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Celtic aren’t entirely convinced that defender Liam Scales is at first team level, The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin has reported.

The lowdown

Scales joined Celtic from Irish champions Shamrock Rovers in August for a fee of £540,000. He has only made one senior appearance for the Hoops so far, playing the final 29 minutes of the League Cup win over Championship side Raith Rovers in September.

The 23-year-old recently earned a call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad for their World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan and friendly against Qatar, but didn’t feature in either game.

Ange Postecoglou has also had Carl Starfelt, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh at his disposal at centre-back.

The latest

A supporter called for Scales and Osaze Urhoghide to be given more game-time in The Athletic’s matchday discussion on Tuesday.

However, Devlin replied that the former Sheffield Wednesday man is ‘quite far away from the level’ of the first team, and ‘there are doubts over Scales too’.

With the Irish defender, the journalist insisted that ‘it’s not about match fitness’, more about ability.

The verdict

It doesn’t look great for Scales. It would be one thing if he were still a teenager making the step-up to the men’s game, but he is 23 years old now and should really be viewed as a serious first team option at Parkhead.

What’s more, his starting prospects are likely to take another hit, with the recovering Christopher Jullien thought to be less than a couple of weeks away from returning to the fold. Scales’ Celtic career could be facing oblivion only a few short weeks after it begun.

In other news, when will these big players return for Celtic? 

Wolves will look to complete the signing of a new central defender in the January transfer window, according to reliable journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Defender impress for Wolves

Bruno Lage’s side have enjoyed an encouraging first half of the Premier League season, sitting in the top half of the table and eyeing up European football next year.

While entertainment hasn’t always been the order of the day for Wanderers – they have only scored 13 times in 18 matches – defensively they have looked strong.

The likes of Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss have all performed well but it seems as though another centre-back wouldn’t go amiss, especially with Saiss due to depart for AFCON in January.

The Latest: Wanderers keen on centre-back

According to Hatfield, speaking to Give Me Sport, the heart of defence is where Wolves are most keen on strengthening next month:

“I think it’s the position (centre-back) that Wolves are most keen on addressing.”

The Verdict: Squad depth key

The aforementioned trio of Kilman, Coady and Saiss cannot be faulted this season, with Wolves only conceding 14 times in the league, but that doesn’t mean a new signing isn’t needed.

Squad depth is vital, given the relentless nature of the matches and fixture changes, and it may be that one of Wanderers’ regular back-three picks up an injury at some point.

That highlights the need for someone else to come in, with Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic a reported target and someone who could be ideal, having averaged 3.3 aerial duel wins per game this season – more than any Wolves player.

In other news, some Wolves fans are fuming at a refereeing update. Read more here.

Newcastle United made it six home wins on the bounce in the Premier League as the Magpies beat a Crystal Palace side fresh from Wembley heartbreak 1-0 at St.James’ Park.

Miguel Almiron’s first-half strike was enough to separate the two sides on Wednesday evening, despite the visitors having the majority of possession with 63.7%.

With the Paraguayan’s first goal of the season enough for victory, the Toon Army will be delighted with their team. However, the performance of striker Chris Wood was certainly quiet with the New Zealand international undoubtedly capable of better displays.

According to SofaScore, the 30-year-old made just 34 touches all evening with the forward playing the full 90 minutes. Moreover, Wood lost possession on 15 occasions, at an average of once every 2.3 touches.

Threat in the final third from the striker was non-existent with the Kiwi finishing the match with zero shots and one attempted dribble that didn’t come off, despite his side having 13 efforts all game, four of which on target.

Wood also struggled to link up with his teammates, completing just over half of his passes at 61% with just 14 ending up successful, a tally lower than goalkeeper Martin Dubravka’s 17.

In fairness to the January signing, the striker did hold the ball up well and was a presence up front, despite the lack of attempts on goal, winning half of his duels.

The 30-year-old has found the back of the net on two occasions since his whopping £25m move from relegation rivals Burnley in January.

Although the fee seems highly inflated for what the striker can provide, the Magpies were desperate for a centre-forward at a time when they were facing the abys and took what they could get.

