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John Collins has shied away from backing his former colleague John Kennedy for the Celtic manager’s job full-time, warning that it’s a ‘different ball game’ to his prior roles.

Collins and Kennedy both supported Ronny Deila when he was in charge at Parkhead between 2014 and 2016.

The 37-year-old is now interim manager at the club after Neil Lennon tendered his resignation in late February.

Is Kennedy a long-term candidate?

Whilst he is a stop-gap solution on paper, Kennedy could theoretically force his way into long-term contention with a strong run of results.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, of course, was only placed in temporary charge of Manchester United but was able to convince the club’s hierarchy that he could be a permanent solution after impressing in a caretaker capacity, and he is still at the helm more than two years on.

Collins hailed Kennedy as a ‘terrific coach’ but ultimately doubts his credentials for one of the biggest jobs in Britain.

“He’s got vast experience on the training pitch,” he said on BBC’s Sportsound. “There’s no doubt he’s a terrific coach. But it’s a different ball game stepping up to be manager, I think.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

At this stage, it remains too early to cast a definitive judgement on Kennedy, who has scant experience as a first team boss.

We mustn’t forget that he has only overseen two matches at this point – the first a 1-0 win over fourth-placed Aberdeen and the second a goalless draw away to Dundee United.

If he were to guide his team to victory in Sunday’s Old Firm and go onto win on the Scottish Cup, Celtic would have to at least consider him.

However, you could understand if supporters demanded a more established name instead, and Collins’ reservations seem legitimate.

In other news, this former Celtic boss endorsed Kennedy on Monday.

Speaking exclusively with Football FanCast, former England international Steve Howey has stated that he does not want to see Newcastle United turn into the next RB Leipzig.

This follows reports by The Athletic that claimed that Joseph DaGrosa could look into purchasing the Toon should a deal to buy Southampton fall through.

DaGrosa is thought to have told Saints majority shareholder Gao Jisheng to lower his asking price for the south coast side, or he’ll take his and Kapital Football Group’s business elsewhere in the Premier League with the Magpies and West Ham two possible options.

Gao wants £160m for his shares in the St. Mary’s natives after paying between £180-200m for an 80 per cent controlling stake in the club back in 2017, while Mike Ashley values Newcastle at £300m.

Kapital are looking to purchase a mid-table Premier League side as they see it to be the foundation of a potential football empire, akin to the City Football Group consisting of Manchester City, New York City FC and Melbourne City FC among others, or Red Bull’s consisting of RB Leipzig, RB Salzburg and New York Red Bulls.

When asked if he’d liked to see Newcastle become a franchise in the same mould, Howey told FFC:

“Me personally? Probably not. You want them to be the club that’s Newcastle and they’ll buy players as like, well they haven’t done over the last God knows how many years, just like any other club.

“You see these foreign owners with these clubs and foreign [partner] clubs, and they loan out to this club, but it’s part of that club [that] is actually partnered with this club and that club, like Udinese and Watford and all that kind of thing that went on.

“I have to be honest, it’s not my thing. But that kind of thing, it’s so much speculation, really, and it’s like: ‘Well, he’s off to Southampton but if that one falls through, then he’s got all this’ and I think you just think: ‘Well, if you’re not your first choice, well, then what’s the [point]?’

“You want somebody that’s like: ‘I want Newcastle. It’s as simple as that. And when I get them, I’m gonna do everything that I can to make them a superpower,’ i.e., a Chelsea-esque or a Man City-esque and spend a vast amount of money on players, not somebody that’s like: ‘Oh, well, if I can’t have Southampton and I suppose I could maybe go for Newcastle.’ That doesn’t sit right with me.”

Dominik Szoboszlai became the latest player to join RB Leipzig from RB Salzburg when the rumoured Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur target joined the Bundesliga side for an initial £18m in January.

RB Leipzig also signed Dayot Upamecano from Salzburg for €10m (£9m) in 2017 and have now agreed to sell the Chelsea and Liverpool target to Bayern Munich in the summer, after the Bavarian powerhouse triggered his €42 (£37m) release clause.

