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This has been an extremely busy week for Celtic in the transfer market.

The Hoops needed new bodies and Ange Postecoglou has achieved that by welcoming Joe Hart and James McCarthy to Parkhead.

On the chalkboard

Those two additions are incredibly important to Celtic with problems emerging in both areas.

Ismaila Soro has endured a poor start to the season so McCarthy now stands a brilliant chance of becoming the club’s heir to Scott Brown in the middle of the park.

As for the goalkeeping position, both Scott Bain and Vasilis Barkas have already made mistakes in the opening three competitive matches of the new campaign.

In fact, defensive errors as a whole have been rife as the Bhoys pick up the mantle from how they closed out the 2020/21 term.

Nir Bitton was sent off in the Champions League and then put in a torturous performance against Hearts last weekend. That said, debutant Carl Starfelt didn’t escape the negative headlines either.

A lack of match action may attribute to his poor performance, but there was no excuse for playing a dangerous back pass in the second half that nearly had shades of Jonjoe Kenny in his first Old Firm game last season.

Defenders needed

With such a disastrous start to the campaign from a defensive point of view in mind, Postecoglou desperately needs to sign Hart’s ex-teammate Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Reports in June claimed that Celtic were interested in signing the Tottenham defender.

Talks got underway and now according to the Record, the Hoops have ramped up their plans to sign the centre-back.

That being said, with 12 months remaining on his deal in north London, Celtic will need to stump up a £5m fee rather than signing him on loan.

If Postecoglou does bring him to Paradise then it would be an excellent piece of business, even at the asking price touted.

Dubbed “incredible” by his manager Graeme Jones during a loan spell with Luton, the United States international has qualities that would suit the coaching department in Glasgow.

First and foremost, his ability to play out from the back will be vitally important. Carter-Vickers completed 91.6% of his passes in the English second tier during a stay with Swansea, the best tally of any player in the entire division.

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With that kind of passing in mind, he could form quite the partnership with Carl Starfelt, another composed ball-playing defender.

Furthermore, Carter-Vickers prevailed in 2.8 aerial battles per game last season, a number that was slightly down from the 3.8 he won with Luton Town in 2019/20.

It’s evident that he’d be a fantastic addition to the Celtic ranks; Postecoglou must make him the club’s latest signing.

AND in other news, Celtic must do everything to sign 24-cap “animal” who Rodgers dubbed “outstanding”…

Newcastle United are reportedly chasing Edin Terzic as a potential successor to Steve Bruce.

The Lowdown: Bruce future uncertain

A source from St. James’ Park has reportedly claimed that Bruce’s future in the North East would be uncertain if the proposed takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group were to go through.

The former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss does not have the best relationship with the fans anyway, having been recently booed by several members of the Toon Army despite their 1-0 home win over Sheffield United, which may force him out of the Tyneside club.

The Latest: Newcastle chase Terzic

As per Bild (via Sport Witness), the Magpies are chasing Terzic, who is currently the manager at Borussia Dortmund.

However, they would likely face competition from both Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace to bring him to NUFC.

Terzic has turned down the chance to manage Eintracht Frankfurt, and has been praised by the news outlet, as they have described him as an ‘eloquent’ man who ‘knows the Premier League’.

The Verdict: Newcastle should hire Terzic

Newcastle should seriously consider hiring Terzic to succeed Bruce, given the latter’s poor relationship with his own fanbase.

Terzic is a much younger manager than Bruce for a start, at just 38 years of age, and so has a lot of potential to grow into one of the world’s best coaches.

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In his short spell at Dortmund, he has managed to get them from looking like a mile off qualifying for the UEFA Champions League to securing qualification with a game to spare (Bundesliga).

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The German has also won silverware in the domestic cup, which should give the Magpies hope of ending their long trophy drought.

Nonetheless, Terzic is a fresh face with a lot of promise, and somebody that the Toon can quickly get behind.

In other news, find out what promising insight from the takeover consortium on arbitration has been shared here!

KV Mechelen are in talks with Celtic over a summer deal for winger Marian Shved.

That’s according to a report in the Daily Record [print edition 20/3/21, p.60], cited by 67 Hail Hail.

The 23-year-old has impressed on loan with the Belgian side, especially since the turn of the New Year, making 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times and registering three assists.

Shved, who is on the same wages as David Turnbull (£7,500 per week), is under contract with the Hoops until 2023.