Moreover, the move for Wood weakened a fellow rival in the quest to avoid the drop in Burnley.

However, with PIF looking to take the North East club to the next level, it could certainly be argued that Wood’s status as a Newcastle regular could expire at the end of the season with stronger reinforcements added to Eddie Howe’s squad over the course of the summer.

The Toon Army have already been linked with Benfica hotshot Darwin Nunez, emphasising the ambition that the new owners plan to showcase in their first summer transfer window at the top of Newcastle United.

Therefore, the New Zealand international will need to have a strong final five games of the season to boost his chances of being a regular under Howe next term.

AND in other news: Forget Almiron: NUFC’s “magic man” who won 13 duels was Howe’s real hero last night

Aston Villa are still looking to sign Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma during the January transfer window.

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett, with a number of Villa fans reacting to the update on social media.

Steven Gerrard has already bolstered his midfield ranks in 2022 by bringing in Philippe Coutinho on loan, and it appears as if a holding midfielder is next on the radar following Marvelous Nakamba’s serious knee injury.

Bissouma is capable of playing in a defensive or central midfield role and has made 100 Premier League appearances for the Seagulls – he averages 3.6 tackles per game this season, far more than any Villa player.

The £22.5m-rated Mali international has just 18 months remaining on his Amex contract and has also been linked with a summer switch to Manchester United.

Dorsett said on Twitter on Wednesday that Villa are still chasing Bissouma this month with a move for Everton’s Lucas Digne now done, ending his post by calling the move a ‘statement’ by the Villans.

Villa fans react

@villareport relayed Dorsett’s claim on Twitter soon after, with these Villa supporters buzzing and one labelling the Brighton man as a ‘game changer’.

“Gerrard pull”

Credit: @Jamie_UTV

“Please”

Credit: @BenAvfc94

“This one would be the game changer. He is so good”

Credit: @Nakamba_19

“Top six incoming The league best be afraid”

Credit: @CoutinhoProp

“Make it happen”

Credit: @deniswhite1114

“If we actually pull Yves Bissouma off, it’ll be scary hours.”

Credit: @avfcIewis

In other news: ‘Called it a week after Gerrard arrived’ – Lots of AVFC fans flock to Ornstein’s transfer update.   

Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to sign at least one player before the January transfer window deadline on Monday night, regardless of any outgoings…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, who delivered a huge update on Spurs’ current state of play heading into the weekend in an article shared on social media.

“#Tottenham continuing talks for Luis Diaz today – one of a number of targets before deadline. No last minute Adama [Traore] intervention expected. [Dele] Alli struggling for a concrete option to leave that suits everyone. More from me here:” he wrote on Twitter.

In the accompanying column, he reveals that the north London outfit are ‘hoping to make at least one new signing this month’ as they continue in talks with the FC Porto winger, for whom they are willing to pay £46m to sign.

Late drama

Spurs have been left frustrated in their attempts to bolster Antonio Conte’s squad this month, although they have left it very late indeed.

Traore’s U-turn in recent days has left them scrambling for other options as the Wolves winger is set to join his former club Barcelona, whom he left for Aston Villa back in 2015.

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However, it has got tomust be encouraging to learn that Spurs are prepared to pay up for Diaz, who is a hugely exciting talent and one of Europe’s hottest properties, having also been linked to Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.

The Colombian sensation has delivered 16 goals and six assists in only 28 appearances for the Portuguese giants so far this season, and that includes a few outings in the Champions League.

It’s hard to envisage where Diaz will fit into Conte’s system, with the Italian utilising wing-backs rather than wingers, but he has shown that he’s not afraid to adapt when necessary.

Thomas also suggests that the Porto gem is one of multiple targets heading into the final few days of the window and that the club are hoping to sign at least one name, regardless of whether Alli, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, or anyone else for that matter, depart N17.

That must be hugely exciting to hear for Conte, as he desperately needs reinforcements if he’s to even stand a chance at improving Spurs’ fortunes on the pitch in their quest for a top-four finish.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops major Spurs transfer claim that’ll leave fans buzzing…

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Liverpool’s 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich on Tuesday may have downplayed the importance of Virgil van Dijk – the Dutchman was suspended for the clash – as Fabinho and Joel Matip stepped into defence capably and dealt with Robert Lewandowski well, but the former Southampton man is keen to etch his name in history at Anfield Stadium in the years to come.

