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Celtic have very little to play for throughout the rest of the campaign but they only have themselves to blame. A number of their players haven’t been up scratch and they’ve consequently been left behind in the dirt by their Glaswegian rivals.

Neil Lennon has left but similar problems are plaguing John Kennedy’s opening few weeks in temporary charge.

On the chalkboard

It was strange to see an Old Firm derby lacking bite and intensity, but Sunday’s match was exactly that. Rangers had already won the league and Celtic lacked the desire to stop their unbeaten run.

One of the worst performers on the day was Jonjoe Kenny. The right-back is on loan from Everton but endured a baptism of fire in his first Old Firm clash.

Kenny has been eye-catching in the final third throughout his first few months at Parkhead, but he was left wanting on Sunday afternoon.

The defender played a shocking back pass which led to the corner that Alfredo Morelos scored from and his marking for the Colombian’s header wasn’t great either.

Kenny lost sight of his man and instead of tracking Morelos to the back post, the striker was allowed to score a simple header from a matter of yards out.

The solution

It will be interesting to see whether Celtic try and bring Kenny back in the summer. After all, following the departure in January of Jeremie Frimpong to Bayer Leverkusen, they certainly need more options there.

Kenny’s price tag has been lowered so a move could well happen, but they’d be much better off finding alternative targets.

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One of those is 20-year-old Milan van Ewijk. The right-back was linked with a move to the Hoops a few weeks ago and if his performances are anything to go by, he’d be a giant upgrade on Celtic’s current options.

The Dutchman is an athletic individual and he’s particularly strong in defensive scenarios. Speaking about his own game, Van Ewijk once commented: “I am a fierce right-back who can attack well, but also defend and I have a good condition. I can certainly also be found in the front. Last season I also gave a number of assists.”

Indeed, the youngster has helped himself to three goal involvements in the Dutch top-flight this term.

Most appealing, however, are his defensive statistics. You’ll struggle to find many better in the tackle than Van Ewijk. This term he’s made 89 tackles at a rate of 3.3 per match. For context, Kenney has managed just 1.6 from his nine SPFL outings.

Some of the numbers the young full-back has amassed this season are quite remarkable. Against FC Emmen, Van Ewijk managed as many as nine tackles. That came after he registered seven versus VVV-Venlo.

Frighteningly good in one-on-one duels, he’d be a brilliant upgrade on Kenny if Celtic decide against signing him permanently.

AND in other news, Celtic manager search takes huge twist, it’s exciting news for Hoops fans…

Celtic managed to sneak all three points into the bag this afternoon with a 1-0 victory over Aberdeen in Parkhead. It took just eight minutes for the Hoops to find the back of the net, but Aberdeen made it hard for the remaining 82 to get a sniff of extending their lead.

It was the ever-clinical Odsonne Edouard who found the back of the net, notching his 15th goal of the Premiership season and 19th overall this season, as per Transfermarkt. He was undoubtedly the player of the match as he managed to scoop all three points for his side, but the man who set up the goal also deserves his plaudits.

Ryan Christie vs Aberdeen

The Scotland international has received his fair share of criticism recently due to his below par performances, however, he has silenced his doubters. Ryan Christie has three goalscoring contributions to his name in his last five appearances for Celtic and was a solid performer in John Kennedy’s first match in charge of the club.

According to Sofascore, Christie maintained a 93% passing accuracy, which was the highest out of any other Hoops player on the pitch. He also contributed an impressive five key passes and completed three of his six attempted crosses.

His stats show that he was a real handful for the Aberdeen defence, especially considering he was fouled twice. His ability on the ball often results in the opposition bringing him down because they can’t dispossess him. Christie will be wanting to stand out from the rest of the Celtic midfield amid talks of a new manager coming in following Neil Lennon’s departure.

For now he will have seriously impressed interim manager John Kennedy, who he has made look very good on his first match in charge.

In other news, Rafa Benitez has dropped a potential hint amid new Celtic manager link…

Journalist Liam Kennedy has discussed the chances of Newcastle being bought out if the club is relegated this season.

In the Shields Gazette, he wrote about multiple issues involving the Tyneside club, giving some updates about a potential takeover at St James’ Park in the event of a possible relegation.

Takeover becomes ‘obsolete’ in case of relegation

Kennedy stated that he asked the Premier League on Friday whether the takeover would happen and whether the arbitration process would hinder anything if the Magpies go down. The Premier League responded by saying ‘we don’t know’.

Kennedy added that, in case of relegation, a takeover would become ‘obsolete’ even though PCP are still interested in buying Newcastle. However, a Championship club may not be an attractive purchase for them, as the Premier League would be a better way to announce themselves.

