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Celtic have been dealt a big blow in their bid to bring Callum Styles to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claimed that Barnsley look set to play hardball regarding the sale of the 21-year-old this month, as Poya Asbaghi recently revealed that he is not willing to let any of his first-team regulars leave the club midway through the season.

Speaking about his plans for the January market, the Barnsley boss said: “In the end, we want to make room in the squad and it’s better to let go of players who aren’t playing – not players who are playing. I will not go too deep into specifics on positions but I can say maybe left-back is not our biggest concern.”

The Daily Record went on to suggest that this update will come as a blow to Ange Postecoglou and his Celtic side, as the 56-year-old Bhoys boss is believed to have identified the versatile left-footer as one of his primary targets this month in a bid to solve the troublesome left-back spot in his Hoops side.

Postecoglou will be livid

Considering just how impressive Styles has been for Barnsley this season, in addition to how well suited he seems to Postecoglou’s particular brand of football, the news that the Yorkshire club look set to put up a fight for the 21-year-old this month is sure to have left the Celtic manager livid.

Indeed, over his 22 league outings in the current campaign, the £2.7m-rated man – who has often been deployed in a more advanced position on the left flank this season, as well as in central midfield – has scored one goal, registered one assist and created three big chances for his teammates.

The £3.4k-per-week 21-year-old has also averaged 1.3 interceptions, 2.3 tackles and one key pass and won 4.6 duels per game. These returns have seen the player who Cauley Woodrow dubbed a “massive talent” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.77, ranking him as Barnsley’s eighth-best performer in the Championship.

As such, due to his attacking inclination, positional versatility and extremely high potential, it is clear to see why Postecoglou would be interested in a move for Styles this month.

However, following the latest update concerning the youngster’s future, it would appear as if a move for the Barnsley starlet may be rather tricky to pull off for Celtic this month, something which will undoubtedly come as a big blow to the Hoops manager and his side.

In other news: Postecoglou heading for Celtic disaster with “superb” £1.35m-rated beast as Anthony Joseph confirms bid

Eddie Howe was in the dugout for the first time as Newcastle United manager at Saturday lunchtime, but he saw his team lose 2-0 at Arsenal.

Second half goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were more than enough in the end for the hosts, as the Magpies failed to put up much of a fight.

Using statistical experts SofaScore, The Transfer Tavern have analysed the three worst players (to have played at least 45 minutes) on the day for the visitors…

Allan Saint-Maximin (6.2)

Admittedly tied with second place in terms of rating given by SofaScore (6.2), Saint-Maximin comes in third here as he at least looked quite lively, especially towards the end of the game.

However, the winger lost out on nine of his duels and managed only one shot on goal, while his 37 touches were among the fewest recorded out of his teammates.

Callum Wilson (6.2)

Wilson was given a 6.2 overall rating by SofaScore and might have felt that he should have had a penalty in the second half after a nudge from Nuno Tavares.

However, the striker’s opportunities were rare in truth, as he also lost nine duels and failed to record a single shot on goal or key pass in the entire match.

He also managed just 13 touches of the ball, the lowest out of any Magpies player to have started the clash, and completed a paltry four passes despite playing the full 90 minutes.

Matt Ritchie (5.8)

Ritchie was given the worst Newcastle rating by SofaScore, a measly 5.8.

The left wing-back endured a torrid time at the Emirates Stadium, finding himself booked at the end of the first half, while he lost out on all five of his duels and failed to make a clearance, tackle or block.

Offensively, he managed no shots, dribbles, or key passes, having just 19 touches of the ball on a day to forget.

In other news, NUFC are setting their sights on a move for this teenage starlet

Manchester United could finally strengthen their midfield over the coming months after being linked with a transfer move for Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic’s transfer expert David Ornstein, United a keeping close tabs on the 22-year-old’s situation after he decided to leave the Stade Velodrome as a free agent at the end of the season.

