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Noel Whelan has been giving his thoughts to Football Insider on Celtic’s permanent moves for Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi.

The Lowdown: Long-term deals

The Hoops wasted no time in making a start on their winter business and announced a trio of moves for Hatate, Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda on New Year’s Eve.

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Maeda arrived on an initial loan deal with a compulsory purchase option, whereas Celtic handed both Hatate and Ideguchi four-and-a-half-year contracts.

Hatate has cost Ange Postecoglou’s side £1.38m and Ideguchi £684,000, and both are on the books until 2026.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Whelan, who regularly features as a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds, was talking to Football Insider regarding the moves for Hatate and Ideguchi.

He admitted that it was a ‘surprise’ to see the length of the contracts and described it as a ‘really big show of faith’ from the Hoops, saying:

“Obviously Postecoglou has seen that over his time working in Japan. He has highlighted these three players as potential players that can do what has been done from the start of the season, which is that progression.

“They’re trusting in these players because you don’t see too many signing four-and-a-half-year contract these days. It’s usually three, two-and-a-half, add-ons etcetera.

“So this is a surprise and a really big show of faith in these players. They don’t need to worry about a thing. Four years, they’ve got that.

“They just need to progress and show Celtic fans that they’re good players and they’re lucky to have them for the four years.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move by Celtic

Celtic have ultimately covered their backs when it comes to the pair by giving them lengthy contracts, especially as they are both still in their 20s.

Should they impress in Glasgow, similar to Kyogo Furuhashi, then the Hoops will be under no pressure to sell over the coming years. Even if the new arrivals struggle in Scotland, you’d expect that, if they wanted to, the club could be able to get their money back due to the length of their deals.

Hopefully the Hoops can reap the rewards over the coming years, with their relatively low transfer fees giving Michael Nicholson the scope to hand out deals running to 2026.

In other news: Celtic may also swoop for 6 foot 1 beast this month who had Sadio Mane in his ‘pocket’. 

When it comes to wingers, Bruno Lage has got quite a selection to choose from at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

With Daniel Podence, Francisco Trincao and Adama Traore all competing for a regular spot in the starting eleven on the flanks at Wolves, it has been hard for Lage to fit all three into the team on the right side.

Hwang Hee-Chan has taken the role of left wing and dominated in the position which has further isolated other wingers in the squad. Lage clearly values his presence, as he has not been dropped from the role for most of the season so far. However, with 11 appearances and four goals for the side, the South Korean is now reportedly being tipped for a permanent move to the club.

In contrasting fashion, Traore has failed to make an impact on the side this season, failing to register a single goal or assist so far, which could reflect why he has become more and more out of favour for starting line up. That said, Lage could be looking for new ways to utilise the Spaniard and give him the game time he is desperately in need of.

The 25-year-old came on in the 68th minute against Norwich for Trincao, and was caught picking up the ball in the middle of the field, instead of keeping to a much wider position which we are much more used to seeing the winger thrive in.

Former Wolves defender, Joleon Lescott, spoke out on the “strange” positioning of Traore in a post-match analysis on BT Sport Score;

“They didn’t use Adama Traore,” he said. “He picked up some strange positions. He went and played in the middle of the pitch.

“Obviously his strengths are out wide where he can go and run at players.”

Whilst it may be obvious that Traore has been more prolific and experienced in a wider role, there is a chance that Lage could be trying to find new ways to bring the best out of the player, since his form has dropped this season and his impact hasn’t been there for the side.

Wolves’ Portuguese boss is also likely to be conscious that the forward has been linked away from the club on several occasions now.

Thus, trying out new roles for the £27m-rated forward could be an attempt to show the dazzling attacker that Lage wants to keep him in the squad. It could demonstrate that he is interested in integrating him into the team, as well as committed to finding solutions to bring back the winger’s impressive form of the past. Clearly, he is a huge problem for the boss at the moment but this could spark him back into life.

Wolves will be hoping to take three points from Burnley when they invite them to Molineux Stadium on Wednesday evening, to continue to compete for the European places in the top six.

In other news: Wolves must make January swoop for Sven Botman

With Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips out for an extended spell, Marcelo Bielsa will be desperately searching for ways to ensure his side doesn’t miss their midfield talisman too much.

While it may be a bit of a leap for the Whites boss to chuck in a wholly unproven 19-year-old, Lewis Bate could well be the surprise answer to Leeds’ problem.