The journalist said: “Interestingly, I asked the Premier League this question on Friday – what would happen to arbitration and the ODT tests, if Newcastle dropped and issues were unresolved? Their answer? ‘We don’t know’.

“For me, the PCP Consortium deal becomes obsolete in the event of relegation. Yes, PCP still want to buy Newcastle, of that there is no doubt, but there would definitely be question marks about whether PIF would want in. A second division club is not the kind of sporting crown jewel to announce yourself on the world stage a Premier League one is. Remember the sportswashing arguments from last year? Yes, they still apply.”

Last year, the club’s takeover had failed as the Saudi-backed consortium had backed away from a deal. It was reported that they pulled out because fears of the fact that they would not be given the green light to complete the deal.

Relegation would be a huge blow

Steve Bruce’s men are currently 16th in the Premier League and only a single point ahead of Brighton and Fulham (BBC). The Magpies have won only twice in 2021 and a litany of poor results has seen them skirt dangerously close to the relegation zone.

Going down would lead to financial losses and, considering the fiscal impacts of the pandemic, that could be incredibly arduous for the club – a blow which would be compounded if the chances of the takeover fall away because of relegation.

In other news, find out why Newcastle were determined to keep one player at the club in January.

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey believes that Wolves were unfortunate to not get a penalty during their 3-2 defeat against West Bromwich Albion.

Halsey sympathisers with Wolves

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side lost out to their arch-rivals courtesy of two spot-kicks from Matheus Pereira and a goal from Semi Ajayi.

Goals from summer signing Fabio Silva and Willy Boly initially gave Wolves a 2-1 lead at half-time but they were unable to hold on until the final whistle.

Shortly after the visitors took the lead for the first time, Baggies goalkeeper David Button punched a loose ball following a scramble in the box – right onto the arm of Kieran Gibbs. Despite appeals from the hosts, no penalty was given by the man in the middle Michael Oliver, or by the VAR.

Speaking with This Is Futbol, Halsey was adamant that Wolves were unfortunate not to be given a spot-kick.

“I think his arms and hands are in an unnatural position,” he said. “I mean, because why would you put your arms there? I look at the close proximity. Yes, he was close, but there was no pace on the ball, there was no pace. So for me, that there is unnatural… I thought it was handball and I was surprised Nuno didn’t make more of it after the game.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Halsey is right. It’s a complete mystery as to how the officials missed that one. Former West Ham winger Trevor Sinclair told talkSPORT how he could not believe it wasn’t given either.

However, these comments from Halsey will not help Nuno now – as he needs to prepare his players for their next game against Chorley in the FA Cup on Friday evening.

The defeat itself will have hurt Wolves, let alone the decision. Time will tell whether this has a detrimental effect on the rest of their campaign.

In other news, Tim Spiers revealed by Wolves’ ‘monster’ was sold in blockbuster deal.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has dropped his verdict on Phil Jones amid reports linking him with a move to the Hawthorns this transfer window.

Earlier in the month, the forgotten Manchester United centre-back was mooted as a loan target for the Baggies, as per the Daily Star.

They claimed that the 28-year-old colossus was free to leave the Red Devils this month and that they were prepared to pay a sizeable portion of his £120k-per-week wages, even if he remains under contract until 2023.

Jones hasn’t featured for United this season but Albion’s defensive issues continue to increase tenfold after they leaked another five goals to Manchester City on Tuesday night.

It means Sam Allardyce’s men hold the worst defensive record in the Premier League, conceding 12 more goals than any other side, while no team across Europe’s elite divisions has leaked as many goals at home than West Brom.

And Palmer believes Jones could help solve their backline problems…

He told FFC:

“Big Sam’s always fancied him. He has always fancied Phil Jones – big, strong, athletic.

“I haven’t seen Phil play for ages, I thought he’d do really well at Manchester United because he’s got serious pace about him and he’s athletic. It’s just not worked out for him at all.

“Sam certainly needs quality throughout his side. He needs a central defender. And Sam gets the best out of people. It could be a good fit for both Phil and West Brom.”

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The 27-time England international may have not featured in a competitive game since January 2019, but he is someone that Big Sam knows very well from their time at Blackburn Rovers.

Indeed, Allardyce dubbed the young Jones a “leader” who would one day go onto captain England – he was partially right, at least.

The £5.4m-rated defender has played 200 times in the Premier League and over 30 times in Europe, per Transfermarkt; vast experience that is lacking in abundance in this current Albion squad.

Clearly, if fit, he’d be a welcome addition at the Hawthorns.

AND in other news, 3 new signings, no Sawyers: How West Brom’s XI may look after deadline day…

According to a report by Italian outlet Calcio e Finanza, via SempreInter.com, Inter Milan will not face any difficulty offloading Christian Eriksen in January as Tottenham eye a return – coming after claims they will face roadblocks in the form of tax issues. 

