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Neil Lennon is still adamant on improving Celtic’s defence for the ongoing 2020/21 Scottish Premier League campaign. Of course, with the addition of Shane Duffy from Brighton and Hove Albion, albeit just on loan for the remainder of the season, the Hoops are looking strong once more.

But it does seem like they won’t stop there. And while there seems to be enough attacking power in the squad, Lennon believes the defensive line could do with a bit more tweaking.

And now, according to the latest report from Sky Sports, Celtic have indeed made an enquiry for Sampdoria’s defender, Omar Colley. The same source explains the selling club has put a price tag of around £10m on their player but would be open to negotiating if Celtic insist.

At this stage, however, Celtic are yet to table a formal bid for the 27-year-old defender. But looking at the profile of the player and the experience he offers, this could indeed be quite a scoop for Lennon.

Colley is a Gambian international and has also played at a number of different teams across Europe, including the likes of Genk over in Belgium.

Of course, Celtic are gunning for their 10th title in a row so all reinforcements will be most welcome and a boost for the backline seems to still be a priority for the Bhoys.

Only time will tell if they can actually secure another signing in the ongoing summer window.

Verdict

With both Duffy and Colley in their team, it’s safe to say that Celtic would indeed have sufficient defensive cover for the remainder of the Scottish Premier League campaign.

Of course, their squad does look stacked even as it is but it’s never a bad idea to keep improving the team even when they are at their peak.

Once again, good times lie ahead for Lennon’s troops.

Olivier Giroud may have hoisted himself up the Chelsea pecking order following his recent international milestone. 

After his substitute performance against Croatia, the striker now has 99 international caps and 40 senior goals to his name. The 33-year-old tucked away a penalty to extend France’s lead and see the game out with a 4-2 victory.

Giroud came off the bench to play 27 minutes in Tuesday’s Nations League fixture against Croatia. As well as his goal, the front-man won 100% of his ground duels and had a 70% pass accuracy rating (via Sofascore).

The £6.3million-valued ace’s ongoing presence in his national team shows that he is still a force to be reckoned with. Indeed, Frank Lampard relied heavily on him during the back end of Chelsea’s 2019/20 season.

After the break in football, Giroud went on to score seven goals in 11 appearances for the Blues after taking Tammy Abraham’s place as first choice striker.

There’s no doubt about the fact that Lampard will look toward Timo Werner to spearhead the Chelsea attack this season. The new signing notched a seriously impressive 34 goals in 45 appearances for RB Leipzig last term (via Transfermarkt).

However, the Blues will of course need someone reliable on the bench and going off Giroud’s international performance plus his impressive run last campaign, he may edge out rising talent Abraham.

Indeed, by comparison the £36m-valued Abraham failed to get any minutes for England during the international break and has only scored twice in his last 13 Premier League appearances.

Which striker would you rather see play back-up to Werner? Have your say in the comments below!

Glasgow Rangers winger Ryan Kent has made a fantastic start to the 2020/21 campaign.

The ‘Gers man has scored five times and provided five assists in his first 10 games of the season, showing that he is ready to become a hugely important member of Steven Gerrard’s first team squad. Such has been the level of his displays, he has been the subject of interest from English Premier League side Leeds United, who have even had a £10m bid rejected for the 23-year-old.

That has now seen them move on to another target, Dan James. However, Manchester United are unwilling to let the Wales international go unless they sign Jadon Sancho, which at the moment looks unlikely. If the Whites fail to capture James, The Sun is reporting that they will return for Kent.

This has attracted the attention of some ‘Gers supporters and it is fair to say that they do not think £3.15m-valued Kent is going is going anywhere. They took to Twitter to share their thoughts and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

‘Gers fans, do you think Kent will leave Ibrox in this transfer window? Let us know your views by commenting below!

Another weekend of Fantasy Premier League is upon us, and with it comes the agonising decision of who to transfer in, in place of underperforming or injured players who haven’t quite hit the mark after the first few game weeks.

This coming weekend sees some great fixtures, with some big regional derbies such as a London clash between Chelsea and Crystal Palace, and Manchester City vs Leeds – not only those but a great match up between Manchester United and Tottenham at Old Trafford.

