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Former Premier League striker Gabby Agbonlahor believes ex-Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner would be a “poor” choice for Celtic as the club’s next manager.

Wagner to Parkhead?

The American tactician was recently sacked as the boss of Bundesliga side Schalke after going 18 games without a win, which spanned a timeframe of eight months (via ESPN).

Wagner accumulated a points-per-game average of just 1.20 from 40 games in Germany – the worst of his career. While he guided Huddersfield to the Premier League, his record with the Terriers was 1.23 points a game from 154 outings (Transfermarkt).

With Neil Lennon walking away from Parkhead following his unsuccessful pursuit of 10-in-a-row, Agbonlahor urged the Hoops to steer away from Wagner, who was one of the first names to pop up as a target (Daily Record).

When asked by Football Insider whether Wagner would be a good fit for Celtic, he said: “Not really, no. I think he was poor at Huddersfield and had a poor record.

“I think Celtic fans would be angrier at that appointment than Kennedy.

“I think Celtic are going to take their time and wait for the right manager who has got the right vision for the club and a manager who knows he doesn’t have millions to spend and knows he has to get more out of the squad he’s got.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Wagner’s record is far from pretty, which makes it difficult to disagree with what Agbonlahor is saying here.

Sky Sports’ Jim White previously suggested that Steve Clarke, Rafael Benitez and Roberto Martinez are all candidates to inherit Lennon’s position. In our view, these three would be better options than Wagner.

With Dominic McKay taking his seat as the club’s new chief executive in the summer, there is huge pressure on his shoulders to select the right man for the job and regain the Scottish Premiership crown at the first time of asking.

In other news, Celtic approach ‘fantastic’ manager as Hoops source emerges.

In the end, it turned out to be yet another miserable trip to the capital for Leeds United on Monday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side extended their wretched run of results in London with a dismal 2-0 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League, with the Whites now having lost 13 of their last 14 visits to the city.

Goals from Jesse Lingard and Craig Dawson were enough to consign them to a defeat, and while there were a number of poor performers on the night, Mateusz Klich’s shocker really stood out among the rest.

The Poland international’s form in recent weeks surely warranted him being dropped from the starting line-up against the Hammers, but once again, Bielsa chose to place his loyalty and faith in his midfielder.

And boy, was he made to regret that. Klich looked well off the pace in the opening 45 minutes of the contest, winning just one of his seven duels in total, losing 86% – the worst percentage of any Leeds player on the pitch.

There was none of the energy and dynamism on display that we see when Klich is at his absolute best, with the 30-year-old looking a shadow of his former self.

He made just the one tackle and recorded no interceptions, blocks or clearances whatsoever, while he wasn’t even a presence going forward either, with no shots on goal and no dribbles attempted.

The Leeds boss seemed to finally lose patience with him, and ended up hooking him at half-time, with Gjanni Alioski coming on in his place at the break.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross noted: “Has looked like a passenger for weeks and again was well off it in the capital. Just seemed totally empty and unable to provide any kind of control or presence in the centre. Overrun by Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice.”

If he needed to be dropped before the game, then there simply cannot be any excuses for Bielsa from not reaching that conclusion after watching Klich’s performance on Monday night against the Hammers.

Many Aston Villa fans are not happy at all with John McGinn’s performance in the Premier League match against Southampton.

The Scotland midfielder, who arrived in the summer of 2018 (Transfermarkt), has been a key player for the squad since joining and a feature in the side since returning from injury.

However, it looked like his performance against the Saints was not what Villa fans have come to expect from him. One fan called him ‘anonymous’, whilst another said he was ‘doing nothing’.

Aston Villa recently announced the arrival of French midfielder Morgan Sanson, who has an abundance of experience in Europe, and he travelled with the squad for the Saints game even though he had only trained for a couple of days.

This has created more competition in the middle of the pitch, and McGinn will have to step up his performances if he wants to keep his place in the starting eleven.

Dean Smith’s side put in a gutsy away performance at the end of the day, but McGinn was certainly one of the weaker links.

Here is how Villa fans reacted:

“John McGinn, running around, doing nothing, just whining on the opposition player.”

