fall short in their bid to sign the winger.

They are said to be ready to offer €3m (£2.6m) for his services, but Fenerbahce are looking for €4m (£3.4m).

The Verdict: Big decision

Osayi-Samuel’s move to Turkey has not gone as he would have liked – he has managed just one goal and one assist in 18 league matches (Transfermarkt). However, during the 2019/20 campaign at QPR, he registered five assists and nine goals in the Championship (he has 19 goals throughout his career), while was hailed as “outstanding” by Mark Warburton, who also used to manage Rangers (via Brent & Kilburn Times).

The Gers could find themselves with deep pockets if they manage to reach the group stages of the Champions League, and even if they fail to make it that far, paying €4m (£3.4m) would not be out of the question.

Still, given the club’s transfer expenditure in recent years, it is not an inconsiderable fee, and it remains to be seen just how badly Ross Wilson and co want to sign Osayi-Samuel this summer.

In other news, Rangers have rejected several bids for this controversial man.

Many Sunderland fans were far from happy with comments from Lee Johnson following their draw with Accrington Stanley at the weekend.

The Black Cats’ automatic promotion hopes were all but officially ended as they could only manage a 3-3 draw with Stanley despite leading both 2-0 and 3-2. Even a victory would only have been delaying the inevitable, but they are now nine points behind Peterborough in second place with three games left to play (BBC) – they would need to win every match, hope Posh lose all of theirs, and also make up the seven-goal goal difference between the two teams.

Following the draw, Johnson spoke to the club’s media team. Obviously he was frustrated, describing his team’s collapse was unacceptable, but that didn’t appear to please some of the fans at all, with a few saying that he sounds like a broken record. This isn’t the first time that a number of supporters have taken umbrage with the manager’s words.

A video of his latest comments were shared on Twitter by the club’s official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from Sunderland supporters, one of whom disparagingly called him a “walking cliché”. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Johnson’s post-Stanley comments

“Lee Johnson… The walking cliché.”

Credit: @Ginty85

“Joke”

Credit: @paulhun7276

“Lets be honest this bloke doesn’t have a clue – we are shocking and he doesn’t know how to sort it!”

Credit: @NigeSmith550

“It’s unacceptable that I’ve heard the word unacceptable so many times in the past four weeks!!”

Credit: @shdontsayaword1

“Unacceptable and disorganised without mentioning that actually his own contribution to the game was unacceptable and we were disorganised because he made one of the his strangest subs so far, and there have been a few of them.”

Credit: @Dave_Rowntree

“Can’t even be bothered to listen, fed up with his monotones about philosophy, data, world class, basics etc, he has to shoulder some of the blame, more strange substitutions today, time he realised we’re not world class, we’re L1 and will still be L1 next season.”

Credit: @MackemRon1951

In other news, many Sunderland fans react to this club statement.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has given the Glasgow Rangers’ youth players a chance at Ibrox since replacing Steven Gerrard back in November.

In his very first press conference, the Dutchman mentioned that chances would be given to players regardless of age, and so far, he has stuck by that mantra in his six months in charge.

Opportunities have fallen to youth starlets such as Alex Lowry and Charlie McCann, with the two being deployed in the earlier stages of the Scottish Cup to great effect.

Lowry came on for Ianis Hagi against Stirling Albion and made an immediate impact, scoring in front of a raucous Ibrox crowd.

Meanwhile, former Manchester United youngster McCann emerged from the bench in the next round against Annan Athletic and suitably impressed.

This has led many to push for young striker Tony Weston to be given a chance in the first team, especially considering the fact Alfredo Morelos is out for the rest of the season through injury.

Weston signed for Rangers from Blackpool in the summer of 2020 on a three-year contract and has continued to impress ever since – scoring goals aplenty for the B team – 21 in the Scottish Lowland League alone this season – and pushing towards a first-team opportunity.

Rangers youth coach Steven Smith sang his praises earlier on in the season, dubbing him “clinical” following a double against Dalbeattie Star.

These goals have given the striker the perfect platform to impress Van Bronckhorst with the final furlong of the season approaches.

And, considering his impressive goalscoring record for the B team, Rangers could well have the next 355-goal Ally McCoist in their midst, and if Weston was even half the player that Super Ally was, then the Gers have got something special on their hands.

