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Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped a promising injury update regarding Giorgos Giakoumakis.

What’s the latest?

In a recent interview with The Scottish Mail on Sunday (via 67hailhail), the Bhoys boss revealed that the centre-forward is now back in training after recovering from a knee injury, as well as suggesting that the 27-year-old should be in line for a return to first-team football after the winter break.

Speaking about the condition of the Greece international, Postecoglou said: “Giako is close. One session was not enough for him to be right for Sunday. He is back now to almost being available. If we had one more game he would probably be available but we are now looking to get him back after the break.”

Fans will be delighted

Considering the excitement that surrounded Giakoumakis’ £2.5m move to Parkhead this summer, the news that the striker – who has so far started just two games in his Celtic career – is finally back in contention for first-team football is sure to have delighted the Hoops fanbase and the 56-year-old manager alike.

And, if the £2.25m-rated man can hit anywhere near the heights he did at VVV-Venlo last season in the second half of the current campaign, his return from injury will very much feel like a new signing for Postecoglou and his side.

Indeed, over his 30 Eredivisie appearances last time out, the £8.2k-per-week hitman scored a remarkable 26 goals, registered one assist and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.2 shots – 1.5 of which were on target – and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the centre-forward earn an extremely impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.35, ranking him as the joint sixth-best performer in the entirety of the division – a rather extraordinary feat when considering the fact that he was playing for a side that suffered relegation from the top flight.

As such, should Giakoumakis indeed be able to refind this form in the second half of the current campaign, it would undoubtedly come as a game-changing boost to Celtic’s chances of reclaiming the Premiership crown come next May – an outcome that would delight everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Ange can finally axe £41k-p/w Celtic deadwood with January swoop that “should happen”

According to the Derby Telegraph, Glasgow Rangers have rejected several for controversial centre-back George Edmundson.

The Lowdown: No real future at Ibrox

Edmundson made just two appearances for the Gers during the first half of last season (Transfermarkt) before a loan move to Derby in January.

He was hit with a seven-match ban while still at Rangers for breaking lockdown regulations (BBC), and as such, it feels he has little future at the club.

The Latest: Bids rejected

However, it appears that the 55-time Scottish champions have rejected several offers for the 23-year-old, according to reports from the Derby Telegraph.

It is unclear whether the Rams are among the clubs interested in the defender’s services on a permanent basis.

The Verdict: Waiting for the right offer

It seems that Steven Gerrard and co are simply waiting for the right offer. The former Oldham man has made just 17 appearances in two years for Rangers, and the Ibrox club already have a number of centre-back options. It therefore seems unlikely that Gerrard will suddenly feel Edmundson should be a part of his plans, even if he did call the player “faultless” back in 2019 (Glasgow Times).

Valued at £450,000 by Transfermarkt, Rangers will likely be hoping for a fee of roughly that amount if they are to let him go this summer. If they get that kind of money, he would probably be allowed to leave with the club’s best wishes.

In other news, Kieran Maguire provides this huge financial update concerning Rangers.

Sunderland have been dealt yet another significant injury blow ahead of their League One run-in.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the club website, Lee Johnson confirmed that centre-back Jordan Willis, who had initially picked up a knock during the clash with Shrewsbury Town back in February, is now facing a further nine to 12 months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery.

In reaction to the news regarding Willis, Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith stated that the defender’s further injury was a “huge blow” for Johnson and his side.

Huge Blow

With Johnson having only confirmed on Tuesday that Willis’ fellow centre-back Dion Sanderson will miss the remainder of the season due to a back injury, the 39-year-old must be wondering if the universe has something against Sunderland achieving promotion from League One this season.

While it hadn’t appeared overly likely that Willis would be fit to feature in either of the crucial upcoming games against Plymouth Argyle and Northampton Town, the recent injury to Sanderson, as well the longer-term absences of Arbenit Xhemajli and Tom Flanagan, has now left Johnson with only Bailey Wright available as a senior out-and-out centre-back in his first-team squad.

