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Albian Ajeti’s first-half display against Ross County has angered loads of Celtic fans. 

Celtic were looking to return to winning ways after falling to defeat away at arch-rivals Rangers prior to the international break.

Visitors Ross County, meanwhile, were aiming to pull off an upset in Glasgow and land their first victory of the 2021/22 season.

Ajeti led the line for Celtic, with Liel Abada to his right and new signing Jota to his left.

He’d only played seven Scottish Premiership minutes before this fixture, having come on as a substitute in the 6-0 rout of St Mirren.

Ajeti had a chance to put Celtic in front midway through the half after being set through on goal, but he could only direct his shot straight at the goalkeeper.

The Swiss striker actually recorded fewer touches than Hoops ‘keeper Joe Hart and his SofaScore rating of 6.4 is the second-lowest in the team after the opening 45 minutes.

Here’s what fans had to say.

These Celtic fans rip into Ajeti

“Ajeti needs to do better in every aspect of his game.. offering nothing at the moment”

Credit: @steo_kelly89

“We are missing Kyogo’s movement big time… Ajeti like a statue”

Credit: @grimbobaggins1

“Ajeti positioning is criminal at times”

Credit: @dalehayward1

“Be nice if Ajeti tried a leg today”

Credit: @michaelmcp

“Long way to go but Ajeti just offers absolutely nothing when we want to play like this. So static.”

Credit: @CalMcl

“Ajeti couldn’t finish his tea”

Credit: @o_sneddon

In other news, Chris Sutton has floated this intriguing CEO idea.

Sunderland have been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of Ross Stewart ahead of their upcoming Carabao Cup clash.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Chronicle Live, who claim that the centre-forward looks set to be left out for the Black Cats’ trip to Wigan Athletic on Tuesday evening, as the 25-year-old picked up an ankle injury in the club’s 2-2 draw with Fleetwood Town on Saturday.

However, the report also went on to state that Tom Flanagan is once again available after serving his one-match suspension, while youngsters Niall Huggins, Frederik Alves, and Nathan Broadhead could all come into Lee Johnson’s starting XI.

Johnson will be gutted

While the Carabao Cup is not likely to be a competition overly high on Johnson’s list of priorities in a season in which Sunderland are hoping to mount a push for automatic promotion in League One, the absence of Stewart will nevertheless have left the 40-year-old manager gutted.

Having played second-fiddle to Charlie Wyke following his move from Ross County to Wearside back in January, Stewart has highly impressed in place of the now-departed 30-year-old centre-forward – who, rather ironically, now plays for Tuesday’s opponents – so far this season.

Indeed, over his seven League One appearances this term, the £450k-rated man has scored five goals, as well as taking an average of three shots and making 1.3 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the Scot earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.36, ranking him as Sunderland’s best performer in the third tier of English football.

As such, while the competition may not be of utmost importance to Johnson, the absence of Stewart will nevertheless come as a blow to the 40-year-old, as a win against the only side currently above Sunderland in the League One table would certainly be a major confidence boost for the Black Cats.

In other news: Sunderland enter into fresh talks with £4.3k-p/w “nightmare”, fans will be buzzing

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle’s interest in Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale.

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet Sport, the Magpies are eyeing the Welsh international as one of a number of signings they are planning for the summer of 2022, with Keylor Navas, Mauro Icardi and Dele Alli also mentioned.

The report claimed that Real Madrid have no intention of offering the 32-year-old a contract extension, which means that Bale will be a free agent at the end of the season.

Get it done

PIF must seal a deal for Bale in January on a pre-contract agreement as he could be a terrific signing for Newcastle and he would not cost a penny in transfer fees. Taking his wages out of the equation for a moment, he would be a bargain addition for the Magpies and give the squad a huge boost both in terms of his profile and ability on the pitch.

Bale has enjoyed an enviable career with Real Madrid, winning four Champions League titles with the Spanish giants. He has scored 106 goals and provided 68 assists in 254 games for the club, including three goals in Champions League finals – a tally only Cristiano Ronaldo has bettered in the history of the competition.

