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Celtic have been handed a major boost regarding Josip Juranovic’s return from injury.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, Ange Postecoglou revealed that the right-back could once again be available for selection for the fixture against St Johnstone this weekend, as the 26-year-old is in the tail end of his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Speaking about the current condition of the defender, the 56-year-old said: “Juranovic did his hamstring so didn’t go away [on international duty]. He’s been doing rehab here. It’s the tail end so we’re looking at [this] weekend for him.”

Postecoglou will be buzzing

While Anthony Ralston has performed incredibly impressively while filling in at right-back during Juranovic’s absence – with the 22-year-old averaging a rather extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.76 over his seven league appearances – it is nevertheless certain that considering the Croatia international was one of Celtic’s most exciting summer signings, Postecoglou will be buzzing about the defender’s return.

Indeed, over his four Scottish Premiership appearances prior to picking up his injury, the £2.25m-rated man had helped his side keep one clean sheet, as well as making an average of 0.5 key passes, one interception, two tackles and winning 3.3 duels per game.

These metrics have seen the player who Bhoys Analytics dubbed a “creative monster” average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00 in the top flight of Scottish football, while the 26-year-old also impressed in his one appearance in the Europa League, getting himself on the scoresheet and earning a SofaScore match rating of 7.00 against Real Betis.

As such, the news that the defender is nearing a return to first-team action will undoubtedly come as a major boost for Postecoglou and his side, although, the fact Juranovic does not look likely to feature in the Bhoys’ crunch match with Ferencvarosi TC on Tuesday afternoon may be slightly disappointing for the 56-year-old.

In other news: £3.8m out of pocket: Celtic had a nightmare in “magnificent” £12k-p/w dynamo’s sale

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is now being wanted by Fiorentina to take over the reins at the Serie A club.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Argentine is expected to put pen to paper on a new contract at Elland Road, with Fabrizio Romano claiming that this should be done “soon”.

However, RAI journalist Sara Meini has revealed that Fiorentina are plotting a move to lure Bielsa away from Yorkshire, adding that he figures among the contenders to take over the manager’s job there.

Nightmare for Andrea Radrizzani

Make no mistake about it, losing Bielsa this summer would be the kind of seismic blow from which Leeds would find it extremely difficult to recover.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Brian Deane said of the Argentine: “He’s brought a massive change to the club and I don’t know what the figures are, but he’s delivered. He’s over-delivered.

“I think their target was to finish fourth bottom and look where they are in the table, so he’s doing something good. And I’m sure these guys have factored into any budget that they’re going to offer the manager.”

Touching on what Bielsa has managed to do at Leeds, former Wigan manager Paul Jewell told FFC: “What I like about Bielsa is, and I think he can speak English but he’s pulling our legs, so fair play to him, but what I like about him is that he doesn’t make excuses.

“The difference he’s made to those Leeds players like Dallas, Cooper and Ayling, the list is endless. They were Championship players, and not great ones, but he’s turned them into Premier League players.

“He deserves unbelievable credit and he won’t have a trophy at the end of the season, but what a manager he is.”

As Jewell says, Bielsa has turned essentially lower-division players into fully-fledged Premier League stars, and even internationals in the case of England hero Kalvin Phillips.

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It would be a massive nightmare for Radrizzani to lose Bielsa to Fiorentina, and it’s exactly why he must be proactive in trying to get the Argentine to put pen to paper on a new deal at Leeds as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this Copa America star…

Djibril Sidibe has said that he wanted to make his Everton loan move permanent last summer.

Carlo Ancelotti apparently told the 28-year-old that he was keen to retain him after he joined the Blues on loan from AS Monaco in August 2019.

The 18-cap Frenchman would go on to make 25 Premier League appearances and 28 in total (via Transfermarkt). In that time, the £6.3m-rated full-back provided five assists, one of which came in a memorable 3-1 victory over Chelsea.

Liverpool Echo journalist Adam Jones wrote in April 2020 that there were ‘clear moments’ during the season when it looked like a ‘no-brainer’ for Everton sign him long-term, although he did raise concerns over Sidibe’s defending after he was ‘caught out… on a number of occasions’.