Kamara’s current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2022 and is not expected to extend his stay in the south of France, opening the door to an imminent exit.

The report states that: “There are suggestions that Marseille could yet make a last push to secure fresh terms but The Athletic understands Kamara has now opted to leave as a free agent at the end of the season.

“He is under consideration at one of the traditional top-four Premier League clubs and Manchester United are also across the situation as they weigh up possibilities to bolster their midfield.”

Rangnick must seal Man Utd move

Given United’s recent struggles at the base of their midfield, new interim manager Ralf Rangnick must seal a move for the former France U21 international.

After rising through the ranks at his boyhood club, Kamara has made 141 appearances for Les Olympiens in all competitions, illustrating his top-class credentials in a variety of positions.

Comfortable at the base of midfield, centre-back and right-back, the £46,000-per-week gem shone from an early age, catching the eye of former teammate Rolando.

“This kid is a phenomenon,” said the defender. “When he started training with us, he was 15 years old. And from day one, I said, no, but this little one is going to be a great player.

“He’s the kind of central defender I like. He is full of qualities and, above all, he works, he listens. It is out of the ordinary.”

But it’s in a holding role at the foundation of the engine room where Kamara has truly excelled this season, elevating his game to new heights under Jorge Sampaoli.

As per FBref.com, the 6-foot dynamo has recorded 1.59 tackles won per 90 throughout 2021/22, 6.02 successful pressures and 1.50 interceptions, bettering Scott McTominay’s totals in each metric.

The United ace has produced tallies of 1.32, 3.77 and 1.40, respectively, highlighting how Kamara’s arrival would improve the Red Devils’ midfield options.

Therefore, Rangnick must sanction a swoop for the promising maestro, kickstarting United’s new era under his watchful eye with an extremely astute acquisition.

And, in other news…“As things stand..”: Romano drops intriguing Man Utd update, fans will be ecstatic

Following Steven Gerrard’s appointment as the new Aston Villa manager last week, the club have already been linked with a host of players in the upcoming transfer window, with the likes of Ryan Kent, Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo all being touted with moves to Villa Park this winter.

However, in order to make space for the club’s potential incoming signings, the 41-year-old may well have to look to move a number of the current Villa squad on come January, with one name likely to be high on the manager’s list of outgoing candidates being that of Keinan Davis.

Despite having made his debut for the club as an exciting 18-year-old prospect back in 2017, the centre-forward has failed to kick on in his professional career at Villa Park, still yet to enjoy what could be considered as his breakout season in first-team football.

Indeed, in his first season spent predominantly with the senior squad, the £2.7m-rated striker scored three goals and provided four assists over his 30 appearances in all competitions, returns which suggested that the former England U20 international could have the potential to go on and become a first-team regular.

However, the 23-year-old would ultimately make only 45 more appearances over the following three campaigns, scoring just three goals and registering three assists in the process, as the centre-forward found himself pushed further and further down the Aston Villa pecking order, while his returns did nothing to convince Dean Smith that he deserved a spot in the manager’s starting XI.

This is a lesson that Steven Gerrard must learn from, as, over the past four seasons the £25k-per-week Davis has consistently proven that he is not a player of the standard required at Villa Park.

Indeed, fans of the club also agree with this assessment, as, in a poll ran on Football FanCast, the vast majority of supporters made their feelings known that they do not believe the player who Jack Grealish once dubbed as “unplayable” has a future at their club.

As such, Gerrard simply must axe the 23-year-old in January, as his place in the squad, as well as his rather hefty weekly wage, could be put to much better use by the 41-year-old manager.

In other news: Lange could transform Gerrard’s AVFC by signing “frightening” £20m gem likened to Mane

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst is facing a huge first game in charge of the club as they take on Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Dutchman takes charge after a frustrating 3-1 loss to Hibernian in the semi-final of the Scottish League Cup on Sunday, which robbed him of the chance of winning a trophy early on in his Gers managerial career.