Speaking to respected pundit Guillem Balague, van Dijk said that he is keen to be remembered as a legend of Liverpool and achieve amazing things with the historic club. Indeed, if he continues to have seasons as impressive as the one he is currently enjoying, the big centre-half has every chance of a mention in discussion of Reds greats.

Winning the Premier League or Champions League wouldn’t hurt, either, although Bayern Munich threw somewhat of a spanner in the works on Tuesday night as they held the Merseysiders to a 0-0 draw.

Does Newcastle’s infamous title collapse of 1996 mirror what is happening at Liverpool right now? The Magpie Channel discuss in the video below…

Having arrived at Liverpool in January 2018 after handing in a transfer request at Southampton, the 27-year-old has established himself as one of Europe’s top defenders and, if his aspirations are anything to go by, he could become the pride of Anfield Stadium in years to come.

Not all Liverpool fans were confident he would reach that status at the club, though, while others think he is already there. You can check out the best of the reaction on Twitter below…

Steven Gerrard would likely bring a number of his assistant coaches to Aston Villa if he were to depart Rangers, according to The Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse. 

The lowdown

Villa are looking to appoint a replacement for Dean Smith, who was sacked at the weekend, and Gerrard has emerged as the club’s primary target ahead of Brentford boss Thomas Frank, Denmark’s Kasper Hjulmand and more.

The hope is that the Liverpool legend will be installed in time to take charge of Villa’s next Premier League game against Brighton on 20 November.

Gerrard led Rangers to the Premiership title – the club’s first for 10 years – after an unbeaten 2020/21 campaign. That achievement in his third year at the helm earned him the Special Achievement Award from the League Managers Association.

The latest

According to The Daily Mail, Gerrard would apparently be ‘interested’ in learning more about the opportunity.

If he is lured away to Villa Park, the report names four of his coaches who could follow him to the Midlands – Tommy Culshaw, Gary McAllister, Michael Beale and Jordan Milsom.

The verdict

If this does materialise, then Beale could be a particularly big loss for Rangers.

Former Ibrox forward Kyle Lafferty went as far as to call him ‘the brains’ behind their recent success and marvelled at his ‘amazing’ tactical awareness. Gerrard, for his part, admitted that it would take him ’15/20 years’ to become as good an ‘on-pitch coach’ as Beale.

A new manager could bring a talented backroom team with him, of course, but would Rangers regress if their coaching setup is totally dismantled? It could be a nervy few days for the Ibrox faithful as we wait to see what, if anything, happens regarding Gerrard and Villa.

In other news, what could a £23.5m loss mean for Rangers in the January transfer window? 

Flocking to Twitter, lots of Manchester City supporters were less than impressed with the performance of winger Oleksandr Zinchenko despite a comfortable 4-0 victory away to Newcastle United.

The Sky Blues battled to a comprehensive win at St. James’ Park despite not being at their best, with City maintaining their stay at the top of the Premier League table.

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Pep Guardiola’s side, who are looking to retain their top flight crown, maintained their imperious winning run thanks to goals from Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling on Tyneside.

Dias took advantage of lacklustre Newcastle defending to head home from close range early on as Cancelo then doubled City’s lead with a sumptuous individual goal from long range.

Mahrez and Sterling then sealed the result with their second half finishes, but despite an eventual routine win, many Sky Blues saw fit to criticise Zinchenko for his performance.

Man City fans slam Sterling…

Despite grabbing a brilliant assist for Mahrez, some City supporters thought the Ukraine international didn’t have his best afternoon, with SofaScore revealing that he gave the ball away more often than any other player in Guardiola’s side (14) whilst proving unreliable at times.

Taking this into account, a few Sky Blues supporters weren’t impressed – check out some of their verdicts below:

“Such a shame Zinchenko passing is so woeful at times, great assist but given the ball away so many times.”