In fact, according to Ram Srinivas, co-founder of football analytics consultancy MRKT Insights, Bate has all the hallmarks of being someone to take over from Phillips in years to come.

He said: “Bate is a well-rounded deep-lying midfielder; he’s well capable of helping a team control possession, acting as a metronome to keep things ticking over as well as being very productive in build-up. He’s very positive in his passing and shows good awareness of the spaces opening up around him and team shape, which helps his team play out of a press and also attack the opposition in transition.

“All in all he’s just a multi-faceted midfielder whose biggest weakness is probably just his size but he more than makes up for it with his other qualities. He’s very well-suited to Bielsa-ball and probably capable of serving as an understudy to Kalvin Phillips.”

Dubbed as “very gifted” by The Athletic’s Phil Hay and as a “lovely passer” too, the 5 foot 8 Bate has predominantly spent the most of his time this season with the club’s U23s side in the Premier League 2 – out of the 14 games the Whites have played, the midfielder has completed the full 90 minutes in all but one.

The 19-year-old has featured mainly as either a central midfielder for the U23s and in a more holding role, and with a busy festive schedule for the first-team, may well fancy his chances of making the step-up.

While the January transfer window gives Bielsa the perfect opportunity to bring in players from the outside to strengthen his options in the middle of the park, giving Bate the chance to shine could turn out to be a masterstroke.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign a Rodrigo upgrade in this star…

Leeds United are among a number of clubs to have shown an interest in Vitoria de Guimaraes youngster Marcus Edwards, according to a fresh report.

The Lowdown: Edwards shines abroad

The 22-year-old Englishman has flourished in Portugal since leaving Tottenham in 2019, scoring 16 goals and registering 14 assists for his current club.

Edwards is another example of a young English player thriving abroad after being given more first-team opportunities, as was the case with Jadon Sancho and now Jude Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund.

The former Spurs winger has made eight appearances for England’s under-20s, scoring twice in that time.

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The Latest: Leeds linked with move

According to Jornal de Noticias [via Sport Witness], Leeds were keen on signing Edwards in the summer, along with Olympiakos, Sporting CP and Porto.

Offers were turned down for the winger, though, and he now has a €50m (£42.7m) release clause in his Vitoria contract.

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The Verdict: Exciting long-term signing

Edwards is an intriguing player to keep an eye on, considering that his former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino claimed that he played like ‘the beginning of Messi’ back in 2016.

At 22, he could come in as a long-term acquisition for Leeds, potentially blossoming into a player who might go on to fulfil Pochettino’s substantial comparison to the multiple Ballon D’Or-winning Argentine.

Edwards’ current deal doesn’t expire until 2024, however, so that release clause would need to be triggered in what would be a club-record transfer for Leeds if it went through.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly keen on signing a Premier League player. Find out who it is here.

An update has emerged regarding the situation of Rangers transfer target Siriki Dembele at Peterborough heading into January.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Gers are one of the clubs who are interested in a deal for the English Championship forward, alongside Glasgow rivals Celtic and London outfit Fulham.

The report claims that Peterborough are ready to cash in on him for £4m in January, as he will be a free agent at the end of the campaign having rejected a contract offer to extend his deal.

Imagine him & Kent

New Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst must look to take advantage of Dembele’s contract situation in East Anglia by snapping him up in the January transfer window. He is valued at £4m by the Championship club, but the Dutchman and Ross Wilson could potentially agree a pre-contract deal with the forward and then use that as leverage to secure a cheaper deal in the winter.

If Rangers can get Dembele to put pen to paper on a pre-contract deal, then they can go to Peterborough and offer them a reduced fee to give them the chance to recoup a fee for the forward’s services. Otherwise, they will lose him for nothing at the end of the season.

Van Bronckhorst could land a dream wing pairing by signing Dembele, as he could form an exciting partnership with Ryan Kent out wide. The 25-year-old has four goals and one assist in the Championship this season, but his form in League One last term showed huge promise as he found the back of the net 11 times and racked up 10 assists as Posh won promotion to the second tier.

Earlier this year, Peterborough chief Barry Fry hailed the attacker’s ‘dazzling’ ability on the ball. He told Football FanCast: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.

“He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the [English] Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse! So watch this space.”

This provides an insight into the type of player he is, with the winger able to embark on dribbling runs past several players whilst also having the end product to produce goals and assists. Meanwhile, Kent has a similar style out wide for Rangers, as he averaged 1.9 dribbles per game last season along with his 10 goals and nine assists.

