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Celtic’s Tom Rogic should be available for Sunday’s SPFL clash with Aberdeen, according to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin. 

The Lowdown

Celtic will be looking to bounce back from Thursday’s Europa League defeat against Bayer Leverkusen, which knocked out of the competition, when they host The Dons.

Rogic has missed Celtic’s last five matches in all competitions as a result of the hamstring injury he sustained against Hibernian at the end of October (via Transfermarkt).

Manager Ange Postecoglou has raved about his ‘brilliant’ compatriot and the ‘extra special qualities that he brings’.

The Latest

Addressing a supporter in The Athletic’s matchday discussion on Thursday night, Devlin wrote that, while Rogic wasn’t ‘ready’ to face Leverkusen, he thinks he ‘should be for Sunday’.

The Verdict

What do the stats say about Rogic’s importance to Celtic? Well he’d started six of the last seven league games prior to his injury, suggesting he’d established himself as a key man under Postecoglou.

He also stands out in the squad because of his dribbling ability. He’s averaging 2.3 successful dribbles per 90 minutes and his nearest challenger (with more than three starts) is Jota on 1.3.

More generally, it’s crucial that Postecoglou has plenty of options at his disposal between now and the end of the year. Celtic are due to play 10 games in 34 days during that period.

In other news, this trio were Celtic’s poorest performers against Leverkusen.

Leeds United will only be able to make loan signings in the January transfer window, according to claims made by a Thorp Arch source.

The Lowdown: Signings needed in January

The Whites could badly do with reinforcements this month in order to ease the current injury problems and ensure that a Premier League relegation battle isn’t on the cards.

Leeds have had to make do without pivotal figures such as Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford, but they are just a small sample of the players currently unavailable to Marcelo Bielsa.

Despite additions being needed, a new update doesn’t sound too positive for the Elland Road faithful.

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The Latest: Worrying claim emerges

According to Football Insider, a Leeds source has informed them that the Whites will only be able to make loan signings in January due to Financial Fair Play constraints.

The message has been ‘made clear’ by club chiefs to Bielsa, who must now weigh up whether or not he is happy to only bring in players on a temporary basis until the end of the season.

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The Verdict: Are panic signings required?

The downside to signing players on loan is that it brings little stability and rhythm to the squad in the long-term, only alleviating a problem for a short period.

Bielsa must work out if he thinks Leeds can get by without any new faces, with injury problems potentially easing in the coming weeks and perhaps allowing them to pull clear of danger.

A loan-to-buy option for a player could also be shrewd business, allowing the Whites to possibly snap up a player permanently in the summer, assuming he does well at Elland Road in the meantime. Someone like Cagliari midfielder and long-time target Nahitan Nandez could be perfect in that respect, considering the Serie A side are reportedly happy to see him leave.

In other news, Leeds have reportedly been boosted in their pursuit of one player. Find out who it is here.

Marcel Brands must seal a summer swoop for rumoured Everton target Adrien Rabiot of Juventus after Kevin Campbell identified a major flaw with Carlo Ancelotti’s current squad.

Campbell has claimed that competition for places is the main factor standing between the Toffees and qualifying for Europe, after seeing Ancelotti being forced to name several academy players on the bench against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Ancelotti was without Andre Gomes (hamstring), Allan (knock), Abdoulaye Doucoure (foot), Fabian Delph (tendon) and Jean-Philippe Gbamin (knee) at the Amex Stadium, leaving Tom Davies as his only natural central midfield option.

Among those named on the bench against Brighton included goalkeeper Harry Tyrer, Kyle John, Reece Welch and Isaac Price, all of whom are yet to make their senior debuts, and the latter two’s inclusions were their first in a senior squad.

Campbell believes that Ancelotti’s thin squad has played a key role in Everton’s hopes of qualifying for Europe subsiding, after Monday’s goalless draw left the Goodison Park natives eighth in the table and six points down on the guaranteed UEFA places.

“I think Tom Davies has done pretty well most of the time, but Everton just don’t have the squad,” the 51-year-old told Sky Sports, via quotes shared by the Daily Mail. “They need to fatten that squad up, so you can play like for like, make different changes, because if you’re looking to step up, you’ve got to rotate your squad.”

Doucoure had started 25 of 26 available Premier League games following a £20m summer switch from Watford before fracturing his foot, while Allan opened 15 of 16 available top-flight fixtures either side of a lengthy hamstring injury.

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Allan has so far only failed to see the final whistle on one occasion when he has started a league game for Everton, while only Michael Keane (2,450), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (2,246) and Richarlison (2,171) have played more minutes for Everton than Doucoure (2,137).

