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Celtic are currently linked with a number of names to potentially come in and replace the recently departed Neil Lennon. The Irishman left the club amid talks of his sacking after the Hoops have suffered a lacklustre season in both the Premiership and Europa League.

One name that has been heavily flirted with the idea of stepping in is Rafael Benitez. Before Lennon left the club, The Mirror reported that he was heavily in the picture to take over as head coach following his decision to leave his position in China. Whilst talks may have gone a little quiet since, bookmakers are still including him in the running to take the job.

Benitez himself has since come out with a rather interesting statement about his next career move. Speaking to the Daily Record, the Spaniard admitted he has had “so many offers” since he became available again “from South America to the Emirates”, however he isn’t looking to pursue any of these options.

“I want to stay in Europe and I want to do so to be competitive at a high level,” Benitez continued. “I’m looking for a project that will allow me to be competitive and with time and space to grow.”

This is definitely something to prick up the ears of fans and professionals alike. Due to their disappointing 2020/21 season, Celtic are very much in need of a squad revamp and a new set of managerial tactics. Benitez found success with Liverpool and boasts a Champions League trophy and FA Cup. He also won the Europa League with Chelsea and the Club World Cup with Inter Milan, just to name a few of his accolades.

He managed to drive Newcastle to their promotion from the Championship back in 2016 too, showing he has what it takes to challenge in both league and cup competitions.

His pedigree speaks for itself and his desire to stay in Europa and take on a project that needs some TLC is very telling. Perhaps the Celtic job has been earmarked by the Spaniard as the season in Scotland rounds off.

In other news, Appointing Benitez could hugely improve Stephen Welsh at Celtic…

Arsenal would be making an unforgivable disaster by signing PSG man Julian Draxler in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Gunners are considering signing a creative attacking midfielder in this winter window, with the likes of Emiliano Buendia of Norwich, and Julian Brandt of Borussia Dortmund, among those names being spoken about.

Now, BILD journalist Christian Falk has claimed that Draxler is behind Brandt on Mikel Artetat’s side’s shortlist, with the Germany international also set to become a free agent in the summer when his contract comes to an end at PSG.

Edu nightmare

If this was several years ago, when Draxler was bursting on to the scene with Bundesliga side Schalke, then it would be entirely understandable for the Gunners to go after him.

But the 27-year-old, who earns around £125k-a-week at French giants PSG, has just not delivered on his early promise, and it’s a telling sign that he could become a free agent this summer.

Arsenal desperately don’t need another highly-paid but declining player to come on to their books, even if it is on a temporary basis.

Mesut Ozil’s situation since he signed his new bumper contract at the Emirates a couple of years ago has surely given Edu a basis of what not to do in the transfer market.

Going in for Draxler, who has completed the 90 minutes just twice this season at PSG, would be tantamount to yet another costly disaster from the Gunners.

The north London side must steer clear. If they don’t, Arteta certainly won’t be happy with his technical director’s work.

Since his arrival from Amiens on transfer deadline day, Bongani Zungu hasn’t had the smoothest of starts at Glasgow Rangers.

The 28-year-old has had a gradual start to life at Ibrox – with just 283 minutes of first-team action so far this season – and it hasn’t all been plain-sailing for the South African midfielder, who ran out of steam after the break against St Mirren.

Glasgow Live were equally scathing in their assessment, claiming he was solid albeit ‘nothing spectacular’, whilst he ‘didn’t protect the back four well enough in the second half.’

Whilst Zungu struggled against St Mirren, particularly in the second half, Steven Davis outshone the South Africa international during his brief cameo against the Buddies, as he came off the bench to level the score.

Ultimately, his efforts were in vain, as Steven Gerrard’s side crashed out of the competition thanks to a last-gasp winner from Connor McCarthy, but this doesn’t mean that his drive and determination should be ignored nor indeed go unnoticed.

Davis’ importance is something that has become blindingly obvious over the past few months or so, with Alex McLeish waxing lyrical about his former charge after he became the most-capped player for his country in the Euro 2020 playoff semi-final against Bosnia-Herzegovina in October.

He told Ibrox News: “It’s quite an incredible feat when you think about.