With that being said, it is important to make smart decisions when transferring players – with fixture schedules and match difficulty ratings all key aspects to remember when bringing in some new talent for your squad, so with that being said, here is my top five picks to transfer into your squads ahead of GW4…

Harvey Barnes

The young Englishman has been in fine form for the Foxes this season and has been a regular for Brendan Rodgers took over in February 2019. This season Barnes has picked up 18 points so far this season, 13 of which coming against Leicester’s 4-2 win over Burnley, where he picked up a goal and an assist.

This weekend the Foxes face West Ham at home, and it could be a game in which Leicester once again show the quality and goalscoring prowess that they possess, coming off the back of a 5-2 victory over Manchester City. The Foxes also face Aston Villa during GW5, another game in which Barnes could thrive in, making him a worthy investment at £7.0m.

Danny Ings

Southampton face West Brom this weekend – with the Baggies failing to win in their first three games of the season, gaining only a point against Chelsea in which they blew a 3-0 lead. Last season, the Saints’ star man Danny Ings netted 22 goals in the Premier League and has carried on that fine form into this current campaign with three goals in three games, accumulating 22 points so far.

Their opponents West Brom have conceded 11 goals in their first three games, meaning that this could be a game in which Ings would thrive – all at the cost of £8.4m.

Raul Jimenez

The Mexican is another great option to transfer in ahead of GW4. Wolves have had a tough start to the season – their opening game was a success with a 2-0 win against Sheffield United but lost 3-1 to Manchester City and 4-0 to West Ham in their last two league games.

Despite the poor form from Wolves, Jimenez has still scored two goals in those three games and faces a poor Fulham side who have lost all three of their opening games, conceding 10 goals – meaning Jimenez could be a great option to earn you some points this weekend for £8.6m and has been transferred in by more than 245,000 other FPL users.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

If you haven’t got the Scouser in your Fantasy Team yet then you need too – with the 23-year-old scoring 5 goals in three Premier League games this season, in line with Everton’s 100% record so far.

This weekend the Toffees face Brighton & Hove Albion at home, and with Calvert-Lewin’s goalscoring prowess likely to continue against the Seagulls, who have lost two of their first three league games this season and conceded 6 goals in that time.

The Everton striker would cost you a mere £7.5m ahead of GW4, and you would be following the trend of more than 770,000 FPL users.

Timothy Castagne

If like me, you already knew about Timothy Castagne before his move to Leicester last month, then you would have had him in your FPL squad before the season even started, if not, then now is the time to transfer him in. The Belgium defender has recorded 27 points so far this season, with a goal and three assists to his name, as well as one clean sheet.

This weekend the Foxes face West Ham, and like Harvey Barnes, Castagne would be a great option to bring into your side given Leicesters form this season with three wins from three, including that 5-2 victory over Manchester City. At just £5.7m, the defender is an absolute steal for your FPL team.

Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti will be regretting seeing Juventus snub their offer for Turkish talent Merih Demiral this summer, having identified the centre-back as a potential option to bolster the Everton backline.

What’s the word?

According to Tuttosport, Everton were one of many sides to have approached Juve this summer looking to complete a deal to lure Demiral away from the Allianz Stadium.

It is thought that as much as half the Premier League reached out to the Serie A behemoth in the hope that Demiral would be available for a transfer, having started just five top-flight fixtures last season under former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri.

Demiral spent much of the campaign on the bench but missed six months through a cruciate ligament rupture suffered shortly after the turn of the year, sustained during a 2-1 win over AS Roma in which the 22-year-old struck the opening goal for his first and only of the term.

Juventus are believed to have offered a firm “no, thank you” to any approach for Demiral this summer, including from the likes of AC Milan, Manchester United, Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Turin outfit were fixed in their stance that the £24.3m-rated talent would be one of just a handful of players who would not be leaving their clutches under any circumstances, as they consider Demiral to be a future pillar of their defence alongside Matthijs de Ligt.

Everton’s regret

There is no doubt that Brands and Ancelotti will be regretting seeing Juventus snub their offer for Demiral, as his arrival could have signalled Everton beginning to build their own European rivalling backline given how highly-rated the 22-year-old is in Turin.