Gbamin’s return from 19 months of injury hell with quadricep and Achilles problems would have provided Ancelotti with some welcome support in the engine room, but the Toffees are now set to be without the Ivorian for the remainder of the season due to his knee injury.

The midfielder’s latest issue, sustained in a training ground collision with Lucas Digne, may instead see Everton target other options in the summer market, following reports by The Athletic claiming that Brands’ work could hinge on Gbamin staying fit and finally proving his worth.

Everton have been linked with a move for Rabiot since Ancelotti’s arrival at Goodison Park, and France Football [via Sport Witness] claimed earlier in the year that the Italian was urging club figures to sign the Juventus midfielder, who Andrea Pirlo believes is a “complete player”.

It could take as much as €30m (£26m) to sign Rabiot, although Tuttosport noted last month that Juventus are willing to listen to offers for the Toffees target, for whom Ancelotti has never lost his fondness.

Ancelotti gave Rabiot his debut for Paris Saint-Germain aged 17, and ESPN have claimed that he considers the £187,000-per-week maestro to be an upgrade on Gomes as the Frenchman is a great box-to-box option who has talents which may suit the Premier League.

With Campbell now questioning the depth of Ancelotti’s squad and seemingly urging his former club to spend in the summer, Brands should be doing all he can to see that Rabiot is an Everton player next season.

AND in other news, Everton have been tipped to sign a £25m star once dubbed “a freak of a talent”…

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is considering an offer from Crystal Palace, according to The Times.

The Lowdown: January offers

The Eagles were after Nketiah’s services during the January window and made two bids for the striker.

However, as we know, the 22-year-old remained at the Emirates and has continued to play second fiddle to Alexandre Lacazette in recent months.

Nketiah has been handed rare starts in the Gunners’ last two Premier League fixtures due to Lacazette’s absence and scored twice in a 4-2 win over Chelsea on Wednesday.

The Latest: Palace offer

The forward is out of contract in a matter of months, and according to The Times, is now considering offers from Palace and Borussia Monchengladbach.

Arsenal haven’t given up hope of Nketiah signing a new deal, but the striker knows that Mikel Arteta is planning on bringing in at least one forward in the summer.

The Verdict: Shrewd move

Nketiah, who Arteta labelled as ‘extraordinary’, showed his quality in front of goal in the week, and still just 22 years of age, a free transfer to Selhurst Park could be an inspired piece of business from Patrick Vieira, Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman.

He has contributed to eight goals in just 784 minutes of action this season and can play anywhere across a front three, so clearly has ability and versatility which could prove useful if afforded more opportunities.

Reports in recent months have claimed that Christian Benteke could be on the way out this summer, so Nketiah may well be the perfect replacement for the Belgian in Vieira’s exciting young side.

In other news: Freedman now stepping up Palace move for ‘phenomenal’ left-footed star.

Manchester United take on Manchester City this weekend in a game which looks make-or-break for any potential title challenge.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has plenty of selection dilemmas to make ahead of the trip to the Etihad Stadium, but one man who should be included in the starting line-up is winter arrival Amad Diallo.

Signed from Atalanta, the 18-year-old has made just two substitute appearances for the Red Devils thus far this season, both in the Europa League.

However, he had an instant impact for the club’s under-23 setup, notching three goals and three assists in just two showings.

It is that form which should see him start ahead of fellow United youngster Mason Greenwood, who has netted just one goal in the Premier League this season from 21 appearances, that solitary strike coming back at the start of December.

Diallo’s statistics in his albeit limited senior appearances also paint a damning picture for Greenwood’s place in the side.

Across just 73 minutes in all competitions for both his former club and his new employers, the young Ivorian has averaged one shot, 0.5 key passes and one dribble per game, as well as being fouled on average 1.3 times per appearance, according to WhoScored.

These numbers are not too dissimilar to Greenwood’s 1.7 shots, 0.3 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per game. However, he has only been fouled 0.6 times per appearance.

The greater attention and cynical play on Diallo from opposition, whilst not enhancing his own performance or goalscoring prospects, give opportunities to the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford to set their sights from free-kicks.

Those numbers could imply that the £13.5m-rated winger should certainly be in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s thoughts.

It is clear that former Red Devils man Paul Scholes is a fan of the young winger, too, labelling him a “real talent”.

Whilst United boss Solskjaer could decide it might be too early to blood Diallo in the melting pot of a Manchester derby, the youngster is certainly pushing for inclusion and should definitely be considered ahead of the woefully out-of-form Greenwood.

AND in more news, read why we think Jack Grealish is a must-buy for the Red Devils in the summer…

Alan Nixon has dropped the amount of cash that he believes Newcastle United have as a transfer budget for the summer window.