He has only made three appearances for the club since his £1.8m move to Glasgow in 2019, and it seems as if he could be leaving Parkhead for good over the coming months.

Transfer Tavern take

Shved may not be the only Celtic player to complete a permanent move to Belgium this summer. Hoops defender Jack Hendry has also starred in the Jupiler Pro League with Oostende, who appear to be keen on activating an option-to-buy clause at the end of the current campaign.

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It seems as if there will be a major Parkhead rebuild both on and off the pitch over the coming months, and moving on the likes of Shved and Hendry could be just the beginning.

In other news: Pundit claims available manager has met with the Celtic board, find out more here. 

Leicester have the chance to put more daylight between themselves and closest Europa League opponents Sporting Braga this evening. The two have three points between them but a win for the Foxes in Portugal will be a huge boost for their 2020/21 campaign.

It will also put Leicester in good stead to top their group and finish on maximum points. However, Brendan Rodgers will be cautious of the fact that they play Fulham in just a matter of days and can’t afford to risk any key players.

With a dilemma on his hands, here’s how Football FanCast has predicted Leicester to line up vs Braga tonight…

The Foxes will be reeling after a 3-0 defeat against Liverpool ended their six-game unbeaten run. The reigning champions made easy work of bagging another Premier League win and have now leapfrogged Leicester in the table. Eager not to let it set a dynamic, Rodgers will be putting all of his focus into tonight’s tactics and we could see a change in formation.

Despite playing with three central defenders and deploying his full-backs further up the pitch recently, the boss could revert to a standard four across the back in order to maximise defensive strength. James Justin and Christian Fuchs will shift back as Rodgers could recreate the set up he fielded against Zorya last month.

After struggling against Liverpool and netting an own goal, Jonny Evans could be given a breather ahead of Fulham, with the lesser seen Wes Morgan stepping in to start. The £80,000 per week centre-back could make an appearance in the second half though.

Leicester will need the creative mind of Youri Tielemans in midfield but could also rely on Hamza Choudhury, who started the reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium with Wilfried Ndidi still out.

Kelechi Iheanacho will undoubtedly start after bagging two goals last time out, but his support may be altered a little. Ayoze Perez hasn’t started a match for Rodgers in more than a month, with Harvey Barnes now excelling in the team. However, the youngster struggled at Anfield and the Spaniard may finally get the nod to play opposite fellow winger Cengiz Under, with James Maddison pulling the strings in the middle.

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It will be bold option to start Perez after he has fallen down the pecking order, but it could be the boost he needs to perform and stay happy in the squad.

In other news, Ricardo Pereira’s U23 appearance is exactly what Rodgers needed…

Sunderland are about to lose yet another promising young talent and it has left many fans at the Stadium of Light absolutely reeling.

According to Echo reporter Phil Smith, Man Utd are closing in on a swoop in for teenage striker Joe Hugill – one of the brightest prospects left in the academy.

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The Black Cats have already seen Logan Pye join the Premier League giants whilst Sam Greenwood, Luca Stephenson and Luke Hewitson have also left the club in recent times.

As Hugill is only 16, he is free to leave the club as he’s unable to sign professional terms until he turns 17 later this year. Smith claims the two parties have agreed on a compensation package.

MEN Sport believe this fee is around £300k with United winning the race to land his signature over Arsenal, Spurs and Leeds.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his coaching staff, including head of youth development Nicky Butt, saw the 6 foot 2 teen in action when Sunderland’s U23 side faced the Red Devils’ last year.

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But fans in the northeast are furious. Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Sunderland fans react to Keith Downie post about Josh Maja…

As soon as the Championship fixture list was announced last summer, one game jumped right out as a key clash for Leeds United.

Leeds travel to Pride Park to face Derby County in their penultimate game of the season, and a lot could hang in the balance ahead of that match.

Of course, the recent history between the Rams and the Whites has that set up to be a spicy clash after spygate and the playoff semi-finals last season, but another element of intrigue has further fuelled the flames of this rivalry.

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The Athletic reported earlier this week that Leeds aren’t too happy with the EFL about Derby’s signing of Wayne Rooney and the role 32Red had to play in it.

The former Manchester United man’s move was financed by the gambling company who have provided an extra £1.5m of funding for the Rams to spend as they please.

The problem is that Leeds are also sponsored by 32Red, yet they haven’t received the same type of treatment. While that may be seen as a negative, it could also work in the Whites’ favour.

