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Celtic centre-back Stephen Welsh was forced off for Scotland’s U21 side with what appeared to be a groin problem, The Daily Record report.

The Lowdown: Welsh under Postecoglou

Welsh began the campaign as a regular under Ange Postecoglou and has made 22 appearances in all competitions this season.

The 21-year-old, who Celtic youth coach Martin Miller hailed as a ‘fan favourite’ and ‘phenomenal’, made his last start in green and white back in February against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League.

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Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt have established themselves as Postecoglou’s first-choice pairing, with Welsh and Christopher Jullien on standby.

The Latest: Welsh’s injury

Welsh was one of a number of Celtic players who have been away on international duty and captained Scotland’s U21 side against Kazakhstan on Monday.

The Daily Record revealed that the centre-back had to be taken off shortly after half-time with what appeared to be a groin injury days before a crucial Glasgow Derby with Rangers.

The Verdict: Never ending

You’d expect that Welsh wouldn’t have started at Ibrox on Sunday, however, it would have been handy for Postecoglou to be able to call upon the defender from the bench if needed.

He may not get that luxury following this injury update, with Postecoglou already having concerns over Daizen Maeda and Tom Rogic during the current break.

The Celtic boss hasn’t had the best of luck when it comes to injuries during his first season in charge, and unfortunately, they aren’t showing any signs of slowing up.

In other news: ‘As well…’ – Journalist drops claim on more exit news at Celtic Park; it’s a potential ‘bonus’. 

Ibrahima Konate will be left out of Liverpool’s starting lineup to face Manchester City this weekend, according to reliable journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Konate impresses despite error

The Frenchman started alongside Virgil van Dijk at Benfica in midweek, as the Reds won 3-1 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg clash.

Konate may have made an error for Darwin Nunez’s goal, air-kicking an attempted clearance, but he produced a superb overall performance in Portugal, drawing praise from Alisson for his display.

The 22-year-old made two tackles and one interception on the night, as well as the small matter of opening the scoring with a well-taken header – his first-ever goal for Liverpool.

The Latest: Pearce makes key claim

Despite this, Pearce believes Joel Matip will come in for Konate for Sunday’s huge trip to City, taking to Twitter to provide his thoughts:

“Some big decisions for Klopp v City. Matip back in for Konate pretty clear.”

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The Verdict: Correct decision

While Konate undoubtedly impressed against Benfica, bringing Matip back in for him is still the right call, should Jurgen Klopp do that.

He possesses more experience in such big games and he has been the superior player this season, performing magnificently next to Van Dijk and averaging 3.9 aerial duel wins per game in the league.

It would be a big shock if Konate was now picked, given his rawness, and his pace isn’t needed as much against a City side who are more intricate than fast.

In other news, Pearce has also made an exciting Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

[ad_pod ]Leeds United took a step closer to promotion on Saturday afternoon with a narrow 2-1 victory over Championship strugglers Bolton Wanderers.The weekend result enabled them to keep pace with league leaders Norwich City, who sit two points ahead, albeit having played a game more than the Whites.Promotion fever has gripped Elland Road this season under Marcelo Bielsa, and it appears that it hasn’t taken long for January signing Kiko Casilla to embrace the optimism which has gripped the club in recent months.According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds’ number one has made a bold claim about the prospect of winning promotion this season:”It would mean more than winning the Champions League,” Casilla said. “It’s the objective we have and this is why I am here.”Clearly, it hasn’t taken Casilla long to appreciate the significance of the narrative which is unfolding in Yorkshire.The fact the 32-year-old stopper was on the periphery at Madrid and played little part in their Champions League triumphs has presumably influenced his stance, but that has not prevented the supporters from gushing over his bold claim.

Indeed, the fans on Twitter were clearly delighted by Casilla’s desire to help Leeds end their top-flight exile, and it seems his popularity has soared in light of his verdict.

Here’s what some of the Leeds fans had to say about Casilla’s comments on Twitter:

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a fresh setback ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture this evening.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Yorkshire Live, who claim that Sheffield United’s Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since December 20, could be set to make a return to first-team action against West Brom.

Speaking about the condition of the on-loan Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder, Paul Heckingbottom said: “He’s back in full training. The fans need to be patient with him but I love watching him, I see straight away when he’s back on the grass we have missed him, definitely.

“We want to help him as much as we can get him back up to speed as quick as possible but regardless of that he has still got moments in him which are really good and we want to be using him as quickly as possible. Physically now everyone is happy with his injury. Medically he’s fine.”

Bruce will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Morgan Gibbs-White has been for Sheffield United this season, the news that the 22-year-old could be in line to make his return to action against West Brom this evening is sure to have left Steve Bruce gutted.

Indeed, over his 16 Championship appearances for the Blades, the £8.1m-rated man has been in astonishing form, having already scored five goals, registered four assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.7 key passes and taking 2.6 shots per game.

These returns have seen the England U21 international average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.28, not only ranking him as Heckingbottom’s best performer in the league but also as the sixth-best player in the entire division.