Watford previously used their relationship with Udinese to exploit a loophole in Football League rules to sign 10 players on loan from the Serie A club, who shared an owner with the Hornets in the Pozzo family, during a failed promotion push during the 2012/13 season.

AND in other news, a £47k-p/w colossus is weighing up his future at Newcastle United…

Many Liverpool fans did not hold back on their thoughts towards midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after his side’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Thursday night.

The 27-year-old came on as a substitute in the 62nd minute for Mohamed Salah, which raised a lot of eyebrows considering the Reds were chasing a goal and the Egyptian forward is their top goalscorer this season.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been hugely unlucky since his move from Arsenal in 2017, suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear which saw him miss a year of football in 2018 and a serious hamstring issue the following campaign.

Fans aren’t giving him any sympathy though, after the game on Thursday appeared to pass him by during his 28-minute cameo. Per Sofascore, Oxlade-Chamberlain made no key passes, had no shots on goal and lost two duels.

With this in mind, supporters were not impressed with the Englishman’s performance with some keen to see him offloaded in the summer.

Fans fume at the Ox

“Time to release Ox this summer along with other deadwood. Cant just hope for him to come good some day after waiting another season.”

Credit: @MayurK1903

“What was Klopp thinking with those #LFC subs? Ox offers nothing coming on and Salah is the premier league’s top scorer coming off? CRAZY”

Credit: @LFCblogster

“Liverpool with a shocking performance #LFC Ox is finished James Milner the useless is finished”

Credit: @LFC_LION

“Subs just don’t make sense. Bringing Ox on is a waster, he’s not the player he was and hasn’t played regularly so wouldn’t expect him to change anything. Jota coming on was right but for the wrong player and god knows why Milner was brought on #LFC”

Credit: @93JRowan

“At least we know Ox can run. Other than that, useless. #LFC”

Credit: @raw_yaseen

“Oxlade-Chamberlain joins Origi in “what’s the point?” Club.”

Credit: @frankspeil

In other news, Liverpool fans flock to Sky Sports pundit’s claim on star midfielder.

David Sullivan has been gifted an ideal opportunity to sell Robert Snodgrass with the West Ham United outcast wanted by West Bromwich Albion in a permanent January transfer.

What’s the word?

According to the Express & Star, Snodgrass has emerged as a potential option for West Brom to explore in the mid-season market as Sam Allardyce plans to strengthen the spine of his new side.

Allardyce has placed a defender, defensive midfielder and striker high on his list of positions to fill, and he is determined to add quality options who have the experience and character needed to survive a relegation fight.

Snodgrass is considered as a potential addition who can bring a positive influence both on and off the pitch, with West Ham willing to sell the 33-year-old before his £40,000-per-week contract expires in the summer.

Albion expect to be able to sign Snodgrass for a nominal fee given his impending status as a free agent and as he has only been given three starts across all competitions and played a mere four minutes in the Premier League under David Moyes thus far this season.

The Baggies would prefer a permanent transfer over a loan deal as they already have Conor Gallagher occupying one of their two domestic loan slots, and they wish to use the other to sign Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury for the remainder of the campaign.

Snodgrass had already been tipped for an uncertain future at the London Stadium beyond the January window as Moyes looks to strengthen his squad, and was of interest to Celtic last summer who have been backed to revive their position this month.

Ideal chance to cash-in

Sullivan may not get many more opportunities to sell Snodgrass before he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, at which point he will not be able to recoup anything for the £3.5m-rated midfielder who has become a forgotten man in Moyes’ Premier League squad.

The Irons must explore West Brom’s interest in the winter market if the Hammers wish to avoid losing Snodgrass for free, as it is clear that the 33-year-old has no immediate and pressing role to play in Moyes’ plans outside of the cup competitions.

Next Monday’s trip to non-league side Stockport County in the FA Cup, therefore, could be Snodgrass’ final game in claret and blue, yet he may have already made his final appearance as Allardyce would no doubt be keen for the former Scotland international not to be cup-tied.