“It’s really amazing. Steven has been some servant to his clubs and country.

“I’ve always liked him as a player. I liked him every since I was in the Premier League with Birmingham City, when he played for Fulham. I thought he was a great signing by Walter Smith when he brought him in first time round, and he really transformed Rangers’ midfield.

“That’s what we really need to see from Rangers if they’re to be successful – a midfield controller of the ilk that Steven is. Of course, he’s still there and he’s found a little bit of his top fitness again, and he is an outstanding performer.”

And with Motherwell next on the agenda, the timing couldn’t be better for Gerrard to bring the Northern Irishman to back into the fold, especially when you consider the fact that he hasn’t started in the past three games in a row.

With games coming thick and fast between now and Christmas, coupled with the fact that the Old Firm derby is a matter of weeks away, the Ibrox boss will be well aware that he will have to manage Davis very carefully, as he can ill afford to lose one of his best players to injury before the mouth-watering clash with Celtic at the top of the table.

But giving the 35-year-old, who earns wages worth £18,000-per-week, the chance to get some minutes under his belt against the fifth-placed Steelmen could prove vital later down the line.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must cut his losses and sell Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos in January…

Leeds are prepared to face an old rival this evening as they make the long-awaited journey to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United. Both teams head into the fixture off the back of a win and neither will be willing to let their guard down even for a second tonight.

The questionable defence of Leeds will need to defend hard against the threat of the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, but Marcelo Bielsa will undoubtedly have a plan to thwart the Reds on their turf.

Here’s how Football FanCast has predicted the Whites to set up against United this evening…

With both summer signings Robin Koch and Diego Llorente out with injuries, Bielsa is low on centre-back options. He has recently been starting Luke Ayling in a more central role, but he must make sure his defence is the best it can be against an attack like Man United’s.

The boss has Pascal Struijk at his disposal and he should consider giving him just his fourth Premier League start of the season. The £25,000 per week defender has slipped down the pecking order recently, but a natural centre-back is a much safer option than Ayling, no matter how well he has been playing in the makeshift position.

This will allow the Englishman to return to his natural right-back role, with Stuart Dallas on the opposite flank. Kalvin Phillips will, as usual, help defend the backline by lying deep in the midfield.

Although Rodrigo had a great game last time out against Newcastle, Pablo Hernandez made a dream substitute appearance by bagging himself two assists off the bench. Because of this, he may have earned himself a spot in the starting lineup to help Patrick Bamford threaten Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s backline.

A win on the road will be a huge result for the Whites who are looking to climb the table, against an old nemesis no less.

In other news, Raphinha could cause Alex Telles a lot of problems on Sunday…

Vladimir Coufal, Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku risk the wrath of David Moyes after their roles in West Ham’s defensive collapse at home to Manchester United on Saturday.

The Irons welcomed supporters back to the London Stadium for the first time since March and delighted the 2,000 in attendance when Tomas Soucek nestled the ball home past Dean Henderson nearing half-time.

Moyes’ men made by far the better start of the two sides and were well rewarded for their efforts when the Czech Republic international headed home his second goal of the campaign.

West Ham should have stretched their advantage before the break with Pablo Fornals hitting the post and Sebastien Haller slipping after rounding Henderson, and were made to pay for their errors after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scrambled to bring on Bruno Fernandes.

The Portuguese helped flip the script with eight key passes in the second period alone, more than double any other player who featured over the 90 minutes with Haller the Irons’ best with three key balls to his name, per WhoScored.

The introduction of Marcus Rashford for Edinson Cavani and decision to move Mason Greenwood into a central position also played their role in Manchester United enjoying a 13-minute period of dominance to move up to fourth in the Premier League standings.

Solskjaer accepted his initial plans were failing after the opening 45-minutes and sought early changes, ultimately reaping the rewards despite an exceptionally woeful display.

“First-half, we had loads of the ball but couldn’t create anything,” Solskjaer said, via quotes by the Manchester Evening News. “Second-half, I thought we tweaked a couple of things tactically, just small little things, making the space bigger, a couple of runs that we made that created space for Bruno in the middle.

