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Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Ahmed Kendouci to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a number of reports from Algeria (via The Scottish Sun), which claim that Ange Postecoglou is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the ES Setif central midfielder ahead of a potential move in the winter market.

The report goes on to state that Celtic have even contacted the former Rangers centre-back Madjid Bougherra, who is now a coach at the Algerian side, for information on the 22-year-old, while the Bhoys’ interest has led to the ES Setif manager, Nabil Kouki, to speak out regarding the sale of the one-time capped Algeria international.

Kouki said: “Last season, we missed out on the title because we sold important players in the transfer window. I very much hope and expect that it won’t happen this time. The board of this club must make a statement that we should keep our best players and indeed, strengthen the squad. So I very much hope Ahmed Kendouci remains with the club despite the recent speculation.”

Postecoglou can axe Soro

Considering the fact that it has recently been reported that Ismaila Soro will be allowed to leave Parkhead in the January transfer window, with New York Red Bulls believed to be interested in a move for the central midfielder, Celtic’s potential swoop for Kendouci could well prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the 23-year-old.

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Indeed, since Postecoglou’s arrival in Glasgow last summer, the £810k-rated man has started just six games in all competitions for the Hoops – making a further 11 appearances from the bench – with only six of these 17 fixtures coming in the Premiership.

And, considering how poor the £12.5k-a-week midfielder who Ori Guttman dubbed an “explosive” player has been over these league outings, it is hardly surprising that Celtic are willing to sanction his departure this month. The Ivorian is averaging an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.63 – ranking him as Postecoglou’s sixth-worst performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

As such, it would indeed appear wise for the 56-year-old Bhoys boss to finally call time on Soro’s Celtic career, and subsequently reinvest the money received from his transfer into a £1m swoop for a player who the Greek-Australian coach is clearly a fan of in the shape of Kendouci.

In other news: Forget McGree: Celtic must now move for “perfect” Jan signing, he’d be a huge upgrade

He’s long been one of the first names on the team sheet, but Douglas Luiz has a new role in the Aston Villa midfield and he’s absolutely thriving under new boss Steven Gerrard.

Traditionally playing as the holding midfielder, Luiz made a name for himself under Dean Smith as one of the best in the division. A strong tackler, with good positional awareness and excellent physical qualities, Luiz joined from Manchester City in a £15m deal after he was unable to secure a work permit for the then-champions.

He walked straight into the newly promoted midfield and featured in 36 Premier League fixtures, level with Jack Grealish for the most of anyone in the squad. After avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth, he continued to be a mainstay the following season and made 33 appearances as Villa made a push for Europe.

His form during that season saw him linked with potential transfers back to Man City and abroad, with his ball-playing qualities becoming more apparent. He even earned more regular call-ups to the senior Brazil national team, winning four caps in both 2020 and 2021 to take his total tally to nine.

The start of this season saw his form drop off, as the Midlands side claimed just ten points from the first 11 games and Smith was sacked, replaced by Liverpool legend Gerrard. Since then, Villa fans have seen Luiz play in a slightly different role but they have seen the 23-year-old recapture his old form but with an added twist of creativity.

Luiz has managed to register three assists already this season, with the most recent coming in the 2-1 defeat to Man City where he started the game in a more advanced, box-to-box role. With Marvelous Nakamba holding the fort behind him, Luiz has been able to use his excellent passing range and dribbling in a more attacking way to help Villa build their play from the back. He was excellent against Leicester in the 2-1 win at the weekend, winning 80% of his duels including a team-high four aerial duels.

The three assists he’s registered in 11 appearances so far trump or equal the tally of the previous two full seasons in that department, while his ability to win the ball back higher up the pitch is a positive and a big part of why Gerrard’s side have been successful since he took over this season.

The £31.5m-rated bulldozer is currently averaging 1.6 key passes per game this season compared to 0.6 last season, while he’s also averaging 1.1 successful dribbles compared to 0.7 last season.

With the Villa squad taking on a new lease of life under the new boss, Luiz is a big part of that and deserves the plaudits for taking to his new role so well.

AND in other news, Matty Cash stole the show against Leicester City

With Leeds United in the midst of a disappointing run of results in the Premier League with three defeats in their last three games, the upcoming January transfer window could well provide the Yorkshire club with the opportunity to strengthen and freshen up their squad to end the season on a high note.

With the window set to open in a matter of days, it seems as though Leeds have their eye on signing a player from one of Europe’s top clubs to help boost their midfield.

