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Celtic are on the verge of securing the Premiership title this season in Ange Postecoglou’s first campaign in charge of the Parkhead club.

With 35 matches played, the Hoops have won 27, drawn five and lost just three, scoring 81 goals and conceding 20 along the way.

Despite failing to secure victory in the latest Old Firm Derby over the weekend, the Bhoys still have a six-point gap over their Glasgow arch-rivals in second.

One figure who hasn’t played much of a part for the Parkhead club in the current campaign is left-back Boli Bolingoli.

With just two league appearances to his name this season, it was reported last month that the full-back is currently training on his own in Belgium rather than with his team-mates at Lennoxtown.

Having been slammed for his “unacceptable” efforts on the training field when he was part of the squad earlier in the season by Frank McAvennie, the Belgian’s future at Celtic is very much in doubt moving forward.

Now that the upcoming summer transfer window is on the horizon, this could give Postecoglou the chance to finally get rid of the 26-year-old outcast and bring in a suitable replacement at the same time.

With that in mind, having been linked with a move for Hammarby left-back Mohanad Jeahze in recent days, this could open the door for Bolingoli to finally bring his time at Celtic to an end.

In his five league games for the Swedish club in the 2022 season prior to today’s clash against Malmo, the 25-year-old has racked up 21 crosses, 13 interceptions and nine tackles.

Contrast that with the two league games that Bolingoli played this term against Livingston and Motherwell, as he ended up committing more fouls (six) than the combined number of tackles (four) and interceptions (one) that he made.

Labelled a “class” player by Hammarby team-mate Darijan Bojanic, £1.6m-valued Jeahze could be just what Celtic need to get the Belgian out of the club and add some depth to Postecoglou’s squad at left-back.

Even if the Parkhead club aren’t able to secure a deal for the Iraq international this summer, they should still do all they can to offload Bolingoli and get his £15k-per-week wages off their books.

In other news: Insider claims Celtic may now sign £2.7m-rated brute as soon “as possible”, it’s great news

Leeds United have been dealt a huge double setback ahead of their Premier League meeting with Chelsea this evening.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via football.london), Thomas Tuchel revealed that both N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are in contention to make a late return to Chelsea’s first-team squad at Elland Road, with the duo having returned to training this week after recovering from their respective injuries.

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Regarding the current condition of the midfield pair, the German manager said: “We are fighting for Jorginho and fighting for N’Golo for tomorrow but it will be close but I don’t know if we make it.”

Marsch will be devastated

Considering just how important a part of the Chelsea side both Kante and Jorginho are, in addition to the fact that Leeds simply must pick up a result this evening in order to give themselves the best possible chance of avoiding relegation, the news that the duo could be in line to feature against the Whites is sure to have left Jesse Marsch devastated.

Indeed, over Kante’s 24 Premier League appearances this season, the £45m-rated midfielder has been in excellent form for the Blues, scoring two goals, registering four assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.0 interceptions, 2.2 tackles, 0.9 key passes and winning 4.5 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £290k-per-week World Cup-winner average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.13, ranking him as Tuchel’s eighth-best performer in the English top flight.

Meanwhile, over Jorginho’s 27 league outings this term, the £40.5m-rated dynamo has also been in exceptional form for Chelsea, scoring six goals, providing two assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 0.8 key passes and winning 4.5 duels per fixture.

These metrics have seen the £110k-per-week European Championship-winner average an equally impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as the Blues’ 12th-best player in the division.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the return of both Kante and Jorginho will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Leeds’ chances of picking up a result tonight, with a loss potentially bringing with it disastrous consequences for the Whites’ bid to retain their Premier League status in 2022/23.

AND in other news: Marsch axes “shocking” dud & unleashes teen who’s “like a whippet”: Leeds predicted XI

Manchester City moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium.

Two goals from Raheem Sterling as well as an dazzling display from captain Kevin De Bruyne stood out, but it was the impressive performance from defender Aymeric Laporte that stole the show, with the Spain international even getting in on the action and scoring a goal himself.

The result sees The Citizens move even closer to a fourth Premier League title in five years, and their resilient defensive performance certainly allowed their forward line to roam free and dominate an in-form Newcastle side.

What makes it even more extraordinary is the fact that they were without two key defenders for the clash. Both Kyle Walker and John Stones were absent from the squad after suffering injuries during City’s recent Champions League semi-final 6-5 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid.

A key highlight of Laporte’s performance was his one on one defending, with the 27-year-old winning 100% of his duels, all of which were in the air.

