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Celtic returned to the top of the table with a convincing 6-0 win over Ross County on Saturday thanks in no small part to the display of Odsonne Edouard.

His manager, Neil Lennon, was effusive in his praise of the man of the match winner and feels that he is only getting better with each performance.

Edouard has been in scintillating form of late hitting 5 goals in 2 games for France U21s and he continued that form for his club side.

In his post-match interview with Celtic TV Lennon said of Edouard:

“I don’t want to wax lyrical about him every week, although he’s not that type of kid to get carried away, but you can see he’s in a good place”.

“He’s a beautiful mover of the ball and his link-up play is getting better. I’m so happy he got the goal just after half-time because he deserved it, because he had a couple of good opportunities in the first half”.

“He’s always a threat. He complements the players that are around him, he’s become more and more reliable and the volume of goals is testament to his own improvement”.

Edouard has been an almost ever-present in the Celtic line-up this season, only being rested when Lennon felt the opposition didn’t require the services of his £9m man.

From 18 appearances he has hit 10 goals and has 6 assists to his name, add this to his 9 goals in 4 France U21 games and he has had an impressive start to the campaign.

The 21-year-old is well on the way to bettering his tally of 22 goals from last season given that he achieved those in 52 games.

As Edouard matures and gains more experience his level of performance should improve, particularly when faced with opponents such as Thursday’s Europa League visitors – Lazio.

He was instrumental in Celtics 2-0 win over Rangers and continues to have an impressive record in derby’s, in that he has yet to lose a game in which he has scored.

Lennon will be hoping that he continues to develop at his current rate and maintains his scoring form, if he does, the league table will probably look a lot similar to how it does just now.

Agree with Lennon here? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

We’ve read some ridiculous claims in our lives but this one might take the biscuit.It’s fair to say that Marcus Rashford isn’t enjoying the best of times in a Manchester United shirt. Last night’s dud against Arsenal means he’s scored just once in his last six games.Bear in mind, this is the man Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is currently relying on following the departure of main goal threat Romelu Lukaku, who United failed to replace in the summer.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Now, do you remember Gabriel Agbonlahor? Yeah, that’s right – the fast one that used to play for Aston Villa.ÂWell, one United fan has made an interesting comparison between the recently retired forward and Old Trafford’s golden boy…

Agbonlahor wasn’t a particularly prolific striker back when he was playing in the Premier League – in fact he only scored 73 goals in 322 appearances, which works out at one goal per 356 minutes.

So maybe you can sort of see where he’s going with the whole speed malarkey and the fact that Rashford clocks in with just a goal every 243 minutes.

Then again, while Agbonlahor ended his career with no trophies and a mere three England caps to his name, Rashford has already won an FA Cup, a League Cup and the Europa League, while representing his country 34 times – all at the age of just 21.

Hmm.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Georginio Wijnaldum’s revelation that he is addicted to winning trophies with Liverpool has signalled both a turnaround in the team’s belief and the completion of a key goal of Jurgen Klopp when he arrived at the club.

What did he say?

In an interview with Dutch outlet de Volkskrant the midfielder spoke of the great feeling he had when he won the Champions League with the club back in June, and stated it is an accomplishment he is seeking to repeat.

He is not satisfied with stopping at winning the first European trophy of his career, and aims to replicate the success of other teams.

Re-live the moment Sadio Mane robbed Leicester City of a point at Anfield through the eyes of the Foxes fans in the video below…

Speaking to de Volkskrant (translated), he said: “I really wanted to win the Champions League once. Now I want it more often.

“Look at Real Madrid: three times in a row. I would like something like that.

“Especially since we have seen what it does with the city, with your career and with the club. That is addictive.”

His attitude is one shared by his teammates, and that is displayed in the desire they show in each game, grinding out victory after victory, with scrappy wins against Sheffield United and Leicester recently showing that they are driven to win at all costs.

Sign of Klopp’s success

The Netherlands international is not alone in his feeling amongst the Reds squad.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has previously stated that his main aim is “to win as many trophies as possible”, a mindset which goes a long way in explaining Liverpool’s current 100% record in the league and their tremendous success over the past 18 months.

