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Once the January transfer window arrives, Celtic will need some new signings.11 points behind Rangers and out of the Europa League, it’s been a disastrous campaign for Neil Lennon.Fortunately, though, it looks as though they have one confirmed target lined up.

What’s the word?

If Celtic are going to make additions this winter then it’ll presumably be in defence. Kristoffer Ajer is currently being linked with AC Milan while it’s thought that Shane Duffy will head back to Brighton once January rolls around.

With that in mind, a new centre-back could walk through the Lennoxtown doors.

That happens to be Philadelphia Union defender Mark McKenzie. Celtic were tracking the American in the summer but were waved away by Ernst Tanner, Philadelphia’s chief.

“We have had interest. There was a talk with Celtic, but I told them: We were not willing to talk before the [MLS in Back] tournament or during the tournament, but maybe then later on,” he said in August.

However, it’s now materialised that the Hoops then later made a bid for his services.

That’s come to light thanks to US journalist Kristian Dyer on Twitter. He said this week:

In English money, the $4m equates to around £3m.

Bye-bye Ajer

Before anything happens, Celtic will need to raise some additional funds. It was reported recently that Nick Hammond may have to sell one of his team’s star men because of a £13m drop in turnover.

Thus, if you consider the Glaswegian’s sloppy defensive record, Ajer should be one of the first out the door. He has been part of a terrible back four, one that’s conceded ten more goals than Rangers in the SPFL – that’s despite playing two fewer games.

With a move for McKenzie in the pipeline, now seems like an ideal time to move the Norwegian on.

After all, Celtic’s transfer target is one of the best young defenders in MLS right now.

Speaking about the American in 2019, the player’s former coach Tab Ramos revealed: “Mark is a natural leader. First of all, he’s a hard player on the field and he’s a good player. Secondly, he has that charisma off the field that allows for him to have a voice and for people to follow that voice.”

What Celtic need right now is someone who directs the defence, something that clearly isn’t there at the moment judging by the number of goals they concede. No one is taking responsibility and leading the rest of the defence in certain situations.

McKenzie, however, has proven he can do that at Philadelphia. The 21-year-old has registered an eye-catching pass success rate of 83.5% this season, as well as amassing 3.2 clearances per game.

Celtic need to sign him, if not for his physical qualities then definitely for his leadership.

In other news, one Celtic man failed his BIG audition on Thursday night…

Neil Lennon’s status as manager of Celtic Football Club continues to hang in the balance during an ongoing turbulent 2020/21 season.

The Hoops won their first match since playing Motherwell last month as they fought out a 3-2 victory in the Europa League on Thursday.

But he isn’t out of the woods yet, as his side is still playing catch-up to rivals Rangers in the Premiership.

Steven Gerrard’s men lead the table with a whopping 13-point lead and with limited games left, it could all be over for the Hoops.

Rob Lee spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about potential replacements should the Celtic boss be axed this season. One option he discussed was Sam Allardyce, but the ex-midfielder has shut down the idea of this coming to fruition.

“Sam normally comes in when teams are going to get relegated and Celtic are not getting relegated,” Lee commented. “He comes in and stops teams going down and he’s very good at that but I can’t see it [him going to Celtic].”

Indeed, Allardyce has managed the likes of Crystal Palace, Everton and Sunderland during especially tough periods in their history.

But as highlighted by Lee, the 66-year-old’s portfolio does not fit the criteria for a Celtic side looking to re-establish their dominance in Scotland’s top flight.

The Hoops will face Kilmarnock next as they try to make back some of the hefty ground between them and Rangers. But as it stands, their chances of lifting their tenth league trophy in a row in looking very slim as the Gers remain unbeaten in their blistering Premiership run.

Finishing second will be hugely disappointing for the Bhoys, who will likely see no other choice but to give Lennon his marching orders.

In other news, Peter Lawwell lucky that this managerial candidate turned down Hoops job…

Mason Holgate proved against Arsenal on Saturday that he can be Carlo Ancelotti’s secret weapon after Everton were urged to sign new defenders in January following a spate of injuries.