“The quality of the finish – the three goals were all an exceptional finish – and that was the difference between us and them today. They had chances as well in the first-half but they couldn’t score. The quality we had in the second-half was too high.”

Solskjaer’s decision to replace Donny van de Beek with Fernandes and the resulting impact will raise concerns in east London, as the early switch worked a treat and space opened across the West Ham defence for Manchester United to mount their comeback.

Coufal, Ogbonna and Masuaku will need to buck up their ideas from the second-half collapse if they are to avoid Moyes’ wrath, as each of them were found out.

Rashford’s pace allowed the England international to skin Coufal on multiple occasions after witnessing his teammate Anthony Martial struggle.

Ogbonna’s positional awareness saw the Italian drop deeper than his defensive partners and allow the Red Devils to make decisive runs between Moyes’ centre-halves, playing into Rashford’s hands when he broke free to net the third.

Much like West Ham’s overall first-half performance, Masuaku was miles better in the opening period than the last, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka able to silence the DR Congo international.

Only Fabian Balbuena and Coufal had a successful tackle to their name among West Ham’s defenders in the second-half, having been the sole members to attempt a duel, while neither of the five who started attempted a clearance or interception.

Moyes has shown this season that he will not rush into any unforced changes, but Coufal, Ogbonna and Masuaku face an anxious week in training knowing they must impress or see their place come under threat.

AND in other news, David Sullivan has landed a huge boost in West Ham’s pursuit of a “very unique” gem.

Plenty of Manchester United fans have been raging over a reported update on the club’s drawn-out pursuit of Jadon Sancho.

Despite Dagbladet reporting this week that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident that a deal can be done before Monday’s transfer deadline, Sky Sports reported last night that Borussia Dortmund rejected a £91.3m offer from the Old Trafford club for the England winger.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has since tweeted that Dortmund have made clear to United that they will not accept anything less than €120m (£109.64m), with the Bundesliga outfit refusing to soften their stance despite the Red Devils’ apparent hopes that they would do so.

United’s links with Sancho go back to last year and the inability to get a deal done before the final week of the summer transfer window has left many supporters frustrated. Indeed, Donny van de Beek remains the only arrival at the club since the end of last season, despite Solskjaer’s side being linked with numerous players in recent weeks.

These Man United fans took to Twitter to vent their fury at the update on the Sancho saga, with one disgruntled supporter describing the whole affair as a “circus”:

Man United fans, are you getting tired of the Sancho transfer saga by this stage? Comment below with your views!

Aston Villa continue to be linked to new left-backs during this summer transfer window but there’s an emerging name that they must simply avoid…

What’s the word?

According to Le10 Sport, the Midlands outfit hold interest in out-of-favour Spurs left-back Danny Rose, who is also wanted by Serie A outfit Genoa along with West Ham.

They claim that Jose Mourinho no longer sees a place for the 30-year-old and he’s free to find a new club before next month’s deadline.

Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have also entered the race following the injury to Juan Bernat. He could be available for just £5m.

Must avoid

Despite the relatively low price on offer here, it’s a move that Johan Lange and co must absolutely swerve at all costs.

The long-serving Lilywhites defender had to go out on loan to Newcastle back in January, but he failed to truly put himself on the market with a string of poor performances.

Per WhoScored, Rose averaged 1.9 tackles, one foul, 0.3 key passes and just 0.2 crosses per game at St James’ Park, which is hardly inspiring for any keen party.

Dean Smith’s first-choice Matt Targett managed the same amount of tackles but produced more clearances (2.4), interceptions (2) and key passes (1) per match last term.

Rose is also quite the outspoken figure having publically criticised ‘Project Restart’ as well as questioning his manager Jose Mourinho, which was broadcast during the ‘All or Nothing’ documentary.

In the past, Gary Neville has described the Englishman as “unprofessional” and this isn’t something Smith will want ruining his dressing room this season.

It also goes against their plans to recruit young homegrown talent. Lange shouldn’t even consider this even at £5m. It could become a nightmare to deal with.

AND in other news, Aston Villa must clinch “fearless” Dean Smith favourite before deadline day…

According to The Express, Liverpool are ready to reignite their interest in Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly this summer.

