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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. 

Aston Villa are in line to bring Ashley Young back to the club, 10 years on after leaving for Manchester United, according to the Daily Mail.

And, as to be expected, several Villa fans were quick to give their immediate thoughts to the news online.

The Daily Mail claim that Young will be allowed to leave Inter Milan this summer, with the Serie A giants looking to balance their financial books.

Young helped Inter Milan win Serie A last season, making 34 appearances in all competitions.

The 35-year-old played at left-back, right-back and as a left midfielder during the 2020/21 campaign, with Young also attracting interest from Watford and Burnley.

His experience of the British game appears to be a reason why Villa are looking to bring him back to the Midlands, with Yong making 369 appearances in the Premier League.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the Daily Mail’s claim regarding Young on Twitter on Tuesday evening.

These Villa supporters were quick to share their delight, with one describing a possible deal as ‘class’.

“Wait, what?”Credit: @LukeKing_”My word, if this happens”Credit: @reidjones25″Great signing as a back up to Targett”Credit: @GW_94″would actually be class as a back up left back why is everyone mad”Credit: @avfcben___”I beg”Credit: @LewBlud”Get him. Make it happen. On my desk by the morning. I want it. Yep. Do it. Make it so. Please.”Credit: @StevieGreenXI

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to what Man City are plotting, find out more here. 

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to clinch their first trophy in 13 years when they face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup later this evening and interim boss Ryan Mason has plenty to ponder ahead of kick-off.

Aside from the uncertainty surrounding Harry Kane’s involvement at Wembley Stadium – he is being monitored “hour by hour” – the 29-year-old caretaker is facing a huge task as the Premier League leaders have won this very competition each of the last three seasons, and five of the last seven, too.

Mason took over from the sacked Jose Mourinho on Monday and won his first game in charge at Southampton, coming from behind to clinch all three points. It wasn’t the greatest performance by any means, though he can be forgiven as he had less than 48 hours with this squad.

Now, having had a little bit more time with the team, Mason should be able to implement his ideas and that now leaves him with a big decision to make.

Against Southampton in midweek, Spurs’ midfield was overrun and outplayed – the trio of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso just did not work, with the Dane sitting a little deeper behind the two big-money 2019 summer signings.

It was the latter, Lo Celso, who was arguably the poorest of the lot. It’s no wonder he was hooked by the 79th minute and given the lowest rating (6.3) by SofaScore.

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The £36m-rated dynamo has frequently been lauded behind the scenes since his move from Real Betis last season but a combination of injuries and poor performances should certainly put his place in the line-up at risk.

“He is a technically gifted player. But he is not afraid to get stuck in when he needs to as well,” claimed Harry Winks to the Guardian, whilst Mourinho once dubbed him “phenomenal.”

But the fact of the matter is, Lo Celso has delivered just one goal and one assist in the Premier League all season and sits amongst their worst performers, with an average WhoScored rating of 6.55.

By comparison, even Matt Doherty (6.71) and Serge Aurier (6.97) have managed better and that’s a telling story in itself as the pair are often the target of criticism from the fanbase.

On Wednesday night, Lo Celso proved to be weak – losing 82% of his midfield battles – and completely wasteful – losing possession 14 times, as per SofaScore.

That merely continues a recurring trend with the £100k-per-week star, as he hasn’t been rated above a 7/10 since November in the top-flight. Indeed, he’s been rather shocking for weeks now.

Mason must show no mercy and ruthlessly axe the Argentine from his starting XI this evening. A bold, but necessary, call.

AND in other news, Levy could revolutionise Spurs by securing landmark double swoop…

Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in Nicolo Zaniolo with sporting director Fabio Paratici eyeing up a swoop this summer…

What’s the word?

Calciomercato.it have once again linked Spurs with interest in the AS Roma midfielder but they face competition from Serie A rivals Juventus and AC Milan, as well as from Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.

It’s believed that the Rome outfit are looking for a fee in the region of €60m (£50m) to €70m (£58m) but they are said to be more likely to receive between €40m (£33m) to €50m (£41.5m).

It also remains to be seen whether manager Jose Mourinho would accept a sale or push for the board to try and renew the 22-year-old’s contract.

