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Celtic have been linked with a move for Union Berlin’s Niko Gießelmann, according to German newspaper Sports Bild, relayed by 67 Hail Hail.

The Lowdown: Gießelmann profiled

Gießelmann is 30 years of age and is primarily a left-back who can also turn out at centre-back or even as a left-midfielder. [Transfermarkt]

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He’s been with the Bundesliga side for 18 months and has made 37 appearances for the club, 22 of which have come this season.

Gießelmann has registered 34 assists during his career and is valued at £1.62m by Transfermarkt, making him the biggest star of his agency, GMBH, who will no doubt want to extract every penny out of any possible deal.

The Latest: Hoops interest

67 Hail Hail relayed a report from Wednesday’s print edition of Sports Bild, who claimed that Celtic and a number of unnamed English sides are keen on Gießelmann.

The German is out of contract at the end of the current campaign, meaning the Hoops could look to secure a pre-contract agreement in the New Year, while it also puts the player and his representatives in a strong negotiating position.

The Verdict: Left-back competition?

Celtic have been heavily linked with Reo Hatate, who can also play as a left-back, however, the Hoops reportedly see him as a midfielder.

In that case, bringing in Gießelmann could be a smart idea to rival Greg Taylor at left-back. Ange Postecoglou had to use right-back Josip Juranovic, youngster Adam Montgomery and even outcast Boli Bolingoli during Taylor’s absence earlier in the season.

Bringing Gießelmann in who has plenty of experience to challenge Taylor may be a masterstroke by Postecoglou, so this link could be one to keep a close eye on.

In other news: Possession lost 40x, 21 duels lost: Celtic’s 3 worst players v Betis who didn’t take Ange chance. 

West Bromwich Albion have learned the latest regarding the future of on-loan striker Jordan Hugill as they look to put together a promotion charge in the second half of the Championship campaign.

What’s the latest?

West Brom will maintain the services of Norwich City loanee Jordan Hugill for the remainder of the season after Canaries manager Dean Smith revealed that there is no recall option in the 29-year-old’s contract at The Hawthorns.

Speaking to the Eastern Daily Press, Smith said: “I don’t believe there is a recall option. I’ve spoken to Andy [Hughes], who’s our loans’ manager who keeps in touch with all the loan players. I’m going to be speaking to Jordan over the next 24 hours to see how he is finding it there.

“I don’t believe there’s a release clause but I’ll have a chat and see how he is.”

The Englishman was benched for the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton and then left out of the matchday squad entirely on Saturday as Albion were beaten 1-0 late on at QPR.

After the defeat in West London, Baggies boss Valerien Ismael stated: “Yes it was my decision,” when asked post-match about Hugill’s absence. “I spoke to him about the situation, he came to me. I think now for him it’s a new situation. We spoke openly about the situation.”

However, finding a new situation may not be as straightforward as hoped with the complications regarding Hugill’s recall possibilities.

Ismael will be furious

Naturally, both parties will want the best for Hugill with there still four-and-a-half months of the season to be played. However, it does appear that the 29-year-old’s spell in the West Midlands is up.

The Norwich striker has scored just once in 20 appearances during his loan spell with Ismael’s side and has recently fallen further down the pecking order with the West Brom manager reuniting with former Barnsley loanee Daryl Dike.

The 21-year-old scored nine goals in 22 appearances for the South Yorkshire side last term as they reached the Championship play-off semi-final. However, a permanent move didn’t materialise and the American returned to his parent club MLS outfit Orlando City.

Now, the striker has finally made a permanent move to the Championship, following Ismael from Oakwell to The Hawthorns and signing a four-and-a-half deal with the West Midlands club.

If Hugill is no longer in Ismael’s plans, then West Brom and Norwich City will have to find a solution with the future of the Englishman in their best interest. Ideally, Norwich will recall the striker and send him on loan elsewhere, however, solving the predicament doesn’t appear to be that straightforward.

As a result, Albion are left with a player who clearly adds nothing to their side; an eventuality that won’t suit them at all in the back end of the campaign. Ismael will rightfully be frustrated as a result.

In other news: West Brom handed worrying transfer update that will have fans sweating

Alan Hutton has claimed that Brendan Rodgers would be interested in the Tottenham Hotspur job.

The Leicester City boss remains high on the shortlist at Spurs to lead the way from the start of the 2021/22 term despite Ryan Mason taking temporary charge until the end of this campaign.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton believes that Rodgers will have the Lilywhites job at the back of his mind despite the success that he has had with the Foxes so far:

“You look at Leicester. They’re top four with a brand new training ground as well.

“Arguably, just as good a squad. I understand obviously Tottenham have got the likes of Harry Kane, Bale sitting there.

“I think, if you’re a manager, it’s still a massive lure to go to Tottenham. They are a huge club, everybody knows that. They’ve got the quality within the squad to really hit a high level.

