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Celtic enjoyed a 2-0 win at Motherwell in the Premiership on Saturday afternoon thanks to goals from Jota and David Turnbull.

However, not every player put in the kind of performance that they would have liked, and The Transfer Tavern have picked out the three worst Hoops players based purely on Sofascore statistics (players must feature for at least 45 minutes in order to be considered).

Joe Hart

Statistically, Hart was Celtic’s third worst player on the pitch.

This seems very harsh considering that he managed to keep a clean sheet in between the sticks. However, as a ‘keeper who likes to come out of his goal at times, emphasised by his one successful dribble and one ground duel won (Sofascore), he may have been disappointed to not play any key passes and only have 43 touches of the ball in total.

Sofascore decided to give him an overall rating of seven out of ten.

Liel Abada

Abada was the Celts’ second worst player with a 6.8 rating on Sofascore.

The Israel international lost out on two of his duels and also failed to record a single dribble, key pass or accurate cross, the latter from seven attempts (Sofascore).

Abada was also guilty of losing possession on 12 separate occasions throughout the match, and recorded just 40 touches of the ball in total, the second fewest out of any Bhoys player to have started the match (Sofascore).

Kyogo Furuhashi

Despite his heroics so far this season, Kyogo was statistically the worst player in Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI at Fir Park, with a 6.6 overall rating.

The 26-year-old lost three duels and failed to record a shot on target, dribble or key pass during his 82 minutes on the pitch (Sofascore).

He also had a mere 16 touches of the ball, nine fewer than substitute Nir Bitton, who only featured for 17 minutes (Sofascore). That highlights how isolated the Japan international was up top at times.

In other news, find out who could be back for Celtic in the ‘next couple of weeks’

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Duje Caleta-Car to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that, with Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma being ruled out of action for a considerable portion of the remainder of the campaign due to injury, David Moyes is looking to bring in a number of defensive reinforcements into his side during the upcoming winter window.

The report goes on to state that Olympique de Marseille centre-back Caleta-Car is one of the 58-year-old manager’s targets, although, it is also claimed that newly-rich Newcastle United are also interested in a move for the 25-year-old, who was reportedly available for just €15m (£12.6m) last summer.

Forget Ogbonna

While it is true that West Ham have badly missed Ogbonna ever since the centre-back injured his anterior cruciate ligament in the Hammers’ 3-2 victory over Liverpool towards the start of November, should the club’s board be able to get a deal over the line for Caleta-Car this January, it would certainly help ease the loss of the 33-year-old defender.

Indeed, over his eight Ligue 1 appearances so far this season, the £14.4m-rated man has been in imperious form, helping his side keep three clean sheets, scoring one goal, as well as making an average of 0.8 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 1.9 clearances and winning 72% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £47k-per-week centre-back average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.17, ranking him as Jorge Sampaoli’s second-best performer in the top flight of French football – behind only a player West Ham fans will be very familiar with, in the shape of Dimitri Payet.

Furthermore, former Liverpool defender and Caleta-Car’s Croatia teammate Dejan Lovren clearly believes the 25-year-old has what it takes to make it in the Premier League, stating of the defender last year: “He is physically very strong, stronger than other players. He will explode in a few years and become even stronger.”

As such, while the loss of Ogbonna for what could be the rest of the current campaign is undoubtedly a nightmare for David Moyes, should GSB manage to seal a deal for Caleta-Car as the Italian’s replacement this January, the manager’s current nightmare in the heart of his defence would certainly turn into something of a dream for the Scot.

In other news: Forget Vlasic: £79k-p/w WHU gem who lost the ball every 2.1 touches badly failed Moyes

As per Sky Sports, some transfer news has come out of Tottenham Hotspur involving in-demand Wolverhampton Wanderers star Ruben Neves.

The Lowdown: Pochettino eyed 2018 move for Neves…

Journalist Adrian Kajumba, writing for The Daily Mirror at the time, revealed that former Spurs boss and fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino personally had Neves in his sights back in 2018.

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Indeed, the Argentine reportedly added Wolves’ star midfielder to his transfer wish list alongside other Portuguese internationals like Cedric Soares and Gelson Martins.

In the same year, reports suggested that the Molineux outfit would have demanded big money to let Neves leave, with Wolves apparently setting his valuation at ‘over £100 million’.

Now, as per Sky Sports, it appears that Tottenham have been eyeing him again this season as they aim to back manager Antonio Conte with fresh faces.

The Latest: Spurs in mix for Neves?