Demiral is also said to be growing anxious on the bench at the Allianz Stadium and wishes to transform his position as a future gem into the now and be playing regularly, something that could have been on offer at Goodison Park.

Even before Demiral joined the Old Lady in the summer of 2019, he was earning vast praise for his efforts for Sassuolo, having been lauded by WhoScored via Turkish Football as the second-best performing Under 21 footballer in Europe’s top-five leagues behind only PSG wonderkid Kylian Mbappe.

Indeed, in that campaign he was averaging a whopping 5.6 clearances per game, as well as 1.7 tackles and 1.4 interceptions (WhoScored).

Minutes on the field for Juve have been hard to come by since Andrea Pirlo succeeded Sarri, with his sole outing to date lasting the final seven minutes in a 3-0 win over Sampdoria, but Demiral is already a regular for Turkey’s first-string and earned his 14th senior cap on Wednesday in a 3-3 draw with Germany.

AND in other news, Everton were shown what they missed this summer as a £10m former target thrived on the international stage.

Glasgow Rangers continue their quest for Europa League glory with a trip to face Standard Liege in the Netherlands tonight. Steven Gerrard’s side recorded some impressive results last time around, before they were stopped by a Bayer Leverkusen side inspired by Kai Havertz in the knockout stage of the competition.

The 54-time Scottish champions have a strong track record in the European tournament and will be hoping their recent win over arch-rivals Celtic will give them the edge in this clash at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.

Standard Liege are one of the most successful teams in Belgium, as they have won the Belgian league ten times so far, most recently in the 2008/09 season. Managed by former Nottingham Forest manager Philippe Montanier, they should be a tough test for the Gers.

Here at Football FanCast, we have given our verdict on how we think Gerrard will set his side up, including three changes from their last league outing.

As is often the case, Allan McGregor will resume his rightful place between the sticks, which means Jon McLaughlin will most likely remain on the bench. The veteran goalkeeper should start behind an unchanged back four from the first Old Firm derby of the season including Borna Barisic, Filip Helander, Connor Goldson and James Tavernier.

Moving further afield, Glen Kamara and Steven Davis will probably keep their places after impressing in the midfield against Celtic, but Scott Arfield may drop to the bench to make room for loan signing Bongani Zungu. Gerrard could give Zungu his long-awaited debut for the Gers in the Europa League.

This means that Ianis Hagi should slot into place alongside the 29-cap South African international on the right wing. As we previously discussed, the timing couldn’t be any better for the 21-year-old to make his mark in the same month that his father insisted that his son has a similar playing style to Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.

Now then, if we take your attention to the top of the pitch, here’s where things start to get a little more interesting. Cedric Itten missed the Europa League qualifier against Galatasaray due to a knee injury, but he seems to have shaken off any lingering concerns after coming off the bench at Celtic Park.

And the 3-cap Swiss international could be in contention to start at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne as shot-shy Alfredo Morelos failed to register a single one all game, let alone one on target against Celtic at the weekend, as per SofaScore.

Gerrard may decide to ring several changes as he juggles the domestic and European competitions.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers have every right to be worried about Leeds target Ryan Kent…

Southampton have been rocked by a triple injury blow which could result in Ralph Hasenhuttl fielding a weakened squad against Newcastle.

The Saints are currently in seriously impressive form and sit fifth in the Premier League table after huge victories over the likes of Everton and Aston Villa. However, the Magpies are also in good stead so far and are reaping the benefits of new signing Callum Wilson.

But three key players are likely to be absent after picking up injuries in their previous fixture. Danny Ings is set to undergo knee surgery whilst Ryan Bertrand and Jan Bednarek are suffering from thigh and head injuries respectively (via premierinjuries.com). With the ever-present left-back out of action, and with Jake Vokins also confirmed as an absentee, Hasenhuttl could call upon Kyle Walker-Peters to step in.

Walker-Peters to step up to the plate

As highlighted by Transfermarkt, the former Spurs man is confident playing in both full-back roles and has so far completely edged out Yan Valery at right back this season. He could be the difference between the result the team needs and one they would rather avoid.