Eriksen, who left Spurs for the San Siro in a deal worth £16.9 million, has been heavily linked with a return to north London in recent weeks – with Football Insider reporting they have been offered the chance to recapture his signature.

The Denmark international was a fan favourite at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before opting to move on, but the grass hasn’t exactly been greener on the other side since his exit.

Eriksen boost emerges

Indeed, Eriksen has struggled for game time under Antonio Conte – prompting rumours that he is set for a move away and potentially, a Premier League return.

Tottenham have been touted as one of his worthy suitors, with news now emerging that Inter won’t face tax difficulties when attempting to sell the playmaker in January – potentially a huge boost to Daniel Levy and co.

The Telegraph originally reported that Eriksen looked set to be priced out of a comeback to England, with Italian tax breaks for foreign players making it nearly impossible for English clubs to match his current salary.

However, as per this update by Calcio e Finanza, Inter have set aside £10.7 million in the ‘June 30 2020 budget’ – and part of it could be used to pay inland revenue fees which result from selling players who are benefitting from the growth decree.

Transfer Tavern breakdown

The decree allows players to take an income tax reduction on the condition that they stay in Italy for 24 months – which Eriksen wouldn’t stand to benefit from if he departed in January – potentially costing the Serie A giants a huge amount in wages for the player.

Because the Serie A side have that money in place already, the potential repayments seem taken care of – gifting Spurs a boost as they reportedly contemplate re-signing him.

Inter’s stroke of fortune could hugely benefit Tottenham as they allegedly no longer face this financial obstacle, but it remains to be seen whether the club do take full advantage of this in January.

In other news: Tottenham claims have emerged on this ‘phenomenal’ youngster, find out more here.

Southampton centre-back Jannik Vestergaard has established himself as a key player in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season and following Martin Keown’s comments on the Danish international, the Saints should prioritise tying him down to a new deal.

The pundit was full of praise for the former Borussia Monchengladbach man on talkSPORT recently, following his impressive start to the season, saying:

I’ve not seen a better central defender this season and I thought maybe that might be a player Jurgen Klopp might go after.”

“He reminds me of Van Dijk. If you look at the way they ping balls, the way he threads balls into midfield, he’s a big man. Of course, Southampton won’t want to let him go.”

Before picking up his injury, Vestergaard has been a mainstay in Southampton’s side this season, making 13 appearances in the top-flight and averaging a superb 7.27 rating, which is enough to rank him as their second-best performer in the Premier League.

The 28-year-old’s contract with the South Coast club is set to expire at the end of next season, so the Saints will surely be keen to ensure that he signs a new deal, otherwise, they potentially risk losing him for nothing in 2022.

It seemed impossible just six months ago, when Vestergaard was largely out of favour because of the flourishing partnership between Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens, that the giant centre-back would become so important to this Southampton team but he is well on track to surpass his number of performances from last season.

However, since Stephens has come in for the Dane at centre-back, Southampton have not conceded a goal, so if the Englishman continues to impress, Vestergaard may struggle to get back into the first-team.

Still, the 28-year-old has proven himself to be an important player in this Southampton team and they must therefore consider offering him a new deal in the near future, perhaps even ahead of the likes of Danny Ings, who the club have seemingly been in negotiations with over a new deal for some time now.

And, in other news… Southampton can unearth their next JWP in academy sensation once linked to Barca 

Neil Lennon has breathed a sigh of relief after Celtic banked a 4-1 win over Motherwell in the Premiership this afternoon. The Hoops kept the pressure on league leaders Rangers and still have another all-important game in-hand to play.

Celtic’s star of the show was undeniably Mohamed Elyounoussi, who has apologised for his recent Europa League stunt with true class. The Southampton loanee bagged himself a hat-trick in a huge gesture which has not only restored his status, but gotten the Bhoys back on track.

However, not all of Lennon’s players put in an impressive performance. Despite the comfortable 4-1 scoreline, Diego Laxalt dropped a rather out-of-character poor display.

Diego Laxalt vs Motherwell

The left-back has put in some solid performances since he joined the Bhoys on loan, attracting praise from the likes of Chris Sutton who says the club has been “crying out for” a player like him for weeks.

However, today was not a good day at the office for Laxalt. According to Sofascore, the Uruguay international lost 66% of his attempted duels and was dribbled past on two occasions. He also lost the ball four times and committed two fouls. As a player who is usually eagle-eyed in attack, Laxalt additionally failed to make any successful crosses or long balls, despite attempting seven in total.

The 27-year-old’s performance will be far from a worry for Lennon, who will be pleased to be back on the bike and pedalling away. There’s a long road still to come as Celtic keep pushing to catch Rangers. One thing the manager must do however, is to ensure his squad are performing at the best of their abilities. The Hoops have lost too many matches so far to trust that performances like this won’t happen again.