Former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane hailed the £16.2m-rated forward as “spectacular” before the winger signed on loan for Tottenham last year. He said: “For now, Bale is one of our players. The matter still has to be finalised. We’re not going to talk about things that don’t make sense. Bale has been spectacular.”

You may read these statistics and achievements and wonder what he offers in the present day. Well, his form for Tottenham on loan in the 2020/21 campaign shows that he still has the Midas touch in front of goal as he plundered 14 goals and three assists in 17 starts across the Premier League and Europa League. 54 Premier League goals in total is also a mightily eye-catching statistic for supporters to enjoy.

He averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.30 for Spurs in the top flight last term, creating 1.1 chances per game to go along with his 11 goals. This shows that he would bring quality to the Newcastle squad, whilst his profile and reputation as a player could give the club’s image a boost and improve the mood amongst the squad as they see such a high-profile signing come through the door.

PIF must now ensure that they can convince him to make the switch at the end of the season, assuming that Real Madrid do not change their mind on his contract situation. It could be a terrific swoop by the Magpies and leave the Toon Army feeling excited ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

AND in other news, Deal offered: PIF making moves to seal first Newcastle transfer, fans must be buzzing…

Many West Ham United United fans have been angered on Twitter, after it was revealed by Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser that Kurt Zouma’s Hammers medical is taking place in Paris.

Enjoying a memorable 2020/21 campaign, the 26-year-old managed to net five goals in 36 appearances as he helped Chelsea to their historic UEFA Champions League triumph [Transfermarkt].

Now, he looks to be on his way to East London, and is currently undergoing a medical before being unveiled as the Irons’ latest signing.

However, one of the finer details of the health assessment has been overlooked, with the Frenchman undergoing medical tests in Paris as opposed to London [Evening Standard].

Zouma is believed to be in Paris for personal reasons, which would mean he would miss the Hammers’ next league fixture against Crystal Palace due to quarantine guidelines.

In light of this news, no wonder loads of West Ham United diehards took to social media to question these developments.

WHUFC fans react:

Replying to Rosser on Twitter, here is what some West Ham supporters had to say about the situation, as one fan called the update ‘concerning’:

 “Why is he in Paris?”

Credit: @WestHam_Way”Why in Paris. He was in Chelsea squad”Credit: @Icevain7 “In Paris lol”Credit: @JamieWHU__”What kind of event is a player who should be in London medical in Paris? ?? ?? Please let me know.”Credit: @whu_sou_”Just get it done already, the amount of times he’s been “set for a medical” is getting concerning #WHU”Credit: @CornB_NY”I guess he’ll just stay there for the international break anyways.”Credit: @PatrickWHUFCIn other news, West Ham United fans react to the EFL Cup draw. Find out more here.

Some Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as it was confirmed that Jordan Jones has left the club.

As per the official website of the Ibrox faithful, the winger has joined Wigan Athletic on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.

Jones was sent out on loan to Sunderland in the 2020/21 season, and so was clearly not part of Steven Gerrard’s plans.

It has not quite worked out for the Englishman with the Gers, scoring just one goal and making two assists in 19 games in total over all competitions across the last two campaigns (Transfermarkt).

Thus, it was a wise idea for them to let Jones go permanently, and they can use the money recouped from his sale to reinvest back into the squad.

Rangers fans on Jones exit

These RFC supporters buzzed as the news of Jones’ exit was confirmed by the club on their Twitter page, with one claiming that it was ‘good news’:

“Yesss wasted his chance”

Credit: @scottrm93

“Thank Christ for that”

Credit: @dippiecookie

“ANNOUNCE MORE GOOD NEWS”

Credit: @croft1972

“THANK GOD”

Credit: @Hagis_Left_boot

“Excellent work by Ross Wilson.”

Credit: @glasgowsportsfa

“Excellent news”

Credit: @AzzurroWolf

In other news, find out which Gers signing one pundit has been left impressed by here!

Joe Wainman, presenter of the Leeds United-based JustJoe Football Show, insists that the club’s fans would have happily sold Kalvin Phillips when Marcelo Bielsa was first appointed as manager.