Fans would certainly feel at ease seeing Walker-Peters filling in for the absent Bertrand, perhaps more so than James Ward-Prowse, who filled in there when the former Chelsea man went off with his hamstring issue at Villa Park.

The Englishman, rated at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, has received a lot of praise from fans and professionals alike after making a big impact on the team since his arrival. He was also picked out by Theo Walcott as the player to impress him the most since he joined the club with the ex-England international calling him a “grafter”, which is a huge compliment for the 23-year-old.

There has been no timeframe set on when Bertrand could be due to return. But should it be a lengthy time on the sidelines, a solid performance against Newcastle will prove to Hasenhuttl that he has a confident and reliable versatile player on his hands in Walker-Peters.

In other news, Southampton must act fast or risk losing Mohamed Elyounoussi permanently…

Steven Bergwijn badly let Jose Mourinho down by producing an invisible display as Tottenham Hotspur weathered the storm to beat Manchester City on Saturday.

It was a performance personifying the tag of a Mourinho Masterclass as Spurs encouraged their opponent to press high up the pitch before hitting them on the counter, with the Citizens ending the match with 67% of the possession and Spurs enjoying just 19 attacking momentum swings to their guest’s 73, per SofaScore.

Spurs would only register two shots on target from a mere four efforts, as well, of which the only strike to come in the first-half came via Heung-Min Son’s fifth-minute opener for his ninth of the season.

And yet it was the north London outfit who emerged triumphant to win a sixth top-flight game in eight and move back atop the Premier League standings ahead of Liverpool hosting top-four rivals Leicester City on Sunday night.

Mourinho recalled Bergwijn to his starting line-up for the visit of his old adversary Pep Guardiola this weekend, having been without the Dutch forward for Tottenham’s last three Premier League games through injury.

The blow saw the 23-year-old forced to withdraw from international duty over the November break after being assessed by Netherland’s medical team, but Bergwijn recovered in time to be available to face Manchester City.

His return afforded Mourinho the chance to play a player he did not initially favour signing when acquired for £27million this January, but one who the Portuguese was instantly impressed by.

“Good player, good professional, good boy,” the Spurs boss noted, via quotes by football.london. “Congratulations to my club, the way they did it. Initially, and I’m always very honest on this, he wasn’t my first option when we decided to make a movement in the winter, but in the end, a great decision.

“A player with a great future, can play on the right and the left. We’re more than happy, not just his age, but also his professional attitude. The way he trains, the way he lives. He’s the kind of kid that can only be better.”

But Bergwijn showed on Saturday that he still has a long way to go before his potential is proven talent, as the forward was left a passenger of Tottenham’s performance as Mourinho favoured his traditional park-the-bus approach at home to Man City.

The 23-year-old winger managed only 29 touches on the left-wing before being hauled off in the 73rd-minute for Lucas Moura, with which Bergwijn produced just one successful dribble and 17 accurate passes, per SofaScore.

He further lost possession six times, lost three of his six ground duels and failed to register a single key pass, attempted cross, shot on goal, successful tackle or interception while being dribbled past once. Bergwijn did, however, pen three clearances and was fouled twice.

Mourinho will hope to see Bergwijn now steps up in training ahead of facing Ludogorets in the Europa League on Thursday night, having been let down in such fashion this weekend.

AND in other news, Daniel Levy risked a mammoth blunder by accepting a low-ball offer for a 63-cap Tottenham man this summer.

Phil Parkinson will be kicking himself for allowing Jon McLaughlin to leave Sunderland for free after striving to sign the goalkeeper to a new contract this summer.

What’s the word?

Sunderland fans were up in arms when it was announced McLaughlin would be leaving the Stadium of Light to join Scottish giants Rangers on a free transfer at the end of his contract this summer, having decided against putting pen to paper on a new deal.

Parkinson had strived to find an agreement with the 33-year-old, after proving himself to be one of the North East outfit’s most consistent performers last season and one whom owner Stewart Donald claimed he would not sell for anything less than £5million just a year ago.

“Jon is someone we would like to keep,” said the Black Cats boss, via quotes by The Northern Echo. “The Chairman and [Head of Football Operations] Richard Hill will be working on that.