Sidibe’s ‘first wish’ to remain in the Premier League

With no agreement struck, the 28-year-old wound up returning to Monaco and has made 27 appearances in their push for Champions League qualification.

“My first wish was to continue in the Premier League,” he revealed to L’Equipe’s print edition, as quoted by Le10 Sport.

“When you play at Anfield or Old Trafford, you see the fans, the stadiums, it’s the best for a football fan.

“And Carlo Ancelotti wanted me to stay.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

Everton need a successor at right-back to Seamus Coleman, who turns 33 this year, and ultimately Sidibe didn’t do enough to suggest he had what it takes. Given Monaco’s success this season, you can’t imagine he’s filled with regret that it didn’t work out on Merseyside.

For the Toffees’ part, attention turns to Norwich City’s Max Aarons who, at 21, could be Everton’s right-back for a decade or more. The impressive Englishman is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt.

With Sidibe being one of their higher-ranked players by WhoScored last season, it is a pity that a permanent deal couldn’t be struck, but Everton must look to the future rather than pondering what might have been,

In other news, many Evertonians slammed this defender after they were beaten by Villa at the weekend.

Leeds United reporter Conor McGilligan was left shocked by Junior Firpo’s yellow card record this season as the Whites close in on unwanted Premier League history.

The Lowdown: Two away

Jesse Marsch’s side are in a real relegation battle heading into the final five games of the season. They picked up what could prove to be a valuable point away to Crystal Palace on Monday evening, leaving them five points clear of Everton and three clear of Burnley.

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Dan James and Diego Llorente both received yellow cards at Selhurst Park in the 0-0 draw, taking Leeds’ total in the Premier League this season to 93.

As per LUFCDATA, the Whites are now just two away from setting a new Premier League record for the most bookings by a club in a single season, which is currently held by Sunderland (94) set in 2014/15.

The Latest: McGilligan reacts

LUFCDATA broke down the 92 bookings in the Leeds squad on Twitter, with Firpo, who has only just returned from injury, topping the list with nine.

Leeds Live’s McGilligan couldn’t quite believe the numbers, labelling what he’s just seen as ‘quite remarkable’. This is because, as the reporter points out, the left-back has actually only made 19 Premier League appearances, just 15 of which have been starts.

Supporters agreed, lambasting the Spaniard as a ‘terrible signing’ in response to McGilligan’s post.

The Verdict: A season to forget for Firpo and Leeds

Firpo hasn’t had the impact he would have been hoping for after joining from Barcelona in the summer, making it a season to forget on both an individual and team level.

He returned to the bench on Monday after missing four games due to injury, with Stuart Dallas keeping his place at left-back.

Only Kalvin Phillips ranks higher than the Spaniard when it comes to fouls committed per 90, as per WhoScored, while Firpo also ranks near the bottom for blocks made, suggesting his defensive aggressiveness is not paying off in the ways that actually matter.

Hopefully, Leeds will remain in the top flight over the coming weeks and Firpo can put his first year in Yorkshire behind him ahead of a more positive injury-free season in 2022/23, where we may get to see the best of the 25-year-old.

In other news: Radz and 49ers will now reward Marsch if he keeps Leeds up by moving for 29-goal forward. 

Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in making Sheffield Wednesday defender Osaze Urhoghide one of their summer additions.

According to The Sheffield Star, the Eagles admire the 20-year-old alongside the likes of Leeds United and Watford – and Urhoghide would be a perfect summer signing for Steve Parish in the summer.

Despite having only broken through at Hillsborough midway through the current campaign, the youngster is earning plenty of plaudits for his performances.

The defender has made 12 appearances so far throughout the season, ten of those being starts. In that time, Sheffield Wednesday have only claimed two clean sheets and lost seven matches in all, but Urhoghide has nonetheless been labelled “immense” by Owls manager Darren Moore.

He will certainly be aiming to continue that excellent form for the remainder of the campaign and into 2021/22 for whoever are his next employers.