Ancelotti was forced to name a makeshift backline for the visit of Mikel Arteta’s side, feeling that Seamus Coleman was not worth risking as he made his return to the bench following a hamstring strain.

Ben Godfrey joined Holgate in starting at full-back in the absence of regular left-back Lucas Digne, who faces up to three months on the sidelines having required surgery after sustaining ankle ligament damage in training at the end of last month.

Ancelotti’s sudden loss of both first-choice full-backs raised concerns over how Everton would cope long-term, with the manager initially favouring Tom Davies and Alex Iwobi to play out of position.

Former England international Paul Robinson suggested the need for January reinforcements was “very apparent” against Leeds United as Everton lost 1-0 at home, with the Toffees “significantly weakened” without Coleman and Digne in the side.

Holgate, however, proved at the perfect time that he can be Ancelotti’s secret weapon at right-back with a top-draw display against Arsenal on Saturday, with Coleman watching on from the bench for the first time in six games.

Holgate’s forward advances caused Arsenal to second-guess themselves, fearing that leaving the 24-year-old unmarked would allow him to deliver yet another teasing delivery into Bernd Leno’s box.

Instead, the Gunners dropped off to free Alex Iwobi the space to deliver the ball from which Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s glancing header would ricochet off Rob Holding and into the net to open the scoring.

The £16.2m-rated centre-half rarely looked like a player who was fielded out of position as he locked down the right-hand channel with two clearances, two interceptions, one successful tackle and success in his only aerial contest, while winning one of three ground duels, per SofaScore.

One of Holgate’s three deliveries also found a teammate on a day where he registered a key ball from 33 accurate passes and took 62 touches, only centre-backs Yerry Mina (70) and Michael Keane (64) took more for the Toffees.

Ancelotti will find it hard to drop Holgate when Everton visit Sheffield United on Boxing Day, having also scored in the midweek win over Leicester for his first of the season, with Coleman likely having to utilise Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final with Manchester United to regain his spot in search of match fitness.

AND in other news: “Huge blow” – Exclusive: Pundit reacts to major Everton setback.

After thrashing West Brom 5-0 last time out in the Premier League, Leeds United were brought back down to earth somewhat with a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side failed to make the most of their opportunities in the first-half, and were punished for a couple of sloppy mistakes, including a dreadful error from left-back Ezgjan Alioski who had a rush of blood and brought down Steven Bergwijn inside the area.

That was a hammer blow for a Leeds team who could have, and probably should have, taken the lead, but for some profligate finishing from Patrick Bamford.

And the striker’s display has surely sent a message to Victor Orta about ensuring the Whites bring in a new centre-forward in this January transfer window, having already been linked to names like Fiorentina’s Christian Kouame in recent days.

As per Sofascore, he lost 80% of his duels over the course of the game, whilst he managed only 11 passes. Aside from struggling to really get a foothold in the match up front, he just didn’t have his shooting boots on, failing to hit the back of the net with a whopping seven attempts.

It was no surprise that Leeds Live gave him a five out of ten match rating, explaining: “Wasteful and tame with the chances he did get. One of those matches he never looked lethal or sharp around the box”.

So whilst Alioski may get some criticism for having been the man to really send Spurs on their way, Bamford’s performance should act as a reminder to Orta that there’s work to be done in the transfer market.

Tottenham Hotspur have a wealth of riches when it comes to their wing department, at least on paper.

You’ve got the undroppable Heung-min Son on one flank and then a contentious spot on the other with neither Steven Bergwijn, Gareth Bale or Lucas Moura being able to cement their name down as the regular option.

And emerging reports this week have suggested that the latter by no means has a certain future in north London.

According to Eurosport’s Dean Jones, Spurs could be willing to listen to offers for the £22.5m-rated Brazilian this transfer window in order to fund other areas of the squad.

Only this week, following their Carabao Cup semi-final triumph, the former PSG man has come under fire as former Lilywhites midfielder Jamie O’Hara claimed he “drifts in and out of games” and “shows no cutting edge.”