Credit: @Kalme70

“What’s McGinn doing? doesn’t look like he’s coming or going!”

Credit: @ChicoPants

“Mcginn and Douglas Luiz struggling here / barkley non existent”

Credit: @RUSSON82

“Barkley and McGinn are anonymous #avfc midfield getting ran by Southampton”

Credit: @Vincentvilla81

“For all their good play Soton didn’t create much. We need to get better control in midfield though. McGinn and Dougie both below par. We always have that quality in final 3rd to get a goal though. #avfc”

Credit: @FoxyN77

“McGinn doesn’t look right to me….”

Credit: @toriihx

In other news, Gregg Evans has highlighted one transfer problem for Aston Villa.

Celtic have had one of their worst seasons in over ten years. They are 19 points behind Rangers and are staring down the barrel of a catastrophic embarrassment.

For so long the Hoops have been the dominant force in Scottish football but they are now doing the chasing just like everyone else.

Though, if there was one bright spark from the season so far, it would be Ismaila Soro.

The Ivorian is a reserved character and has come out of nowhere to lead a mini-revival in the Celtic team. They may have lost to Rangers but Soro was a major reason behind Celtic winning six on the trot before the New Year.

He was given a rare start against Lille and then when he played against Kilmarnock in a 2-0 victory in mid-December, the Bhoys kept their first clean sheet since early November. That was no surprise judging by Soro’s performances.

The midfielder won a combined 12 tackles in those two matches and has been a stalwart ever since. Just imagine, therefore, what he could do alongside someone like Ben Pearson.

It’s been suggested that Celtic are trying to sign the Preston general on a pre-contract ahead of the summer and if his record if anything to go by, he and Soro would be an almighty partnership to break down.

Pearson, who earns £8.5k-per-week at Deepdale, is a mighty figure in the middle of the park and has been given a yellow card on 28 occasions in the last two seasons.

He is a brute and together with Soro, has the capabilities to form one of the sternest protective layers in the whole of Scottish football.

The pair of them are two tough-tackling individuals and if anything can smooth over the defensive cracks that have appeared in Neil Lennon’s side this season, they can.

The Glaswegians have conceded ten more goals than Rangers in the league and shipped a colossal 19 strikes in just six Europa League outings.

It may well be the back four that needs improving, but with a better screen of protection in front of them, the defence will only get better.

This would be one way for Nick Hammond to solve Celtic’s crisis.

AND in other news, Tierney 2.0: Celtic must sign gem with “relentless pace”, he makes “defenders cower”…

Leeds could get Marcelo Bielsa’s dream signing if they can clinch a stunning move for Wolves winger Adama Traore.

Victor Orta knows him

Traore is a familiar name to one person behind the scenes at Elland Road, with Victor Orta of course the sporting director at Middlesborough when he brought him in to Riverside.

Now, 90min claim that Leeds are one of a number of clubs interested in making a move for the Spain international, and that with both his contracts talks with Wolves stalling, and his lack of game-time, the Whites could come swooping in.

It’s suggested that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side could demand more than double the £18m they paid to sign him themselves, and that could see a valuation of around £40m were he to leave in January.

Bielsa’s dream signing

Whilst the thought of signing yet another winger who can play on the right-hand side might raise a few eyebrows, Traore is the kind of game-changer than any manager in the Premier League would love, not least Bielsa.

The Argentine has built a formidable Leeds side brimming with pace and intensity, and nobody encapsulates that more than Wolves’ speed demon. Described as being “unplayable” by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, Traore’s ability to play as a right wing-back and as a right winger makes him the absolute perfect fit for the kind of fluid football Bielsa wants his team to play.

Incredibly strong and fast, the Spanish flier is the kind of player who fans no doubt love to watch. His 100mph style, and his ability to go through the gears so quickly could add another dimension to Leeds’ attack and set Elland Road on fire.

His whopping average of five dribbles per game in the Premier League last season was the highest of any player in the division, and that directness is surely something Bielsa would absolutely love.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa could axe this Leeds star already.