The big-name broadcaster, as written by their reporter Lyall Thomas, have claimed that Spurs ‘have also been interested in Neves this season’ alongside Manchester United.

This comes as Sky Sports also revealed that the 25-year-old is emerging as a top transfer target for north London rivals Arsenal.

The Verdict: Make a move?

Given the signing of Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus in January, not to mention the presence of other dependable central midfielders like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp in their squad, a move for Neves shouldn’t be too hotly pursued by Spurs in the summer.

Tottenham arguably need a backup to star striker Harry Kane much more urgently, with The Athletic also stating that Conte’s major summer priority is a left-sided central defender.

Despite Neves being lauded as a ‘quality’ Premier League player by ex-Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips, the Lilywhites may have other priorities this summer, and we believe they should leave Pochettino’s one-time target alone.

In other news: Tottenham could strike imminent agreement to sign ‘magical’ £25m striker! Find out more here.

An exciting update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s pursuit of Burnley striker Chris Wood…

What’s the talk?

The Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards has dropped an intriguing claim on the forward’s availability for a transfer this month, whilst confirming that the Magpies are pursuing the Clarets centre-forward.

He tweeted: “Oooooohhh hearing Chris Wood might have a release clause in his contract. Haven’t had it confirmed yet but that would explain why #nufc have pursued it when it didn’t immediately make much sense given Burnley would be selling to a relegation rival. More to follow? Perhaps.”

Fans will be delighted

Newcastle fans will surely be delighted with this news, as it seemingly puts the power in the club’s hands to complete a deal for Wood.

Burnley are one place above them in the Premier League table and could be reluctant to sell to Eddie Howe’s side, as it would weaken them and strengthen a direct rival. This means that a transfer on their terms would be extremely unlikely, and one not worth pursuing for the Magpies.

However, this claim from Edwards suggests that Burnley might have no say on the matter. If Newcastle trigger his release clause, they would simply need to convince Wood to make the switch, rather than needing to negotiate a fee with their rivals for his services.

This is why fans will be delighted with the update, and they will also be buzzing as the striker could be an excellent addition to their squad. He is a proven Premier League goalscorer, netting 50 times at that level, and Newcastle are desperately lacking players who can find the net regularly.

Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin are the only Magpies players who have scored more than once in the league this season, whilst Wood has scored 10 or more goals in four separate seasons for Burnley. He has also won 5.5 aerial battles per game this term, which shows that he could offer Howe a physical presence at the top end of the pitch from which team-mates could benefit.

Therefore, he could be a great signing, as he could come in and provide an additional goal threat in the second half of the campaign. If he can come in and reproduce the level of goalscoring he has shown at this level for Burnley, he could win some valuable points for the Magpies and be adored by the Toon Army if he is able to help keep the team in the Premier League.

AND in other news, “We understand”: Keith Downie drops big NUFC transfer claim that’ll leave fans gutted…

Taking to Twitter, reliable reporter Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic has relayed some exit news out of Tottenham Hotspur involving midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

The Lowdown: Tottenham eye sales…

Spurs boss Antonio Conte has been making evaluations on his squad as he decides who to sell and who to sign this transfer window.

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A handful of Tottenham players have been linked with a move away from north London, including the likes of Dele Alli, Matt Doherty and Ndombele (Sky Sports).

So far, the Lilywhites have confirmed just one outgoing with promising youngster Dilan Markanday completing a permanent move to Blackburn Rovers.

Sharing some exit news for Spurs fans, The Athletic reporter Eccleshare has dropped a social media update involving Ndombele.

The Latest: The Athletic share news…

According to Eccleshare and Jack Pitt-Brooke, a deal to offload Spurs’ club record signing to Paris-Saint Germain is still a ‘long way off’ completion.

“THFC and PSG in talks over loan move for Tanguy Ndombele,” Eccleshare explained on Twitter.

“Still a long way off completion, understand from sources close to situation that expectation is still only around 50-50 that it’ll go through.”

The Verdict: Time to leave?

PSG apparently want to take Tottenham’s £200,000-per-week ace on loan for the rest of the season and we believe this could be a good move for all involved, if both clubs can find an agreement.

Ndombele himself is from the Parisian suburbs and the Ligue 1 side’s financial power indicates that, if they wished to, they could lodge a permanent move for the player after his temporary spell depending on his performances.

It will be difficult to find an outright buyer before January 31 so this could be Tottenham’s chance to get the ball rolling over a potential permanent exit in future.