Snodgrass has proven that he still has something left in his locker with two goals and an assist in the Carabao Cup this season, while contributing five goals and five assists in 24 Premier League fixtures last term as West Ham’s second-most influential player.

AND in other news, David Moyes has dodged a huge bullet as West Ham dealt blow in bid to sign an 11-goal target.

Celtic are currently enduring their worst season in nine years. The Hoops were eager to reach their tenth consecutive Premiership title but a disappointing run of form has seen them fall to the sword of the unstoppable Rangers.

The reigning champions trail by a gargantuan 20 points after failing to live up to high expectations. Because of their poor run of form, Nick Hammond will need to seriously put in work once the January transfer window opens. Not only do the Bhoys need some fresh meat to bolster their squad, but they must try and keep hold of their flagship names.

Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer have both been linked to moves away from Parkhead in the past few months. The latter is seemingly wanted by several elite level clubs, including AC Milan who were plotting a potential move last summer, according to the Daily Record, while the same source provided another update on a possible switch to Italy last month.

The £10,000 per week centre-back is in high demand thanks to his colossal presence in Celtic’s backline. But as the Hoops continue to disappoint with their recent results, it seems that it’s only a matter of time before the Norway international leaves for pastures new.

If Lennon loses Ajer, he will be in a serious predicament. Celtic have been leaking goals at an alarming rate this season, shipping 19 in the Europa League and managing to put just four points on the board, finishing rock bottom of their group. They conceded the most amount of goals in the group stage of the competition, matched only by Ludogorets and Dundalk.

Ajer was recently one of the 14 senior players forced to self-isolate due to a positive Covid-19 test in the camp. Upon his return against Livingston last time out, the 22-year-old played out of position and occupied the right-back role. This was after Lennon dropped Diego Laxalt for Greg Taylor and also opted to leave Jeremie Frimpong on the bench.

According to Sofascore, Ajer completed an impressive five dribbles whilst operating on the right. This was higher than any other player on the pitch, which is a very impressive statistic considering his colossal 6 ft 5 frame.

His versatility has painted him in a different light and this will only make it even harder if he does decide to call it quits on his time with Celtic.

In other news, Celtic will be making huge mistake by signing James McCarthy…

Whilst Alfredo Morelos has been linked with a move away from Glasgow Rangers in recent months – with recent reports revealing Lille remain interested in the Colombia international – Allan McGregor’s potential departure would be an equally devastating blow for Steven Gerrard.

What’s the word?

The veteran goalkeeper is enjoying a stellar campaign between the sticks at Ibrox this season, having conceded just one goal and kept six clean sheets in the Scottish Premiership.

However, his contract with the 54-time Scottish champions is set to expire at the end of the season, which means the club risk losing him as a free agent in the summer if he agrees to a pre-contract deal in January.

Former Rangers full-back Alan Hutton has urged the board to tie his former teammate McGregor down to a new deal, saying he has earned the right to an extension in an interview with Football Insider.

He said: “Even though he’s my best friend, take that out of it, I mean, I would literally give him a contract until he wanted to retire, that’s how highly I rate him.

“He’s a leading figure, he’s in a good place right now, he’s very fit, he looks after himself. He’s another one, an integral part of that squad as well.

“I would want to tie him down, and for me, I would just keep it rolling, he is that good, that good at the moment so it wouldn’t surprise me if they wanted to sign him for at least another year.”

It’s fair to say that his performances in recent weeks have warranted him to be rewarded with a new deal, having been trusted for most Europa League games so far this season.

Get it done, Gers!

With Leon Balogun and Connor Goldson forming a blossoming partnership at the back, together the trio have created a nigh-on impenetrable fortress at Ibrox, as Rangers have conceded a combined total of just nine goals in both domestic and European competitions so far.

For his part, McGregor has proven to be a dependable asset under Gerrard, as he was given the gloves to face Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season at Parkhead back in October.

Despite his age, it would be a real shame to see the 38-year-old leave the Gers as a free agent at the end of the season, as he has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Gerrard heaped praise on McGregor after the “superb” stopper kept another clean sheet in the 4-0 win over Willem II in Tilburg during the qualifying rounds of the Europa League.

