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Pundit Paul Robinson has been reacting to Celtic’s January transfer plans, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Ange’s comments

The Hoops were extremely busy in the summer, bringing in 12 new additions while cashing in on five players.

However, attention has already turned to the January market, with Ange Postecoglou revealing earlier this month he ‘will definitely be adding’ to his squad over the coming months.

Postecoglou went on to add that the J1 League in Japan will be a market the club will explore following Kyogo Furuhashi’s £4.86m move in the summer.

The Latest: Robinson reacts

Robinson, who has featured regularly on Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider if the Hoops should expect another signing like Furuhashi in the New Year.

This is what he had to say in reply, labelling Postecoglou’s knowledge of the Japanese market as ‘incredible’ and describing winter window plans as ‘exciting’.

“Furuhashi has done outstandingly well since he has come in. If they dip into the Japanese market they will be looking for a player of similar ability.

“When you bring a manager like Postecoglou in you have to exploit the world market. Why would you not when he has an incredible knowledge of it.

“It will be the end of the J-League season there so the players will be fit. There will be no issues with them coming in and hitting the ground running.

“It is going to be an exciting window for Celtic because Postecoglou didn’t have much time in the last window to bring in the targets that he wanted. January will give him a real opportunity to add to what he has got.

“Why not tap into a market [Japan] that your manager knows well?”

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The Verdict: Exciting times…

Furuhashi has been Celtic’s standout performer this season, netting eight times in 11 appearances.

The 26-year-old has hit the ground running straight away in Glasgow, so hopefully, Postecoglou will have another few gems lined up to join Furuhashi.

Postecoglou described January as a ‘good time’ to look at the J1 League due to their end season.

If the Hoops can replicate Furuhashi’s transfer again, that could help them in their push to regain the Scottish Premiership.

In other news: BBC pundit thinks Celtic may have Kyogo ‘problem’ after what he’s seen. 

Jurgen Klopp is reportedly prepared to give 18-year-old winger Harvey Elliott a first-team break in 2021/22, potentially utilising him to fill any prospective void that would be left if Xherdan Shaqiri departs for Lyon [Daily Mail].

Staking his claim for senior involvement admirably on loan at Blackburn Rovers in 2020/21, the youngster registered 18 goal contributions in 41 Sky Bet Championship fixtures; seven goals and eleven assists [Transfermarkt].

Following on from these exploits, he could now be set to be given his long-awaited opportunity this campaign.

He is reportedly in contention for a starting place against Norwich City this weekend, whilst Klopp has been impressed by his progress at the Reds’ summer training camp [Daily Mail].

Should Shaqiri leave, Elliott would likely be his direct replacement, negating the need to dip into the transfer market to purchase an alternative.

In light of this news, loads of Liverpool diehards took to Twitter to call on their owners to invest in a new signing instead.

Liverpool FC fans react:

Replying to popular Liverpool fan outlet LFC Transfer Room on Twitter, here is what some supporters had to say about the situation:

“Fsg hate us, this is one hell of an inside job”

Credit: @oni_kzz”This is appalling.”Credit: @tomtayl60265946″I though Elliott was a replacement for Gini”Credit: @wearewinnin

“Can’t wait until next season when Salah leave and where told Kaide Gordon will be his replacement”

Credit: @LKingofeurope”Excuses already coming in even tho they said they would sign if we sold them”Credit: @LukeFC_FSGOUT”Clowns, don’t want to hear any complaints when we start falling apart next season”Credit: @SnowHalliburtonIn other news, Liverpool fans react to a transfer update.

Crystal Palace reporter Mark Wyatt has predicted that Patrick Vieira will drop Luka Milivojevic for the Premier League clash with Aston Villa today. 

The lowdown

Palace will welcome Steven Gerrard’s Villans to Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon and will seek a return to winning ways after twice surrendering leads in their 3-3 draw with Burnley last time out.

Eagles skipper Milivojevic missed the start of the campaign for personal reasons but has started five of Palace’s last seven matches. The ‘excellent’ 30-year-old, as dubbed by his former boss Roy Hodgson, ranks in Palace’s top eight earners with his £55,000-per-week pay cheque.

The latest

Football London journalist Wyatt reckons that Vieira will make two changes from the draw at Burnley.