What’s the news?

According to a report from The Sun by journalist Alan Nixon, Leeds are interested in signing Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, who is reportedly available for around £20m.

Juventus originally signed McKennie on a loan deal from German club Schalke back in September last year before securing him on a permanent deal in the previous summer transfer window.

Overall, the 23-year-old, who is currently valued at £22.5m according to Transfermarkt, has made 63 appearances for the Serie A giants across all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing three assists in the process.

Labelled as an “exuberant” player by former Juventus director Fabio Paratici, McKennie has proved himself to be a useful midfield option for the Italian club this season by racking up an average of 1.2 tackles per game, 1.1 interceptions per game and 0.9 clearances per game in Serie A.

To put those numbers into perspective, current Leeds midfielder Mateusz Klich has managed to rack up an average of 1.1 tackles per game, 0.2 interceptions per game and 0.5 clearances per game, showing that Juventus man has what it takes to deliver the sort of performances that Marcelo Bielsa would be looking for, especially from a defensive point of view.

With the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton out injured, McKennie could be a great option for Victor Orta to start January off with a bang and add the midfielder to Bielsa’s squad, especially if he can make Leeds a bit stronger defensively, which is what they need at the moment given how they’ve conceded 14 goals in their three previous league games.

Consider how he was once dubbed a “rock” by Andrea Pirlo, and the American very much appears to be a perfect acquisition for Leeds.

In other news: Leeds United rocked by yet another injury issue that’ll surely have fans fuming – opinion

Flocking to Twitter, many Sunderland fans were left unimpressed by another lacklustre display from midfielder Lynden Gooch despite their victory over Ipswich Town on Saturday.

The Black Cats ran out 2-0 victors as they finally returned to winning ways, coming off their barren run of six consecutive matches without a victory in normal time (BBC).

Sunderland’s win keeps them well in contention for automatic promotion as they fight among one of the closest races England’s third tier has seen in recent years.

Only five points separate sixth place from the summit of League One and Lee Johnson’s side are right in the mix, helped in no small part by their victory over The Tractor Boys.

However, it was anything but routine as Sunderland left it late and secured the win in dramatic fashion with two goals in the last five minutes. Indeed, Luke O’Nien opened the scoring in the 85th minute before Aiden McGeady sealed all three points with an injury time penalty.

Sunderland fans slam Gooch

Despite this precious win, one man who failed to impress was Gooch, as numerous fans were quick to point out on social media.

This isn’t the first time he has been criticised by many Black Cats supporters this season, either, with the 25-year-old’s recent performance against Bradford also coming under fire.

It’s little wonder they felt the same way against Ipswich judging by Gooch’s SofaScore numbers, with the American ranking as Sunderland’s lowest-rated player on the day with 6.1. He also picked up another booking, his sixth of the season, whilst succeeding with none of his crosses, completing zero dribbles and winning just 33% of his duels (SofaScore).

Taking these numbers into account, you can understand why supporters felt his performance was “shocking” – check out some of their verdicts from Twitter below.

“Madness how Gooch still has the audacity to put a Sunderland kit on”

Credit: @drew1aws

“Evans, Embelton & Gooch off please, Mr Johnson.”

Credit: @JakeStappard_

“Gooch and O’Nien need hooking and never allowed to play for this club again…”

Credit: @safcftm2015

“Sub off Gooch, never play him again, recall Diamond & Hawkes.”

Credit: @Camer0nJohnson

“I thought Embleton second half especially was awful and could’ve been off 10 minutes earlier. Was typical Gooch too I thought, loads of effort and the ball but so wasteful and frustrating”

Credit: @JHerra18

“Not the best performance but the fight was there. Don’t think either team done enough to win the game so that’s a positive. Hopefully the end of Gooch, shocking footballer”

Credit: @1996SAR_

“Still don’t know how Gooch is a professional footballer”

Credit: @DomZvirblys

Enner Valencia could be a shrewd signing for Wolves due to his experience over younger squad members, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Wolves linked with Valencia

Wanderers were linked with a surprise move for Valencia earlier this month, as Bruno Lage looks for potential January reinforcements.

Considering Valencia is now 32 and didn’t set the world alight in the Premier League at West Ham and Everton, it wasn’t a rumour to get overly excited about.

The 67-time capped Ecuador international has only scored 11 times in 75 appearances in England’s top flight.