He also achieved a pass accuracy percentage of 96% proving that he can be just as reliable on the ground. After that performance, it’s hard to see why Guardiola should drop him even when John Stones returns to fitness. He has featured 29 times in the Premier League this season which is up significantly from the 16 games he appeared in last season.

Up until now, Pep has seemed to have preferred the partnership of Ruben Dias and Stones, but Laporte was his hero today and leaves him with a dilemma.

Given the number of competitions that City are always involved in there is enough game time for everyone, but if he thinks he’s good enough to start and he’s left on the bench then he may eventually seek more game time elsewhere.

Laporte’s overall SofaScore rating for the match was 7.5 which was the highest of all the defenders and beaten by only Sterling, De Bruyne and Rodri. He produced when given the opportunity and has shown that he is capable of fighting for the two available spots.

He may not grab the headlines tomorrow, but we think he was the best player on the pitch.

IN other news: “Manchester City will sign…”: Romano drops big transfer claim, Pep will be buzzing…

Celtic ended their season with a big 6-0 win against Motherwell in front of their home fans after being crowned Premiership champions in midweek.

Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis both scored two goals in the blistering win to lead the Hoops to their 29th league victory of the campaign.

Despite those doubles, it was another one of Celtic’s goalscorers who stole the show overall on this occasion and really gave the home supporters something to savour.

After coming on as a second half substitute on Wednesday against Dundee United, Jota found himself back in the starting XI on this occasion for what could well be his final game in a Celtic shirt for the Benfica loanee.

With the full 90 minutes under his belt this afternoon, the winger not only scored Celtic’s fourth goal of the game, he terrorised Motherwell all throughout the match.

As per Sofascore, the 23-year-old had 77 touches of the ball in total, completing 33 out of the 39 passes he attempted.

From an attacking point of view, the Portuguese star had four attempts at goal, with two of them being blocked, one off target and one testing the goalkeeper, while he also the woodwork.

He also completed two of the three dribbles he attempted, along with making two key passes and completing three crosses. This highlights just how much of a threat he was for Motherwell to try and handle.

The away side ended up fouling the winger four times, which shows that they started to run out of ideas for how to stop him.

Even from a defensive standpoint, the on-loan attacker did his bit by making two tackles and one interception.

This display ultimately earned Jota a sublime overall match rating of 9.1/10, making him the highest-rated Celtic player on the day according to SofaScore, even higher than the likes of Furuhashi and Giakoumakis who both had two goals to their names.

Having been described by Noel Whelan as a “mouth-watering” player, that’s exactly what the 23-year-old was for Celtic this afternoon.

Moving forward, with his loan deal from Benfica set to expire at the end of this month, it would be unthinkable for the Hoops to not at least try and sign him permanently this summer.

In other news: Big Lennoxtown claim emerges, it’s great news for Celtic supporters

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka, according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins. 

The lowdown: Rising star

A product of the Auxerre academy, the Paris-born youngster joined the Europa League winners in 2018 and has rapidly developed a burgeoning reputation in the Bundesliga.

Since arriving in Germany, the 22-year-old has made 139 appearances for Frankfurt, directly contributing to an impressive 19 goals from a predominantly central defensive role.

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Fast approaching the final year of his contract (Transfermarkt), it appears inevitable that the next step in a blossoming career is on the horizon…

The latest: United cited

Taking to Twitter, French journalist Hawkins confirmed interest from the Red Devils, AS Monaco and Tottenham in acquiring the services of Ndicka.

He stated: “Evan Ndicka is very courted. Tottenham and Man Utd are tracking the Frankfurt defender, recent Europa League winner. In Monaco, his name comes up insistently if Benoît Badiashile is transferred. Ndicka does not rule out playing UCL with Frankfurt next season.”

The verdict: Exciting prospect

Signing the 6 foot 3 20-times capped France youth international would be a hugely promising statement as Erik ten Hag begins his tenure at Old Trafford by attempting to freshen up the squad.

Described as the ‘complete package’ by German reporter Christopher Michel, this is a move that would make an abundance of sense, particularly as Eric Bailly has been linked with a departure in recent days.

So far this season, Ndicka has scored four times and provided another four assists in 44 appearances across all competitions and played 100 minutes in the European final success over Rangers to earn a 6.90 Sofascore rating for a monstrous performance containing a massive seven clearances and seven successful aerial duels.

Partnering a talent of this magnitude alongside either Harry Maguire or compatriot Raphael Varane would be a tantalising prospect that Ten Hag and John Murtough should be doing everything possible to make a reality.

