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Celtic look ahead to their fixture against Aberdeen this afternoon in their bid to finish their season on a positive. They have slumped their way through this campaign due to their on and off form and Rangers’ unstoppable Premiership streak. They will ultimately lose out to their desired tenth consecutive league title, as their Glasgow neighbours lead them by a mammoth 18 points.

Celtic’s last fixture in the league was against Ross County, which ended in a disappointing 1-0 loss. The defeat stopped their run of five wins, in which they managed to score an impressive 13 goals and conceded just two. However, the squad’s frailties have snuck up on them again and it’s now back to trying to redeem their form once again.

Football FanCast has predicted how interim manager John Kennedy will line up in his first match in charge of the Hoops…

Although Neil Lennon is no longer at the club, it’s unlikely Kennedy will stray far from the Irishman’s usual set up. With just three fixtures left, the Celtic camp will want to hurriedly draw a line in the sand on this season and look ahead to the next.

With Greg Taylor injured, it paves the way for a return to the squad for Diego Laxalt. The AC Milan loanee hasn’t started a match since January, in Celtic’s 0-0 draw against Livingston. But with the new favourite Taylor out of action, this is a good chance for Laxalt to prove himself and push to make his £22,000 per week contract permanent at Parkhead.

In the midfield, the likes of David Turnbull should remain untouched. He has contributed seven goals and five assists in the Premiership, showing off his ability to pull the strings in the engine room. He’ll likely be joined by captain-to-be Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie, with Ismaila Soro replacing Scott Brown in a deeper role.

Odsonne Edouard will be hoping to find the back of the net against Aberdeen after being kept quiet vs Ross County. Kennedy could opt to give Mohamed Elyounoussi another chance to shine after he slipped down the pecking order under Lennon. The two have operated in a striker partnership together before now and it ended with the Southampton man bagging himself a goal against Livingston. This could be a route that is revisited in order to end this turbulent season on somewhat of a high.

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

Lucas Moura has found himself on the fringes of Tottenham Hotspur’s first-team squad at times this season, perhaps due to the competition for places on the wing in Jose Mourinho’s side.

The former PSG man has also struggled for form; having averaged a disappointing 6.34 rating across his 17 appearances in the top-flight, although 12 of those appearances have come from the bench, with Mourinho often preferring Steven Bergwijn on the right-hand side.

However, the Brazilian showed in his performance against West Brom that he can still be an influential player with the North London club, as he earned a solid 6.9 rating from SofaScore for his display against the Baggies, contributing his first assist of the Premier League season by playing in Heung-Min Son for Spurs’ second goal of the afternoon.

The 28-year-old was deployed as an attacking-midfielder by Mourinho and he looked far more dangerous in his new position, as it allowed him to pick up the ball in central areas and run at the Baggies defence, which led to Son’s goal in the second half.

Moura would also play two key passes during the game against Sam Allardyce’s side, which is a serious improvement on his season average of just 0.2 key passes per game in the Premier League.

The Brazilian took the fight to the Baggies constantly, trying to inject that extra little bit of speed from central areas, with West Brom having to foul him four times – more than any other Spurs player.

And despite the rough treatment, Lucas just got up and dusted himself off, winning seven of his 13 duels, which again was the most of any player in a white shirt.

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While Moura has done well in the Europa League so far this season (he scored three and made one in the group stages), his performances in the Premier League have been far too inconsistent, and according to WhoScored, his 7.17 rating against the Baggies was his second-best in the top-flight this season, with only his goal-scoring performance against Newcastle earlier on in the season rated higher.

Spurs have been far too reliant on Harry Kane and Son to create chances in their side at times this season, so deploying Moura as an attacking midfielder, where he can get more involved, could prove to be a game-changer for Mourinho, with the Portuguese manager under pressure after a poor run of recent form.

Other than Kane and Son, no Spurs player has averaged more than one key pass per game in the Premier League this season, which emphasises that Moura was influential against West Brom last weekend, and this new position could be the key to unlocking the 28-year-old, who has never really consistently contributed goals and assists in this Tottenham side.

It will be interesting to see if Moura, who earns £80k per week at Tottenham, continues to feature in this new position in Spurs’ upcoming fixtures. If Mourinho sticks with this little tactical tweak for the Brazilian, it could prove to be a real game-changer as the north London side find another dangerous outlet outside of the familiar double act of Son and Kane.

And, in other news… “It’s pointless” – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on Dele Alli’s Spurs future

With the games coming thick and fast in the Premier League now for Aston Villa, Dean Smith will undoubtedly be looking for ways to keep things fresh for his side.

Wednesday night’s clash against West Ham in the Premier League will be Villa’s third game in the space of a week, and that will take its toll, both physically and mentally on the players.