The Latest: Journalist talks up move

Despite this, Hatfield told Give Me Sport that he believes Valencia could be a good signing for Wolves, providing experience in the squad:

“He’s much more likely to hit the ground running than either a really young player like Silva or someone who’s come in from abroad and has not seen the league before like Willian Jose.”

The Verdict: Short-term fix

Valencia is unlikely to be someone who comes in as a regular starter, given his limitations and age, but he could help fill the void left by the possible exit of Adama Traore.

He does have knowledge of the Premier League, too, which could be an advantage, and 34 goals for his country is not to be sniffed at, in terms of offering quality from the substitutes’ bench or starting the odd game.

That being said, if Valencia was to be the only January addition, it would be disappointing, with more quality needed if Traore is to move on.

In other news, one Wolves player has been linked with a move abroad. Find out who it is here.

Phil Hay has provided a mixed update on three Leeds United players’ hopes of facing Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening, with praise for Joe Gelhardt but bad news on Raphinha’s chances.

The Lowdown: Leeds aims for quarter-finals

The Whites are looking to make it into the quarter-finals on Tuesday, making the trip to north London to face an unpredictable Gunners side.

Leeds haven’t won the League Cup since way back in 1968 and now would be a great time to change that, further adding to Marcelo Bielsa’s legacy.

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The Latest: Hay gives update on trio

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic ahead of the game, Hay gave an update on Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Joe Gelhardt’s chances of featuring at the Emirates:

“Kalvin Phillips made the bench on Saturday so might have a good chance of playing. Raphinha’s ankle injury doesn’t sound like a bad one but it would make sense to be cautious with him this evening.

“I guess the big question is whether Joe Gelhardt starts. And if not, he will surely feature in some capacity after his performance on Saturday.”

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The Verdict: Exciting to see Gelhardt again

It would be great to see Phillips back in action after a recent layoff, although there is a nagging feeling that says he shouldn’t be risked before Leeds’ return to Premier League action away to Norwich City on Sunday.

The same applies to Raphinha in that respect, but Gelhardt will surely earn a start, following an exciting cameo on Saturday which saw him win a last-gasp penalty.

The 19-year-old should be brimming with confidence and this would be another great opportunity to see him in action.

In other news, Hay has revealed that another Leeds player is struggling with injury. Find out who it is here.

Dean Smith has been told to drop Emiliano Buendia for Aston Villa’s Premier League clash with West Ham United on Sunday.

Birmingham Live journalist Ashley Preece has set out the line-up he believes can end the hosts’ slump.

The lowdown

Villa take on the Hammers looking to halt a run of three consecutive league defeats.

Buendia started his fifth Premier League game of the season against Arsenal last time out, lining-up behind Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins in Smith’s 3-4-1-2.

But he endured a difficult night, squandering a ‘big chance’ to reduce the Gunners’ three-goal lead just after the hour mark, losing possession 14 times and completing only one of his three dribbles. He was replaced by Jacob Ramsey on 68 minutes (via SofaScore).

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said that Buendia is ‘not working’ in Smith’s system.

The Argentine, a summer arrival from Norwich City, is Villa’s fourth-highest earner at reported £75,000 per week.

The latest

Preece called for a reversion to a back four, with Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Matt Targett protecting Emiliano Martinez’s goal.

In midfield, he wants to see John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey, who ‘deserves a chance to build on his first goal’ against Arsenal.

Provided Leon Bailey passes a fitness test, Preece thinks he should start on the right, Ings through the middle and Watkins out on the left.

The verdict

Buendia did indeed struggle at Arsenal, while Ramsey came on and gave Villa hope by scoring an outstanding goal.

According to ex-Villan Gabriel Agbonlahor, the 20-year-old has been in ‘great form’ this season and adds ‘more legs’ in midfield, implying he is absolutely the right fit if a three-man midfield is selected, as Preece suggests.

Villa are in need of three points to arrest their slide, and so Dean Smith can’t shy away from making big decisions in terms of team selection.

In other news, fans loved this sight in midweek.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed the country’s government met with Glasgow Rangers officials and a host of other clubs north of the border after what happened with vaccine checks this past weekend.

The Lowdown: Vaccine passports question

It has previously been suggested that vaccine passports would be required for all games in Scotland from October 1st (Rangers News).

However, it now appears the passports will be required from October 21st for Rangers’ clash with Brondby, with checks taking place this past weekend to a much lesser degree.