Bye-bye Ndombele

Lilywhites manager Antonio Conte recently hinted of his intentions to sign a new no.10-like player during the off-season to help the likes of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski, so it’s no surprise to see the north Londoners mooted with a move for Zaniolo.

You’d have to then wonder what the future holds for Tanguy Ndombele – Spurs’ disappointing £55m club-record signing – as he is currently on loan to former club Lyon.

During his time at Hotspur Way, the Frenchman has been lambasted as being “very lazy” and as having a “bad attitude” by pundit Alan Hutton, as well as “disgraceful” by Sky Sports man Jamie Carragher last season.

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Meanwhile, despite persistent injury troubles, the Italy international remains one of the hottest prospects in his age bracket with Transfermarkt valuing him at £29.7m, which was higher than Kulusevski, 21, at the time of his departure from Juventus this winter.

The versatile attacking midfielder, who can also play on the wing, has featured in 36 matches this term, where he has delivered seven goals and eight assists, including a recent hat-trick in their Europa Conference League quarter-final win over Bodo/Glimt.

In terms of attacking output, Zaniolo is only tracking 0.1 shots per game behind top goalscorer Tammy Abraham at the Stadio Olimpico, whilst he leads the squad for dribbles (2.2 successive attempts per outing), as per WhoScored.

His ability and form in the Italian capital once caught the eye of legendary Roma striker Francesco Totti, who lauded the young maestro as “explosive” before also suggesting that he “plays like a veteran,” via the BBC.

Some have even likened him to Premier League greats Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, suggesting that he’s a more box-to-box beast that can contribute in the opposition’s penalty box, too.

As such, any Zaniolo arrival could finally force Ndombele out of the exit door at long last – at least, Conte would then have a valid reason to cash in on Spurs’ club-record disaster.

Paratici and co must look to sign the Italian this off-season.

AND in other news, Spurs “keeping tabs” on PL star that would excite the Lilywhites faithful…

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has confirmed Glasgow Rangers’ Old Firm derby will be allowed to go ahead on Sunday.

Yousaf confirms Old Firm will be played

The Gers’ status as Premiership champions was confirmed on the Sunday before last after Celtic could only draw 0-0 with Dundee United. In the aftermath of that triumph, thousands of Gers supporters took to the streets of Glasgow to celebrate, breaking coronavirus regulations in the process.

Yousaf had suggested the match this weekend against Celtic could be cancelled if he did not receive assurances that such scenes would not be repeated (Herald Scotland). However, it appears he is now satisfied after he confirmed the game will be played (BBC).

Sensible

It always felt unlikely that the match would actually be cancelled. After all, there didn’t seem to be any real danger of such scenes being repeated given the game itself is pretty much a dead rubber. Cancelling it may have led to more trouble anyway.

Now, Steven Gerrard and his players can look towards Parkhead as they aim to get back to winning ways. It has been a difficult few days as the fall-out from their Europa League exit at the hands of Slavia Prague continues – an Old Firm game could well be the perfect distraction for them.

In other news, Rangers fans react to this Ondrej Kudela footage.

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and Sky Sports regular Paul Robinson has dropped a claim involving Nuno Espirito Santo as Tottenham Hotspur allegedly eye him as a candidate.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Nuno…

After failed Tottenham talks for Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso, the Lilywhites have turned their focus to other targets.

Some names from the original shortlist have reappeared, like Brighton boss Graham Potter for example, but names like Nuno are now being considered with Tottenham’s options growing thin.

Indeed, Football Insider recently claimed that Spurs have now turned to the 47-year-old as a candidate as they plot talks behind the scenes.

The Latest: Robinson shares what he’s heard…

Speaking to Football Insider, in reaction to this development, former Spurs keeper and Sky regular Robinson has made a claim involving Nuno from his ‘sources’.

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Apparently, the Portuguese could demand as much as 15-20 backroom staff for the manager’s job.

“He has held talks with Crystal Palace and Everton as well but that has fallen through so something isn’t right there,” explained the ex-England international.

“I heard from my sources that he wants 15 or 20 backroom staff members coming with him but I cannot see that happening at Spurs because Daniel will not want to do that because it will be very expensive.