Forget Balogun

One player in particular who struggled against Hibernian was Leon Balogun. The Nigeria international produced a worrying performance and Van Bronckhorst may take note of this ahead of his debut in the dugout.

BBC Scotland’s chief writer Tom English blasted the 33-year-old defender during the game. He said: “Martin Boyle and Kevin Nisbet have just been toying with Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun. Balogun is having a shocker. On that form he would struggle to get a game for the local pub team. He has been absolutely ripped apart and Goldson is not much better. He’s gone from this incredible leader they had last season to looking very vulnerable.”

This could potentially lead to him being axed from the side for the clash with Sparta Prague. The experienced defender could be in need of a rest to reset himself after his Hibernian performance, so Van Bronckhorst must unleash Jack Simspon as his replacement in the starting XI.

Balogun’s poor display could provide an opportunity for the £3.1k-per-week Englishman to come in and stake his claim for a place in the team. His most recent appearance came as a substitute against Motherwell and he caught the eye with an impressive, albeit brief, showing.

As per SofaScore, the 24-year-old won 100% of his duels and provided an assist in just 12 minutes on the pitch. He also came off the bench against St Johnstone earlier this season and made five clearances, whilst winning 100% of his duels, in 13 minutes.

This suggests that he has the potential to put in a strong performance if given the opportunity to play the full 90 minutes, as he has been solid when coming off the bench. Therefore, bringing him in from the start to replace Balogun could be a good decision by Van Bronckhorst in his first game in the dugout.

Ross Wilson hailed Simpson as a ‘much-coveted’ player upon his arrival at Rangers earlier this year. He said: “His contractual situation at Bournemouth provided a natural and attractive moment for us to pursue Jack’s signature. It has been well publicised that he has been a much-coveted player south of the border but from our first discussion with Jack, we could see how the opportunity to join Rangers was one that was very appealing to him.”

These comments suggest that Simpson has potential as a player, given the interest which was seemingly surrounding his signature, and Van Bronckhorst could help to unlock that by showing faith in him. At the age of 24, he has plenty of time left to develop into a key player for Rangers, and the Dutchman could hand him a huge chance to impress this week…

AND in other news, Rangers secured dream deal with “brutally ruthless” £1m beast, he’ll be Gio’s main man…

Following on from their brutal 5-0 win over Watford in their latest Premier League match over the weekend, Liverpool are now back in European action with a clash against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening.

Ahead of the match against Diego Simeone’s side, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp revealed in his press conference prior to the match that midfielder Curtis Jones will not be available to play in the match alongside Thiago Alcantara and Harvey Elliott through injury, leaving the German with limited midfield options.

With this in mind, here’s how we feel Liverpool will line up against Atletico, who beat the Merseyside club twice in the Championship last 16 round of the competition in the 2019/20 season.

Big changes

Now that goalkeeper Alisson Becker will be back available for selection after missing the Watford match due to his recent involvement with Brazil, we feel that Klopp will put him back in the side against the Spanish club despite Caoimhin Kelleher managing to keep a clean sheet in Alisson’s absence at the weekend.

In defence, we think that the back four that played against Watford with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson will all keep their places in the team to try and subdue Atletico’s attacking force.

For the midfield, in a similar situation to Alisson, Liverpool will have Fabinho back available to play after his time away with Brazil. With this in mind, we can see Klopp making the most out of the available midfield options he has at the moment by putting the holding player in the starting XI, replacing £120k-per-week earner Naby Keita who played the full 90 minutes against the Hornets.

Even though Liverpool have a big Premier League match at the weekend against Manchester United, we think the Reds boss isn’t likely to drop any of the front three attacking players that started against Watford for their midweek game, with the trio of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah managing to get on the scoresheet.

Also, taking into account how Atletico have only managed to concede six goals in their opening eight La Liga games of the season, we think Liverpool will have to go with their strongest attacking line-up to get a positive result in midweek.