“Yes, they aren’t at the moment but if they get the right person in charge to take care of them, I think they could be very good. It’s always there, probably, in the back of his mind, Brendan Rodgers.

“Yes, he’s got a plan and he is trying to implement that at Leicester but it’s a big draw if Tottenham come calling.

“It’ll be an interesting one. I can’t really see him leaving Leicester at the moment but he’d definitely be interested if Spurs made their feelings towards him (known).”

Rodgers perfect for Spurs

If the North London club had the opportunity to hire Rodgers as their next permanent coach, they should be jumping at the opportunity with both arms.

Quite ironically dubbed as a ‘talented’ (via Daily Mail) manager by none other than Jose Mourinho back in December, the Northern Irishman certainly knows how to thrive in the Premier League, with LCFC currently sitting pretty in third spot in the top flight after a very convincing 3-0 home win over West Brom, while he was also close to winning the title back in his days managing Liverpool.

Guiding Leicester to an FA Cup final and also proving he knows how to add silverware to quality football during his time in Glasgow, Rodgers could be the man to finally deliver trophies for THFC, if they can lure him away from the East Midlands of course.

In other news, find out what Mourinho told his players after his sacking here!

Former Aston Villa man Alan Hutton has been reacting to a transfer update regarding Rangers defender Filip Helander, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Helander links

Steven Gerrard is making a head start when it comes to summer transfer activity, watching targets Boubacar Kamara, Duje Caleta-Car and Geoffrey Kondogbia live over recent weeks.

A Villa source has recently shared the club’s interest in Helander, a defender who Gerrard signed for Rangers back in 2019 in a deal worth £3.5m.

The Sweden international will be entering the final 12 months of his Rangers contract in the summer, and it looks as if Villa are keen on a possible cut-price deal.

The Latest: Hutton reacts

Talking to FI about that update from a Villa source, Hutton, who contributes for Sky Sports, had this to say regarding the interest in Helander, labelling the pace of the Premier League as a ‘worry’ and labelling the step up to English football as ‘huge’.

“Helander is a player who reads the game and gets himself into good positions.

“Obviously the injuries haven’t helped but the thing I would worry about is the pace side of it. When you go down south in the Premier League, you’re playing against a lot of quick players.

“There’s quick movement round about you, at your feet. It’s whether he can handle that. It’s a huge step up.

“No disrespect to Rangers or anybody in Scotland but the Premier League is arguably the best league in the world. That’s the only thing that I would worry about.

“You look at the centre-halves Villa have got now. Konsa is quick, Mings is quick and they can still get caught out.”

The Verdict: A risk?

Helander has made just 11 appearances this season due to knee and foot problems and has missed a whopping 66 games through injury since moving to Scotland.

Gerrard reportedly has his concerns over Helander’s injury history, so a reunion in the Midlands could bring plenty of risks heading into 2022/23.

Bringing Helander to Villa Park as a potential back up option may well be a wise move, especially if Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings move on, but making him a marquee centre-back signing may not be the best idea given his extensive injury woes and arguably worrying lack of pace.

In other news: Source: Gerrard now happy for ace to leave Villa Park; he’s ‘central to a lot of the problems’. 

Despite making his return from injury a few weeks ago, it’s fair to say that Aston Villa winger Trezeguet hasn’t quite hit the ground running.

The Egypt international missed the entirety of December and most of January through injury, and made his comeback in a 2-0 victory over Newcastle.

Since then, however, he has yet to score a goal or provide even a single assist, and it raises some real questions about Dean Smith’s decision to bring him into the starting line-up for the past couple of games in the Premier League.

With Anwar El Ghazi fully fit now, there’s no excuses for Smith to move Trezeguet out and bring the Dutchman back into the team.

The £9m-rated Trezeguet ranks as the second-worst Villa player in the entire squad out of those who have started at least ten games this season, and that’s a damning indictment on just how little he has impressed – even centre-back Kortney Hause has managed to find the back of the net more than him.

Speaking earlier this season to Football Insider, Agbonlahor said about the £9m-rated ace: “I said it after the Brighton game on Twitter and Villa fans weren’t happy with my comment about him not being able to finish his dinner. In the Premier League, you get punished for not taking easy chances like that. If that ball fell to anyone else but Trezeguet, they would have scored.

“I just feel his all game is a bit erratic, he works hard but his final ball at times was poor. He makes the wrong decision a lot. As much as working hard is important in football, there has to be some quality there because otherwise, it’s going to cost you.”

While Trezeguet’s work-rate and endeavour off the ball is all well and good, his lack of quality when in possession is something Villa just can’t keep glossing over.

Smith simply has to drop him from the starting line-up against Tottenham tonight.