What’s the word?

Jurgen Klopp’s side were reported to be interested in the ace last year, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the transfer window.

Now however, the Cherries’ relegation from the Premier League has opened up the team to a raid from some of the big-hitters in the top-flight, with Liverpool eyeing up a move for Kelly in particular.

Can you spot your Xabi Alonso from your Bruno Cheyrou? This Liverpool quiz will have you questioning your knowledge…

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

The report claims that following Dejan Lovren’s departure to Zenit St Petersburg in recent days, Klopp is interested in bringing in a new centre-back to the club, with Kelly also being able to play at left-back too.

A masterstroke from Michael Edwards

Standing at 6 foot 3 and being left-footed, Kelly does inspire comparisons with former Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger, who played for the Reds 232 times.

The Cherries defender is comfortable with the ball at his feet – he averaged an 80.1% pass accuracy in the Premier League this season – and has the kind of mobility that marks him out as a potentially elite centre-back in the modern game.

After completing a deal to sign him for Bournemouth, Eddie Howe said: “Lloyd is an exciting talent and a player of real potential, while at the same time already possessing good experience for someone so young. He is athletic, versatile, physically excellent and has a very bright future ahead of him.”

Still only 21, and earning only a reported £30k-per-week, Kelly would slot in seamlessly as a rotation option in the Liverpool back-line, and as a left-footer, offers the Reds something completely different in the centre of their defence. Michael Edwards could pull off a masterstroke by finally landing him for the Merseyside club this summer.

The 2020/21 Premier League season is only a month away as it plans to start on the 12th September, and fans of Sheffield United will be keeping a close eye on the club over the summer to see what signings they make.

However, one thing they now know is what the kits the club will be wearing next season. Indeed, following the release of the home kit last week, supporters of the club have now been shown the away strip.

One of the players who has shown Blades fans the new kit is defender John Egan. The centre-back played 36 games in the league last term, scoring two goals, but more importantly he was involved in all 13 clean sheets that the Blades have kept in the division, per Transfermarkt.

He has clearly been a vital player for the club this season and his new Instagram

/CDt2HykljBx/”>post of himself in the new pink away kit has gone down very well with fans, who clearly love the design judging by the comments on his post.

The Irishman clearly loves it as well as he supported the picture with the caption: ‘New away kit is 🔥’. Hopefully the club can perform just as well next season in the new kits as they did in the 2019/20 campaign, as they finished ninth and only five points away from a European spot.

Blades fans, what are your thoughts on the kit? Let us know down below!

Somehow Arsenal have found themselves in a nightmare scenario with their star player’s contract again.

You’d think they would learn their lesson after losing both Robin van Persie and Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United in the final year of their contracts, but once again, arguably Arsenal’s most important player’s contract is running down.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has just a year left on his deal, and with the striker yet to put pen to paper, the Gunners need to have a plan for if he does leave.

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Fortunately, Arsenal have been linked to a few alternative options.

What’s the story then?

Le10Sport are reporting that Arsenal have their eyes on a plethora of new attacking options such as Raul Jimenez, Moussa Dembele, Memphis Depay and most interestingly Allan Saint-Maximin.

Jimenez is apparently their top priority, but if they do end up landing Saint-Maximin, you have to wonder if that’s going to work.

Square peg, round hole

Now, we’re not saying that the Newcastle winger isn’t a fantastic player, his hat-trick of assists earlier this month proved that he’s dangerous when he’s on form, but we just can’t see how he replaces Aubameyang.

The Gabonese forward’s game is all about goals, he’s hit 50 Premier League goals quicker than any other Arsenal player while also picking up a Golden Boot last season, and Saint-Maximin just doesn’t have that type of end product.

With just three league goals to his name this term, it would take around 17 seasons for him to hit 50 Premier League strikes if he continues at this rate, in comparison, Aubameyang did it in just two and a half terms.

Saint-Maximin would certainly add something to Arsenal’s side, he’s the second-most proficient dribbler in the Premier League and he’s incredibly exciting to watch, but you can’t help but feel they’d be making a grave error if he was signed as Aubameyang’s replacement.