AND in other news: Van Bronckhorst can brutally axe “shaky” Rangers dud in deal for “annoyingly brilliant” £0 machine

Many West Bromwich Albion fans are delighted after the club confirmed they will remain sponsored by Ideal Heating for three more years.

The Baggies’ future in the Premier League looks very uncertain at the moment. As it stands, they are 10 points from safety with just nine games left to play (Sky Sports) – it will take a monumental late run of form for them to survive among the elite.

However, at least they appear to have some of their off-the-pitch affairs in order. The Baggies’ partnership with the UK’s largest heating firm started in 2018, and they have now confirmed that the deal will continue for another three years. Fans of other clubs may also be delighted that the iconic Boilerman mascot will be staying at The Hawthorns.

The news was shared on Twitter by West Brom’s official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from Baggies supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the club’s update.

Let’s see what the West Brom fans had to say below

“Three more years. THREE. MORE. YEARS.”

Credit: @BradleyTiernan

“HE STAYS”

Credit: @WbaOllie

“Better than a betting company”

Credit: @Ben95620779

“Fair play! As sponsors go they haven’t been too bad at all.”

Credit: @WBAcambolia

“Great news, glad we won’t have some gambling company on the shirt”

Credit: @albion_gaming

“Best signing we’ve made this year”

Credit: @JoshhhWBA

In other news, many West Brom fans react to this stunning Europa League display.

Cristiano Giaretta has been handed a boost in his bid to bring Siriki Dembele to Watford this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Peterborough Telegraph, who claim that Peterborough United are yet to enter into contract renewal talks with the 24-year-old centre-forward, who is heading into the final year of his deal at the Weston Homes Stadium.

The report goes on to state that if the forward does not new agree on terms with this summer, he will be placed on the transfer list, as is club policy.

This is sure to have piqued the interest of clubs such as Celtic, Rangers, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Watford, all of whom have been credited with an interest in the Posh star.

Giaretta will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Dembele has been for Peterborough this season, if the forward does indeed go on to be placed on the transfer list this summer, Watford’s sporting director would undoubtedly be buzzing.

Over his 42 League One appearances for Darren Ferguson’s side this term, the 24-year-old has scored 11 goals, registered 10 assists and has created a whopping 17 big chances, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game, culminating in an average Sofascore match rating of 7.06 – ranking him as the club’s joint seventh-best player in the third tier.

It was reported last year that Barry Fry would demand a fee of around £5m to part with the forward, however, with just one year left on his deal at the Weston Homes Stadium, and with Posh likely eager to sell in order to receive the largest fee possible, it is not difficult to imagine this figure being slightly lower in the upcoming transfer window.

As such, a move for the £2.6k-per-week man – whom Ferguson dubbed as “outstanding” – would seem to be extremely appealing for Giaretta both on and off the pitch, as Dembele appears to very much have the potential to prove a real threat within Xisco Munoz’s attacking arsenal, as well as being a transfer that would not break the bank for the newly-promoted side.

In other news: Watford dealt transfer blow over “excellent” £450k-rated gem, Giaretta will be gutted – opinion

Liverpool have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of Sassuolo winger Domenico Berardi.

What’s the story?

The Reds have been linked with a move for the highly-rated 26-year-old in recent weeks after he impressed throughout the recently concluded campaign.

And Liverpool may be encouraged to make a move for the Italy international after Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali admitted he can’t ensure Berardi will stay at the club.

“I cannot promise that Berardi will stay. It is not a question of money,” he was quoted as saying by Italian broadcaster Sportitalia (as reported by Inside Futbol).

Fans should be delighted

After Liverpool surprisingly struggled for goals last term, Jurgen Klopp is believed to be in the market for a new forward player this summer.

Berardi is someone who has caught the eye in Italian football for quite some time, but nobody has taken a chance on the £31.5 million rated speedster.

However, after bagging 17 goals and providing a further eight assists in just 30 Serie A appearances throughout 2020/21, that could be about to change.

Fellow Premier League sides Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with an interest in the 6 ft attacker, meaning Klopp may have to move quickly to secure his signature.

Fans of the Anfield outfit should be delighted at Berardi’s apparent availability, though.

Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino were way below their best as the Reds surrender their top-flight crown without a fight, while Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi offered little in the way of support.