Therefore, they could combine to form an exciting wide pairing for the Gers with their dribbling ability and end product in the final third. This is why Van Bronckhorst must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for Dembele in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Big blow: Rangers suffer setback as behind-the-scenes news emerges, fans surely gutted…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a boost regarding the fitness of Francisco Trincao ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by Birmingham Live, the 21-year-old winger, who missed Wolves’ 3-2 victory last weekend after falling ill while on international duty with Portugal, has returned to first-team training ahead of the trip to Leeds United on Saturday.

Speaking about the condition of the Barcelona loanee last week, Bruno Lage said: “For two or three days he didn’t feel well, but now he’s OK. He’s started training at home, so when he comes back he’ll have some training.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Trincao has been since his arrival at Molineux on a season-long loan deal this summer, the news that the forward looks as if he will be available for selection this weekend is sure to have Wolves fans buzzing.

Indeed, despite being yet to find the back of the net or register an assist over his six Premier League appearances, the £19.8m-rated winger has nevertheless impressed for Lage’s side, taking an average of 2.5 shots – the most of any Wolves player so far this season – making one key pass and completing 3.2 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the Portugal international who Ronald Koeman dubbed an “excellent” talent earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the club’s ninth-best performer in the top flight.

As such, while both Adama Traore and Daniel Podence highly impressed in the victory over Aston Villa last week – amassing two key passes and seven dribbles between them – Trincao’s return to Lage’s matchday squad will nevertheless come as a very welcome boost to the 45-year-old manager. He will undoubtedly be hoping his team can continue their extremely fine run of recent form against Marcelo Bielsa’s struggling Leeds United side on Saturday.

In other news: 1.3 key passes P/G: “Incredible” £900k-rated Wolves gem may be Doherty’s perfect heir

Rangers travel to Dundee in the Premiership this afternoon as they attempt to return to winning ways in the league.

The Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by Motherwell in their last Premiership outing, but they did beat Livingston 2-0 in the League Cup on Wednesday. Steven Gerrard will now be hoping that his side can use that positive momentum to beat Dundee and get their pursuit of another league title back on track.

However, one change that he could make to the team which came out on top against Livingston is bringing Steven Davis back into the starting XI.

The 36-year-old is a key figure in Rangers’ side and Gerrard must unleash him for this match after leaving him on the bench against Livingston. Davis has started all six of the club’s Premiership games this season and deserves a return to the team after being handed a much-needed rest in midweek.

He has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.03, making one key pass and 1.7 tackles per game from midfield whilst also completing 88% of his passes. This shows that he has been a consistent performer in the middle of the park this term and is a reliable option for the manager to call upon.

Earlier this year, Gerrard lauded the midfielder’s influence and explained why he is a role model to his teammates. The 41-year-old said: “Steven embodies professionalism and continues to set the standards required to be a Rangers player. He has been instrumental this year, playing a key role in our league success.

“Ross (Wilson) and I have enjoyed open dialogue with him, and acknowledge how he has handled this contract extension. Steven is low-maintenance and has much more to give our team, not only for the rest of this season but beyond.

“He is a role model to his team mates and continues to strive to be a better version of himself. I am very pleased to have a player with Premier League and international experience on board as we look towards next season.”

The £18k-per-week beast can change a game with the way he links the play and uses the ball in pockets of space. His high passing accuracy shows that he is effective in possession and does not gift the ball back to the opposition on a regular basis, which allows him to dictate games and control the tempo.

Therefore, Gerrard must bring him back into the XI for today’s clash at Dundee as his quality and experience could be valuable on the pitch. The ability to change games by dictating the flow of the match could be vital for Rangers, as he can slow the play down when holding on for a win or speed it up if they are searching for a crucial goal.

AND in other news,  Wilson must avoid Rangers nightmare over “unique” gem, Gerrard would be fuming…

West Bromwich Albion have potentially been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of Alex Mowatt ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments made on the Baggies Broadcast podcast (via This Is Futbol), the Express & Star journalist Joesph Masi revealed that West Brom are yet to reveal the extent of the attacking midfielder’s injury – which he sustained in Albion’s 1-0 defeat against Stoke City shortly before the international break.

In his comments, Masi said: “So I asked [on Tuesday], I’m told that they’re still waiting to discover the extent of the injury. I’ve asked a couple of times during the international break, no one wants to know more than me, simply because I’m struggling for stories, so it’d be great to get an update on Mowatt.