If he can help the Gers regain the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season, then we can see no reason why he won’t write his name into the history books.

Whilst much of the focus will be on Morelos, Ross Wilson and co must ensure that McGregor commits his future to the club and return the favour by rewarding him with a new and improved contract.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers winger Ianis Hagi defied the critics against Lech Poznan in the Europa League…

Manchester United need a new right-winger with the club failing to properly replace Alexis Sanchez in the summer, and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward can make amends in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

United signed Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri on deadline day, but the teenage duo have yet to feature for the first team, with Pellistri starting to find his feet at Carrington and Diallo remaining with Atalanta.

Reports in recent times revealed the Red Devils remain interested in Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, who was linked with Old Trafford in the summer.

Premier League rivals Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham are also keen on landing the diminutive 5 ft 8 speed demon.

The 23-year-old has been in prolific form since the start of the season, having supplied seven goals and six assists in 15 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Get it done, Woodward

Sanchez left the club on a free transfer to join Inter Milan on a three-year deal, but United have struggled heavily on the right flank for a number of years now, as they have been left to pay the price for failing to properly replace Angel di Maria, who was widely considered to be one of the best right-wingers in the world prior to his arrival at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it clear that Jadon Sancho was his top priority in the summer, but Borussia Dortmund remained steadfast in their £100m valuation of the England international.

Woodward may be best served to sanction a move for Bailey as not only would he be a cheaper alternative to the 20-year-old, as he is currently valued at €40m (£36m) via the CIES Football Observatory, but the versatile wide option would also be able to provide competition and cover for Marcus Rashford on the left wing as well.

In nine games in the Bundesliga this season, Bailey has scored two goals and supplied three assists, whilst he is averaging 2.3 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game, via WhoScored. By comparison, even Sancho has failed to score a single goal in the top flight this term, as he averages fewer shots per game, as per WhoScored.

Bayer Leverkusen boss Peter Bosz praised the Jamaican beast for his performances last month, saying: “I see that he gets better with every game – physically, but also in terms of his football.”

Whilst Ronald de Boer once labelled him a “very rare” find due to his lighting quick speed and dynamic attributes.

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This kind of physicality could give United the cutting edge on the right wing, as Daniel James has been criticised in recent weeks, whilst Mason Greenwood has only recently recovered from injury and Juan Mata isn’t getting any younger.

AND in other news, Man Utd striker Marcus Rashford was woeful against Man City…

Wolves have made an approach to AC Milan for star talent Rafael Leao, according to reports in Italy.

Leao likened to Ronaldo

The 21-year-old has started strongly during the 2020/21 campaign, scoring three goals and providing three assists for the Rossoneri so far (TransferMarkt).

Leao, a young Portuguese striker, was hailed by his former coach Tiago Fernandes and was compared with Ronaldo due to his pace, technique and the quality of his finishing (cited by All Football).

According to Calciomercato, Wolves made an attempt to sign Leao during the last transfer window and he is seen as a replacement for Diogo Jota, who left Molineux to join Liverpool for £41m.

The report added that they did not come close to getting their man, with Milan believing that they have a “diamond” on their hands, so they did not even want to listen to the offer.

Transfer Tavern take

It is an achievement to be compared to such an iconic player at such a short space of time in Serie A, but he is a player that Nuno Espirito Santo evidently likes.

With the Jorge Mendes connection, Leao could well be a player that Wolves can attract to Molineux and he could even compete with Raul Jimenez for a place in the starting eleven.

With the January transfer window still quite a while away, time will tell what Nuno decides to do and whether he feels the need to strengthen during the mid-season.

In other news, Wolves join race to sign player with potential to be ‘as good as Trent Alexander-Arnold’.