Indeed, Moura has only delivered one goal in 13 appearances in the Premier League this season, so perhaps it is time to move him on.

Bergwijn’s record is even more appalling having not scored in the top-flight since June. Even Bale’s persistent injury problems are becoming a cause for concern.

A new winger could even be on the agenda in the near future, and there’s only one name that Jose Mourinho should be considering – Leon Bailey.

Last month, the Daily Mail reported that Spurs had sent scouts to watch him in their Europa League clash against Slavia Prague and if that’s the case, they’d have seen him score two goals from three shots and complete seven dribbles in just 45 minutes of action, per WhoScored.

They also claim the Bundesliga outfit value him at £36m.

And ahead of the January transfer window, the Jamaican speed demon has joined a new UK-based agency, which according to the Daily Mail has put Premier League teams on alert.

Spurs must ensure they are at the front of the queue in any likely transfer tussle.

The 23-year-old sensation has scored nine goals and provided seven assists in just 19 appearances this term and has previously been lauded as a “very rare” talent with “no weak points.”

Last time Spurs had a diamond in the rough was arguably over 30 years ago when Argentian enigma Ricky Villa joined the club. That sort of foreign influx was ever so rare to see back then, yet that didn’t stop him from becoming a hit in N17.

Bailey can bring a similar level of excitement to Spurs and he may well be the perfect option to complement the free-scoring duo of Son and Harry Kane.

Mourinho bye-bye to Moura if Daniel Levy can sanction this swoop.

AND in other news, Levy must offload shocking £36m-rated “weak link” as enough is enough…

Many Everton fans have been left reacting to the news that Ali Daei may be joining the Goodison Park faithful.

As per German magazine Kicker (via The Toffee Blues), the Iran football legend has said: “I’m probably going to be a member of the Everton club and it’s a great honour for me.”

It was reported last month that the Merseyside club are interested in working with Daei, although it still remains unclear as to what kind of role he would be playing for the Toffees.

There is also a connection to Farhad Moshiri, who is Iranian himself, which could be a reason as to how and why Daei has been recruited by the Blues.

Nonetheless, the comments that he has made on the possibility of working with EFC should please supporters if he were to join the Everton family.

However, it has also left fans questioning as to why exactly he has been recruited and for what type of role.

Everton fan reaction to Daei news

These Everton fans gave some fairly mixed reaction to the news on Twitter, with one Toffee claiming that it ‘could be massive for the club’ if he joins:

“He’s massive over in Iran, could be massive for the club and grow a fan base over there”

Credit: @jonefc2

“Brands still not offered a new deal, could this be the reason why?”

Credit: @MrBashe

“Moshiri connection I guess”

Credit: @Johnny_Murnane_

“Would be good as a finishing coach. Like Dunc helps out with the physical side of a striker, and he does the actual finishing ability part”

Credit: @lewisbelle3

“I’m confused.”

Credit: @exiledtoffee

“Moshiri’s getting the dough out and bringing in an experienced goal scorer and a legend to teach the young.”

Credit: @EvertonFourIG

In other news, find out what transfer update Blues have been hailing here!

Speaking exclusively with Football FanCast, former England international Rob Lee has claimed that AS Roma striker Edin Dzeko would be a great signing for West Ham United.

The Hammers have reportedly been offered the chance to acquire Dzeko in the closing stages of the January transfer window, with Tancredi Palmeri suggesting they made an offer, after the Bosnia and Herzegovina star was stripped of the Giallorossi captaincy following a falling out with head coach Paulo Fonseca.

Fonseca’s actions are said to have led to a rift emerging in the Stadio Olimpico dressing room, while there is little chance of Dzeko repairing his relationship with the Roma boss.

West Ham are in the market for late forward reinforcements following Sebastien Haller’s £20m move to AFC Ajax, with the deal leaving Michail Antonio as David Moyes’ sole recognised senior centre-forward.