“Jon’s recent record puts him up there as one of the best in this division. He is calm and has a lot of experience. At Bradford, he played in a lot of big promotion games. He played in big cup games too, and always handled the pressure well.”

But Sunderland failed to present McLaughlin with appealing terms and as such, they lost a player who had kept 11 clean sheets in 35 games across all competitions in 2019/20, all without any compensation to the benefit of Steven Gerrard’s Rangers.

Gerrard has since called on the two-time Scotland international to start nine of the Gers’ 14 Premiership fixtures, in which the Edinburg-born shot-stopper has kept eight shut-outs, but he has also been benched for October’s crucial Old Firm Derby win over bitter rivals Celtic.

Parkinson, meanwhile, has turned to Lee Burge to become the Black Cats’ new number one, yet he found himself without the 27-year-old for Saturday’s League One defeat at home to MK Dons.

Parkinson will kick himself

Parkinson was without Burge for Saturday’s League One meeting with MK Dons after the 27-year-old sustained a slight ankle problem, allowing Remi Matthews to step in and make his third-tier debut after being signed from Bolton Wanderers to replace McLaughlin this summer.

But Matthews struggled, with the ‘keeper only able to record two saves – of which just one came from a shot taken inside the Black Cats’ area – along with failing to register any punches, successful runs out or high claims, per SofaScore.

Parkinson will now be hoping for good news on Burge’s ankle during the week, as another slack display from Matthews could see the Sunderland boss come under increasing pressure after allowing the Dons to win their first game on the road in 14-months.

Parkinson’s failure to retain McLaughlin will also come back into focus if Burge is not fit to face Doncaster Rovers but whilst the Black Cats boss will be kicking himself, the shot-stopper will not be regretting his decision to quit Sunderland for Rangers.

McLaughlin was left a mere bystander as the Gers recorded their biggest top-flight victory in 40-years by humbling Hamilton 8-0 earlier this month, on a day Gerrard lauded his defenders for creating an impenetrable line.

“We suffocated Hamilton from start to finish, we stayed on them and never let them move,” the Liverpool icon said, via quotes by The Scottish Sun. “We never took our foot off the gas and you could see the quality throughout the squad.

“It was a very impressive performance, a strong win and another clean sheet. It [the defence] continues to be impregnable and we want to be a tough team to play against.”

AND in other news, talk of a Sunderland takeover has cast a dark shadow over a “terrific” outcast’s Black Cats future.

After going down 2-0 to Chelsea last weekend, the very least Newcastle fans will be hoping for is a bit of fight and intent from their side when they take on Crystal Palace at St James’ Park on Friday night.

The Magpies fell to Frank Lampard’s side with nothing more than a whimper, and face a Palace team also smarting from defeat – the Eagles lost 1-0 to Burnley last time out thanks to an early Chris Wood goal.

In respect to team news, Bruce delivered a mixed bag in his pre-match press conference, that whilst his side is set to be boosted by the return of a couple of key players, there is some major uncertainty over others.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Tyneside club might line up for the clash against Palace on Friday.

In front of Karl Darlow, the big injury concern for Bruce surrounds captain Jamaal Lascelles who was forced off against Chelsea last weekend. The Magpies boss confirmed that he is a “doubt” to make the Palace game, but if he can come through a late fitness check, expect the 27-year-old to keep his place alongside Federico Fernandez and Ciaran Clark.

And after experimenting with moving Jacob Murphy further forward and into a more natural winger role, Bruce may opt to stick with that, particularly with the emerging news that Allan Saint-Maximin has been seemingly ruled out of tonight’s clash with a late injury.

That could open up a spot for Miguel Almiron to come into the team, and the Paraguay international will surely feel like he has a point to prove given everything that has happened between his agent and manager.

And in the last change Newcastle could make, is the return of Callum Wilson. The England international missed out against Chelsea due to injury, but Bruce delivered a huge boost in his pre-match press conference by confirming his star striker’s fitness, and that will surely see the £18m-rated Joelinton drop back to the bench – the Brazilian has yet to score in the Premier League this season.

Predicted XI: Darlow; Manquillo, Fernandez, Lascelles, Clark, Lewis; Almiron, Longstaff, Hayden, Saint-Maximin; Wilson.