The Lowdown: Window open

The summer transfer window is officially open, meaning that the St. James’ Park faithful can start to look at which players they would like to bring in, and also who they would like to leave the North East.

Nonetheless, with the takeover arbitration case against the Premier League looming as well, it is set to be a very interesting one with the Tyneside club.

The Latest: £50m budget

As per reliable football journalist Alan Nixon, ‘Bruce will get a transfer war chest’ from Mike Ashley of around £50m for the window.

That, of course, could increase through player sales, as Steve Bruce’s team try to improve upon their respectable 12th-placed finish in the top flight.

The Verdict: Promising

£50m is certainly a promising figure in terms of a transfer budget for a Premier League side finishing in the bottom half of the table, and it is one that Bruce can work with.

Of course, the Magpies ideally would like to have the abundance of riches that would have come from a completed takeover, but nonetheless, it is certainly a good amount to get started.

The Toon will no doubt be looking at trying to sign Joe Willock on a permanent deal from Arsenal following his successful loan spell, and £50m would certainly give room for one of two more first-team targets, as well as the young midfielder.

In other news, find out what Mike Ashley has told the takeover consortium about arbitration here!

Derby County have been dealt a blow in their potential bid to bring Isaac Success to Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Watford Observer, who claim that the 25-year-old wants to stay and fight for his place at Watford, despite reports suggesting that the centre-forward looks likely to leave the club either on a temporary or permanent basis this summer.

One of the clubs reported to be interested in the Nigeria international back in February were Derby County, interest that is assumed will continue this summer, particularly if the Hornets do go on to make the striker available.

Rooney will be gutted

Considering how badly Derby struggled for goals last season, with the team scoring a Championship low of 36 goals and Colin Kazim-Richards being the club’s top league goalscorer with just eight strikes, the Rams’ attacking department will undoubtedly be an area in which Wayne Rooney will be looking to bring recruitments in this summer.

As such, the news that one of the 35-year-old’s targets of last season looks unlikely to be receptive of a move away from his current side is likely to leave Rooney somewhat gutted.

Although, whether or not Success would have been the man to bring the goals to Pride Park next season is a subject up for debate.

Over his 10 Championship appearances for Xisco Munoz’s side last season – only three of which came as starts – the £1.62m-rated man scored one goal, provided no assists and created no big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 0.4 key passes per game.

However, with the £30k-per-week forward averaging just 36 minutes on the pitch in each of his fixtures, the argument could easily be made that, with more game time, the 25-year-old’s returns would have been significantly greater.

And, even with his lack of direct involvement in goals, Success still earned a decent seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.75, proving that the striker, whom Munoz’s dubbed a “big force” for Watford, can have a positive impact on games even without hitting the back of the net.

Regardless of all this, however, the fact that Rooney wanted to bring Success to the club, and the forward’s subsequent statement revealing his desire to remain at Vicarage Road ahead of next season, will no doubt have come as disappointing news for the Derby manager, who may well have to turn his attention in the transfer market elsewhere.

In other news: Roberts 2.0: Rooney heading for Derby transfer disaster over “frustrated” 22 y/o flop

Celtic’s season has been full of anguish, despair and anger. No longer does Parkhead play host to the Scottish champions, a title they had for nine straight years.

One of the biggest reasons they’ve been unable to win the league is their defence.

On the chalkboard

To suggest Celtic’s defence this term has been shambolic would be putting it lightly. The Hoops have shipped 14 more goals than Rangers in the SPFL and conceded 19 in their six Europa League games.

That included letting in a combined total of eight in their two games with Sparta Prague. On paper, the two teams are fairly evenly matched but that didn’t seem to matter.

Defensive errors have been rife. Whether it’s Shane Duffy proving to be a defensive calamity, or their goalkeepers making individual mistakes on a regular basis, it has not been a pretty sight.

Duffy was signed on loan from Brighton at the beginning of the season but for the most part, he’s not looked fit to wear the shirt.

He came on as a substitute against Rangers in January but had a disastrous cameo, nearly being sent off for a tackle on Ryan Kent after Nir Bitton had been shown a red card initially.

It got no better for the Irishman against St Mirren, being described as the “worst culprit” by Paul John Dykes after their defeat. He was also particularly abject against Livingston, completing just 73% of his passes and losing the ball on 23 occasions.

The solution

Stephen Welsh has stepped up admirably in recent months but with the fear of Kristoffer Ajer leaving still hovering in the background, they’ll need new recruits.