Bielsa was brought into the club in 2018 and has guided the club from the Championship into the Premier League, while keeping them there last season.

Under his management, Phillips has become one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe, emerging as a key player for both club and country.

Indeed, Phillips was central to England’s run to the Euro 2020 final, as he forged a superb understanding with fellow midfielder Declan Rice.

And Wainman believes that much of his improvement is down to Bielsa’s management, while he has also drawn attention to the development of Ben White after he moved to Arsenal for £50 million.

Indeed, White spent the 2019/20 season on loan at Elland Road as the club were promoted, and Wainman has hailed Bielsa’s impact on the pair.

He said: “What he’s done with players like Ben White, let’s not forget that Ben White was on loan at Peterborough and now he’s going to Arsenal for £50 million.

“Kalvin Phillips, a lot of Leeds fans would have sold him and wouldn’t have minded if he’d have moved on when Bielsa first came in, and now he’s playing for England and is one of the best players in his position in world football, for me.”

An update has emerged on free agent forward Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, regarding Sheffield Wednesday’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Sheffield Star, Sheffield Wednesday are considering a deal to sign free agent winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing this month.

The report claims that Darren Moore is eyeing more additions to his squad before the end of the window and Mendez-Laing is someone under consideration.

Nightmare

Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri must avoid a nightmare situation by swerving a deal for Mendez-Laing in the coming days.

Wednesday have had a sublime start to the season and are currently top of the table after four games, with three wins and one draw. There is no need for the club to take any risks in regards to new additions as they could end up ruining what Moore is trying to achieve on and off the pitch.

Mendez-Laing left Cardiff and later admitted to the use of cocaine in a non-sporting setting and was handed a three-month ban in July 2020. The forward released a statement earlier this year admitting that he has overcome personal hurdles and is now working hard to return to playing. He told BBC Sport:

“With the help of my family, close friends, my agent, and the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) during this extremely difficult time, I have been able to overcome my personal hurdles, to focus, and invest my time in working hard, determined to return to football.

“I appreciate all the support I have been given throughout. I now want to leave that period of my life in the past where it belongs.”

Whilst it is fantastic to read that Mendez-Laing is trying to get his life back on track, Wednesday are not in a position where they should be taking a risk on him. He may not be the right type of character, given his personal struggles, that thee Owls need in the dressing room as they will need all the positivity they can muster to launch a promotion push to return to the Championship at the first time of asking.

The 29-year-old joined Middlesbrough last season and scored once in nine appearances before being let go in the summer. This suggests that Neil Warnock did not see enough from him in training to warrant keeping him around on Teeside, which is another reason why Wednesday should be avoiding him. He is out of match practice and out of form due to his absence from the game and there is no need for the club to take a gamble on such a player in their situation.

AND in other news,  Chansiri must splash cash on “first-class” beast, he could be SWFC’s match-winner…

Former Premier League star Carlton Palmer believes that Manchester United could do with signing another striker.

The Red Devils completed the signing of Jadon Sancho on Friday in a deal worth £73m, according to BBC Sport.

Mundo Deportivo have reported that United dream of Sancho’s former teammate Erling Haaland and could include Anthony Martial as part of a deal in their pursuit of the Norwegian striker.

United are interested in Raphael Varane as well this summer, with journalist Fabrizio Romano saying an official bid will be submitted from United to Real Madrid in the coming days. With this in mind, it remains to be seen if the Red Devils will go all out and add another attacker to their ranks in this transfer window.

Chelsea are also interested in Haaland according to 90min, but if no club can prise him away from Signal Iduna Park this summer, then there will be a fight for him next as he will be available for closer to £65m then.

Palmer believes United have got a squad to challenge for the Premier League title but could do with another striker, telling Football FanCast: “They’re going to be there or thereabouts. I think they could do with another striker, but they still believe in Martial who started to show glimpses last season of what he’s about. You know, like I said, they’ve got a very exciting squad.”

United have an abundance of attacking talent and striker Edinson Cavani recently extended his stay in Manchester for a further year, signing a new contract at Old Trafford until 2022. The Uruguayan scored 15 goals for the Red Devils last season, helping United to a second place Premier League finish and a Europa League final.

