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Everton have been linked with a move for Borussia Monchengladbach attacker Marcus Thuram as new manager Rafa Benitez looks to bolster his forward line.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet CalcioMercato, the Toffees are one of three sides interested in signing the highly-rated 24-year-old over the coming months, with Borussia Dortmund and Inter also listed as potential suitors.

With just two years remaining on his current contract, Thuram could be available for a reduced price next summer if Everton are prepared to wait that long.

Everton could finally replace Lukaku

After arriving on German shores back in 2019, Thuram has established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting young stars.

In his 40 appearances for Monchengladbach last season, the £25.2m-rated gem bagged 11 goals and provided a further 12 assists in all competitions, but his contributions didn’t stop there.

He also created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw teammate Denis Zakaria brand Thuram a “phenomenal” talent and earned him a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as Monchengladbach’s tenth-best performer in the top flight of German football.

The versatile striker also impressed during his brief appearance for France at Euro 2020, making one key pass, completing one dribble and winning one duel in the 3-3 draw with Switzerland, with his display earning a SofaScore match rating of 7.2.

His impressive performances for club and country led to Movistar commentator Alain Valnegri telling El Pais that Thuram reminded him of Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku, saying: “He can be dominant and allow him to act as an offensive terminal, Lukaku style.”

A serious knee injury has limited Thuram to just 46 minutes of action in the current campaign, though, and he’s set to be sidelined until the new year, making a January move a potentially risky one.

Nevertheless, Everton’s hierarchy must sanction a move for the youngster, adding some much-needed strength in depth to Benitez’s attacking options and potentially finding their next Lukaku in the process.

And, in other news…Everton increasingly likely to sign £187k-p/w gem, fans surely buzzing 

It’s been a turbulent campaign under the management of Ange Postecoglou for Celtic so far this season, with the Bhoys being dumped out of Champions League qualifying by FC Midtjylland and losing three of their first six Scottish Premiership fixtures.

However, in recent months, the 56-year-old has steadied the ship somewhat, with the Hoops currently being on a run of 12 league games without defeat, as well as turning in some incredibly impressive performances in Europe.

Furthermore, summer signings such as Jota, Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Josip Juranovic, Joe Hart and Cameron Carter-Vickers all look to have been magnificent additions to the Celtic side, with each player hitting the ground running in the first half of the campaign.

So, as we approach the halfway point of the season, we’ve put together a quiz looking back at Celtic’s goings-on throughout 2021.

Do you think you can remember everything that has happened in what has been a whirlwind 2021? Here are 15 questions that only the die-hard Celtic fans will be able to answer. Think you can get more than ten right?

We bet you can’t…

Everton had many players feature for the Merseyside club during David Moyes’ lengthy period in charge of the Toffees, with some even making over 300 appearances.

One player that was linked with a move to Goodison Park during the middle stages of Moyes’ reign that the club will have undoubtedly had nightmares over not signing is midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Back in the summer of 2008, it was reported that Everton had tabled a £5m bid to Cardiff City for the Welshman after Arsenal and Manchester United had done the same.

The midfielder, who is now picking up a weekly wage of £175k-per-week, ended up choosing the north London club as his next destination after leaving the Welsh side.

With 11 years and 371 appearances to his name in an Arsenal shirt, the midfielder left in 2019 for a move to Juventus after scoring 65 goals and providing 65 assists across all competitions, winning three FA Cups along the way.

During his time in Italy, the 31-year-old found the back of the net six times and delivered six assists in 70 appearances before joining Rangers on loan back in January, where he was called “world-class” by their transfer chief, Ross Wilson.

Since arriving at Ibrox, the former Gooner has scored two goals and provided one assist in just eight appearances, showing how capable he is of being an attacking threat from midfield.

Further labelled as a “leader, a quality player and a wonderful character” by Wilson, Ramsey has racked up a total of 151 goals and assists combined in 482 senior club appearances.