In that time they have progressed significantly and become an assured outfit which is capable of competing in both the league and in Europe, evidenced by the fact they have reached the Champions League final twice in two years whilst simultaneously racking up an impressive 97 points in the Premier League in 2018/19.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Klopp’s side refuses to rest on its laurels, however, which is a testament to the mentality he has instilled. Their current run in the league is a club record and is still ongoing, with 17 consecutive wins, and it is fair to say that the German’s aim of transforming his players from “doubters to believers” has come to fruition.

Liverpool’s attitude has translated into results on the pitch, that much is clear, and it means they are back amongst the best clubs in the country, and back on the perch Sir Alex Ferguson aimed to knock them off all those years ago.

[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…ÂDuring the summer Leeds and Marcelo Bielsa had a decision to make.The Whites could either follow up on their summer-long interest in Ryan Kent, who has now moved to Rangers, or they could place their faith in Jack Harrison.A goal on the opening weekend against Bristol City was enough for the Argentine to be convinced that his current left winger was in fact the best option.It was an intriguing choice but it was one that eventually saw them get a loan deal for Eddie Nketiah over the line instead. It’s funny how things come together, but Bielsa can sit back and admire the positives, as well as ponder the negatives.

On the chalkboard

Harrison hasn’t been fantastic this season and the fact he’s only scored once tells the story of that.

As far as the 5 foot 9 winger’s numbers are concerned in terms of goal contributions he needs to improve quickly, especially with Helder Costa breathing over his neck and heavy criticism starting to sprout from supporters.

His lack of involvement since that Bristol City game may have Bielsa having second thoughts about the decision he took but in one key area, the 22-year-old is actually thriving.

In fact, he’s proving to be one of the most successful in the division at dribbling.

The graphic above, provided by All Stats Aren’t We but with data courtesy of Wyscout shows that Harrison manages just under six dribbles per match.

When attempting those, he manages to come out with a success rate of just below 70%.

That puts him up there as one of the best in the Championship for those in his position.

Only James McClean, Matt Phillips and Matty Cash have a higher success rate, although just one of them manage more dribbles per outing.

There are a host of individuals who attempt a higher number in each match, but they don’t come close to replicating what Harrison achieves.

This shows that more often than not, the youngster is able to keep possession of the ball, enhancing Leeds’ play in the final third.

How often he scores and assists could be an issue, but his success when it comes to dribbling with the ball at his feet shows the glowing influence he has on Bielsa’s team.

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[ad_pod ]Shkodran Mustafi may well be the biggest scapegoat in English football at the moment.That isn’t to say he isn’t a terrible defender, because as any self-respecting football fan would tell you – he is.However, sometimes even the most out of form players can perform quite well, but it pains any Arsenal fans to give him any praise.Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 on Tuesday evening, and even though the Gunners kept a clean sheet in that game, fans were still hesitant to give Mustafi any praise.

One fan was so unwilling to compliment the German that he had a dig at the fact that Arsenal have kept clean sheets in both games that the centre-back has started this term.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 27-year-old sarcastically apologised for his good performances and replied with an unimpressed emoji.

You have to feel for Mustafi. The constant abuse he’s had from his own fanbase over the past few months is clearly getting to him, and hopefully for his sake the clean sheets continue.

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Loads of West Ham fans have been reacting to a big update on a possible striker signing, as reports claim they will not move for Maxi Gomez this month.

According to The Evening Standard, West Ham’s £43.5m swoop for Gomez will definitely not happen on deadline day.

The report claims Celta Vigo will not release the striker this month because they are in a relegation battle.

The Spanish outfit currently sit 18th in La Liga, two points adrift of safety, and Gomez is pretty much their only source of goals.