Leeds United have been heavily linked with a move for PSV winger Noni Madueke recently and if he were to join Marcelo Bielsa’s side this summer, it may well lead to Raphinha’s departure from Elland Road.

According to the Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser, Leeds have enquired about the English youngster’s availability, with Crystal Palace and Borussia Dortmund also said to be interested.

The 19-year-old has established himself as a regular with the Eredivisie side since leaving Spurs’ academy in 2018, making 36 appearances for the first team, contributing an impressive nine goals and eight assists.

Last season saw the teenage wonderkid contribute seven goals and four assists in just 24 Eredivisie appearances, of which just seven were starts, so it seems clear that he has a huge amount of potential and could be a good fit at Leeds United for the long-term future, so Victor Orta should definitely do all he can to bring him in.

Former England U’21 boss Aidy Boothroyd certainly seems to rate Madueke highly, as he said:

“He’s certainly a very talented young man, really excited to be called up by the Under 21s, and a little bit like Phil (Foden) last time, nobody had really heard of him until he came and played in the tournament.”

If the £14.4m-rated winger were to make the move to Elland Road, it is unlikely that he would come cheap, as he is contracted at PSV until 2024, so we may well see some of Leeds’ first-team players leave in order to fund a move for the England U21 international.

One of those players could be fellow winger Raphinha, who has reportedly attracted the interest of Premier League giants Manchester City and Liverpool following his sublime first season in the top-flight with Bielsa’s side.

The Brazilian was rated as the best performer in Leeds’ squad last season, as he averaged a superb 7.22/10 rating from WhoScored for his performances, contributing six goals and nine assists in 30 appearances in the top-flight.

Whilst it would be a huge blow to see the former Rennes man leave, Jack Harrison has already joined on a permanent deal and the potential signing of Madueke would lead to a surplus of wingers in Bielsa’s squad, and given the interest being shown in him, the Englishman’s arrival could well be the catalyst for Raphinha leaving Elland Road.

And, in other news… Pundit prediction on “sensational” Leeds ace will surely leave LUFC fans buzzing

Queens Park Rangers are set to seal a deal to bring Moses Odubajo to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by West London Sport, who claim that the recently released Sheffield Wednesday right-back is currently in training with QPR, ahead of potentially sealing a move to the club this summer.

It is claimed that Mark Warburton will make a move to sign the 27-year-old as Todd Kane’s replacement, as long as the former England U20 international can prove his fitness in pre-season training.

Finally, it is reported that one of the primary reasons QPR view Odubajo as a useful addition is because of the fact he can also operate on the left-hand side of the backline.

Fans should be worried

While Odubajo is a player that Warburton will know extremely well, with the defender having featured 49 times for the 58-year-old at Brentford, there are a number of reasons as to why his potential signings should worry QPR fans.

Firstly, as mentioned earlier, the right-back has had a number of injury problems in recent seasons, having suffered a “serious hamstring tear” with Wednesday earlier this year, as well as having been sidelined for a whopping 798 days between June 2016 and September 2018 with a knee injury.

Secondly, when the right-back has fit enough to feature in games, he has not exactly demonstrated fantastic form, earning an average SofaScore match rating of 6.66 over his 18 Championship appearances for Wednesday last season – ranking him as the club’s joint 11th-worst performer in the second tier – as well as a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.45 in 2019/20 and 6.65 in 2018/19.

Finally, with the man Steve Bruce dubbed a “terrific” player earning a considerable £7.5k-per-week at Sheffield Wednesday, if the defender demands a similar wage upon signing for QPR, it would be a rather hefty salary to pay for a player who is by no means guaranteed to feature on a regular basis for the club.

As such, it would very much appear as if there would be better options for the Rs to pursue in their hunt for a right-back this summer, with signing the rather unreliable Odubajo potentially being a big mistake on the part of the QPR boss.

In other news: Fresh QPR transfer update emerges on “unbelievable” £8k-p/w gem, fans surely buzzing