One man who Smith should start tonight to try and inject that extra bit of energy is Anwar El Ghazi.

The Dutchman has found himself out of the side in recent weeks, with summer signing Bertrand Traore getting a consistent run of games in the starting eleven after being slowed ease into the Premier League by Smith.

But whenever El Ghazi has had a run of games himself, he’s impressed no end. He had a prolific spell in December when he went on goal-scoring spree, bagging five goals in the space of five league games.

And, speaking after his goal against Crystal Palace during that run, former Premier League ace Michael Brown said: “Dean Smith told me his training in how he executes those finishes is there for all to see. Craig Shakespeare then backed him straight up when I ran into him later, he just said ‘what a technician he is.’

“He’s practising in training, he has a bad week against Burnley: eight shots, great chances, can’t put one away. Then he scores against West Brom, then goes and puts one in the top bins like he did last night… Magnificent is the word we’re all looking for.”

The £7.2m-rated El Ghazi could come into the side tonight and bring some fresh legs, and ensure Villa don’t get burnout. The Dutchman is the club’s third top-scorer this season, behind only Ollie Watkins and Jack Grealish, and his underlying stats make for impressive reading.

He ranks fourth in the entire squad for shots per game, and second in dribbles, with only Jack Grealish above of him in that respect, and is a real testament to how he’s always tried to make things happen whenever he’s been afforded the chance to play.

Traore hasn’t come close to matching El Ghazi’s end product just yet, and he should be making way for the 25-year-old against the Hammers. He could well be the man to turn things in Villa’s favour when David Moyes’ side come to visit.

Dermot Desmond could spark real change at Celtic by firing head of football operations Nick Hammond, and not just sacking Neil Lennon.

What’s the story?

The Hoops have endured a terrible season in the Scottish Premiership thus far, with their hopes of an incredible ten-in-a-row title triumph lying in tatters.

That has seen reports in recent days suggest that Desmond is planning a major overhaul of the club, with intense pressure on manager Lennon, and backroom figures like Hammond and chief executive Peter Lawwell.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Scotland manager, Alex McLeish, said: “I have seen a lot of text messages saying things like that and I wondered if it was fake news, whether Dermot had said anything of the kind.

“Everybody’s under pressure, with the Celtic results and the expectations of Celtic, they’re all under pressure, no doubt. If you don’t get the results, then you don’t win games, and you end up, you don’t have a job.”

Desmond must fire Hammond

With reports saying that Hammond’s job is under “major threat” at Celtic Park, it’s no surprise to see why. As the club’s recruitment chief, much of the Hoops’ transfer business all ends up at his door, and he needs to bear huge responsibility for the way some of Celtic’s signings have panned out.

Big-money recruits like Albian Ajeti haven’t worked out – he hasn’t completed the full 90 minutes once in the Scottish Premiership this season – whilst even loan signings like Shane Duffy, continue to disappoint week-in and week-out.

Then there’s his lack of forward planning and mismanagement of players like Odsonne Edouard and Olivier Ntcham. The French duo have both been linked with exits for some time now, and yet rather than cash in on them earlier and bring in a decent chunk of money, they’re now slashing some of their most talented players’ prices.

Sacking Lennon may just end up being a temporary fix, with another manager coming and the same old tired backroom set-up still in place. Getting rid of Hammond and hitting the reset button fully could hold the key to sparking real change at Celtic sooner rather than later.

The Aston Villa train just doesn’t look like it’s coming to a halt anytime soon.

Dean Smith’s side have been the undisputed surprise packages of the new Premier League season, flying high with some big victories away against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal already.

They kept up their recent hot streak with a superb 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, made all the more impressive given the fact Tyrone Mings got himself sent off late on in the first-half.

Such is the hectic nature of the Christmas schedule, Villa find themselves playing again within the space of two days, travelling to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea.

Smith is likely to ring the changes to try and keep things fresh and ensure his players don’t pick up any unnecessary injuries, and with that in mind, below is a look at just how Villa might line up for the clash.

In goal, Emiliano Martinez kept yet another clean sheet, and his performances may even take another step up given the fact Tom Heaton finally returned to the first-team squad following a lengthy injury.

With Mings of course suspended, Smith will no doubt bring Ezri Konsa back into the fold, and he is likely to partner Kortney Hause in the centre of defence, with regulars Matty Cash and Matt Targett either side of them.

In midfield, Douglas Luiz might finally get a rest given the amount of football he has played this season for both club and country, and Marvelous Nakamba is on standby to play.