Capable of playing in a number of positions including centre-back, right-back and left-back, he would seem to be the perfect addition for Palace.

The Eagles currently have a handful of defenders set to leave the club come the end of the campaign. Centre-backs Gary Cahill, Scott Dann and Mamadou Sakho are all out of contract, whilst right-backs Martin Kelly, Nathaniel Clyne and Joel Ward are also seeing their deals ticking down.

Elsewhere, left-backs Jeffrey Schlupp, Patrick van Aanholt and Tyrick Mitchell could also all potentially leave come the end of the season.

This means that they will certainly need recruits for all three of the positions, with Urhoghide’s versatility potentially coming in hugely useful.

Meanwhile, his age could present another convincing argument in his arrival at Selhurst Park. At the current time, Palace have on average the oldest squad in the Premier League, so younger arrivals would be welcome as the Eagles set their sights on 2021/22.

Available on a free transfer once his own contract runs out in three months’ time, there really is not a negative to Palace potentially signing Urhoghide.

AND in more news, take a look at another young defender would also be a brilliant signing for the Eagles…

Leeds United could finally sign a new Ronaldo Vieira in Huesca dynamo Kelechi Nwakali.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have had a slow start to the transfer window thus far but could potentially land one of the bargains of the summer in Nwakali.

According to The Athletic, along with newly-promoted side Watford, the Whites have an interest in luring the 23-year-old to the Premier League once again, having once been on the books of Arsenal.

The report added that the £900,000-rated Nwakali has just one year left on his contract and is understood to want another chance to impress in English football.

Wins more duels than Kalvin Phillips

At the time of Vieira’s move to Sampdoria, Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani made it clear that the deal simply had to be made given the Whites’ financial situation.

He said: “He was one of best players to come from our youth but I cannot put the club in danger in the future. Unfortunately to sustain a club in this league, we need to sell one or two players each year. We’ve invested a lot and it’s not enough to break even, so we had to manage the club and look at the future, not just today.”

The former Leeds midfielder’s breakout campaign at Elland Road during the 2016/2017 season saw him establish himself as a real midfield dynamo, averaging 2.1 tackles and one interception per game in the Championship.

That defensive awareness and tenacity in the middle of the park is exactly what Nwakali would bring to the table at Elland Road, having developed into a midfield powerhouse at Huesca. As per Sofascore, he made 1.6 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in La Liga 2 last season, as well as winning a monstrous 7.1 per match at a success rate of 60%.

To put that into context, that’s more duels won per game than Leeds and England star Kalvin Phillips, who is currently at Euro 2020 and will be facing off against Ukraine later tonight.

While Phillips will look to do the business on the pitch for the Three Lions, Leeds could do the job off it by landing Nwakali.

Meanwhile, Leeds receive major update on Marcelo Bielsa’s future…

According to a report by Calciomercato, West Ham United are eyeing Fiorentina defensive beast Nikola Milenkovic with the player’s agent, Fali Ramdani, even offering him around.

The Lowdown: West Ham eyeing new centre-back…

As per Claret & Hugh, West Ham are prioritising the acquisition of a new centre-half this summer alongside signing Jesse Lingard on a permanent deal and landing a star forward.

A handful of defenders have been linked to the Hammers in recent days, including the likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Nikola Makismovic, with the list of names growing larger and larger.

The Latest: Agent offer Milenkovic…

As per Calciomercato, West Ham are also eyeing colossal 6 foot 4 powerhouse Milenkovic this summer with the club believed to be keen on a move.

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The player’s entourage, led by agent Ramadani, have apparently offered the 23-year-old to England where West Ham are suitors, but Milenkovic is said to prefer a move to Serie A giants Juventus.

The race is still open though with no official proposals made just yet and the Old Lady reluctant to mount a bid until they offload both Daniele Rugani and Merih Demiral.

Fiorentina are also said to be only demanding between €15 million-€20 million (£12.9m-£17.2m) for his signature this summer, a price tag which could even drop as August 31 approaches according to this report.