The first would see Milivojevic dropped and Jeffrey Schlupp come into the midfield in his place.  Kouyate would duly drop back into the holding role. It’s said to be ‘unlikely’ that the manager turns to Will Hughes or Eberechi Eze from the off given that they have yet to feature in the Premier League this season.

The other alteration would see Jordan Ayew make way for Odsonne Edouard, who is ‘fit enough to start from the beginning’.

The verdict

The statistics suggest that Milivojevic actually had a strong game against Burnley last week, completing 94% of his passes, creating two chances and winning three of his four ground duels. That earned him a SofaScore rating of 7.0/10.

What those figures perhaps don’t reflect, though, is the porous nature of the Palace midfield. The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam wrote that the pairing of Kouyate and Milivojevic didn’t quite work at Turf Moor because it ‘ended up being too attacking’.

‘There wasn’t much midfield defensively’ according to Woosnam, and that’s why Vieira might be tempted to make the change, as Wyatt has suggested.

In other news, many Palace fans reacted to this important pre-Villa update

Steven Gerrard got his reign at Aston Villa off to the perfect start with a 2-0 win at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday afternoon.

The Villa Park faithful had to be patient, but great finishes from Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings in the 84th and 89th minutes respectively were ultimately enough to give the hosts all three points.

However, not every player enjoyed their best game in a Villa shirt, as The Transfer Tavern use statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who Villa’s three worst players (to have played at least 45 minutes or more) were on the day:

Emi Buendia (6.5)

Buendia takes third spot with a 6.5 overall rating given by SofaScore.

The former Norwich City star was hauled off after the 74th minute for Ashley Young with the score still at 0-0, summarising how little impact he had on the game.

He lost out on five of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on target, dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball, losing possession 11 times, the joint-fourth most out of any of his teammates.

Danny Ings (6.4)

Villa’s joint-worst player in terms of SofaScore rating (6.4), Ings takes second for only being on the pitch for 66 minutes in total.

The striker would have been disappointed not to get on the scoresheet – in fact, he did not have a shot on goal.

The 29-year-old also made no key passes or dribble attempts and lost out on six of his duels.

Jacob Ramsey (6.4)

Young Ramsey is perhaps unfortunate to be rated as the worst Villa player on the pitch, as SofaScore only gave him a 6.4 overall rating.

Taken off for Anwar El Ghazi just before both goals went in, Ramsey lost six duels and also failed to record a single shot.

The midfielder was unsuccessful in two of his dribbles and made no key passes, but will be sure to do better as he progresses under Gerrard’s management.

In other news: Villa have been backed to sign this ‘excellent’ striker

Tottenham Hotspur are still interested in Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic [The Telegraph].

The Lowdown: Tottenham Hotspur gear up for 2021/22

With 2021/22 fast approaching in north London, Spurs gaffer Nuno Espirito Santo will be looking to fine tune his squad in order to both challenge for a top-four place and get the side playing his style of football.

Already signalling his intent to supply the squad with quality additions, he has brought in Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini alongside Sevilla winger Bryan Gil [Transfermarkt].

Could the Lilywhites now be set for another transfer tussle following recent developments?

The Latest: Vlahovic also wanted by Liverpool

Seeking support for talisman Harry Kane in attack, Spurs are still eying a move for Serie A beast Vlahovic [The Telegraph], with whom they have been linked constantly this summer.

Southampton striker Danny Ings and Crotone forward Simy are also mentioned as possible targets.

Liverpool have also been known to be monitoring the 6 foot 3 Vlahovic in recent times [Liverpool Echo].

The Serbia international would seemingly represent a smart piece of business for any Premier League side hunting a physical front man with room to develop.

The Verdict: Vlahovic would be an excellent signing for Spurs

Renowned for his intelligent runs and finishing ability, the towering Serbian would add some unpredictability to the Spurs attack.

In 2020/21, he excelled for his current employers, registering 23 goal contributions in 40 appearances; 21 goals and two assists [Transfermarkt].

Wreaking havoc amongst opposition backlines, the 21-year-old managed to record 2.3 shots per 90 minutes across the campaign, showing his intent and fearlessness in front of goal [WhoScored].

Once labelled as ‘incredible’ by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, he could be a player who could have a significant impact for Tottenham should they secure his services [This is Futbol], and they should be pulling out all the stops to beat Jurgen Klopp and co to his signature.