Meanwhile, Villa are making a big mistake over signing this midfielder…

It was a transfer that many expected to happen – Emiliano Buendia got his move away to a bigger Premier League club in Aston Villa but Norwich City legend Jon Newsome believes that his former side will already have a replacement lined up.

The move may have boosted Daniel Farke’s summer budget, unlike the last time they were in the Premier League when the Canaries spent just £7.9 million, however the German is not going crazy with Buendia’s replacement set to cost them just £3.2 million as they are targeting Armenian international, Norberto Briasco.

Briasco has been plying his trade in Argentina and with the Canaries reportedly willing to meet Huracan’s asking price he could be set for a switch to the Premier League, but they are facing competition from Boca Juniors, although the Argentine club are only willing to pay £1.6 million.

Norwich have certainly become a selling club in the last few years with some top-class young players departing which means they are always working on their next targets, and they will have some earmarked to replace Buendia according to Newsome, whos spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“The way that Norwich City have done their business, undoubtedly they’ve got players earmarked and they will have already identified targets.

“The question is, do they go again and bring in another player that Daniel Farke can coach and invest his time and energy into to make him a better player.”

Having money in their pockets can only be a good thing for the Canaries as they are likely to spend wisely and not do what Fulham have done in recent years, bringing in almost a totally new squad to try and stay up.

Norwich already have a solid base squad with the likes of Tim Krul, Grant Hanley, Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell more than capable of performing in the top flight, and to a higher standard than they did during the 2019/20 season which saw them finish rock-bottom.

Liverpool are interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn this summer as they search for Gini Wijnaldum’s replacement.

What’s the story?

According to well-respected journalist James Pearce, “the interest from Liverpool is very real” in the Scotland international after his impressive 2020/21 campaign.

However, his price tag may be a major stumbling block. McGinn signed a new five-year contract back in December and as such, Aston Villa are expected to demand a £50 million fee, meaning the Reds would have to sell some fringe players to fund this deal.

Fans should be buzzing

With Wijnaldum set to join French giants Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, Jurgen Klopp is believed to be in the market for a new central midfielder over the coming months.

Several big names have been linked with a move to Anfield, including Saul Niguez, Nicolo Barella and Renato Sanches, but Liverpool’s interest in McGinn appears to be the most concrete.

While the 26-year-old may not carry the same excitement and intrigue as the aforementioned stars, he’s proved his quality in the Premier League over the last two campaigns and Klopp was reportedly impressed with his performance in Villa’s 7-2 thrashing of the Reds last season.

At £50m, McGinn is arguably a transfer target that doesn’t make much sense for Liverpool. The 19-time English champions are working on a restricted budget this summer, and better value for money deals are there to be had.

However, director of football Michael Edwards has forged an enviable reputation for his transfer negotiations in the past, and if he can get that figure down, then the club’s supporters should be buzzing at their interest in the former Hibernian man.

He’s a very different player to Wijnaldum, though, and his potential arrival on Merseyside would perhaps be seen more as a long-term replacement for the ageing James Milner than for Wijnaldum.

McGinn has thrived in a box-to-box role at Villa Park, utilising his energy, tenacity and ball carrying skills to great effect, winning possession back for his side before dragging them up the pitch.

Wijnaldum was tasked with keeping things simple in possession, bringing an element of control to Liverpool’s midfield, but with Thiago now up to speed and more than capable of fulfilling that role, McGinn could add a new set of skills to Klopp’s charges.

If Edwards can use his negotiating skills to get McGinn’s asking price down, he’d be a very good addition, one that Liverpool fans should be excited to see in a red shirt.

And, in other news…Paul Gorst drops major update over six Liverpool stars, fans will be buzzing

Leicester City could potentially be set to lose another key defender to a Premier League rival with Liverpool reportedly interested in Caglar Soyuncu.

According to The Daily Mirror, the Turkish centre-back is on the Reds’ five-man defensive shortlist and should they complete a deal, he would follow the likes of Harry Maguire and Ben Chilwell out of the King Power Stadium exit door.

The Leicester hierarchy must ensure that simply does not happen.

Ever since his arrival in the East-Midlands from SC Freiburg in 2018, Soyuncu has slowly but surely established himself as one of the most dominant defenders in the Premier League.

Now rated at £36m, he has made 73 appearances for the Foxes and has become a key cog in a solid defensive partnership alongside veteran Jonny Evans.

He has done extremely well by stepping into the shoes of the departed Maguire. Soyuncu outperformed the record-breaking defender on tackles, clearances and pass success rate during the 2019/20 campaign according to WhoScored as the Foxes pursued a UEFA Champions League place, only to fall at the final hurdle.

Whilst Soyuncu’s current season has been disrupted through injury, his impact has still not gone unnoticed. With him in the side, Leicester’s Premier League win rate sits at 62.5% in 16 matches, whilst with the Turk sidelined that falls to 53%. It goes without saying then that without his immense presence at the back, the Foxes would certainly not be as high as they are in the table.