These injuries would be a nightmare for a manager to deal with at the best of times, but during a period in which Johnson’s side have gone from automatic promotion contenders to potentially slipping out of the play-off places with a loss, the Sunderland boss will undoubtedly be raging about his bad luck.

Furthermore, the timescale of the injury to Willis means that the defender’s absence is not only something which will affect Sunderland presently but will also continue to do so next season, whichever league the Black Cats happen to be in.

In any case, Johnson’s challenge to guide Sunderland out of League One has just become that little bit more difficult.

In other news: Lost possession 22 times: Johnson surely furious with shocking £5k-p/w Sunderland ace – opinion

According to a report from the Daily Star, West Ham and by extension club owners GSB are plotting a move for Everton centre-back Michael Keane in the summer transfer window. 

The lowdown: Difficult season

The 29-year-old has endured a turbulent spell at Goodison Park following a then record-equalling £30million switch from Burnley in 2017 (BBC).

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Having amassed 181 appearances for the Merseyside club and earning England recognition in the process, Keane has struggled for any semblance of form this term as Everton battles against relegation from the Premier League.

Despite the issues, Irons’ boss David Moyes could be about to turn to Keane to bolster the defensive department at the London Stadium…

The latest: Daily Star makes claim…

As per the report from the Daily Star, the Hammers and GSB ‘will make a summer swoop’ for the 12-cap England man should Everton be relegated out of the top flight – plotting a bid behind-the-scenes.

It’s claimed that West Ham will ‘make an attempt’ to bring Keane to east London as Moyes looks to strengthen the centre-back ranks with Angelo Ogbonna sidelined through a serious knee injury.

Furthermore, the report states that the Scot is a ‘big admirer’ of the man once tipped to become a ‘top player’ by Rio Ferdinand having worked together at Manchester United.

The verdict: Another career rekindled?

Moyes has developed a penchant for revitalising stalling careers in east London, with the resurgence of Jesse Lingard during a loan spell with the Irons the most poignant example.

Whilst Keane has continued to feature for Everton, making 33 appearances across all competitions this term, a lowly 6.90 average Sofascore rating from 27 league games underlines the problems the Englishman has faced.

Under contract until 2025 (Transfermarkt), he would cost around £20 million, signing Keane wouldn’t be an inexpensive move for the Hammers and perhaps transfer chief Rob Newman would be best served to find an alternative option.

In other news: Agreement reached: ExWHUemployee also has some promising player news for West Ham supporters! Find out more here.

After making his return from injury on Sunday night, it’s fair to say that Matty Cash didn’t enjoy the greatest of games in Aston Villa’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham.

The former Nottingham Forest star had been out of action for Dean Smith’s side for several games due to injury, with veteran defender Ahmed Elmohamady coming in for him.

After being named as an unnamed substitute last time out against Newcastle, Cash was given the nod to make his first appearance in a Villa shirt since his injury, but things just didn’t go to plan.

As well as being involved in the controversial decision to award Harry Kane a penalty in the second half, the right-back just seemed to lose his composure as the game wore on, perhaps more to do with his match fitness levels more than anything else.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession a whopping 29 times on the night, by far the most of any player on the pitch, and a telling sign of how he just couldn’t get his normal game going – his season average has seen him concede possession 14.4 times per match in the Premier League.

As well as his wastefulness on the ball, Cash also attempted no dribbles, provided no key passes and delivered no crosses either – offensively, the full-back was just a complete non-entity and couldn’t link up with Bertrand Traore at all.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece admitted: “Back in for his first start since tweaking his hamstring at Brighton. Cash started brightly and was aggressive in the challenge against the likes of Lucas and Reguilon.

“However, his performance dipped off significantly in the second half and it was Cash’s clumsy challenge which put this fixture to bed as his trailing leg caught Kane in the box for the penalty. His aggressive nature and willingness for the cause were both welcome but, like most, he wasn’t on his usual game.”