The Yorkshire side don’t have the pleasure of playing against Rooney until late April, and they should have no issues in being motivated for that one.

Alongside the revenge for last season’s playoffs and the spygate issue, Bielsa can gee his players up by asking them to go out there and win the right way, rather than using underhanded financial tactics to land marquee players as Derby have done.

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Leeds may have a history of falling apart late on in seasons, missing out on promotion last term, but it’s impossible to think that the players won’t be giving it their all for this match if Bielsa handles his team talk in the right way.

In other news, Andrea Radrizzani could be about to risk Leeds’ future with one financial gamble.

What a performance from Rangers at Hampden Park on Sunday.

In the semi-final of the League Cup, the Gers beat Hearts 3-0, and didn’t look under threat at any point during the match. Filip Helander set Steven Gerrard’s side on their way following a fantastic cross from Alfredo Morelos before the 23-year-old Colombian got himself on the scoresheet twice.

They will now face Celtic in the final as they look to end their domestic dominance.

Watch Rangers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

There were several impressive performances on the day from the Ibrox outfit, but Ryan Jack looked particularly good. So far this term the 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £1.35m by Transfermarkt, has played 19 matches, during which he has scored three times and provided two assists.

It is fair to say that the club’s supporters were absolutely delighted with the two-time Scotland international’s display.

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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Lucas Moura has explained how the hat-trick he scored for Tottenham Hotspur against Ajax has changed his life, per ESPN Brasil via Sport Witness.

What’s he said?

The Brazil international netted a barely believable treble in the Champions League semi-final last season.

Trailing 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate, Spurs needed a miracle in Amsterdam.

Lucas stepped up, scoring twice and restoring the club’s hope, before netting a brilliant goal in the 95th minute to send the club into their first-ever final.

And he has now lifted the lid on how his life has changed since.

He said: “At the time we had no comprehension of what we did.

“In the street, fans always come to talk about that game.

“Today I see a lot more fans with my shirt, and it also greatly increased my followers on social media!

“It’s very satisfying to know that you’re loved at the club where you play.”

A hero

Loved?

Lucas Moura is an icon in Tottenham now, a legend from a campaign in Europe in which Spurs fans dared to dream that they could become European champions.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His goals, but, really, that third goal, are forever etched in Spurs folklore.

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Shorn of Harry Kane, injured and watching in the stands, Lucas stepped up to drag Spurs back from the brink of elimination, completing perhaps the greatest comeback in their history.

He will be loved forever and a day in north London.

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Under Mark Hughes before his dismissal last December, Southampton looked in real danger of going down.

Thanks to Ralph Hasenhuttl, though, the south coast club managed to turn things around. An ex-Saint, however, is not getting too carried away and believes his former side have got to do much better next season.

“Now it’s a case of building and having a realistic expectation,” Kevin Keegan told the Daily Echo. “If you are Southampton, you are not going to finish in the top-six very easily, but you are certainly capable of finish from seventh down to 14th.”

This is a Southampton side with some very good players. As Keegan has pointed out, they have it in them to do way better than a 16th-place finish.

After losing some big names summer after summer, a decline was inevitable, leaving Hasenhuttl’s squad needing some urgent surgery.

The former RB Leipzig manager, for example, could do with a new No.9. But when you look elsewhere, he certainly has some decent options.

The likes of Nathan Redmond, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mario Lemina, to name a few players, all bring a lot to the table.

Build on that, and Hasenhuttl could take Southampton far next season, may be even close to where Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino once had them.

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For the 51-year-old, the foundation is certainly there and it is now just about building on it, in the words of Keegan.

Southampton fans, can you see your club finishing in the top half of the table next season? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to surprisingly reveal that they would be eager to see Philippe Coutinho return to Anfield, just over a year after watching him battle hard to leave the club and join Barcelona.

The Brazilian international effectively forced his way out of the door at Liverpool, handing in a transfer request after the Reds rejected three bids from the Spanish giants for Coutinho’s signature – both parties finally agreed on sum of £142m.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

After the move, many Liverpool fans – like the one above – turned their back on the former Inter Milan playmaker, and did not take kindly to the manner in which Coutinho left the club.

Now, however, in a surprising development, some of the Reds supporters on Twitter have called for the Premier League title hopefuls to re-sign their former No.10, citing the current lack of midfield creativity as reason enough to bury the hatchet…