On the international stage, with 72 appearances under his belt, the midfield maestro has scored 20 times, showing how important he has been for his country over the years.

Taking into account what the Wales international has done throughout his club career, particularly at Arsenal, it can now be seen as a big blow that Everton weren’t able to convince the midfielder to make a move to Goodison.

Had the Toffees and Moyes been able to snatch Ramsey from Cardiff ahead of other top-flight sides in the mix to sign him back in 2008, there’s every chance that, through his talent, he could have become a massive player for the club.

In other news: “I know for a fact..”: Insider drops big Finch Farm claim, it’s bad news for Everton

Rangers have received a boost with the news that Borna Barisic is happy at the club, as per Football Scotland. 

The lowdown

The Gers have already lost one full-back this month, with Everton snapping up Nathan Patterson.

Barisic has also attracted Premier League interest, this time from Watford, who tabled a £2m bid last month which was promptly dismissed by the Scottish champions.

The Croatian’s £18,000-per-week contract, signed in January 2020, still has two-and-a-half years to run.

The latest

Football Scotland reporters Mark McDougall and Euan Robertson wrote that Barisic is ‘enjoying life in Glasgow’, and it would apparently take a bid of £5m for Rangers to even consider letting him go.

The report added that the Light Blues are in ‘a strong negotiating position’ after the club-record sale of Patterson last week.

The verdict

Keeping Barisic would be a big boost for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Rangers, and it would also illustrate the benefits of parting with Patterson.

The Croatian is a trusted lieutenant, selected for 12 Premiership games and all six of the Gers’ Europa League group stage matches this season.

He has also been the team’s third strongest performer according to SofaScore metrics, with an average rating of 7.3/10. Indeed, in the Light Blues’ squad, only James Tavernier (3.4) has created more chances per 90 minutes than Barisic.

His former manager Steven Gerrard hailed him as a “top player” back in 2019, praise which is merited judging by the above statistics, so to hear that the 29-year-old is quite happy to remain at Ibrox despite Watford’s interest should come as a real fillip to everyone associated with Rangers.

In other news, many Rangers fans flocked to this double exit claim

Trezeguet may leave Aston Villa on loan before the end of the transfer window, according to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans. 

The lowdown

The Egyptian joined Aston Villa ahead of the 2019/20 season in an £8.75m move from Kasimpasa. He has since made 64 appearances for the club, although he spent much of 2021 sidelined by a serious knee injury and has played just 10 top-flight minutes since recovering from that setback.

His current goal tally stands at nine, while he has also served up five assists during his time with the Midlands outfit. His £32.5k-per-week contract still has 18 months left to run.

Trezeguet is currently away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and it’s unclear if that will complicate any potential transfer. They are due to meet Ivory Coast for a round of 16 tie on Wednesday, just five days before the January deadline.

The latest

During The Athletic’s matchday discussion on Saturday, Evans was asked whether time was ‘up’ for wingers Bertrand Traore or Trezeguet given Gerrard’s preference for a narrow 4-3-2-1 formation.

The journalist replied: “Traore, I feel, will be back up now. Maybe an impact player? Trezeguet is going to struggle for minutes so he may go on loan.”

The verdict

Where might Trezeguet end up?

It was reported earlier this month that Galatasaray were keen to take him back to the Turkish Super Lig and had initiated talks with Villa.

Steven Gerrard has already allowed Anwar El-Ghazi to leave this month, but in Philippe Coutinho, Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore, he will have ample options in the wide attacking areas even if he lets Trezeguet go too.

Some Villa fans may be sad to see the 27-year-old go, because his commitment has never really been in doubt. For instance, his former manager Dean Smith described his ‘running numbers’ as ‘incredible’; while former Villa defender Alan Hutton hailed his willingness to close people down, even if he did look like a ‘headless chicken’ at times.

At least a loan move could enable Trezeguet to reinvigorate his career while still maintaining ties with the club so that they aren’t just barging him out the door unceremoniously.