Though the Irons are not alone in tracking Dzeko’s situation ahead of the February 1st deadline, with Gazzetta dello Sport citing interest in the prolific 6 ft 4 striker from Everton and his former side Manchester City, plus timid appraisals from Juventus, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

But when asked if Dzeko would be a good signing for West Ham, Lee told FFC:

“I think he’d be a great, great signing for anybody. I read the other day that West Ham have wasted 200 million euros on strikers in the last 10 years, and you look and they probably have and Haller was another massive loss for them. [He] couldn’t adapt to this country for whatever reason.

“I think when you’re buying strikers, this is just my opinion, regardless of how well they do on the continent, the Premier League is totally different. It’s totally different. And I would always go for somebody who’s played in the Premier League, and has scored in the Premier League.

“We’ve had some great players come over and fail miserably. They’ll be brilliant in the Spanish league or the Italian league. Edin Dzeko has proven he can score goals in the Premier League. He can score goals anywhere. So, even with his age, you’re still guaranteeing goals.

“And that’s what you want from your centre-forward, you want goals. I don’t care how old he is if he’s scoring goals. Would you turn down [Cristiano] Ronaldo, he’s 35. So, I don’t care if you keep scoring goals as that’s his job. And he’s been proven doing it in the Premier League. So yeah, if you could get him, it’d be a great signing.”

Dzeko has scored eight goals in 20 appearances across all competitions for Roma this term, including striking four in five Serie A fixtures over the festive period.

The 34-year-old enjoyed solid success in front of the net during his four-year stay at Man City, netting 72 times in 189 games with two 14-goal and one 16-goal seasons in the Premier League on route to titles under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini.

Tomas Soucek is presently West Ham’s top-scorer in the Premier League after his brace at Crystal Palace on Tuesday took his tally for the term to seven, two more than Jarrod Bowen and Antonio thus far.

AND in other news, West Ham are working on a deal to sign a £13.5m-rated striker on loan…

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a third successive defeat in the Premier League on Thursday evening, and much of the blame may lie in the hands of returning defender Eric Dier.

But it shouldn’t.

The 27-year-old was left out of the lineup down at Brighton, and after being introduced by Jose Mourinho for their London derby against Chelsea, he conceded the penalty for the only goal of the game in the 24th minute.

However, had that not happened, it’s unlikely that Dier would be spoken about in such negative light. If anything, besides that momentary lapse in concentration, he was one of the rare shining lights.

Indeed, SofaScore graded him as Spurs’ best player with a rating of 7.4, which was a whole 0.5 higher than any other player. Dier put his body on the line time and time again to deny the Blues any chance of capitalising on that one-goal lead.

He recorded five more clearances (eight) and five more blocks (six) than any other player, home or away. He also made a match-tied best of three tackles and was only outrated by Chelsea’s Reece James, via SofaScore.

His busy output was indicative of just how well he performed considering Thomas Tuchel’s side only scored from the spot and managed two shots on target all night.

Instead, the blame must lie elsewhere, perhaps in the direction of Ben Davies at left-back as he recorded the worst rating (6.1) in the Spurs starting XI.

Given that James received the Man of the Match rating on SofaScore, it’s fair to suggest that the Welshman struggled on the left flank. He was the most dribbled past Spurs player (four times) whilst he was weak in the battle against the England international as he won only one of six duels (16%), via SofaScore.

He was also above and beyond the most wasteful home star on the pitch, which will have Mourinho raging as he lost possession a whopping 20 times, eight more times than any man playing in white.

It meant he handed the ball back to Chelsea once every 3.6 touches, or once every 4.5 minutes. Wasteful and careless are merely two words that spring to mind.

Dier cost them the match-winning goal, yes, but there was nothing more disappointing than Davies massively letting down his manager with such an abject display.

As mentioned above, but for the penalty, it could be Dier being lauded as a point-earner.

The 27-year-old, valued at €20m (£18m) by CIES, barely made it past the halfway line as per his SofaScore heatmap, so it’s no wonder Heung-min Son’s influence was neutralised substantially.