Further ahead, Jacob Ramsey has seen some first-team action already this season, and could be given the chance to start again in that number ten role, with Jack Grealish on the left and Bertrand Traore on the right – the in-form Anwar El Ghazi may be seen as a weapon to use off the bench against Chelsea to try and keep things fresh for Villa.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Hause, Targett; Nakamba, McGinn; Traore, Ramsey, Grealish, Watkins.

Newly-appointed Sheffield Wednesday boss Tony Pulis is heading for his first masterstroke in charge of the Owls, if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mirror, the Yorkshire giants have offered talismanic captain Barry Bannan a two-year contract extension ahead of his current deal expring in the summer.

However, it is claimed that the 31-year-old favourite will only accept if the Owls are active and show ambition during in the upcoming January transfer window.

The Wednesday skipper is currently thought to be on around £24k-per-week at Hillsborough, which puts him quite rightly among their highest earners.

First Pulis masterclass

So far, Pulis’ reign in Sheffield hasn’t gone to plan as he’s yet to win a single game since taking over from Garry Monk – three draws, three losses.

And having scored just three goals in those six matches, the void left behind by 13-goal top scorer Steven Fletcher has become ever so much more apparant.

Although tying Bannan down to a long-term extension will be the 62-year-old’s first wise decision in charge of the Owls.

Bannan has emerged as the most influential member in the squad, tying first for goals scored – even from midfield – with two from 17 starts. The Scotsman is also averaging the most key passes (1.4) too.

Without him, the Owls midfield would practically be non-existent.

Ex-manager Steve Bruce was a massive fan of his during his short spell at Hillsborough, he said: “Barry is a very good footballer and going forward, you always want your good players. He’s been here a few years and made himself a crowd favourite and to be a favourite at a big club like this you must have ability and he’s got it in abundance.”

Whilst the veteran playmaker even drew praise from Pep Guardiola last season after the City chief labelled Bannan an “incredible player” and a “fantastic footballer” after their meeting in the FA Cup.

It’s now fully on Dejphon Chansiri to deliver the goods next month, failure to do so would be rather dangerous as Owls need their captain more than anything in 2021.

AND in other news, Chansiri could solve Pulis nightmare with swoop for £7.2m-rated dangerman… 

David Moyes can afford to lose rumoured Sporting Kansas City target Winston Reid without impacting West Ham United one iota.

What’s the word?

According to MLSsoccer.com, SKC are open to a permanent move for Reid should the New Zealand international and Major League Soccer outfit agree to there being a mutual benefit in remaining together following his year on loan at the Children’s Mercy Park.

Sporting Kansas took a punt on Reid approaching the end of the 2020 winter market after the defender’s relentless onslaught of injuries left the 32-year-old out of action for two calendar years.

Reid is expected to be greeted with a multitude of potential suitors back in England come the New Year once his temporary spell in America is over, having helped SKC to reach the MLS Play-Offs as a frequent member of Peter Vermes’ plans with eight starts in 10 regular-season appearances.

The 25-cap international has re-established himself in the game, too, after shrugging off the early cobwebs to offer Vermes encouraging signs that he can make an impact when needed.

Reid will have two-years remaining on his £70,000-per-week West Ham contract once his Sporting Kansas loan expires, but is unlikely to be afforded a role at the London Stadium having quit the Premier League as David Moyes’ arrival altered the promising picture he anticipated under Manuel Pellegrini.

“I was on the schedule to play games under the previous manager, but then he got fired [and] everything changed,” Reid told The Athletic. “But that’s part of football – sorry, soccer – and I’ve been in football long enough, so I understand the mechanisms.

“And it’s totally fine. West Ham has to do what’s best for the club and I have to do what’s best for me, and I feel really good about this opportunity.”

Sporting Kansas hold an option to turn Reid’s loan spell into a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.

Set him free

Should Reid and SKC agree that there would be mutual benefit to remaining with one another following his loan spell, West Ham must not stand in the 32-year-old’s way and allow the centre-half to secure a transfer as his future is far from the London Stadium.

Injuries have seen Reid’s importance to the Hammers dissipate with his last outing in claret and blue coming during the 2017/18 campaign, when he was stretchered off during a relegation tussle with Swansea City after his right knee buckled under his own weight early in the first-half.

Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena then arrived in east London that summer, while Moyes has seen the best from Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell in a five-man defence this term.

Reid is a defender of admirable talent and one who former England international Danny Mills insists can pull people together thanks to his commanding presence, but is certainly now one Moyes and West Ham can more than live without.

“Just a voice when things aren’t going quite perfect, a voice of authority, a commanding figure to say: ‘Right, we’re going to do this is what we’re doing, this is what I want you to do.’ It can make such a difference,” Mills told Football Insider.

“It’s not always about how good the player is, it’s the authority that he commands, the respect he has from everyone else and that organisational skill.”