The Verdict: Do it GSB…

Taking into account Juve’s reluctance to swoop and Milenkovic’s fairly meagre price tag, this potential deal is an absolute no-brainer for West Ham.

If manager David Moyes is serious about signing a capable defender ahead of a massive campaign for West Ham, he arguably couldn’t do much better than the 28-cap Serbia star in terms of value.

Still young, Milenkovic was a mainstay for La Viola over 2020/2021. He started 34 Serie A matches whilst averaging the most clearances per 90 (3.6) out of any player in the squad with more than five appearances (WhoScored).

Amid this financial climate, possible bargains like this don’t come around too often, securing a young player who is already performing in a top European league with all the physical attributes required for English football.

In other news: ‘Brilliant news’, ‘I’m excited’…West Ham fans rave over official club announcement, find out more here.

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he cannot see Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson moving to a club like West Ham in the summer.

The Hammers were reportedly interested in bringing Wilson to the London Stadium last year, but the 29-year-old ended up joining Newcastle from Bournemouth and has thrived since linking up with Steve Bruce’s squad.

With Newcastle at risk of getting relegated, though, it would not be a surprise to see a Premier League outfit such as West Ham, who are said to want a new No.9 (per ExWHUemployee), target Wilson again given his goal record this season.

Palmer, however, believes it will be a struggle to get the England international out of St. James’ Park this summer, regardless of what division the Magpies are in.

“I can’t imagine Newcastle letting him go because if they go down, he’s proven that he can score goals in that division,” Palmer told FFC when asked if he could see West Ham reviving their interest in Wilson.

“As long as he’s fit, you know, he’s had a difficult time with injuries, but he’s proven he can score in that league.”

Wilson has returned to training after struggling with a hamstring problem in a massive boost for Bruce and Newcastle.

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to David Ornstein’s Wednesday morning Twitter post regarding Eberechi Eze.

Eze suffered a freak injury during training earlier this month and will be sidelined for at least six months as a result.

The 22-year-old, who has been capped eight times by England at Under-21 level, made his mark at Selhurst Park in his first season, scoring four times and registering six assists.

It seems as if his displays under Roy Hodgson also caught the eye of Gareth Southgate ahead of this summer’s European Championships.

According to Ornstein, Eze turned on his phone following the training session in which his injury occurred to find a message from the FA saying he was under consideration for England’s Euro 2020 squad.

Southgate named a provisional 33-man squad on Tuesday afternoon, and it seems as if Eze would have had a chance of making that if it wasn’t for his injury.

Palace fans react

This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply to Ornstein’s post, with one describing it as ‘heartbreaking’.

“Please make this stop”Credit: @jwgribbin_”Oh my god I’m in tears”Credit: @emmabethwright”this is just so unbelievably harsh. like he was never gonna be in the final 26 man squad but just to tell him you might and then to get injured must be heartbreaking”Credit: @owenw_14″I want to cry”Credit: @Mclack119″Crying rn”Credit: @PalaceMattt”Oh man, that can’t have been easy to take for Eze”Credit: @Pets93

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to the latest on Wilfried Zaha, find out more here. 

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Graham Roberts believes that Kyle Walker-Peters has found his level at Southampton.

The right-back departed Spurs for St Mary’s in 2020 and has gone on to impress under the management of Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Walker-Peters went on to make 30 appearances in his first full season at the club, laying on three assists along the way, and has played twice in the Premier League this term.

Reports claimed that Spurs were interested in bringing the defender back to the club in the summer, before deciding to sign Emerson Royal from Barcelona instead.

Roberts, though, believes that the former England U21 international is at the ideal club, where he will continue to play, and make an impact.

Asked about his performances on the south coast, the former Tottenham ace told Football FanCast: “I think that’s his level. We’ve got a player who’s played at Barcelona so he’s a top-notch player, but I thought Kyle Walker-Peters did very well at Southampton.

“But don’t forget, we scored five goals down there against them. He’s had a decent season but, for me, I think that’s his level, I think Southampton is as high as he will go.”

Walker-Peters made a total of 24 senior appearances for Spurs but was never really trusted to complete a season in his position, unlike he has been at Southampton.