One of them could well be Liverpool defender Ben Davies. Celtic came close to signing the former Preston centre-back in January but with the Reds desperate for reinforcements, they swooped in under Neil Lennon’s nose and prised him away for just £2m.

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It was a development that left Celtic gutted, but they could reignite their interest in January.

That’s according to Gabby Agbonlahor who responded with the following after being questioned by Football Insider whether the Bhoys should make a bid: “Yes, 100%. It’s a very, very strange transfer and I’m sure he’ll be looking to leave Liverpool in the summer and go somewhere where he can play week in, week out.”

Davies is yet to play for Liverpool since swapping Lancashire for Merseyside but a quick look at the stats tells you he’d be an upgrade on Duffy. He is a consistent individual, one that could potentially cost in the region of £10m this summer.

The Liverpool defender has made 1.2 tackles per game and 1.4 interceptions per match this season, numbers that better Duffy in both departments; he has completed just 0.8 and 1.2 in comparison.

Compared to the Celtic loanee, the £60k-per-week earner also feels far more assured in possession of the ball. According to Smarterscout, a data system that ranks player’s abilities out of 99, Davies’ carry and dribble volume is rated at 79 for a Premier League standard player.

Judging by his previous appraisals, he’d also put his neck on the line.

Talking to The Athletic, his former teammate at York, Calvin Andrew, commented: “He’s robust. He can play. He’s naturally a left-back, I would say. He has that ability on the ball, he can play and see passes. But he’s not afraid of the dirty part of the game and puts his head where it hurts; a really brave and talented young man.”

Davies would clearly add an extra layer of protection to Celtic. They must go back in for him in the summer.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Ajer: Celtic must seal move for 7-cap monster who’s “prepared to get hurt”…

West Brom were relegated back to the Championship after a shocking performance at Arsenal on Sunday evening, leaving Sam Allardyce plenty to ponder in the coming weeks.

It’s the 66-year-old’s first relegation and, if he’s to remain in the Albion dugout, some massive decisions will need to be made. This 3-1 defeat in north London may have provided some big clues, too.

The Baggies did not look like a team fighting for survival but rather a side coasting as if their fate had already reached a positive outcome. Indeed, they were completely outclassed, managing only 35% possession and one shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, a pathetic attempt to try and turn their fortunes around.

In the absence of Gunners loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Big Sam had to tinker his midfield and this saw a surprise inclusion for Matty Phillips alongside Conor Gallagher and Okay Yokuslu.

This wasn’t just damning on the likes of skipper Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers, as the former QPR winger’s performance highlighted that he may well be lucky to remain at the club for much longer.

As a central option, the 30-year-old should have frequently been involved in the game, being the link between defence and attack, but just 32 touches in 90 minutes would suggest otherwise.

By comparison, even Baggies goalkeeper Sam Johnstone (39) managed more, which is just not good enough when you absolutely need a result. Furthermore, just 11 accurate passes, or roughly one every nine minutes, is more evidence of the Scotsman being completely under par.

His anonymous showing turned into a weak one, too.

Phillips won just two of six duels (33%), was dribbled past twice and lost possession 11 times, via SofaScore. He effectively lost the ball as many times as he passed it, yet he remained on the pitch for the duration of the match.

The long-serving wide man has been at the club since 2016 but such performances have been a recurring theme, especially in the Premier League. Despite all of West Brom’s struggles, he still ranks amongst their worst performers with an average WhoScored rating of 6.35. That’s the worst average return of anyone to start on Sunday.

Overall, Phillips is just not good enough and it’s time for Allardyce – or whoever is in charge – to be bold and move him on in the summer.

AND in other news, Journo drops worrying claim over West Brom’s “big-game player”, Big Sam will be gutted…

Dean Windass has told Football FanCast that son Josh Windass is delighted to have ended speculation over his future by signing a new deal with Sheffield Wednesday.

Windass has penned a fresh contract, which will keep him with the Owls until the summer of 2023.

The 23-year-old had been heavily linked with a move away from Hillsborough after suffering relegation to League One on the final day of last season.

Championship trio Queens Park Rangers, Millwall and Birmingham City were keen to strike a deal that would have seen the attacking midfielder make an immediate return to the second tier of English football.

But the former Rangers attacking midfielder, who joined Wednesday on a permanent basis following a loan move from Wigan Athletic last year, will be looking to guide the Owls to promotion instead after agreeing terms on a new deal.

Windass, who has missed the start of the new campaign through injury, is keen to repay the faith shown in him by Wednesday when he returns from the sidelines.

His father Dean exclusively told Football FanCast: “He is delighted to sign a new contract.

“The football club have made it clear they didn’t want to sell him so it’s over the line now.”