AND in other news, GSB would be heading for disaster replacing a key David Moyes player with a “fantastic” prospect.

After starting off the new Premier League campaign on fire with three goals in his opening three games, it’s fair to say it’s been a disappointing few days for Alexandre Lacazette.

First, the Frenchman produced an anonymous display against Rapid Vienna in the Europa League after taking the armband, finishing the game with a measly 6.4 match rating as per Sofascore.

And then, on Sunday night against Leicester City in the Premier League, 29-year-old produced yet another shocking display to leave Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta with a major conundrum on his hands.

With just eight goals scored in six league games, the Gunners are hardly firing on all cylinders, and when you’ve got a Golden Boot calibre striker in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being played from the left, it inevitably raises the spotlight on the man through the middle.

And against the Foxes, Lacazette showed why Arteta must surely drop him from the next top-flight fixture against Manchester United at the weekend.

As per Sofascore, in the 17 total duels that he contested, he won just five, whilst he also committed five fouls, many of them for making rash decisions when trying to win the ball back for his team.

If Arteta wanted him to hold the ball up for the rest of his teammates, then he failed to do so. He made just 12 successful passes in total, whilst he had just 32 touches overall.

And when he did get a chance to fire away on goal, he invariably disappointed. Whilst he was perhaps rather unlucky to see his header ruled out by VAR in the opening few minutes of the contest, Lacazette did miss the one big chance Arsenal created, failing to get his head on a delightful Kieran Tierney cross.

It proved to be costly as Leicester hit the Gunners on the break and snatched all three points. With Eddie Nketiah breathing down his neck, and Aubameyang able to play through the middle, Arteta has got to make a big decision on his misfiring Frenchman.

Liverpool fans will be considering themselves lucky that they haven’t been monumentally rocked by the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho so early on in the season. The Reds will be looking to retain their Premier League title and losing the Dutchman looked like it would have a detrimental effect on their reigning term.

But in a miraculous turn of both luck and good form, stand-in defenders Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams have done a superb job of keeping the ship afloat. Joe Gomez has arguably been one of Jurgen Klopp’s most important players during this time, stepping into the shoes of natural leader van Dijk.

Teenaged centre-back Williams has massively stepped up to the plate and is already shifting his attention to his future at Anfield.

Fighting talk from Rhys Williams

Following his performance against Atalanta in Liverpool’s midweek clash, the 19-year-old expressed his delight over making his debut Champions League appearance. He went on to thank Klopp for his recent flurry of opportunities and says he is determined to repay the manager’s faith.

“I want to become an irreplaceable piece of this side. It’s a great team with great players,” Williams said post-match (via Liverpool ECHO).

Such fighting talk despite only making his senior debut this season is something the manager simply cannot ignore. After Trent Alexander-Arnold’s astonishing success story, it’s inspired many other academy graduates to follow down a similar path.

Whilst this paints a vivid picture of what a workhorse Williams is, it could be bad news for Gomez moving forwards. Even with his hard graft these last couple of weeks, the nature of football is a cruel one and players get dropped to make room for new up and coming talents.

Should Williams prove to be an option that Klopp simply cannot ignore, there’s a big chance he could edge out the England international for his space alongside van Dijk in the future.

Alexander-Arnold himself has already been impressed by the 6 ft 5 powerhouse. Speaking to LFCTV GO, the full-back lauded his teammate’s ability to step up.

“We’ve got an amazing squad,” the Merseyside local said. “You’ve seen Rhys Williams stepping in and doing a world-class job, at a young age with such little experience. He’s got a bright future ahead.”

In other news, Liverpool given boost ahead of potential Ozan Kabak signing…

With Jose Mourinho into his first full season at Tottenham, the expectations of a potential first trophy in more than a decade for the club has surely risen.

The Portuguese man is a serial winner, and has won big titles everywhere he’s been, including lifting the Champions League twice. And with the likes of Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon arriving from Real Madrid recently, the north London side look closer than ever to ending that wait.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

And according to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Spurs’ transfer business in this window isn’t over, with Inter defender Milan Skriniar firmly in their sights.

The report has delivered an update on their pursuit of the centre-back, claiming that Monday could see the arrival of a concrete proposal from the Lilywhites.

It’s even suggested that personal terms have already been agreed with Skriniar, with Steve Hitchen leading the way in terms of negotiations.

Earning a reported £95k-a-week, Skriniar’s arrival could be the kind of signing that actually ends up overshadowing the signing of Bale.

After conceding 47 goals in the Premier League last season (the third-worst in the top ten), a new centre-back could do wonders for Mourinho’s side, especially given that they lost the experience and leadership of Jan Vertonghen earlier in the summer.

A new defender may be the one to take them to the next level.