Alex Iwobi is fast becoming Carlo Ancelotti’s key man at Everton through the Nigerian forward’s consistency in a variety of roles.

The ex-Arsenal attacker featured in his fourth set position of the season so far as the Toffees beat Chelsea 1-0 on Saturday, with Ancelotti calling on Iwobi to start at right-wing in the absence of James Rodriguez.

Ancelotti confirmed ahead of the visit of Frank Lampard’s title-chasing Blues that Rodriguez would play no part, having failed to train at all in the week leading up to the game after developing an issue during the prior 1-1 draw at Burnley.

Iwobi had big shoes to fill in covering for Rodriguez, who ranks among the best players in the Premier League for key passes (26) and big chances created (7) so far this season, per SofaScore.

Yet the £34million Marco Silva signing met the challenge with relative ease, offering seven crosses and 46 touches against Chelsea, despite Everton enjoying just 28% of the ball.

Iwobi was not the best player of the pitch by any means, with Mason Holgate, Yerry Mina, Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey weathering a relentless storm to ensure Jordan Pickford retained his clean sheet.

Abdoulaye Doucoure battled through in the engine room to fluster Chelsea as often as he could, while Gylfi Sigurdsson repaid Ancelotti’s faith with a busy afternoon capitalised by keeping his cool to slot home the decisive penalty.

Iwobi, though, combined an aggressive effort with commitment going forward and tracking back, registering two interceptions, one clearance, eight ground duels, two aerial duels and five successful dribble attempts from five, per SofaScore.

Ancelotti will have been delighted to see Iwobi step in and thrive in a tough environment, but take greater satisfaction in seeing the Nigerian take to another role after an excellent showing at right-back against Burnley.

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Iwobi, who Silva lauded as being “hungry” to take the next step in his career with Everton, initially started at right-midfield at Turf Moor but was soon moved to an outright defensive position with Ancelotti forced to go four-at-the-back following Fabian Delph’s withdrawal through injury.

In the hour Iwobi played at right-back, he offered two dribbles, three tackles and an interception, per WhoScored, while playing 47 passes – only centre-back Mina (48) played more for the visiting side.

Iwobi will likely find that his place in the line-up is among the first to go should Rodriguez be passed fit to face Leicester City on Wednesday night or, failing that, Arsenal on Saturday. But the Nigerian is fast becoming Ancelotti’s key man, one the Italian is confident he can turn to in moments of need and not be massively let down by.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands has landed a huge break in his bid to final rid Everton of Steve Walsh’s £42m blunder.

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has been sharing his thoughts on the Premier League’s current handball rule.

This comes after Bielsa was recently speaking to the media in his latest press conference ahead of the Yorkshire club’s Premier League showdown with Manchester City at the weekend.

On the subject of the handball rule and the use of technology in football at the moment in regards to refereeing decisions, the Argentine had this to say on the issue:

“I’m not the required person to make suggestions [on how the game should be officiated]. I think if the rules were simplified and closer to the perception of humans, everybody would be grateful.”

It was recently reported that the Premier League are apparently set to “formally lobby” football’s rule-makers Ifab as they are “keen on altering the section of the law which states that handball must be awarded if the ball strikes the hand or arm when it is above shoulder level.”

This was the case in Tottenham Hotspur’s recent 1-1 draw against Newcastle United where, controversially, Spurs man Eric Dier gave a penalty away towards the end of the match as the ball hit his arm in the dying minutes of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that ultimately handed Steve Bruce’s side a hard-fought point.

For Leeds, summer signing Robin Koch gave a penalty away in their opening Premier League game of the season in their 4-3 defeat at Anfield against Liverpool after the ball struck his arm in the penalty box.

Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see if the current handball rule does get altered at any point throughout the season as the Premier League are reportedly hoping to see happen.

Last week Newcastle beat West Ham 2-0 in an exciting start to the new season that saw Callum Wilson score on his debut, earning plaudits.

Later that very same week, Ryan Fraser made his home debut in the Carabao Cup, scoring the only goal of the game as the Magpies beat Blackburn Rovers, with the Scotsman receiving plenty of praise from his new supporters.