The Sassuolo man has had no trouble transferring his club form onto the international stage, laying on two assists for the Azzuri in the group stages of Euro 2020, heightening his stock even further.

With the race for the title set to be more competitive than ever next term, Klopp is going to need reinforcements in the final third, and Berardi could be the ideal addition.

And, in other news…James Pearce drops Liverpool transfer update on “big prospect”, fans should be gutted 

Graham Roberts insists that the new Tottenham Hotspur manager will not want to sell Harry Kane, whomever they may be.

The club have been linked with a number of new managers in recent weeks.

Brendan Rodgers is said to have turned down a potential move to the club from Leicester City.

The Athletic have reported that Spurs had opened talks with PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino over a potentially sensational return to the club, while talks with previous frontrunner Antonio Conte broke down in a period in which a number of top managers, including Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, left their posts.

Roberts, though, believes that a condition of any manager being appointed will be to keep Kane.

The England captain has asked to leave the club, per Sky Sports, but Roberts thinks he will have to remain in north London if a manager is to be willing to take the reins following the sacking of Jose Mourinho earlier this season.

He told Football FanCast exclusively: “Until the manager comes, we don’t know. If you’re Brendan Rodgers, the first thing you’re going to say is, ‘I don’t want Harry Kane to be sold’.”

According to transfer reports, Leeds remain interested in signing Sampdoria defender Omar Colley this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the 1.91m-tall (6 foot 3) defender is of interest to Marcelo Bielsa’s side ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, and it now appears that a deal is very much there to be done.

According to ClubDoria46 (via Sport Witness), Sampdoria’s owner Massimo Ferrero is looking for a price between €10m and €15m (£8.6m-£12.9m) in order to sell him.

The report added that, along with Leeds, fellow Premier League sides Fulham and West Ham are also interested in signing the centre-back.

Bielsa will be relieved

Amid an impressive return to the Premier League this season, one of the big problems Bielsa has faced at Elland Road has been Leeds’ difficulty in dealing with set pieces – their tally of 15 conceded is the highest by far of any team in the division.

In signing Colley, Victor Orta would go a long way to addressing that problem, giving the Whites a centre-back who is an absolute monster in the air. This season has seen him win 2.9 aerial duels per game, which would rank him second among Bielsa’s current squad, with only club captain Liam Cooper averaging more with 3.9 per match.

In addition, as per Whoscored, his average of 2.6 interceptions per game would rank him first among all of Leeds’ players, while his 4.2 clearances per match also sees him comfortably above any of Bielsa’s current squad.

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Colley appears to have that ‘safety-first’ mentality which might just give the Leeds manager a completely different option to what he currently has at his disposal.

Rather than having his strengths being able to play out from the back, Colley excels more so within the width of his own penalty area. Just having a player like the Sampdoria ace who relishes the ‘dirty’ side of the game might just help Leeds shore things up more firmly.

Meanwhile, Leeds are facing a transfer battle to sign this midfielder…

Some Liverpool supporters are fuming at the news that Takumi Minamino has picked up an injury while on international duty with Japan.

The Reds were decimated by injury problems last season, playing a major part in them struggling to even qualify for the Champions League.

The hope is that the 2021/22 campaign is better in that respect, although the early signs aren’t necessarily promising.

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Liverpool were without Andy Robertson for the early weeks of the season and Roberto Firmino is currently absent, but another fresh problem has now emerged.

As reported LFC Transfer Room on Twitter, Minamino will return to Merseyside prematurely after getting injured on Japan duty.

The severity of the problem isn’t mentioned, but it is clearly a worrying update, especially as the Reds didn’t bring in attacking reinforcements during the summer transfer window.

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Liverpool fans bemoan Minamino injury

For that reason, these Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their anger at the news.

“Thank god we got an attacker during the window!”

Credit: @lfcpxt

“It begins”

Credit: @TheFMProc

“And it’s started. We deserve it for being so naive in the market”

Credit: @KopTalk28

“It’s the CB problem last season but with attackers, I’m not ready for this”

Credit: @kopite4ever1

“Hope you’re happy Klopp”

Credit: @Ayoxee7

“Nightmare continues”

Credit: @TuahaSohail

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly keen on signing a Premier League midfielder next summer. Read more here.