The international break is usually a bearer of bad news for many football clubs, never mind Glasgow Rangers. But Steven Gerrard may have been left feeling a little bit aggrieved after Nigeria were held to a 4-4 draw by Sierra Leone in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Both Rangers first-team regular starters Joe Aribo and Leon Balogun were named in the starting line-up by manager Gernot Rohr, but Nigeria threw away a four-goal lead as Sierra Leone staged a spectacular comeback at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.

Everton ace Alex Iwobi bagged a brace as the Super Eagles looked set to continue their perfect start to the AFCON qualifiers as they cruised towards a third win from three games in Group L after scoring four goals inside the first half hour.

Rohr set his side up in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, with Aribo deployed in a holding role as part of a midfield three along with Iwobi and Stoke City loanee Oghenekaro Etebo.

Nigeria enjoyed a whopping 62% of the possession of the ball but they couldn’t make their dominance in possession count when it mattered the most.

Several players were at fault for the poor performance overall but Aribo was the real culprit. At the best of times he looked off the pace, others he was caught slacking as the Leone Stars began their fightback just before half-time.

Goal gave the 24-year-old a low grade of 5/10 for his efforts, insisting ‘his languid style often left Etebo exposed in the defensive phase’, adding he wasn’t ‘as influential in a midfield pairing with the Stoke City loanee’, whilst Premium Times Nigeria were even more scathing in their assessment, claiming he was ‘very culpable as his doodling on the ball led to the second Sierra Leone goal’ and ‘he didn’t take as much care of his forward passes as he normally would and played within himself.’

freshpress-quiz ]

Perhaps this game was simply a case of too much, too soon for Aribo in such a short space of time after spending a lengthy spell on the sidelines. The 4-cap Nigeria international missed a substantial chunk of the season after he suffered an ankle injury in training, which saw him ruled out for several weeks.

Since then, he has scored three goals in four games in the Scottish Premiership, having made a full recovery, which brings his total to four goals in ten games so far this season. He bagged a brace as the Light Blues battered Hamilton Academical in a 8-0 win at home before the international break.

Even so, Aribo probably deserved a well-earned rest as he has played seven games in a row so far. Instead, he delivered a sub-par performance as a result, as he looked tired towards the end of the game. Is it any wonder, really? Gerrard will be hoping he is rested for the rematch next week, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Gerrard could unearth the next Ryan Jack in Glasgow Rangers loanee Stephen Kelly…

Burnley are reportedly closing in on an eight-figure deal to sign Wales international Harry Wilson from Liverpool.

Sky Sports reported that the two clubs are in talks over a potential £15m move for the 23-year-old, who the Premier League champions are willing to offload on a permanent deal.

Wilson has won 17 caps for Wales and impressed for Liverpool in pre-season last year, scoring a wonder goal in a friendly against Lyon, but only made one senior competitive appearance for the Reds back in January 2017.

The winger has had fruitful loan spells at Derby and Bournemouth in the last couple of seasons, netting 18 goals for the Rams as they narrowly missed out on promotion in 2019 and scoring seven Premier League goals in the Cherries’ unsuccessful fight against relegation last term.

Wilson is renowned for his dead ball prowess, scoring sumptuous free kicks against Manchester United in a Carabao Cup tie and Ireland in a UEFA Nations League clash two years ago. After the latter goal, Wales manager Ryan Giggs compared the 23-year-old’s set piece abilities to those of Old Trafford legend David Beckham (as per Sky Sports).

The Liverpool man often plays on the right wing, a position where Burnley are badly lacking – Johann Berg Gudmundsson, the only natural fit for that role in Sean Dyche’s squad, is set to be sidelined for a while after twisting his knee in last week’s Carabao Cup clash against Sheffield United.

Burnley’s transfer spending so far in this window has been minimal, so they should certainly be able to afford £15m to sign Wilson, who has shown that he can score goals in the Premier League and would be a timely purchase to fill the void left by Gudmundsson’s injury.

Dyche has previously bemoaned the lack of depth in his squad and this is the perfect opportunity to alleviate that issue by not only bringing in a fresh face but also one who could prove to be a reliable scoring presence over the coming season – especially from set pieces.

Burnley fans, how good a signing would Wilson be for £15m? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!