With Elmohamady set to turn 34 later this year, and reports already indicating that Smith is preparing to let him go, there’s a real lack of genuine quality and competition to challenge Cash at right-back either when he’s out injured, or if he’s in bad form.

It’s exactly why the Villa boss will be worried about Cash’s display against Spurs, and will simply be hoping that it was a minor blip in what has otherwise been an impressive debut campaign at Villa Park for the former Forest full-back.

Meanwhile, this Villa man was woeful against Spurs…

Crystal Palace are considering talking to Paulo Fonseca regarding the Selhurst Pak vacancy.

And those links have had a number of Eagles fans talking on social media.

According to 90min, Palace are weighing up whether to talk with Fonseca, who almost joined Tottenham.

The report adds that, should Palace want to discuss a move with Fonseca, they’ll have to be quick, as he is in negotiations with Italian side Fiorentina.

Steve Parish is still looking for Roy Hodgson’s long-term successor and has come close twice already with moves for Nuno Espirito Santo and Lucien Favre.

Deals for both available bosses collapsed in the end and it seems as if Fonseca and Swansea City’s Steve Cooper are on the club’s radar.

Cooper’s £3m fee to take him from the Liberty Stadium remains an issue, according to 90min.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the links to Fonseca on Twitter on Friday. This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with many fed up at the ongoing process.

“Oh?”Credit: @cpfcaustin”please please please”Credit: @CPFC_Ollie_”Fool me twice. Not a single Portuguese flag in any profile. Promise? No way this happens.”Credit: @CHSCPFC”Not getting excited again are we”Credit: @Jordan18721653″Wake me up when we have signed a new manager”Credit: @rickyj555″don’t fall for it people, we can’t get excited any more”Credit: @Matchday365

In other news: Many CPFC fans fume at club’s official post after Fave deal collapsed, find out more here. 

July has been bigged up as the month where things finally start moving into place regarding the Newcastle United takeover, whether that be positively or negatively.

However, journalist for the Shields Gazette, Liam Kennedy, believes that nothing has changed since last year so the consortium are still ready to buy the club, when speaking to FFC.

It appears a long time ago now but just over 12 months ago, Newcastle fans were dreaming of being a money-rich club that would be able to compete with clubs challenging for the top half of the league and Europa League, but now it appears very much in the unknown whether or not PCP Capital Partners, backed largely by PIF, will be the club’s new owners anytime soon.

Mike Ashley and his legal team are currently in an anti-competition case against the Premier League and the big arbitration battle is set to start sometime this month, and that outcome will be legally binding, no matter what the verdict is.

Despite more than 12 months in the wilderness regarding the takeover, there is still confidence that Newcastle will get new owners as PCP Capital Partners still have everything in place to buy the club when they get the green light, according to Kennedy who spoke to Football FanCast:

“I wouldn’t say it was straightforward but, are the consortium ready to go? Yes, that is my understanding, that very little has changed in the last year.”

Ashley has never been the most forthcoming owner in terms of spending money on players, managers or the general upkeeping of the club so, a new owner who would hold an active interest in the team and city is very much needed on Tyneside.

The Sports Direct tycoon is confident that he can win the legal battles and then get the takeover passed through which would see him become £340 million wealthier, not that he needs the money judging by the Sunday Times’ rich list.

Peterborough Director of Football Barry Fry has exclusively dropped a sensational claim to Football FanCast that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Mauricio Pochettino return to manage Tottenham again in the future.

In just more than five years in north London, the Argentine transformed the club by turning them into top four regulars, whilst memorably reaching the Champions League final in his final full season.

However, following a wretched start to last season, with Spurs sitting 14th in the Premier League table, Pochettino was sacked in November and replaced by Jose Mourinho.

A little more than 12 months after his Tottenham departure, and following months of speculation regarding his next job, Pochettino was appointed as the PSG boss, and won the first trophy of his managerial in his third match after beating Marseille in the Trophee des Champions.