Whether Klopp goes with this exact starting XI against Atletico or not, we feel that they will still be going out to secure a win to keep their unbeaten run this season going ahead of their next league match at Old Trafford.

In other news: 3 goals in 6 apps: Liverpool have future star in “exceptional” 18 y/o, he’s “fearless” – opinion

Manchester City now turn their attention to the Carabao Cup for a clash against fellow top-flight side West Ham United at The London Stadium.

Pep Guardiola will be looking to build on their 4-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League at the weekend.

In terms of current injuries, Raheem Sterling missed the match with a back problem, but it seems as though he could be back in contention for the trip to east London.

Whereas fellow City winger Ferran Torres is still out recovering from a metatarsal injury he picked up during the previous international break.

Taking this into account, here’s how Football FanCast believe City could line up against David Moyes’ side…

In goal,  Guardiola could give Zack Steffen a chance to shine with Ederson dropping down to the bench after he gave away a penalty against Brighton which ultimately cost City their clean sheet on the day.

For the defence, there could be some changes being made from the side that started at the weekend with Guardiola having an eye on their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Starting with Kyle Walker and Aymeric Laporte dropping out of the team to be replaced with John Stones coming in for Laporte alongside Ruben Dias and Oleksandr Zinchenko coming in at left-back, allowing Joao Cancelo to slot in at right-back.

In midfield, only Ilkay Gundogan could keep his place in the starting XI from the Brighton game, with Fernandinho coming in for Rodri and youngster Cole Palmer replacing Bernardo Silva, who Guardiola could be saving for Palace at the weekend.

Elsewhere, if Sterling is deemed fit enough to start, we think he will replace Jack Grealish, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £300k-per-week according to Spotrac, in the side on the left-wing, who managed to grab an assist against Brighton, once again with an eye on the Palace fixture in the coming days.

On the right-wing, with Riyad Mahrez managing to add his name to the scoresheet in the latter stages of the Brighton game after coming off the substitutes bench, we think Guardiola will give him a chance to shine from the beginning, replacing Gabriel Jesus.

In the middle, it seems hard for Guardiola to take Phil Foden out of the team at the moment given how he has managed to score four goals and provide four assists in nine games across all competitions so far this season.

In other news: 2 league starts all term: MCFC must unleash “special” beast with a goal every 127 mins – opinion

Chris Sutton has been reacting to more Celtic injury news, this time on summer signing Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The Lowdown: Calf injury

Giakoumakis was included in a Celtic matchday squad for the first time on Thursday but failed to make his debut in a 3-0 win over Raith Rovers.

Ange Postecoglou confirmed after the game that the Dutch striker injured his calf in the warm-up and was sent for a scan as a result.

As a result, Giakoumakis looks set to join Christopher Jullien, Greg Taylor, Kyogo Furuhashi and Mikey Johnston on the sidelines, with captain Callum McGregor also missed the last three games.

The Latest: Sutton reacts

Sutton took to Twitter late on Thursday evening to give his thoughts on the striker.

He described the latest setback for Giakoumakis as a ‘nightmare’ for Postecoglou.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-14/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Concerning…

Giakoumakis was brought in on deadline day to fill the void left by Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths.

However, he last kicked a competitive ball in May and seemed to be quite far off fitness-wise earlier this month.

Add a fresh calf injury into the mix, you’d expect he’ll miss Dundee United on the weekend, so it does seem a bit concerning in regards to the Hoops splashing £2.5m on the 26-year-old.

In other news: ‘Hopefully’ – Kieran Devlin shares ‘important’ area Celtic may add to next after McElhone. 

Leeds United’s defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips has been subjected to speculation over his future in recent weeks.

The Daily Star recently reported that Manchester United have abandoned their pursuit of West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice in order to focus their efforts on Phillips, as the Red Devils believe he could bolster their options in the middle of the park.

Victor Orta is reportedly looking to extend Phillips’ contract at Elland Road to ward off potential interest, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be successful in his efforts.