Soyuncu should certainly be held onto for the here and the now but it is in the future that Leicester will really feel his benefit. At just the age of 24, he still has plenty of time to improve and alongside the 20-year-old Wesley Fofana, the Foxes have the basis of an extremely strong future defensive pairing.

With Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans both on the wrong side of 30, it would be nonsensical to sell one of their apparent successors.

Brendan Rodgers has already praised Soyuncu for his “absolutely fantastic” performances in a Foxes shirt so he will surely be hugely disappointed to see him depart for a Premier League rival.

AND in more news, find out which of Soyuncu’s compatriots Leicester must not target…

Everton head into their clash with Wolves on Wednesday evening amid a spell of inconsistent form.

The Toffees have defeated Arsenal in the last month but they’ve also suffered some embarrassing results along the way.

With European football on the line, Carlo Ancelotti’s men somehow suffered a defeat to Sheffield United.

Everton didn’t look like scoring and succumbed to a goal from 17-year-old Daniel Jebbison.

If they are to have any chance of securing a spot among Europe’s finest next season, they will have to win against Wolves.

On the chalkboard

One area that Everton desperately need to improve in is going forward. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored 21 goals this season but the performances of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison are leaving plenty to be desired.

Sigurdsson was dropped to the bench against the Blades but Ancelotti’s tricky Brazilian has been in abject form for a while now.

He’s not scored since the beginning of March, nor has he assisted a goal since December.

With that in mind, the Toffees should consider turning to Alex Iwobi when they face Wolves.

The Nigerian has had an average season at Goodison Park and with only one league goal to his name throughout 2020/21, he needs to improve. After all, the 24-year-old earns £100k-per-week in Merseyside.

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However, his solitary strike this term came against Wednesday night’s opposition.

Back in January, Everton defeated Wolves 2-1 at Molineux with Iwobi thriving on the right-hand side.

He not only scored but had the beating of the Old Gold backline on numerous occasions. He completed three of five dribbles and won an impressive seven ground duels.

The winger has very rarely lived up to Arsene Wenger’s tag of “dangerous” but on that night he was a rampant threat, terrorising Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Iwobi could have a similar impact if he plays from the left and dislodges Richarlison this week.

That’s because Wolves right-back Nelson Semedo has had a tricky first campaign in England. He was mauled by Lucas Digne when the pair last met while he has notoriously struggled with tricky attackers.

You only need to look at the performance of Nicolas Pepe back in January when Wolves beat Arsenal.

Pepe nutmegged the defender in the first half before surging into the penalty area and scoring a wonderful solo goal.

As Iwobi demonstrated against the Molineux outfit several months ago, he also has everything in his locker to beat a man.

Ancelotti needs to consider unleashing him from the off.

AND in other news, Everton eye move for “very talented” £26m gem, he’d be a big upgrade on Coleman…

An update has emerged on Leicester’s pursuit of RB Leipzig forward Ademola Lookman.

What’s the talk?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Leicester have reached an agreement with RB Leipzig over a deal to sign winger Ademola Lookman, with the player now set to undergo a medical.

Sky Sports reporter Dorsett claimed earlier in the day that Lookman is keen on a move to the King Power, which suggests that there should be no issues when it comes to agreeing personal terms.

Excitement

Leicester fans will surely be excited by this update from Romano as it suggests that Lookman will be arriving at their club at some point on deadline day.

The Foxes have finally been able to reach an agreement with the Bundesliga club and fans will be delighted to see their side dip into their transfer war chest to attempt to improve their attacking line-up.

As long as the medical goes through as planned, Lookman will be a Leicester player by the end of the day and Brendan Rodgers will have another forward option to select in the Premier League and Europa League for the rest of the campaign.

Foxes fans should be excited by this news because of the level of player their side are bringing in. The 23-year-old spent last season on loan at Fulham and averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.92, producing four goals and four assists despite the Cottagers’ relegation back down to the Championship.

Last season, ex-Fulham boss Scott Parker hailed Lookman’s ‘unbelievable quality’ and admitted that he was his main target in 2020. He said:

“You can see the quality the boy’s got. We knew that at the start of the window when he was the main one I wanted in – the main one I was calling for.

“I think you can see in a short space of time – at Brentford the other night and now here today – that the boy’s got unbelievable quality. He’s a big plus for us this year, and he’s going to be a big help for us. Hopefully, he can keep playing the way he is.”

Lookman knows how to perform at Premier League level so Leicester fans should be excited about the prospect of a young attacker who has already proven himself in the top-flight arriving at the King Power today, as he will provide excellent competition for the likes of Harvey Barnes, Marc Albrighton and Ayoze Perez.

In other news, Ex-Foxes defender hails Leicester star after he signs a new King Power deal