Pochettino signed an 18-month deal in the French capital, but with the option for an additional year, although Fry told Football FanCast that he expects the 49-year-old to one day return to N17:

“I wouldn’t be surprised if at some time in the future he comes back to Tottenham. The fans loved him, the players loved him, he was successful up to a point, he just needed to jump that final hurdle, which he didn’t do.

“There was a lot of good and I think Daniel and him had a good relationship, but obviously felt at the time Tottenham weren’t going in the right direction, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Poch back at Tottenham in years to come.”

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie believes Celtic have not had to splash the cash in recent years.

Prior to this season, where the Glasgow club handed over their title to their city rivals, they had dominated Scottish football.

Celtic had won nine league titles in a row, also picking up an incredible amount of other domestic trophies on the way.

For Hendrie, that was partly down to the likes of Neil Lennon, Brendan Rodgers and Ronny Deila having a really solid base, one that did not need significant investment put into it every summer.

However, after the season they have had, the Sky Sports pundit feels the club are now in a much different position.

“I just felt that Celtic really haven’t had to do that [spend big] for quite some time,” Hendrie told TT.

“I felt that they’ve had a really solid base in their football squad. You know, they’ve had players that have consistently done it, year in, year out. And that’s probably why they haven’t spent so much money on bringing players in.

“They brought certain players in and added to the squad, whereas I feel now it’s getting to that time where lots of big players are obviously coming to the back end of their careers.”

Finishing 25 points behind Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, it really does look like this Celtic side are at the end of a cycle.

Considering that, they possibly could do with more investment into the squad compared to previous years.

Tottenham Hotspur look set to reignite their interest in Dusan Vlahovic next year…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the north London club’s hierarchy have made the Fiorentina striker their top target in 2022 after failing to sign him during the summer transfer window.

Last month, the Express’ Ryan Taylor reported that Spurs were in direct contact with the 21-year-old’s representatives, also claiming that they were expected to table a formal offer before deadline day.

Evidently that did not come to fruition, but it certainly seems as if he remains a main target for Nuno Santo and co.

At the time, La Gazzetta dello Sport suggested (via Football Italia) that La Viola valued their leading talisman at around €60m (£55m), whilst Transfermarkt believe his worth to be in the region of £36m.

Nuno would love him

Harry Kane has committed to the club for the immediate future at the very least, so a new striker may not seem like it should be a priority. However, the England international does not have a senior backup option behind him and it’s believed that the Nuno wanted to deploy a two-man attack system.

By mounting a move for Vlahovic, sporting director Fabio Paratici could kill two birds with one stone.

The Serbian marksman clearly caught the eye in Serie A last season, scoring 21 goals from only 37 appearances, and he has continued that form into 2021/22 by finding the net five times across all competitions already, as per Transfermarkt.

Standing at 6 foot 3 in stature, Vlahovic has earned plenty of glowing endorsements – ranging from comparisons to Zlatan Ibrahimovic to being ‘up there’ with the talents Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.

Meanwhile, Italian football expert Conor Clancy told This is Futbol: “[He’s] Incredible,” before later adding: “He’s just a complete number nine and I know it’s just off the back of one season, but he’s strong, can link play up, can hold the ball up and most importantly, he’s scoring goals. He’s one of those players that when he looks confident, you almost expect him to score every time he plays.”

Spurs have struggled to score goals this season, managing to win three of their opening four league games by a 1-0 scoreline, so there’s certainly a case to be made on why Nuno may need a new frontman heading into next year.

Vlahovic’s three shots per game are bettered only by Heung-min Son at Tottenham (3.3), whilst no Lilywhites star has found the net more often than the 21-year-old in this campaign.

On the above evidence, Nuno would surely love to see the ten-cap Serbia international arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – the likes of Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy must look to sign him in January, rather than next summer.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops concerning update on Spurs’ £85k-p/w “leader”, Nuno surely worried…