Look away Arsenal fans! American Soccer Fan is back to troll more fans at the London Stadium in the video below…

This is bad news for the Hammers though, who have gone off the boil in recent weeks after a terrific run of form before Christmas, and desperately need a clinical goalscorer.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side could be without Marko Arnautovic for at least a couple of weeks after the striker injured his foot during the defeat at Wolves, and there are still question marks over how committed the Austrian international will be even once he is fit.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are fuming at this transfer update…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

For years now, Marcelo has been a key part of almost every iteration of Real Madrid’s squad. No matter what changes were made at the club he was always there, present, for better or worse. But lately, it has been mostly for worse, and a change is needed. And the worst of all, Zinedine Zidane had just the man to fix everything.

The background

Marcelo has always been up there with the best left-backs in the world, helping Real Madrid clinch four Champions League titles. The Brazilian has already played a total of 488 games for Los Blancos and in that time, despite being a defender, he managed to score 36 goals and, even more impressively, tally an incredible 91 assists.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Such numbers are simply outrageous for a left-back and could even rival and exceed some of the attacking players. But despite his undeniable contribution going forward, the Brazilian has been less impressive going the other way, with Whoscored listing tackling and aerial duels among his weaknesses.

And going into their new La Liga season and with the first three games already played, it seems that we’re looking at the same old issues coming to light once again. If Zidane wants to fix this and improve, he should start with a tweak at back: bench Marcelo.

Out with the old

While Zidane was away from the club and the reigns were with Santiago Solari, Marcelo was placed on the bench often. His role was then assumed by a young Spanish left-back, Sergio Reguilon.

Granted, he was never the offensive threat Marcelo still is but defensively he was much more solid. In 2018/19, he averaged more tackles, interceptions and clearances than Marcelo, displaying his defensive prowess in its full glory. But in a rather confusing turn of events, he was loaned out to Sevilla at the start of the 2019/20 campaign where he, as expected, has immediately shined.

On his debut, Reguilon both scored and assisted in Sevilla’s 2-0 victory over Espanyol, proving that he can also be an adequate asset going forward as well. Not to mention that he is only 22 years old while Marcelo is 31 already.

Zidane could have solved multiple problems with just one move, both refreshing the team and bringing some much-needed defensive stability in an area that is begging for improvement.

But instead, he chose not to put his trust into the young defender. Will that decision come back to haunt him in the future?

Only time will tell.

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Tottenham Hotspur have once again been linked with a move for Paulo Dybala…

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Xavier Jacobelli, Spurs are among the teams interested in a move for the Juventus dynamo as he enters final six months of his current £222k-per-week contract.

“Inter are at the window, as well as Tottenham. [Antonio] Conte and Barcelona also highly esteem Dybala. We have to see what he will do in these months, because Beppe Marotta (Inter’s CEO) and other companies are at the window and are watching,” he told Calciomercato.it.

Italian newspaper Tuttosport also claims that Lilywhites head coach is an ‘indisputable admirer’ of the Argentina international, who is currently valued at £45m by Transfermarkt.

Perfect for Conte

Dybala’s time in Turin over the last few seasons has been frustrating to say the least, largely due to injuries but whenever he has been on the pitch, he has proven to be a key player for Massimiliano Allegri – even taking the armband in the absence of Giorgio Chiellini.

For example, this season, he has only played 19 times across the Serie A and Champions League but has still delivered nine goals and four assists, via Transfermarkt.

And with the futures of Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli in doubt, the need for a new attacking maestro could soon increase tenfold.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-transfer-gossip-rumours-conte-paratici-levy-premier-league” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Dybala has long been a target for chairman Daniel Levy, having come close to signing him during the 2019 summer transfer window after the deal controversially collapsed at the 11th hour over image rights.

“I can just confirm that Dybala is an unbelievable player,” once claimed former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey to The Athletic. “He’s very gifted — a team player — and some of the things he’s done in training and some of the games this season has been quite breathtaking.”

Spurs have lacked a creative no.10 ever since the departure of Chrisitan Erisken, with Ndombele failing to step up to the mark despite being the club’s record signing at £55m.

The north London outfit are free to negotiate a pre-contract with Dybala with makes him an even more appealing prospect as he won’t cost Levy a penny upon arrival in the summer.