In other news, an ex-Tottenham man has tipped the Lilywhites to sign a PL goalscorer.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Atalanta defender Cristian Romero ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato (as reported by The Mirror), Jurgen Klopp’s charges are making progress in their pursuit of the 23-year-old as the German manager looks to strengthen his defensive options.

The report claims that the Serie A outfit value Romero at around £43m following an impressive 2020/21 campaign, but they must first turn his loan move from Juventus into a permanent one.

Klopp needs him

Liverpool’s current centre-back options struggled with serious injury issues last season, significantly hindering their progress as youngsters Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams were forced to fill in on many occasions.

Klopp has already moved to address that issue, bringing in Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig for £34 million, although his suspect injury record means the former Borussia Dortmund boss may want to add further reinforcements – the Frenchman has suffered four significant injuries in the past two seasons alone, missing 45 games.

The Anfield outfit finished a whopping 17 points behind Premier League champions Manchester City in the recently concluded campaign, largely down to their leaky defence.

While the Citizens conceded just 32 goals in 38 games, Liverpool let in 42. Building a solid foundation is key to any success in football, and adding Romero would ensure Klopp can construct exactly that over the coming months.

The Argentina international played a pivotal part as Gian Piero Gasperini’s men finished third in the Italian top-flight, making 31 league appearances, scoring two goals and assisting a further three.

Despite his telling contribution in the attacking third, Romero was also crucial to Atalanta’s defensive solidity, making 2.2 clearances per league game, 3.1 interceptions and two tackles, placing him in the top two amongst his teammates for each metric.

His physical style, love for a tackle and ability in the air would make the South American an ideal centre-back in the Premier League, and the possibility of the 6 ft powerhouse lining up alongside Van Dijk is a daunting prospect for any top-flight striker.

The pair have the potential to form a formidable partnership at the heart of the defence, with Romero also excelling with the ball at his feet and building from the back – he averaged the sixth-most passes of any Atalanta player, and with the fourth-best accuracy of any player to have started more than one game.

With Liverpool aiming to regain their Premier League crown next season, Klopp needs an extra centre-back to avoid a repeat scenario that killed off their title tilt in 2020/21, and bringing Romero would be a significant coup.

And, in other news…Gini 2.0: Liverpool must revisit swoop for 19 y/o prodigy, he’s a “complete player” 

Danny Cowley has provided an update on Portsmouth’s transfer business regarding the possibility of free agent signings.

What’s the talk?

The Pompey manager has confirmed that the club will not be dipping into the free agent market following the end of the summer transfer window.

The f0rmer Huddersfield boss reportedly failed in his efforts to land a striker and centre-back cover before the window slammed shut, but he has revealed that there is no money left to make any further additions.

He told The News: “There is nothing left in the budget, so they’ll be no free agents.

“We are where we are. We’re coming out of a pandemic, we’ve bought the training ground and spent all that money on Fratton Park. We’ve got good owners, haven’t we. Come on.” Frustration

This update from Cowley will frustrate supporters for a number of reasons, despite it being an understandable situation for the club. First and foremost, it is difficult for anyone to be angry at the owners as they should not be risking the financial future of the club to bolster the team.

They are operating within a budget and have purchased the training ground, whilst also improving Fratton Park, which then has an impact on the transfer business as it takes money away to other sectors. In that sense, supporters should be delighted that their club is being run responsibly as they know better than most what can happen when football teams are mismanaged financially.

However, that might not allay the frustration from fans over the squad now being short in a couple of positions. Portsmouth only have three natural senior centre-backs, which has left Cowley with limited options in his back four. They are also now vulnerable if injuries hit Clark Robertson and Sean Raggett, as it could leave a youth team player being chucked in or someone else coming in out of position, which could then impact their League One form.

In terms of strikers, Cowley has John Marquis, Ellis Harrison and George Hirst as his over-21 options. The News revealed that he wanted to bring in a new centre-forward to improve the quality of the squad –  Marquis has scored once in five League One matches, with none of the other strikers at the club on the scoresheet as of yet.

This could be why the head coach wanted another number nine, with the team seemingly lacking an in-form goalscorer. Therefore, Pompey fans may well be frustrated that he was unable to bring in the striker Cowley wanted, as the lack of a consistent frontman could dampen their chances of pushing up the League One table and chasing promotion – goals win games!