The Latest: Sturgeon confirms talks

Speaking on Tuesday, Sturgeon discussed the the meeting with Rangers and other Scottish clubs, following Ibrox officials’ efforts to check about 20 per cent of fans on Sunday against Hibernian. She said (via The Scottish Sun):

“In relation to football fixtures over the weekend just past, while they had agreed that no fan would be turned away if they were unable to provide evidence of their vaccination status, both Hearts and Rangers tested their certification arrangements and managed to check around 20 per cent of their crowds.

“Scottish Government officials met yesterday with those clubs, together with Aberdeen, Celtic, Hibs and the managers of Hampden, to consider and learn any lessons from the weekend experiences.”

The Verdict: Controversial

These new plans are unlikely to please Gers supporters. Not only is Sturgeon not particularly popular amongst the supporters, the vaccine passports have been widely panned across Scotland (via The Scotsman). While it is a boost that the plans have been delayed, it is likely to be implemented at some point.

Rangers were at least able to check whether 20 per cent of the fans were doubly vaccinated. But they will need to increase that number quickly to comply with the country’s laws. Supporters getting on board will only help the process.

In other news, this Premier League striker reveals he almost moved to Rangers.

After securing a 2-0 win over Burnley in their latest Premier League outing, Manchester City are back in European action on Tuesday evening with an away clash against Belgian side Club Brugge on the cards for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Their previous Champions League tie saw them lose 2-0 against Paris Saint-Germain thanks to goals from Idrissa Gana Gueye and Lionel Messi.

On the chalkboard

One player that did not feature in the game against Burnley at the weekend who we feel should be in the starting XI for City against Brugge is Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus was not involved in the game against Burnley due to his involvement with Brazil on international duty just a short period before the match against Sean Dyche’s side.

Now that he should be back and available for the team, we feel that Jesus, who has been labelled as City’s “unsung hero” by Guardiola in the past, should definitely be in the starting XI for the midweek match.

City signed Jesus back in the 2017 summer transfer window from Brazilian club Palmeiras. Since then, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £54m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 204 appearances for the Manchester club across all competitions in which he has managed to score 85 goals and provide 38 assists in the process.

So far this season, Jesus has made nine appearances for City across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing four assists, proving how much of an important attacking asset he has been for the club, even more so considering he managed to score the winning goal in City’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea, proving himself as a match-winner for the team.

His latest appearance for City in their 2-2 draw against Liverpool saw Jesus pick up an assist and ultimately earn himself a solid match rating of 7.1/10 according to SofaScore.

Looking ahead to the Brugge match, we feel that not only will Jesus give Guardiola the chance to rotate his team and give one of his attacking players that featured against Burnley a rest, but would also give the team a great chance of winning based on the attacking prowess he’s shown so far this season.

In other news: 90% pass accuracy: Man City star who made 3 key passes was Pep’s hero v Burnley – opinion

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans were left lamenting a pair of misses from Nelson Semedo in their clash with Watford on Saturday afternoon. 

Wolves came into the game without a point on the board, having lost each of their first three Premier League fixtures by a goal to nil.

Watford, meanwhile, were looking to return to winning ways on home turf after following-up their opening-day victory against Aston Villa with back-to-back defeats at Brighton and Spurs.

Recapping Semedo’s afternoon at Vicarage Road

Bruno Lage selected Semedo at right wing-back for the third consecutive match, with Marcal, who was superb, slotting in on the other side.

The Portuguese ace however had the chance to put the visitors ahead in first-half stoppage time after he was set through by right-winger Francisco Trincao, but he shot straight at Daniel Bachmann.

And then, just after the hour mark, he was in again, only to fire wide of the post.

Semedo also lost six of his ten ground duels, failed to complete a dribble and conceded possession 14 times in total, contributing to a team-low SofaScore rating of 6.2.

Mercifully for Wolves, an own-goal from Francisco Sierralta and a debut strike from Hwang Hee-chan were enough to earn their three points.

These Wolves fans bemoaned Semedo misses

“Remember when fans said Doherty wasn’t good enough after getting 15 goals/assists and now Semedo has missed another 1 on 1. We are actually cursed. How have we missed another”

Credit: @Habby396

“Semedo has robbed Raul of an absolute beauty of an assist”

Credit: @wwfcnaasif

“Semedo man you’re killing me rn”

Credit: @haydenbd_

“Semedo has to score, again”

Credit: @WeAreWolvesFans

“Why is it Semedo every time man, guy can’t finish”

Credit: @_tomwwfc

“Semedo I just can’t man”

Credit: @GeorgeTheStud

In other news, this ‘excellent’ ace has hinted at a desire to leave.