If the local lad does depart in one of the next few transfer windows, Leeds could avoid needing to splash the cash to replace him by dipping into their academy to unearth a gem – Cian Coleman.

The Yorkshire-born Irish youth international was recently named in The Guardian’s Next Generation Class of 2021, with the article stating that he has caught Marcelo Bielsa’s eye whilst playing in the academy set-up.

Leeds confirmed earlier this year on Twitter that the 17-year-old has been training with the first-team. This shows that Bielsa has seen enough from the midfielder to believe that he deserves the opportunity to train alongside established senior stars like Patrick Bamford, Raphinha and, of course, Phillips.

Much like his fellow Yorkshireman, Coleman can play as a defensive midfielder and as a centre-back, highlighting both his versatility and his defensive strength. His managers have seen that he has the defensive nous to drop back into a central defensive position, whilst he has the technical quality on the ball to play in the holding role in the majority of his games.

He played for Leeds’ U23 side at the age of 15 and is seen within the club as a player who could be the next Phillips to come out of the academy. This highlights the level of quality he is showing in training as they have deemed him too good for his own age group, skipping multiple stages to play for the 23’s.

Therefore, he could be a player with the potential to develop into a first-team star for Leeds moving forward and Bielsa could unearth his talent in the coming months and years. The Argentine has proven, with players like Illan Meslier, that he has the ability as a coach to improve young prospects and he could use that quality to save Victor Orta millions in the transfer market.

If Manchester United now come in with a big-money bid for Phillips and tempt him into quitting Elland Road to chase a Champions League dream, Leeds would need to replace the England international. This could require the club to splash out equally huge figures in order to sign a player with the requisite quality to come in and take over from Phillips in the team.

However, if Bielsa can unleash the ‘next Kalvin Phillips’ in Coleman then there may not be any need for Orta to dip into the market. Therefore, Leeds could save themselves multi-millions by replacing Phillips, if he leaves, with young enforcer Coleman.

AND in other news, Leeds could find their new Bamford in 17 y/o dynamo, Bielsa must work his magic again…

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City fans have been left excited by news involving exciting youngster Romeo Lavia.

The 17-year-old, who won City’s most recent EDS Player of the Season award for an outstanding campaign at youth level and in the Premier League 2 division, is certainly turning heads within the club.

Lavia, a versatile young talent, can play in both central defence and, perhaps even more importantly, defensive midfield – especially given Fernandinho’s time as a Sky Blue is soon coming to an end.

The Brazilian fan favourite put pen to paper on another one-year contract extension at the Etihad Stadium but soon questions will be asked of who can fill his shoes.

Judging by a recent UEFA Champions League 21-man squad development, City could be weighing the possibility of Lavia potentially being a candidate to succeed Fernandinho in future seasons.

Indeed, manager Pep Guardiola appears to rate him highly and has now included the teenager in his A-list Champions League squad for the group stages.

Flocking to this decision, which one supporter called ‘mad’, it’s safe to say that many Citizens believe they do have a special player on their hands.

Find all of their best verdicts, in response to big fan account City Xtra, down below.

Man City fans excited by Lavia call

“This is huge news because obviously Romeo doesn’t qualify for the B list yet to let him be part of the squads will be fantastic experience for him training the evening before on away games even if he doesn’t get to play”

Credit: @MCFC_EDS_ACAD

“LETS GOOOO MASSIVE W”

Credit: @FormulaAndrew

“SIUUUUU”

Credit: @zukmcfc

“yessss absolute baller”

Credit: @1894blueSwiftie

“This is wonderful”

Credit: @BernardoTouch

“Wow, so happy for him he’s defo gonna be something special when he’s older”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

“Mad pep must see good potential in him”

Credit: @AJMCFC_

“That’s actually brilliant. Special special player”

Credit: @MCFCHag

In other news: ‘Sickening’, ‘Disgusting’ – Erling Haaland development has many City fans talking, find out more here.