“There is a particular structure now at Spurs with Paratici coming in. If he wasn’t succeeding at Wolves, why would Tottenham turn to him?”

The Verdict: Intriguing claim…

This information that Nuno could demand a plethora of staff comes as intriguing, especially when you consider the differences Tottenham had with Conte in regards to backroom numbers.

Lauded as a ‘fantastic’ boss by Eygpt international Hassan ‘Kouka’ Ahmed (BBC), who worked with him at Rio Ave, Spurs must still carefully consider Nuno despite the Robinson reveal.

Tottenham are running out of time with non-international players set to return for pre-season training as soon as July 5 and chairman Daniel Levy simply must make a decision soon.

In other news: ‘Tottenham have renewed their interest’…Sky Sports reporter shares news coming out of N17, find out more here.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans are buzzing as Sky Sports share news involving Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.

The Serbian powerhouse, standing at a colossal 6 foot 4, was a mainstay for La Viola over the 2020/2021 Serie A season – starting 34 league matches whilst averaging more clearances per 90 (3.6) than any Fiorentina man with over five appearances (WhoScored).

West Ham are said to be prioritising a new centre-half alongside the signing of a new striker and permanent deal for Jesse Lingard this summer (Claret & Hugh), with Milenkovic linked as a defensive target.

Now, Sky Sports Italia (June 23, 10:20) say that the Hammers are ‘back to pushing’ for Milenkovic this summer after they lodged a €25 million (£21.4m) offer last year.

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They also say that the bid this time round from West Ham could be lower, but in any case, Fiorentina may be convinced to sell if the right amount arrives.

It’s safe to say this news has many supporters excited, with many Irons dropping takes on the development in response to West Ham Fan Zone and West Ham Central.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans excited by Sky claim on Milenkovic

“Yes please”

Credit: @WHU_Tom_

“MY NUMBER ONE TARGET PLEASEEE”

Credit: @WestHam_Central

“Milenkovic is a top top top player”

Credit: @1bbyWHU

“Pleaseeeeeeeee”

Credit: @idkwhatnameeee

“Hand over the Europa League title already will ya.”

Credit: @HR_whuFC

“Milenkovic and Caleta Car were the two I wanted the most so I’m hyped if this is true”

Credit: @NoContextWalker

“Over the moon. Feel like he could be incredible for us.”

Credit: @louiefootball

“Apparently available for less than £25M too, would be great for us”

Credit: @morgzwhu

In other news: ‘Please be true’, ‘Surely not’…West Ham fans also flocked to this exit claim, find out more here.

Some Wolves fans have been reacting negatively to the news that Willy Boly will miss the upcoming Premier League clash with Fulham.

It was another night to forget for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on Monday, with West Ham winning 3-2 at Molineux.

Wolves were even 3-0 down at one point, and while a great comeback was almost pulled off, it was still a poor performance in general, most notably in defence.

They will be hoping to bounce back on Friday evening, with struggling Fulham hosting them at Craven Cottage, as Scott Parker’s men battle to avoid relegation.

Wolves have been dealt a big blow in the lead-up to the match, however, with The Athletic‘s Tim Spiers confirming on Twitter that Boly will miss out after testing positive for coronavirus.

It means the centre-back is having to self-isolate for 10 days, but he will presumably be available for the visit of Sheffield United on April 17th if he suffers no lasting effects.

Wolves fans react to Boly update

These Wolves fans have been providing their thoughts on the news on Twitter.

“No Boly for Friday too? That’s really lifted our spirits Tim. Another defensive catastrophe scheduled for Friday Night then?”

Credit: @charlemagne_st

“More pathetic, school boy defending then and another loss incoming. Relegation will kill the club”

Credit: @TommyH_1990

“Definitely need Boly back!”

Credit: @topsportfan

“Kilman in ASAP”

Credit: @david44809679

“We shouldn’t even consider playing a back 4 until he’s back”

Credit: @cameronb1212

“Just bring Kilman back, something funny about his omission”

Credit: @Sandhurstwolf

In other news, Wolves were reportedly interested in signing an England international in January. Read more here.

Rangers have been tipped to sign Liverpool winger Harry Wilson this summer, but their hopes of bringing him to Ibrox ahead of next season have suffered a blow after the Anfield outfit named their asking price, which will surely frustrate Steven Gerrard.