Jamal Lewis must’ve been looking forward to his St James’ Park debut after seeing the Magpies’ other new signings perform make solid early impressions, but unfortunately, all did not go to plan for the former Norwich City man.

Lewis had a poor outing against Brighton, allowing Tariq Lamptey to get the better of him time after time, with both goals first-half goals coming from his side, with the penalty being given away for a foul on Lamptey, and Leandro Trossard being given way too much space before assisting the second.

Despite it being Lewis’ home debut, fans didn’t show much mercy when talking about him on social media.

While fans were quick to criticise his general performance, one particular aspect of his showing was grinding the gears of other supporters with many airing their grievances about his positioning, with one even asking if he knows what position he should be playing.

A look at his Sofascore heatmap tells the story, he found himself too far up the pitch far too often, while also having a tendency to drift centrally, therefore, you can understand why fans weren’t happy with his positional awareness.

One thing Celtic may need this summer is a new striker.

Interest in Odsonne Edouard from some of Europe’s elite clubs has been heavily documented, and if the Frenchman is to leave Celtic Park, the Glasgow outfit will need a capable replacement if they are going to reach the goal of winning 10 league titles in a row.

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Luckily, it seems as though they have a target in mind, but the Hoops’ first bid for Ivan Toney was some way short of what they may have to pay, and Kieran Devlin gave an update on what Celtic will have to cough up to land their man.

What’s been said then?

The Athletic journalist was hosting a Q&A session ahead of the new season, and as you would expect, a number of questions were asked about the Scottish champions’ transfer business, and Devlin had the answers.

“Celtic had a bid of £5 million for striker Ivan Toney turned down, with Peterborough seemingly wanting a fee for around £10 million. Apart from that, plenty of rumours but not sure how much substance is to them.”

Not good enough

Later in the Q&A Devlin would state that he doesn’t see why Celtic would sign Toney unless he was going to be Edouard’s replacement, and you have to question whether or not he’d actually be good enough to fill that void.

Toney may have scored 24 goals this season, but that’s at League One level, and that surely isn’t really where Celtic want to be shopping around.

This is a club that will be in the Champions League again next season, and if they have aspirations of getting out of the Group Stages or even dropping into the Europa League by virtue of finishing third in a group, they need more than a League One striker spearheading their attack.

On top of that £10m for a player from that level is outright preposterous, especially when you consider Peterborough sold Jack Marriott to Derby for an initial £3m after scoring 27 goals in the division, three more than Toney managed this term.

Barcelona are no longer interested in Tottenham star Tanguy Ndombele. 

According to Sky Sports, as per Ricky Sacks, Barcelona’s interest in Ndombele has now cooled after they signed Miralem Pjanic from Juventus.

Ndombele, who is the club’s record signing, has a strained relationship with Jose Mourinho, and the pair are currently embroiled in a public spat, via Football Insider. According to The Athletic, they just don’t understand each other, as the Frenchman has reacted angrily to Mourinho’s offer to train together.

Daniel Levy has made it abundantly clear the French international will not be sold in the summer and has personally reached out to his representatives to try and resolve the situation.

Mourinho has developed a habit for losing control of a dressing room on multiple occasions and Ndombele appears to be following a similar path to Manchester United maverick midfielder Paul Pogba.

Both sides are too stubborn for their own good and Levy has turned peacemaker in an attempt to find a peaceful resolution.

Barca’s decision is a massive transfer boost for Tottenham, as it is hard to imagine anyone else will be able to afford the £46m-valued ace under the current circumstances, but it is bad news for Mourinho.

The 23-year-old, who has been compared to Chelsea star N’Golo Kante, has struggled for consistency this season, and has now picked up an injury.

To add insult to injury, he has only played 64 minutes of football since the Premier League restart, and has finished four of the past games on the bench as an unused substitute.

Nevertheless, Levy is adamant Ndombele is not up for sale, despite Mourinho’s obvious misgivings. Whether or not this ongoing saga will be resolved before the start of next season remains to be seen, but if the club opts to persist with Ndombele, can they also persist with Mourinho as well or will one have to go?

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho should give Tanguy Ndombele another chance? Let us know down below!