Credit: @city_bible

“Zinchenko strangely off the boil today…….. not that it matters”

Credit: @Davidh29128

“Bar the assist, Zinchenko has been woeful”

Credit: @fdbmcfc

“Zinchenko has been awful today, we’re lucky it’s against Newcastle”

Credit: @UnrealFoden

“Tell you what, fantastic cross for Mahrez but bar that, Zinchenko has been proper bobbins here. He looks tired, unfocused and sloppy. Fortunate to have played such an attacking flat note in that respect.”

Credit: @RCorless33

“Zinchenko is playing against us I swear”

Credit: @kunsologist

“Zinchenko has had an absolute shocker today.”

Credit: @birtydave

“Zinchenko has been very poor today.”

Credit: @Gillykins58

In other news: ‘Oh my’, ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘Don’t gas me’…Man City fans flock to ‘perfect’ transfer update, find out more here.

Sam Johnstone should not play for West Brom again this season in order to prepare for his inevitable exit, according to reliable journalist Steve Madeley.

The Lowdown: Johnstone set to leave WBA?

The 29-year-old stayed put at the Baggies last summer despite their relegation to the Championship and he has continued to be a key figure in 2021/22, making 36 league appearances.

There does seem to be a potential inevitability about Johnstone moving on, though, with Albion’s promotion hopes effectively over for this season and his contract expiring in June.

The goalkeeper has been strongly linked with a move away in recent months, having been hailed as a ‘wonderful’ player by Micah Richards in the past and winning the WBA Supporters’ Player of the Year award in 2021.

The Latest: Madeley makes big Johnstone claim

Taking to Twitter on Monday as he shared a corresponding article from The Athletic, Madeley claimed that Johnstone should not play for the rest of the season, allowing West Brom to transition and prepare for life without him next term. He claimed:

“Sam Johnstone’s status as a successful Albion player is secure but he should not play again this season – there is no point.”

The Verdict: There’s sense to it

With the Baggies completely out of the promotion picture and with little to play for in the remaining weeks, Madeley’s suggestion does make sense in many ways.

It would give Bruce an opportunity to use others in the role, with those of a West Brom persuasion knowing what Johnstone can offer and also realising that he is coming to the end of his time at the Hawthorns.

In truth, the hope is that a high-quality replacement comes in, given the 29-year-old’s aforementioned influence, but giving David Button a chance to prove himself over the next few weeks shouldn’t do any harm for the time being.

In other news, West Brom reportedly face competition for one player. Find out who it is here.

Yerry Mina was in ‘WWE mode’ during Everton’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Tuesday night, The Liverpool Echo’s Phil Kirkbride says.

The lowdown

Everton fell to a 3-1 defeat against their relegation rivals after Ryan Fraser’s effort proved to be the winner, while Kieran Trippier added another for good measure.

Mina made his second successive Premier League start in a back three alongside Michael Keane and Mason Holgate.

But the Colombian lasted only 35 minutes before he was forced off with an injury.

The latest

Kirkbride tweeted in the early stages of the first half that ‘showman’ Mina was in ‘WWE mode’ for ‘bundling into the opponent’ and ‘giving the Newcastle centre forwards a few verbals’.

BT Sport’s Chris Sutton offered a similar assessment after a foul on Allan Saint-Maximin, accusing Mina of ‘wrestling’ in commentary.

He added that the 27-year-old was ‘lucky’ to escape a yellow card.

Sky Sports’ Charlotte Marsh also felt the challenge was ‘suspect’ and said even Frank Lampard would ‘know that was a bit naughty’.

The verdict

On the one hand, you could praise Mina’s aggression and call it an imposing display. You might point to the fact that he won three of his five aerial battles before coming off (via SofaScore).

But on the other, he only won 25% of his ground duels (one out of four) and he could be accused of lacking composure.

Indeed, Sutton blasted him for an ‘awful’ pass which led to a Newcastle chance, and Kirkbride noted that his ‘jittery start’ to the game had in turn rattled his team-mates.

Still, his injury represents a real blow for Everton, who will already be without Ben Godfrey until March after he sustained a hamstring issue against Brentford at the weekend.

In other news, Everton are interested in this UCL defender.