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Celtic look set to make a statement of intent on deadline day as they are closing in on a potential club-record deal before the end of the summer transfer window.

Sky Sports reports that the Hoops have agreed a whopping £11m fee with Bundesliga side Augsburg for their central midfielder Arne Engels on a permanent basis.

The Belgian youngster now looks set to be a club-record signing for the Scottish giants, which shows that they mean business for the rest of the 2024/25 campaign and beyond.

However, there will also be a focus on outgoings before the deadline tonight as some players could move on to pastures new after falling down the pecking order.

Deadline day interest in Celtic dud

According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, English League One side Birmingham City are interested in a swoop to sign Celtic defensive midfielder Tomoki Iwata.

The reporter claims that Birmingham, managed by Brendan Rodgers' former assistant Chris Davies, are now 'pushing' to secure a deal for the Japanese metronome.

It remains to be seen whether or not Davies' connection with the Celtic head coach will help him to get a move over the line before the deadline.

Joseph reveals that the Scottish Premiership champions have been open to offers for the midfielder, but does not outline how much they would want for him.

With Callum McGregor, Odin Thiago Holm, Paulo Bernardo, Reo Hatate, and soon-to-be Engels in the building, minutes may be hard to come by for Iwata this season.

Interestingly, he currently earns more in wages, £7.6k-per-week, than the club's prospective record signing earns, £1.9k-per-week, at his current club.

Celtic must cash in on Iwata

Rodgers must ruthlessly cash in on the 27-year-old dud as he does not look set to be a part of the first-team plans moving forward under the Northern Irishman.

He has been an unused substitute in two Premiership matches so far this season and is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Hoops.

Last season, the experienced midfielder appeared in 19 league matches for the Bhoys and was an average performer in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the table above, Iwata only won 50% of his duels, despite playing in a holding midfield role, and this suggests that he was not dominant in physical duels, which is backed up by him only making 1.2 tackles and interceptions per game.

He was a reliable passer of the ball, as shown by his 90% pass success rate, and offered a calming presence in front of the back four at times.

However, Iwata is not a young and improving player, at the age of 27, and has fallen right down the pecking order at Parkhead, hence why he has not featured this season, and that is why Rodgers must capitalise on this interest from Birmingham and cash in on the midfielder.

McGregor 2.0: Celtic make last-gasp move for "highly-rated" £4m star

The Hoops are looking to add another midfielder to their ranks before the deadline.

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By
Dan Emery

Aug 30, 2024

Barcelona's hopes of registering Dani Olmo for the second half of the season have been boosted after they secured a €100 million (£83m/$104m) deal.

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• Barcelona struggling to register players due to financial issues
• Olmo yet to be registered for second half of season
• Hope rekindled as Barca strike €100m deal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  As 2024 draws to a conclusion, Olmo and Barca team-mate Pau Victor do not have guaranteed first-team registration from January 2025. However, claims the Blaugrana reached an agreement to sell VIP boxes at the newly renovated Camp Nou to Middle Eastern investors for €100m.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Olmo only joined Barca in August for a fee worth up to €62m (£51m/$64m) from RB Leipzig, but after a judge rejected Barca's attempts to register him, they sought other avenues to get the deal done. The report adds that this cash injection will allow the registration of both players and will return the club to the 1:1 rule to be able to sign players normally. That would be a massive breakthrough for the financially-troubled Catalan outfit.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The 1:1 rule in La Liga allows teams, such as Barca, to spend all money raised from player sales or wage savings on new players. Up to this point, however, Hansi Flick's side have been operating under the 1:4 rule, which means they could only spend one euro for every four they saved or brought in. While they still have huge debts, their ability to address those will be greatly improved with the aforementioned financial deal.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Barca reportedly launched a lawsuit against La Liga in a bid to register Olmo but, following this financial development, it is said they may withdraw from the case with the Court of First Instance.

Manchester City are said to be interested in signing two players from the same club next year, according to a new report.

The Blues have just come out of what was a quiet summer transfer window for them, as they added just two players to their already very talented squad. The lack of activity hasn’t stopped them from making another strong start to the season, as they have won three out of three so far.

Guardiola personally driving Man City interest in "immense" £34m starlet

Manchester City are leading the race to sign a player Pep Guardiola loves.

By
Brett Worthington

Sep 5, 2024

Man City keen on Ousmane Diomande

It was clear that City and Pep Guardiola weren’t going to do transfer business for the sake of it. They were only going to bring players into the squad that they needed and felt would improve their team.

So, while the transfer window has just shut, it looks as though the Premier League side already have their eyes on what business they may do in 2025. It was reported on Wednesday that Man City have an interest in signing Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP. The report states that Guardiola is a huge admirer of the defender, and they could look to beat the strong competition for his signature by making a move for him next year.

Despite the Blues already having a bundle of options in the centre of defence, the fact that Guardiola is personally pushing to sign the player is said to be pushing the scales in their favour.