In other news, lots of Villa fans flock to links with this Serie A maestro

Rangers are now stumbling eight points behind bitter rivals Celtic after a couple of poor performances and results, and the wheels might well be falling off from within.

Steven Gerrard has never been afraid to voice his concern if he believes something isn’t right.

A relentless worker, leader and role model during his playing career and a tough manager now, Gerrard has been true to form when addressing some of the major concerns he has over the attitude of his squad.

Fans aren’t exactly disagreeing with him either with most echoing his concerns that players have done little to deserve being so complacent at such an important stage of the season.

Gerrard may be right, but by publicly outingÂmembers of his squad he’s playing a very dangerous game.

Indeed, in an age where internal revolts can dictate the future of a manager’s career at a club, we’ve already seen the likes of media shaming pro-Jose Mourinho ousted from both Chelsea and Manchester United after his players took a disliking to his practises.

And that’s someone who’s experienced major success throughout his long and illustrious career.

Gerrard, for all his quality as a player, is unproven as a manager.

There’s a very fine line the current Gers boss would do well not to cross if he wants to make a success of his first big job in coaching.

While the Carabao Cup may not have been high up on Leeds United’s priority list, their tame 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday night would have done nothing for their confidence heading into this weekend.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were well in the game during the first-half, and but for some truly woeful decision-making in the final third and some questionable end product, could have found themselves a goal up.

Instead, they let the home side off the hook, and the Gunners duly punished them after the break, with goals from Calum Chambers and former Whites loanee Eddie Nketiah bagging to see the north Londoners through to the quarter-finals.

One man who really embarrassed Bielsa with his performance, was Dan James.

The Wales international was once again handed a start from the off as Bielsa went fairly strong with his starting line-up, and showed the searing pace that makes him a nightmare for opposition defenders.

But, James’ speed was all that was on show in terms of a positive sense for Leeds. Time and time again, his final ball and decision-making let him down and wasted numerous promising opportunities for his team.

One occasion saw him mis-control an admittedly difficult ball that would have had him take on Bernd Leno one on one, while another, and arguably the most disappointing, saw him race away on the break but fail to see Rodrigo to his right in open space and seeing the attack come to an end.

The fact he had fewer touches than goalkeeper Illan Meslier spoke volumes of just how anonymous he became, and it was something a couple of people spotted.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Yorkshire Evening Post, Graham Smyth gave him a five, saying: “His pace troubled Arsenal but the final ball let him down. Disappeared from the game as an influence after the break.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Leeds Live’s Beren Cross, who also gave him a five, and added: “Found excellent positions and out himself in the right places at the right times to turn the afterburners on and get Leeds up the field, but by contrast, showed slowness in thought when it came to delivering a final ball or shot around the box. Wasted several good openings.”

Bielsa would have been desperately hoping for James to prove why the Whites splashed out big money on him after several years of following his progress.

Instead, he put in the kind of mind-numbing display that would have left his manager extremely disappointed on the side-lines.

Meanwhile, Leeds must finally unleash this academy starlet in the Premier League…it’s not Gelhardt

Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Joe Rodon is attracting increasing interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to a number of reports (via One Football), the 24-year-old defender is being monitored by both West Ham United and Newcastle United ahead of a potential swoop for the Wales international in the winter market.

An earlier report by Football Insider claimed that a Spurs source had revealed the centre-back “100%” wants to secure a move away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January, after Antonio Conte informed the defender that he views him as backup to Eric Dier in the club’s defensive pecking order.

Paratici heading for disaster

While Rodon has been a bit-part player for Spurs since his £11m move to North London – starting just 13 games for the club thus far – it is undeniable that the Welshman is a player who possesses the traits to become an extremely important part of Antonio Conte’s side.

Indeed, despite only featuring in 12 Premier League fixtures last season, the £17m-rated man nevertheless impressed, helping his side keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.8 interceptions – the most of any Spurs player – 1.2 tackles, 31.5 passes and winning 73% of his duels per game.