Davies was absolutely shocking on the night.

AND in other news, Mourinho dealt cruel double injury blow to key Spurs duo…

Southampton look to have been handed a potential transfer boost after West Brom’s proposed deal for Ahmed Musa fell through, with the Saints having also been linked with a move for the free agent recently.

Southampton, Brighton and Burnley were all touted with an interest in the Nigerian international recently but it had seemed as if West Brom were the favourites to sign him after he was invited to train with Sam Allardyce’s side.

However, that deal is now reportedly off, which potentially opens the door for Southampton to bring the 28-year-old to St Mary’s on a free transfer.

The striker is unattached and available for nothing having left Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr FC recently and has featured in the Premier League before with Leicester City, although his time with the Foxes didn’t exactly go to plan.

Musa would join Leicester from CSKA Moscow in 2016 but was sent back on loan to the Russian side after just five goals in 33 appearances before he completed a permanent move to Al Nassr in 2018.

However, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side arguably low on attacking options following Shane Long’s loan move to AFC Bournemouth in January, adding someone such as Musa could give the Austrian a new dimension in his attack.

The Saints have been reliant on Danny Ings for goals this season, with Che Adams looking low on confidence despite an impressive start to the season, as he has failed to find the back of the net in any competition since early December.

Musa boasts an impressive goal return from his time with CSKA Moscow and also has 15 goals for his country, suggesting that he does know where the goal is.

He is also capable of playing on the wings as well as up front, so could compete with the likes of Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond, both of whom have arguably been nowhere near their best this season.

Therefore, it may be worth Martin Semmens bringing the Nigerian international to St Mary’s on a free transfer, as he could definitely compete for a starting spot in Hasenhuttl’s side if he can rediscover his best form.

And, in other news, Forget Armstrong: Saints beast who played 5 key passes was Ralph’s best vs Wolves…

With Leeds’ current spate of injuries, it was perhaps not all too surprising that Marcelo Bielsa has brought Tyler Roberts back into the first-team fold over the past couple of Premier League games.

Before the clash against Arsenal – in which he came on as a substitute at half-time – Roberts had played just 315 minutes of top-flight football in total all season.

But with Rodrigo out, and no other real options available to him, Bielsa gave the Wales international the chance to impress. But against Wolves especially at the weekend, he really disappointed.

He lost possession 15 times – only one other Leeds player lost it more – and failed to hit the target with any of his three attempts on goal, while he contributed just the one key pass.

And after seeing his lacklustre display against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, former Leeds ace Noel Whelan tore into Roberts, saying: “I still doubt whether he can do it in the Premier League. He struggled to get into a Championship side last year. I am just not sure whether he is a Premier League player. We need more quality if we have aspirations of competing for European spots in years to come.

“He was given an opportunity against Wolves and I do not think he took it.”

He added: “While he is young I do not think he is of the required level. His fitness levels did not look great the other day either. He did nothing after 20 minutes. That is a substitute’s performance. We need a player who can play 90 minutes. He needs to show more fight and desire. I just do not see that. Is he good enough? In my opinion he isn’t.”

The 5 foot 11 Roberts was linked with a move away from Elland Road back in the January transfer window, and with him approaching the final 12 months of his current contract come the summer, his time in the first-team and at the club as a whole is surely up.

He simply hasn’t shown the Whites that he’s someone who’s capable of playing at this level, and it seems like Bielsa would be better served by seeing what the likes of Sam Greenwood and some of the club’s other promising academy prospects can do with the same amount of game-time Roberts has been afforded.

Roberts hasn’t scored at all in the Premier League this season, while his overall record at Elland Road reads as 68 games played, and just seven goals scored – not the kind of numbers expected of a forward player.

Keeping him in the team even for tonight’s game against Southampton would just be holding Leeds back, when instead Bielsa should be putting him in his rear-view mirror.

The Leeds boss simply has to be ruthless and axe him from the starting XI, and even longer-term too.