As such, should Gibbs-White indeed make his return from injury against the Baggies this evening, it is clear for all to see that it would come as a major blow to Bruce’s chances of taking all three points back to The Hawthorns in his debut game in charge of Albion – with a loss against the Blades being a result that could see West Brom fall out of the top six.

In other news: Forget Dike: Bruce could unearth his new Wilson by unleashing “powerful” WBA “diamond”

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur club ‘insider’ John Wenham has suggested that transfer chief Fabio Paratici should be looking to sign Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford. 

The lowdown: Backing the wrong horse…

Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for Leeds winger Jack Harrison in recent times and a summer swoop could be on the cards.

Boasting 11 direct goal contributions across all competitions this season, Harrison has continued to impress in the Premier League.

However, Wenham believes that Tottenham manager Antonio Conte should be focussing attention elsewhere within the Elland Road squad…

The latest: Better options

Speaking to FI, the regular contributor to the Lilywhites Rose social media channels suggested that Bamford may well be a more worthwhile target.

“If we were going to sign somebody from Leeds, he wouldn’t be in my top three, to be honest.

“I really like Bamford, I like the idea of him as back-up for Kane. I think he’s quite underrated.

“He has a similar skill set in that he can bring other players into the game.

“If we were going to get anyone from Leeds, that’s what I would do but maybe Harrison could do a job at wing-back.”

The verdict: Smart move

Whilst this season has been an injury-hit one for the 28-year-old, the outstanding 17 goals and eight assists in the league in 2020/21 suggest that the Englishman is certainly on the level required to bolster Conte’s attacking options.

Comfortable operating in a similar role to that of Harry Kane, Bamford would have no issues adapting to life in North London and could be the perfect foil for the England captain.

At the right price and with fitness woes behind him, the frontman once hailed as ‘exceptional’ by Jurgen Klopp would be a smart addition to the squad at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

In other news: Tottenham plotting move for Premier League star,  find out more here.

Lots of Sunderland fans have been left blasting the performance of Lynden Gooch in their 6-0 defeat away at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

It was a dismal day for the Stadium of Light faithful in their race to get promoted from League One, and while the defenders were truly awful in trying to keep the ball out of the net, the attackers were equally as poor going forward.

None more so than Gooch, who failed to record a single shot on goal or key pass, and was inaccurate in three of his attempted crosses and long balls (SofaScore).

The winger also gave the ball away on no fewer than on 21 separate occasions in total, the most out of any player on the pitch, in what was a disappointing game for him and the whole team.

Sunderland fans blast Gooch

These SAFC supporters were left blasting his display on Twitter, with one Black Cat even going as far as to claim that he is an ‘imposter’:

“100% convinced Gooch is a imposter”

Credit: @freddiesafc27

“Lynden Gooch plays every week, surely the “management team” can see he’s simply not good enough, it doesn’t matter who we face or any other excuses he’s simply not a good footballer.”

Credit: @jfoster3_

“Gooch has to be dropped now”

Credit: @woodylad83

“They were all atrocious. Gooch just stood out. LJ’s tactics aren’t working either.”

Credit: @Lauren_McLeish

“Leave Lynden Gooch in Bolton”

Credit: @mackemroy66

“Never want to see Gooch in a Sunderland kit again”

Credit: @omiddsafc

In other news, find out what transfer update has Black Cats buzzing here!

BBC Scotland pundit Marvin Bartley has been full of praise for the performance of Celtic forward Jota over the weekend. 

The lowdown: Celtic one step closer

The Hoops took another significant stride toward the Premiership title with a 2-0 victory over Ross County at Victoria Park on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou’s side are now six points clear at the top of the table with four matches remaining after an opening goal from Kyogo Furuhashi and a late strike from Jota sealed the points in Dingwall.

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After the match, there were plenty of plaudits for the Portuguese ace in particular…

The latest: Bartley praises Jota

Speaking to BBC Sportscene (April 24, 19:31), Bartley was full of praise for the display of the 23-year-old on loan from Benfica.

The Livingston defender gushed: “His all-around game is absolutely brilliant. If you’re a Celtic fan you want him signed up as soon as possible. He’s a striker’s dream, isn’t he? If you go in the right areas, he’ll find you. His head is up all the time.

“He can play left, he can play right, he’s pro-active, he’s constantly on the move. He’s got that belief he can go past anyone.”

The verdict: Top-drawer display from Jota

This was a performance right out of the top drawer from Jota as the Portugal under-21 starlet took his tally for the season to 11 goals and 12 assists in all competitions.

Overall, the youngster earned a standout 8.90 rating for his display, which contained four key passes and two further big chances created, along with the goal and assist (Sofascore).

Performances such as this will only further increase the clamour for the club to pay the reported £6m required to make the loan sensation a Celtic player on a permanent basis over the summer.

In other news, an expert has made a key claim regarding the ownership of Celtic. Read more here.

Celtic duo Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull could make their returns from injury later this month, according to The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Hamstring issues

Both players have been missing due to respective hamstring issues and haven’t been seen since the winter break.

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Furuhashi suffered a reoccurrence of the problem against St Johnstone prior to the winter break, whereas Turnbull hobbled off in the Scottish League Cup final seven days earlier.