In other news: Man Utd source: Sensational transfer twist as Erik ten Hag now hijacking move for ‘golden boy’. 

Morgan Gibbs-White can become a key player for Wolves next season after returning from his loan spell, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-White excels away from Wolves

The 22-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by Bruno Lage last summer, with the manager struggling to promise him regular starts at Molineux. Instead, Gibbs-White joined Sheffield United on loan for the 2021/22 campaign, as he aimed to continue his progress and enjoy regular first-team action elsewhere.

The midfielder did exactly that, scoring 12 times and registering 10 assists in 37 Championship appearances as the Blades reached the play-offs, and he will now return to Wolves this summer riding the crest of a wave.

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The Latest: Gibbs-White backed for big season

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Taylor claimed that Gibbs-White could now become a fixture in Wolves’ team from the start of the 2022/23 season and backed him to quickly move on from the disappointment of penalty shoot-out heartache for Sheffield United in the Championship play-offs.

The Daily Express journalist said:

“Morgan Gibbs-White could be a player that sort of really kick-starts his career next season. He’s had an unbelievable loan spell with Sheffield United.

“He missed a penalty in the shoot-out, but Conor Coady’s already said what a player he’s going to become.”

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The Verdict: Will he stay?

While there is great hope that Gibbs-White could become a star at Molineux – he has been described as ‘brilliant’ by ex-Blades team-mate Billy Sharp – there is also no guarantee that he will stay put at Wolves.

The youngster has been linked with a move to newly-crowned Serie A champions AC Milan, further highlighting what a gifted player he is, so he may be weighing up his options.

However, one can certainly hope that Gibbs-White will realise that Lage may now see him as a big part of his plans in the Black Country, so that he ends up committing his future to Wolves, helping to fill the midfield void which could be left by the likely departure of Ruben Neves.

In other news, Bruno Lage has been backed to bring one player to Wolves. Find out who it is here.

Steven Gerrard has suffered what can only be described as a Jekyll and Hyde start to his Premier League managerial career with Aston Villa.

A solid start in the Midlands was quickly forgotten following a poor festive period, and following their 3-2 defeat to Manchester City last Sunday, they ended up in 14th place, three positions worse off than in 2020/21.

Gerrard has already begun to plan ahead for next season, though, securing the signings of Philippe Coutinho, Diego Carlos, and Boubacar Kamara as he aims to rejuvenate a playing squad which should be capable of finishing in the top half of the table.

The 41-year-old has shown interest in Rangers defender Calvin Bassey recently, although it’s a deal for another defender in Sven Botman which could really excite the supporters.

The Telegraph have stated that Villa are one of the clubs who are keen on the 22-year-old Lille defender and are waiting in the wings in case his proposed move to Serie A champions AC Milan doesn’t happen.

Villa Park would be rocking

The centre-back has been described as a “leader” by former Lille manager Christophe Galtier, and with his agent Francesco Miniero lauding him as a “golden boy”, the future looks bright for the Dutchman.

It was reported in April that a €33m (£28m) move to Milan was close to completion, although nothing has been confirmed yet, so Villa should strike when they get the chance.

Botman ranks third in the Lille squad this season with an average WhoScored rating of 6.83, winning 2.3 aerial duels per game. This would rank him joint-third in the Villa squad for that metric, with only Kortney Hause (2.9) and Calum Chambers (2.4) more dominant in the air.

If Gerrard can pull off this deal, it would signal a huge statement of intent from the Midlands club. Milan will be appearing in the Champions League next season, so turning that opportunity down in order to play in the Premier League would leave the Villa Park faithful absolutely rocking.

It could well be a very interesting transfer window for the club’s supporters, if this month’s activity is anything to go by.

AND in other news, Gerrard must brutally axe “fortunate” AVFC dud in deal for “astonishing” £25m monster

Leeds United have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of the Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig.

According to a recent report by The Express, the 22-year-old has been deemed surplus to requirements by Xavi, with the central midfielder expected to be made available on a cut-price deal in the summer transfer window.

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The report goes on to state that this will come as a huge boost to Victor Orta and the Whites, with the Spanish sporting director believed to hold a long-standing interest in the former Spain U21 international.

Gundogan 2.0

Considering just how exciting a talent Puig quite clearly is, the argument that Orta simply must make a move to bring the playmaker to Elland Road in the summer transfer window is a rather easy one to make.