In other news: Spurs allegedly ‘edging closer’ to signing ‘massive’ £15m defender, find out more here.

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Leeds United have recalled goalkeeper Will Huffer from a loan spell at Barnet after an injury to Kamil Miazek, the Yorkshire Evening Post report.

Huffer played three times for the National League side during his spell, in draws with Solihull Moors, Sutton United and in an FA Cup stalemate with Brentford.

What’s the word?

Huffer only joined Barnet on January 25th but is already back at Elland Road.

The 20-year-old made his senior debut for Leeds earlier this season, playing 90 minutes and keeping a clean sheet in the 2-0 Championship win over Bristol City.

Huffer is third in the club’s pecking order of goalkeepers, behind January signing Kiko Casilla and Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

However, an injury sustained by Miazek means that he is needed to play for the club’s Under-23 side.

As well as making his senior debut, Huffer has played for England at youth levels, winning nine caps for the Under-17s and one for the Under-18s.

Development accelerated

Huffer’s development is only going to be helped by training with the likes of Casilla.

He will play for the Under-23s regularly and is also on standby to move into the first-team for Marcelo Bielsa.

The youngster has already made his Championship bow and is clearly seen as a trustworthy deputy by his manager.

The signing of Casilla may well have pushed him down the queue but he has won three Champions League trophies, as well as La Liga and two UEFA Super Cups.

Huffer can only get better and merely working alongside the Spaniard could have a transformative effect on his growth.

With an away trip to face Cheltenham Town at the weekend on the horizon, Sheffield Wednesday are on a rather uninspiring run of form having drawn their three previous League One outings.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the match at The Jonny-Rocks Stadium, one Owls player that should definitely be in the starting XI on Saturday is 22-year-old midfielder Dennis Adeniran.

Adeniran, who played the full 90 minutes of their 1-1 draw against Lincoln City last weekend, managed to not only score the goal that rescued a point for Darren Moore’s side.

He also managed to complete 26 of the 28 passes (92.9%) he attempted, made one accurate cross, completed two out of the four dribble attempts he made, won ten out of the 18 duels he was involved in and made four interceptions and four tackles, ultimately earning himself a solid overall match rating of 7.5, making him the joint-highest rated Wednesday player on the day according to SofaScore.

This shows just how much of a well-rounded performance he put in for the side in his latest appearance and why we think he should keep his place in the team for the trip to Cheltenham on Saturday.

Also, with Moore claiming that Adeniran would bring “great energy” to the team when they signed him, it seems as though he was right on the money considering how much of an attacking and defensive unit he was for Wednesday against the Imps.

Wednesday signed Adeniran back in July from Everton’s U23 side on a free transfer. Since then, the 22-year-old, who is currently valued at £360k according to Transfermarkt, has made 14 appearances for the Owls across all competitions in which he has managed to rack up three goals and one assist whilst playing in a range of positions on the pitch, highlighting his versatility and why we think he has been a good signing for the club.

For this weekend’s encounter, Adeniran’s inclusion in the starting XI would give Moore’s side to pick up a win rather than yet another draw or even a defeat that could put a dent in Wednesday’s hopes to secure a promotion place back to the Championship by the end of the season.

In other news: Moore must unleash “phenomenal” £1.62m-rated SWFC beast, he could bully Cheltenham – opinion

Celtic winger Jota will miss the League Cup final against Hibernian later this month through injury, Sky Sports’ Alison Conroy reports.

The Lowdown: Permanent deal on the cards

The 22-year-old has proven to be an excellent addition under Ange Postecoglou, becoming a regular in Celtic’s front three.

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Jota has been involved in 14 goals in his 18 appearances for the club, with the manager wanting to exercise their option-to-buy clause for the winger before the end of the season.

It would cost Celtic £6.5m to secure Jota’s services on a permanent basis, but he’ll miss his first final as a Hoops player through injury.

The Latest: Hampden Park absence

Jota suffered a hamstring issue against Hearts earlier this month, which is expected to keep him out for ‘a few weeks’.

Conroy reported Postecoglou’s pre-Real Betis press conference on Twitter on Wednesday, with the manager confirming Jota won’t be available against Hibs.

The Verdict: Hammer blow

Jota has proven to be a big player for Celtic with his reliable and consistent production in the final third, racking up eight goals and six assists so far this season.

You always want your best players ready to go for big games, so his absence will be a blow for Postecoglou, who may have to rely on youngsters Mikey Johnston and Liel Abada to fill in for the time being.