In a recent interview with This Is Futbol, former Rangers defender Michael Ball suggested: “Steven’s got that connection with him. He knows of him, so that personal relationship could be a bonus. The money, we’re not too sure what they have to spend, so it all depends if any players move out as well at Rangers.

“If [Alfredo] Morelos moves on, the big money that they’ll get would give Rangers the opportunity to bring Harry and maybe a few others in.”

Rangers have been linked with a move for the Wales international in the past and he will surely be well known by Gerrard, who managed Liverpool’s under-18 side before moving to Ibrox.

However, Wilson is now 24 and at the stage in his career where he needs to move away from Liverpool permanently, as he has spent the last four years on loan with Hull City, Derby County, Bournemouth and Cardiff City.

During his spell with the Cherries last season, his manager Eddie Howe was full of praise for the winger’s ability, saying: “I think he’s been hugely impressive.

“We are going to need those players to really step up quickly and Harry is one of those who really has done.

“He understands how we play. He has picked it up really quickly and full credit to him for that.”

This season saw Wilson join Cardiff City on loan in the Championship, which was perhaps a surprising move after his decent return in the Premier League last season, but it was clear that he was desperate for first team football away from Anfield.

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During his spell with Mick McCarthy’s Bluebirds, he managed seven goals and 11 assists in 37 appearances, averaging a solid 6.96 rating from WhoScored, which certainly suggests that he could be an excellent addition to Gerrard’s side if he moves to Ibrox.

Unfortunately, Rangers’ chances of signing the Welshman this summer appear to have been dashed after it was revealed by The Athletic journalist James Pearce that, whilst he is for sale this summer, he would cost prospective suitors around £15m, which may well mean that only Premier League clubs can afford him.

Considering that Rangers’ record arrival under Steven Gerrard was Ryan Kent, who joined for just short of £7m according to Transfermarkt, it is difficult to see them splashing out £15m on Wilson.

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Gerrard will surely be frustrated that his old club are demanding so much for a fringe player like Wilson, as he could have been a superb addition at Ibrox this summer.

In other news… Rangers dodged a bullet with “outstanding” £3.15m-rated flop, he’s scored one goal in 19 games.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has indicated on Twitter that Tottenham Hotspur are set to sign Barcelona defender Emerson Royal, with a deal set to be confirmed later today.

The Lowdown: Emerson profiled; a smash hit in La Liga

Providing an offensive threat down the right-hand side, the 22-year-old has proven to be a smash hit since moving to La Liga in 2019. Last season was a particular success for Royal, registering six goal contributions in 38 appearances with two goals and four assists [Transfermarkt].

Part of a three way-deal, the 6 foot 1 ace initially signed for Barcelona in 2019 whilst also joining Andalusian outfit Real Betis on loan, where he has spent the past two seasons before eventually linking up with Ronald Koeman’s men this summer [BBC].

He now looks set for north London following Romano’s latest update.

The Latest: Romano signifies that deal should be completed today

Communicating to his large Twitter audience, well-respected Romano issued a huge update regarding his next career steps, stating:

“Emerson Royal from Barcelona to Tottenham, done deal and here-we-go confirmed. €30m add ons included from Spurs, paperworks completed during the night”.

The Italian also indicated that an official announcement of Royal’s €30m (£25.75m) move to N17 should be announced later today on a deal running to 2026, with Betis receiving a €5m (£4.2m) cut of the transfer.

The Verdict: Royal would significantly improves Spurs’ full-back options

Possessing quality in abundance, the signing of the Brazil international will significantly advance the Lilywhites’ options in the full-back positions.

His defensive solidity will suit the functionality of Nuno Espirito Santo’s system as Tottenham look to continue their domestic run of three consecutive clean sheets, illustrated by the fact that Royal won 2.7 tackles on average per La Liga game last season [WhoScored] – only one Spurs player had a better average for that metric in the 2020/21 Premier League [WhoScored].

All things considered, the Sao Paulo native appears to have the necessary attributes to succeed at the elite level for Tottenham, provided that the deal becomes final.

In other news, a Spurs legend is impressed with one summer signing. Find out more here.