The Hoops have coped without the pair, though, with Ange Postecoglou’s side winning every game since the winter break, which has resulted in them leapfrogging Rangers at the top of the Premiership.

The Latest: Europa Conference League inclusions

As reported by The Daily Record’s Lindsay Herron, both Furuhashi and Turnbull have been included in Celtic’s 25-man Europa Conference League squad.

Herron said that the ‘key stars could make their comebacks against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt’ – an exciting 10-word claim ahead of the two games on February 17 and 24.

The Verdict: Would be huge…

Celtic have been extremely impressive without the pair this year, but you’d expect that they would be even better with Furuhashi and Turnbull back in the side.

The Japanese forward has contributed to 21 goals in 26 games as a Celtic player, whereas the Scottish midfielder has made a whopping 4.1 key passes per game, as per WhoScored, with both regulars in the first XI before their respective injuries.

Having the pair back against Bodo/Glimt would give Postecoglou even more creative and attacking options over the two legs, which could be key, especially with the Hoops boss able to make five substitutions during the 90 minutes.

In other news: ‘Seen the reports’ – Kieran Devlin ‘surprised’ as Celtic now move for nine-position ace

Everton will travel to the North East to face Newcastle United tonight in their first Premier League game under the guidance of new manager Frank Lampard, and he will be hoping he can emulate the energy and success from the FA Cup clash at the weekend.

The former Derby County manager made an outstanding first impression at Goodison Park as he led his team to their highest-scoring win of the season against Brentford, progressing into the last 16 of the domestic competition, which would have been a huge boost for fans who returned to the stands for the first time since they protested against the owners.

One player who didn’t start but made a great impact was Andros Townsend, with the 30-year-old scoring the fourth goal to seal the 4-1 victory in the last few minutes of the game.

Townsend is having an outstanding season for Everton compared to some of his peers, and when you consider that he was a free transfer for the Toffees, his impact and output has been worth its weight in gold during a season full of injury issues and poor form.

The right winger has managed 27 appearances, seven goals and three assists for the side this term, making him the Toffees’ top goal-scorer in 2021/22.

On top of that, he offers unrivalled experience in the challenges ahead of Everton, which is something Lampard must not overlook when making his team selection against the Magpies.

Everton have found themselves teetering on the edge of a relegation battle just four points off the drop zone currently in 16th, and this kind of must-win football in a scramble for points to climb back into safety is something Townsend is all too familiar with.

The £48k-per-week gem who was hailed “absolutely tireless” by football podcaster, Dan Cook, could be considered an expert in the challenge that lies ahead for the Merseyside outfit, as he played for tonight’s opponents in their bottom of the table battle in 2016, that saw Newcastle relegated, and then joined Crystal Palace for five years, who have had their fair share of relegation fights too.

Although Anthony Gordon has been in flying form, with four goal involvements in his last six outings, Lampard could think more outside of the box on the best way to tackle Eddie Howe’s Tyneside team this evening.

That’s by adding the experience and work rate of Townsend in the forward line over the youngster, unleashing the potential difference needed to secure the three points at St James’ Park.

In other news: Lampard reveals that Calvert-Lewin is available to return

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Valencia’s Uruguayan forward Maxi Gomez.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report from Spain (via Sport Witness), which claims that the West Midlands side have “set their sites” on Gomez.

Wolves were linked with the Uruguayan around the time of Raul Jimenez’s serious head injury, with the Old Gold reportedly still keen on the 25-year-old and are wiling to make a bid for his services this summer.

According to reports, Valencia are looking to raise funds through player sales this summer, and with Gomez one of the greater valued assets in the squad, he is expected to be placed on the market.

A huge risk

In truth, Bruno Lage would be taking a risk with the £13.5m-rated Valencia forward, who has misfired this season for Los Che.

The Uruguayan has just three goals and 24 appearances in LaLiga this campaign.

Although this is his first Fabio Silva.

He’s a physical forward who relies more on his positioning than his pace.

Though his record at previous club Celta Vigo allows you to enter the thought process of Bruno Lage.

The £47k-per-week Uruguayan had two successful goal-scoring seasons for Celta, scoring 13 goals in his second.

This gives Gomez a lifeline and insinuates that his playing style does not suit Valencia boss Pep Bordalas’ counter-attacking system.

Valencia have the fourth-worst possession statistics this season, with Los Che relying solely on transitional play to get them goals.

At Celta Vigo, Gomez mainly functioned as a centre-forward in a 4-3-3 side that looked to contest possession, which allows us to understand the reasoning behind his lack of goals this season.

Bruno Lage has clearly done his research with reports claiming that the Molineux side would be willing to make a proposal to sign the Uruguayan who Phil Vickery dubbed a “throwback” and “fearsomely strong” this summer.

The Portuguese manager must feel as though he can get Maxi Gomez back to his goalscoring ways at Wolves, in a move that would be a huge risk with the potential to pay dividends for the Old Gold.

AND in other news: Lage can now axe £75k-p/w “top talent” by unleashing Wolves’ “Foden-esque” sensation