David Norris is excited by the prospect of Leeds United completing the signing of Daniel James before the transfer deadline passes.

Leeds have welcomed just two fresh faces to Elland Road during the window – in the form of Junior Firpo for £13million and goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson – while Jack Harrison has joined the club permanently from Manchester City.

But, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Whites look set to complete the signing of the international winger James from rivals Manchester United.

With club legend Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford from Italian giants Juventus, James is likely to see his opportunities limited.

Everton, Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace are also interested in the 23-year-old as it appears Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has given the green light for James to depart.

Leeds chief Marcelo Bielsa has been a long-term admirer of James and he came close to joining from Swansea City in 2019.

Ex-Whites midfielder Norris hopes the deal gets over the line this time around.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “He would absolutely be a good addition. I think he’s done really well over the last few years.

“I like him and think he would be a good fit for Leeds. He works hard, grafts and we saw what he was like for his national team at Euro 2020 as well.

“He would be a great fit and we know Leeds like him so, if there is a chance of getting the deal done, definitely do it.”

Despite not bringing in a striker during the January transfer window, Jesse Lingard fired West Ham United to a European spot but Dean Windass can’t see him returning.

West Ham ran out of steam in the race for a Champions League spot but considering they were fighting against relegation last season, it is a monumental turnaround that David Moyes has masterminded at the London Stadium.

There have been reports that Lingard is wanting to earn £100,000 per week if he is to sign for West Ham this summer on a permanent basis, which could prove to be a stumbling block if Moyes wants to spread his transfer budget out.

It would be a huge blow for the Hammers if they couldn’t afford to bring the current £75,000 per week midfielder back to the club this summer, and that could be the unfortunate reality according to Windass who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“I can’t see him back at West Ham because listen, we all want £100,000 per week and a four-year contract. So yeah, I can see him back at Man United.

“I can’t see West Ham paying that sort of money because he might be a flash in the pan and if they give him £100,000 a week and a four-year deal but then end up in a relegation battle next year, that could ruin the club.”

It will be a huge summer for West Ham as they will undoubtedly have to bat away a lot of interest in Declan Rice, especially if he performs well at the Euros for England.

Moyes will know that he must add to his squad this summer as injuries almost derailed their season this year and with the added fixtures because of the Europa League their squad will have to increase in size.

Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Morgan Gibbs-White can become a regular for Bruno Lage next season.

That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke who believes the 22-year-old may well be a key figure for the Old Gold.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “I think it’s a big opportunity for Morgan Gibbs-White this summer to go back to Wolves and show that he is capable of becoming a regular in that team.”

With that in mind, he could be the man capable of taking Leander Dendoncker’s place in the squad next season.

Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport (via GetFootballNewsItaly), claim Wolves look as though they are set to lose their Belgian star of four years to Lazio this summer. Former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has identified Dendoncker as a replacement for the departing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who will reportedly be sold “in order to ease the club’s financial burden.”

On the chalkboard

With Dendoncker expected to leave the Molineux this summer, Gibbs-White may just get his chance to fulfil his potential in front of the Wolves faithful.

The England U21 international has made the most of his time at Bramall Lane, netting an impressive ten goals and notching up eight assists in 33 appearances throughout a role that has seen him function as an attacking midfielder.

The Staffordshire-born midfielder, who has been described as an “enormous talent” by Laurie Whitwell and hailed for the “filth” at which he plays with by Tim Spiers, has added another string to his bow under Paul Heckingbottom, in a switch that has seen him discover his goalscoring touch.

Though, Lage will have to decide on his position. Gibbs-White has functioned more-or-less as an attacker in the Championship, though his defensive stats suggest he could fill the boots of Dendoncker in the middle of the park, whilst bringing a more fruitful bout of attacking threat.

Despite his attacking excellence, the young Englishman has almost matched Dendoncker’s defensive output this season with both averaging one tackle per game and he has also bettered the Belgian when it comes to passing this season; having made an average of 39 passes per game in comparison to Dendoncker’s average of 26 passes.

Gibbs-White could cover Dendoncker’s defensive duties in the team whilst offering a much higher dose of attacking threat if Lage will give him a chance in a box-to-box role within the Old Gold midfield next season.

In other news: Agent talks: Crazy Neves claim emerges out of Wolves, it’ll leave supporters fuming