These returns saw the player who BBC reporter Rob Phillips dubbed a “colossal” talent earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as the club’s seventh-best player in the league, as well as their second-best performing centre-back behind Toby Alderweireld.

So, Rodon’s efficiency in passing, interceptions and tackles would appear to make him a fantastic candidate for a starting role in Conte’s back three, leading us to believe that, should Fabio Paratici go on to sanction the departure of the centre-back in the upcoming January transfer window, it would undoubtedly be something of a disaster on the part of the managing director.

In other news: Paratici must seal Spurs swoop for £287k-p/w “phenomenon” who’s “better than Mbappe”

Celtic are closing in on a deal to bring Cameron Carter-Vickers to Parkhead on a permanent basis this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that, despite the increased interest in the centre-back’s signing – with the likes of Burnley, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City all believed to be keeping a close eye on the situation of the 24-year-old – Celtic are now in pole position to land the Tottenham Hotspur defender at the end of the season.

The report goes on to state that Ange Postecoglou’s transfer team are currently locked in negotiations with the Premier League side concerning the activation of their £6m option to buy clause for the USA international – a deal which could eventually rise to £10m with add-ons.

Finally, it is claimed that, with Champions League football all but secured ahead of next season, people close to Carter-Vickers believe that Celtic Park is the best place for the American to continue his progression in the game.

Huge coup for Celtic

Considering just how impressive Carter-Vickers have been for Celtic since his season-long loan switch to Glasgow last summer, it is unsurprising to learn that a number of Premier League sides, as well as the Hoops, are keen to secure the centre-back’s signature at the end of the current campaign.

Indeed, over his 27 Premiership appearances this season, the £2.7m-rated defender has been flawless in the Celtic backline, helping his side keep 14 clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 4.4 clearances and winning six duels – at a success rate of 68% – per game.

The £22k-per-week American has also chipped in for the Bhoys in an attacking capacity, bagging four goals – one of which was the winner against Rangers on Sunday – and registering one assist, as well as taking an average of 0.6 shots and making 0.3 key passes per fixture.

These returns have seen the 24-year-old average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.36, ranking him as the fifth-best player in the top flight of Scottish football in the current campaign.

As such, it is clear for all to see why there is so much interest in Carter-Vickers this summer, as well as why sealing his permanent switch to Parkhead would be something of a major coup for the runaway Premiership leaders.

AND in other news: Postecoglou drops huge behind the scenes update, it’s great news for Celtic

Celtic captain Callum McGregor could feature against rivals Rangers this evening, Anthony Joseph reports.  

The Lowdown: McGregor a regular under Ange

McGregor, who Ange Postecoglou praised for the ‘massive’ role the midfielder plays both on and off the pitch, has made 33 appearances this season.

The 28-year-old had to be replaced against Alloa Athletic last month with a facial injury, which has kept him out of the wins against Hearts and Dundee United.

Postecoglou initially labelled the injury as ‘significant’ and expected the club captain to be out long term, but it seems as if he could make a surprise return this evening.

The Latest: Joseph’s post

Joseph took to Twitter on Tuesday ahead of the crucial Glasgow Derby to relay comments from Postecoglou on McGregor.

He posted:

“Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has told Sky Sports News that captain Callum McGregor has been recovering well from his facial injury and there is “a chance” he could be involved tomorrow against Rangers.”

The Verdict: Brilliant

Postecoglou is expected to make a late call on McGregor, who would have to play with a protective mask, but it’s brilliant to see that he has a chance.

Some Celtic supporters may have been fearing the worst when Postecoglou labelled the injury as ‘significant’ just last week, but he is back on the training pitch and doesn’t seem to be far away from a full return.

Hopefully, he’ll be able to feature in some capacity tonight, with a win at Parkhead taking the Hoops back to the top of the Scottish Premiership.

In other news: ‘I can tell you…’ – BBC Radio 5 Live man shares key on-air info on ‘unbelievable’ Celtic ace.