“[Valerien] Ismael, we think, is holding his press conference for [the Birmingham City fixture] on Thursday. So hopefully, we get an answer before then, but if not, it’s probably going to be Thursday when we find out the latest.”

Ismael surely gutted

Considering just how impressive Mowatt has been since making the move from Barnsley to West Brom this summer, should the midfielder be unavailable for the visit of Birmingham on Friday evening, it would undoubtedly leave Ismael gutted.

Indeed, over his 11 Championship appearances this season, the £6.3m-rated man has scored three goals, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.1 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old who Steve Evans dubbed a “special” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as Albion’s second-best performer in the league but also as the joint 22nd-best in the entirety of the division.

As such, the absence of the £6.5k-per-week midfielder would undoubtedly dent West Brom’s chances of picking up a positive result against Lee Bowyer’s men on Friday evening – something Ismael will be desperate for following his side’s first loss of the season against Stoke last time out.

In other news: “In talks” – Journo drops fresh West Brom claim on £30k-p/w beast, Ismael must act

A number Wolves fans have hailed Ruben Neves’ ‘superb’ performance as they took on Everton at Molineux on Monday night.

Bruno Lage’s side have had a nine-day break from action following their 1-1 draw away to Leeds United towards the end of October.

Wolves faced a potentially tough Premier League clash with Everton at Molineux but took a 2-0 lead into half-time, with Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez on the scoresheet, while Hwang Hee-chan also had a goal ruled out by VAR.

Alex Iwobi halved the deficit on 66 minutes as the Toffees improved during the second half, but Neves nonetheless stood out among many of his club’s supporters.

As per Sky Sports, he tested Jordan Pickford with a first half volley and also got in a crucial block to deny Ben Godfrey after Everton had pulled it back to 2-1. The 24-year-old midfielder had one of the highest passing accuracy rates in Lage’s side and also made a couple of important interceptions, as per SofaScore.

Wolves fans react to Neves’ display

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to hail Neves’ performance, which one supporter described as “outstanding”.

“Neves has been 10/10, as has Coady as well, from them breaking on us and shut them down every time”

Credit: @Treborm44

“Neves is one of the best b2b midfielders in the Prem, the man can defend and score very well”

Credit: @wwfc_dg

“Everton playing with more purpose this half. Gray sprints into the box….but Neves tracks him and slides in with an excellent tackle. Having a great game.”

Credit: @TimSpiers

“Well said. Outstanding”

Credit: @robbiepthewolf

“So that was as close to perfect as you could get really. Last 10 mins a bit more twitchy but the movement is fantastic. Neves playing like an absolute beast and Trincao having them in circles. Next goal massive but so far so brilliant”

Credit: @WV1Wolf

“Neves the best player on the pitch by a country mile”

Credit: @Stringers76

In other news, some Wolves fans are excited by one transfer rumour that has emerged. Read more here.

Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish isn’t convinced Leo Hjelde will be thrown in for his Leeds United debut against Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ injury crisis

The Whites take on the Magpies at St James’ Park on Friday night, as they look to properly get their season up and running, having not won in their opening four Premier League games.

Marcelo Bielsa will be without centre-back trio Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk, however, with Liam Cooper the only established available option in that position.

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The Latest: Pundit plays down Hjelde debut

There is the opportunity to give fans their first ever sighting of highly-rated 18-year-old Hjelde, having not yet played a minute of action of first-team football in England.

Speaking to Football Insider, though, McLeish says it would be the wrong decision, given his lack of experience:

“If the young player isn’t ready it’s hard to throw him in. My guess is that Leeds will go around the houses and look at who can fill that hole the best.

“Ayling played there last season, I can’t think they would throw the youngster straight in there. Unless they have seen something exceptional in him. It’s time to introduce him in a small way, maybe in the cups and things.

“I suspect they will move the defence about and put one of the wide players in there.”

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The Verdict: Too soon for youngster

Hjelde is a player who hopefully has a huge future ahead of him – he has notably been compared to Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk – but now is too soon to throw him in at the deep end.

The Premier League is such a physical, testing division and a fierce St James’ Park crowd could possibly get on top of him, in what is a game Leeds certainly don’t want to lose against one of their fellow winless rivals.

Instead, it may be that Bielsa opts to play Luke Ayling at centre-back, with the ever-versatile Stuart Dallas slotting in at right-back.

In other news, Leeds could sign one player in the January transfer window. Find out who it is here.