Italian football expert Conor Clancy has also previously suggested that the presence of the 28-year-old dynamo could help bring the best out of Kane, only further highlighting how poor the Frenchman has been.

“I feel like he’d be unstoppable with Kane because he’s not a number nine, so he’s got to be playing alongside a striker like that,” he told Football FanCast in the summer.

Maybe it’s time for Levy and co to finally pull the trigger on Dybala. He’d be a very nice signing under Conte, who according to the initial reports, is a big fan.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold reveals “positive update” behind-scenes at Spurs, Conte will be buzzing…

Arsenal centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette is attracting increasing interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by French publication L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), who claim that Lyon are keeping an extremely close eye on the situation of the Arsenal centre-forward – whose current contract at The Emirates is due to expire at the end of the season – ahead of a potential move for the 30-year-old this summer.

However, the report goes on to state that Mikel Arteta’s side could yet offer the France international a short-term contract extension – believed to be one year plus the option of a further.

Arteta must axe Lacazette

While it is undeniable that Lacazette has quite significantly improved his form in recent weeks – scoring one goal and providing four assists over his last seven Premier League outings – the fact remains that the 30-year-old has never really lived up to his then-club record £46.5m tag back in 2017.

Indeed, despite being a fairly £18m-rated striker is far from being the deadly 20+ bagsman Arsenal require to fire them back towards the top of the Premier League table.

This is something that has been all too apparent over the £182k-per-week forward’s 23 Premier League outings this season, over which the player who Robin van Persie claimed is “not world-class” and Uche Amako labelled “shocking” has scored just four goals and missed six big chances.

As such, considering his hefty weekly wage – with the Frenchman currently being Arsenal’s highest earner – in addition to the fact he will turn 31 this May, Arteta must axe Lacazette this summer, as it is clear that the centre-forward is simply not clinical enough in the final third to justify his salary at The Emirates.

AND in other news: Arteta can finally axe £27m-rated “practice dummy” as AFC bid for “sneaky” £13m dynamo

Tottenham Hotspur want to bolster four key areas of Antonio Conte’s squad, according to emerging claims…

What’s the word?

football.london reporter Alasdair Gold has told his YouTube channel that Spurs have made four different positions their priority during this month’s transfer window.

“There is a feeling within the club that Spurs need a right wing-back, a left-sided centre-back and a striker,” he revealed. “From what I understand, Conte agrees with that, but also would like a central midfielder. Four priority positions.”

Fantastic four?

It’s no secret that the north Londoners need additions as they lack the strength in depth to truly challenge some of the Premier League’s biggest teams for a place in the top four.

What Conte has already done with the current squad is quite remarkable, having gone unbeaten in the top-flight under his stewardship but if they are to get back onto the next level, then chairman Daniel Levy must back his man with serious investment.

After selling Serge Aurier and replacing him with Emerson Royal in the summer, it’s a surprise to see a new right wing-back on the agenda but as Matt Doherty’s future is dubious, the need for another option could make sense, especially if Conte isn’t convinced by the former Barca man’s attacking credentials.

Elsewhere, another central defender is certainly going to be among the priorities. Cristian Romero is still absent with an injury, whilst the Italian head coach has often deployed full-back Ben Davies in his back-three. Japhet Tanganga and Davinson Sanchez have looked a little suspect in recent games, too.

Of course, the need for a new forward has always been there but it’s a tricky problem to remedy as Harry Kane will always be the star man leading the line for Spurs. There aren’t many players who will want to be a backup but Conte does need an alternative, or even a partner to the England skipper.

It is also interesting to learn of Conte’s desire for a central midfielder, too. Spurs already have Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso, so perhaps he isn’t convinced by some of those options.

Either way, this latest development from one of the most reliable sources is certainly exciting and it would suggest that the Lilywhites will indeed be active this window.

Supporters around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should be buzzing by this news.

AND in other news, Conte can finally axe “unplayable” Spurs dud by signing “devastating” £26m-rated beast…