Lennon must keep cracking the whip and not let individual displays slip.

In other news, Ralph Hasenhuttl will be furious with Mohamed Elyounoussi’s recent Celtic stunt…

Fulham travel to Leicester City on Monday night hoping to pick up their first three away points of the season and although he has now served his suspension, Scott Parker must omit Aboubakar Kamara from his squad.

The French striker was sent off in Fulham’s 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace earlier this season but is available for selection against the Foxes on Monday.

However, Parker must send a message to the attacker by omitting him from his squad for the Premier League fixture, as he has proved he is unreliable on too many occasions now.

Since joining from Amiens SC in 2017, the 25-year-old has made 86 appearances for the Cottagers, in which he has contributed 17 goals and six assists (per Transfermarkt).

He has been sent off four times in his career, with two of those coming at Fulham, which is a poor disciplinary record for someone who really shouldn’t be making too many tackles as an attacker.

In January of last year, the forward was arrested after an incident at Motspur Park, after he travelled to the training ground hoping to discuss his future with the club after he was dropped to the U23s (per The Guardian).

The forward was also criticised by former manager Claudio Ranieri in 2018 after he stopped designated penalty taker Aleksandar Mitrovic from taking a penalty in the 1-0 win against Huddersfield Town, which he then missed (per BBC Sport).

Ranieri suggested that:

“I said to Aboubakar Kamara to leave the ball to Aleksandar Mitrovic, he is the man who shoots the penalties. It is unbelievable, he did not respect me, the club, the team and crowd. I spoke with him, it is not right.

“I wanted to kill him, that is normal when one man takes a ball, only because he scored the last penalty (against Manchester United). It should be Mitrovic. That is it.” (per Evening Standard)

Therefore, Kamara has clearly caused a lot of trouble at Fulham in recent seasons and considering he has contributed no goals in five Premier League appearances this season, averaging a shocking 5.77 rating (per WhoScored), Parker should omit him from Monday’s squad and consider selling him permanently in January.

And, in other news… Parker can exploit Leicester weakness by unleashing “top-class” beast on Monday

West Ham United must make a late U-turn and submit a transfer offer for Blackburn Rovers forward Adam Armstrong, who Hammers chiefs reportedly admire.

What’s the word?

According to Irons insider ExWHUemployee, Armstrong is a player thought of highly by club chiefs at the London Stadium but an offer is not expected ahead of the EFL transfer window closing on Friday.

West Ham currently have a striker group consisting of Michail Antonio and Sebastien Haller, with boss David Moyes thus far favouring the former to start each Premier League game this term and the latter in the Carabao Cup.

Armstrong, nicknamed the ‘Angel of the North’, was Blackburn’s top-scorer last season with 17 goals across all competitions and has started the 2020/21 campaign strongly with six in six games.

The West Denton-born centre-forward opened his tally for the term with a strike against the recently-relegated AFC Bournemouth, before bagging a hat-trick at home to Wycombe Wanderers.

Armstrong joined Blackburn from Newcastle United’s academy side in 2018 for what Rovers boss Tony Mowbray described as a “bargain” £1.75million (Chronicle), and would set any interested party back an eight-figure fee after Premier League interest earlier in the year.

He left St. James’ Park having played just 565 minutes in the Toon first-team, but has impressed Magpies boss Steve Bruce with how he’s taken his game to another level since leaving Tyneside.

“He’s a great finisher the kid, great with both feet, he can finish,” Bruce said ahead of facing Blackburn in the Carabao Cup last month, via quotes by the Chronicle.

“We have the situation now where sometimes you have to leave the club to progress in your career. That happens up and down the country. What you want is to see people go and have a career and to be fair Adam Armstrong is one.”

GSB must pull a U-turn

With Moyes currently able to call on just two recognised senior strikers, David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady would be wise to pull a late U-turn and approach Blackburn over talks to lure Armstrong to the London Stadium.

The 23-year-old has proven to be a machine in front of the net since his move to Blackburn Rovers, and currently boasts a goal every 72 minutes in the Championship this season after turning home five in four games. He also averages 4.3 shots and plays 0.8 key balls a match, while making one successful dribble, wins 2.5 ground duels and earns one foul, per SofaScore.

His average 35.5 touches per game are also spread out across the opponent’s half, showing how Armstrong could become a versatile member of the Irons offence if signed before the window closes on Friday.

If not, GSB risk Moyes persisting with a limited offence if Antonio or Haller are forced to sit out any fixtures, with Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals the only others to have fired home in a Premier League game this term.

AND in other news, West Ham can sign a “gifted” long-term target before Friday’s deadline after a Premier League rival turned to alternative options.