Indeed, according to FBref data, the 22-year-old ranks in the top 2% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for passes attempted per 90, as well as the top 2% for passes completed, the top 5% for progressive carries, the top 10% for touches in the opposition penalty area, the top 4% for progressive passes received and the top 29% for dribbles completed over the last 365 days.

The £64k-per-week Spaniard also ranks in the top 10% for non-penalty goals per 90, in addition to the top 18% for npxG, the top 12% for shots and the top 4% for shot-creating actions over the last 12 months.

These metrics see FBref compare the player who Quique Setien dubbed an “extraordinary” talent to a number of the most prestigious midfielders in European football, such as Manchester City duo Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, Barca pair Pedri and Frenkie de Jong and the in-demand Lens talent Seko Fofana.

As such, should the La Masia graduate indeed be available for a reported €10m (£8.5m) fee this summer, Orta simply must make a move for the Barca starlet, as Puig could end up being Jesse Marsch’s own Gundogan at Leeds next season.

AND in other news: Marsch could land the next £48m talent as Leeds now plot bid for “elite” 23 y/o target

West Bromwich Albion have the joint-eighth oldest squad on average in the Championship alongside recently-promoted Nottingham Forest, according to Transfermarkt.

One player in their ranks who is above the average squad age of 26.7 is Jake Livermore.

In fact, once Andy Carroll officially becomes a free agent next month, the midfielder will be the oldest outfield player at The Hawthorns.

Livermore’s latest season with the Baggies turned out to be a rather underwhelming one as he ended up being shown the same number of red cards as the number of goal contributions he made for the team (two).

With a measly overall performance rating of 6.53/10, the midfielder ended the campaign as one of the lowest-rated outfield players currently at the club to start more than one game according to WhoScored.

With that in mind, the upcoming summer transfer window could give the Midlands club the chance to bring in a suitable upgrade for the 32-year-old as they look to win promotion back to the Premier League.

One man who could fit this bill and who has been mentioned with a move to The Hawthorns recently is Lewis O’Brien.

Having racked up 126 appearances in the Championship, in which he has scored eight goals and delivered 10 assists, the 23-year-old certainly has the experience in him to be a ready-made first-team option for Steve Bruce.

To compare the two midfielders from their recent individual league campaigns, the £8k-per-week Huddersfield gem had more goals, assists, shots, crosses and successful tackles than Livermore. This highlights just how much of an all-around midfield option he could be for the Baggies.

Labelled an “exceptional” player by his manager Carlos Corberan, O’Brien earned himself an overall season rating of 7.09/10 from WhoScored, making him the highest-rated player at the Yorkshire club to start more than one league game.

This shows just how capable he is of playing in the Championship at such a high level, which is something that Livermore didn’t show often enough this time around.

Given the age difference between the two players, not only would O’Brien be a definite upgrade on West Brom’s midfielder as a result of his clear talent, he would also be a long-term figure for the club who certainly seems to have what it takes to get the Baggies back to the Premier League and keep them there.

In other news: Bruce can unearth WBA’s next Robinson by unleashing “confident” rarely-seen 22 y/o gem

Rumoured West Brom transfer target Conor Hourihane will leave Aston Villa when his current deal ends this summer, coming as a boost for the Baggies.

The Lowdown: West Brom linked with Hourihane

Steve Bruce will be hoping for a productive summer transfer window as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2021/22 season for Albion overall.

A number of new faces are expected to come in, and one player who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns in the recent past is Hourihane.

The Baggies have been given fresh hope of signing the 31-year-old, who has been hailed as ‘excellent’ by his former manager Steve Cooper in the past.

The Latest: Baggies given Hourihane boost

As per a report from Football League World, Hourihane will be released by Villa when his contract expires at the end of this month, meaning that the Irishman will be available on a free transfer.

That could alert Bruce as he potentially looks to snap up the midfielder from West Brom’s Midlands rivals.

The Verdict: Worth the gamble

At 31, Hourihane may not be at his peak these days, but he remains a formidable Championship player, with 31 goals and 35 assists in the second tier of English football.

For that reason, he would appear to be a shrewd prospective signing for the Baggies, providing valuable experience for what will hopefully be a promotion push, along with an ability to unpick opposition defences. His match average of 1.3 key passes from the most recent campaign was surpassed only by Alex Mowatt at The Hawthorns (with 1.4).

Hourihane registered four assists on loan at Sheffield United last season, helping them to reach the play-offs, and this level of creativity could help West Brom to become more prolific in the final third next time around, having scored just 52 league goals in 2021/22.

In other news, one pundit has dropped a significant West Brom transfer claim. Read more here.