Described as ‘brilliant’ by Frank McAvennie, Jota may well return to the side before the winter break, but if he doesn’t, the next time fans see him, he could be a Celtic player on a permanent basis.

In other news: Celtic closing in on possible loan-to-buy move for ‘tireless worker’; Ange isn’t hanging around. 

Nottingham Forest have a potential plan in mind if they cannot stop Joe Worrall from departing this summer.

What’s the news?

According to Claret and Hugh, Forest boss Steve Cooper has scouted West Ham’s Emmanuel Longelo on “several occasions” and he could be used as a “makeweight” in a deal that would see centre-back Worrall head the other way.

The report also claimed that the East Midlands club had a “ridiculously low” bid for the 21-year-old rejected back in January, but the Championship outfit remain keen on bringing him to the City Ground.

Time to replace Colback

Jack Colback has been filling in for Nottingham Forest at left-back, with Max Lowe currently out with a groin injury, and unlikely to return until late April.

The 32-year-old Sunderland youth academy graduate has earned praise for stepping in for the ex-Derby prospect, living up to the “bulldog” comparison made by teammate Phillip Zinckernagel earlier on in the season, averaging a 6.89 match rating according to SofaScore, in the second tier – playing in an unfamiliar position.

However, he may not have to fill in on the left side of defence for much longer, as the club eye up a transfer for Longelo.

Valued at £135k by Transfermarkt, the youngster could potentially prove to be excellent value for money – particularly if he is included as a sweetener in the Worrall deal.

A rapid full-back who loves to attack, in many ways he is similar to fan-favourite loaned-in Djed Spence – just operating on the opposite flank.

Described as “very impressive” by London Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser, Longelo has made 14 Premier League 2 appearances this season, grabbing three assists and earning a start in the Hammers’ 1-0 home loss in the Europa League to Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb.

Having also been named as one of three players set for breakthrough years at West Ham by the Evening Standard in late December, alongside Sonny Perkins and Ben Johnson, it’s clear that the East London club rate him highly.

But, the promise of first-team football, even if Forest earn promotion to the top flight, could prove enough to persuade him to become a part of the Cooper project and East Midlands revolution.

In other news: Nottingham Forest plot bid for 23 y/o “real leader”, he’s an ideal Worrall replacement

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has shared the latest information on the progress of winger Leon Bailey, with the Jamaica international close to a return to action after two months out.

What’s the latest?

According to Birmingham Live, Bailey could be back for Villa’s next game against Leeds United on Wednesday evening. A thigh injury has kept the 24-year-old out of action since 1 December, meaning that the winger has only played three times under Gerrard.

On the Jamaican, the 41-year-old last said: “In terms of Leon Bailey, he’s not too far away from returning to training.

“We hope to have him back in the group in the next two weeks. That will benefit Leon having no games and he won’t miss many more games and, hopefully, in two weeks’ time, he’ll be ready to train with the group.”

Villa are out of action this weekend having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United earlier this month, meaning that their Premier League match against Leeds on Wednesday will be their first taste of action for 18 days having beaten Everton 1-0 last time out two weeks ago.

Gerrard will be buzzing

Having hardly been able to work with Bailey yet, Gerrard will be particularly buzzing to see what the 24-year-old can offer him, meaning this fresh boost will be music to his ears.

The winger’s Villa tenure has certainly gotten off to a frustrating start after his £25m move from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen last summer.

Having made his debut off of the bench in the opening day defeat to Watford, the Jamaican suffered a knock that kept him out for the following two matches before coming off of the bench against Chelsea and Everton, scoring against the Toffees.

Another brief spell on the sidelines interrupted Bailey’s progress before he had a run of six games before suffering the thigh injury that has kept him out for two months in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.

Whilst the former Leverkusen man has been absent, the West Midlands outfit have certainly turned a corner under Gerrard, winning five of the ten Premier League matches he’s been in charge of.

Moreover, Philippe Coutinho has joined on loan from Barcelona for the rest of the season whilst Emi Buendia is starting to discover form; regaining his place in the team won’t be straightforward for Bailey.

However, the skill and trickery of the wide man will certainly offer Gerrard an exciting alternative, with the Englishman’s preferred 4-3-3 set up perfect for the 24-year-old to demonstrate his ability on the flank.

Villa are currently sat in 11th with 26 points but are ten points off of the top six whilst being 11 off of the relegation zone, meaning that their upcoming matches could make a major impact on how the remainder of their campaign plays out.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops behind-the-scenes Villa claim