Diomande, who has been with Sporting since January 2023, has so far played 60 times for the club, as his career has progressed significantly in the last 18 months. The Portuguese side would obviously like to keep hold of the centre-back for a little longer, but they will also understand the market, and it is said that they would be looking for €40 million, which is roughly £34 million. As well as eyeing a deal for Diomande in 2025, Man City also have their eye on two other players.

Man City now eyeing blockbuster double signing in 2025

According to reports in Spain, relayed by Caught Offside, Manchester City have placed Bayern Munich duo Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich on their transfer shortlist for 2025. The report states that the Premier League side plans to strengthen in midfield next year, and they have identified the duo as two players who can do that.

Musiala is considered one of the brightest prospects in world football, and his ability to score goals and create chances has put him on the radar of not only City but also Liverpool and Barcelona. The Germany international has been described as “sensational” by football writer Raphael Honigstein.

Meanwhile, Kimmich, who is said to earn €19.5 million a year, (about £16 million), is seen as the ideal replacement for Rodri, who could be a target for Real Madrid next summer, although City are also keen on tying the Spaniard down to a new contract.

Guardiola has worked with Kimmich before during their time at Bayern Munich, and therefore, his adaptation to the City team could be quick and effective. The report goes on to add that Man City’s financial power could be decisive in closing both transfers and ensuring they continue to compete at the highest level.

Former Chelsea and Liverpool star Glen Johnson has claimed that Cole Palmer is level with Mohamed Salah as the best player in the Premier League.

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• Johnson says Salah and Palmer are level
• Believes latter has helped struggling Chelsea
• Egyptian could leave Liverpool this summer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Salah has arguably been the best player in the world this season as the Liverpool star has scored 21 goals and provided 13 assists in 28 games. However, former defender Johnson thinks that Palmer is 'neck-and-neck' with the Egyptian as the best in this season's Premier League.

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  WHAT JOHNSON SAID

  Speaking to , Johnson said: "Cole Palmer is definitely in the conversation for being the best player in the Premier League. He’s performed in those games where Chelsea have been struggling. They’ve leant on his shoulders numerous times and he’s always delivered.

  "If you put anyone ahead of Mohamed Salah in that conversation then they have to be the best player in the league because he’s set the bar so high. I’d probably say those two are neck-and-neck at the moment."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Palmer has hit another level since joining Chelsea from Manchester City in the summer of 2023. The England international has scored 38 goals and provided 21 assists in 67 games in all competitions for the Blues.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SALAH & PALMER?

  The Egyptian and Palmer have both seen a slight dip in form over the last few games as Liverpool and Chelsea have both experienced subpar results. The Reds and the Blues are in FA Cup action against lower-league opposition this weekend, with Arne Slot's side hosting Accrington Stanley and Enzo Maresca's men taking on Morecambe.

Arsenal’s academy has impressed in recent years, producing talents who are edging ever closer to breaking into the club’s first team under Mikel Arteta.

Ethan Nwaneri is arguably the most promising, making his debut for the club in September 2022 as a 15-year-old against Brentford at the GTEC Community Stadium – making him the youngest-ever appearance maker in the club’s history.

The now 17-year-old has only made one more competitive first-team appearance for the Gunners since, but he has started in the Premier League 2 for the U21 side, registering 13 goal contributions in his 13 appearances last season.

Midfielder Nwaneri has been a consistent goalscoring option for various youth sides in recent years, scoring a combined 26 goals from midfield for the U18 and U21 sides since his breakthrough a couple of years ago.

However, despite his consistent figures for the Hale End Academy, he’s yet to break into the starting team, with another European talent of a similar age already taking the world by storm at his club.

Lamine Yamal’s time at Barcelona

Like Nwaneri, Lamine Yamal is a player in the very early stages of his career, but the 17-year-old Spaniard has already announced himself as a key player for Barcelona after his breakthrough last season.

The forward made 50 appearances in all competitions for the LaLiga side, registering a total of 16 goal contributions – a stupendous figure for a player at such a tender age.

However, that would be just the tip of the iceberg for Yamal, with the youngster playing a huge part in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph this summer – featuring in every game, scoring a screamer against France whilst laying on four assists for his international teammates.

He subsequently was handed the Young Player of the Tournament award, a signal of his impact, with the talent continuing his impressive form into the new campaign.

Yamal already has five goal contributions in the opening four matches of the Hansi Flick era – aiming to claim another league title for Barça in the 2024/25 campaign.

However, the Gunners could unearth their own version of the superstar, with one academy gem catching the eye in recent months.

The star who could be Arsenal’s own Yamal

Max Dowman may be a name unknown to many Arsenal supporters, but the young talent is making waves in the academy and progressing at a rapid rate.

The 14-year-old, who features internationally for England’s U17 side, is a regular performer in the club’s U18 squad – making his first appearance at that level at just 13. It’s a ridiculous fact.

Dowman, who’s been dubbed as “remarkable” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, operates in an attacking midfield role – achieving a total of two goals and five assists – demonstrating his ability to create opportunities in the final third.

The youngster has already caught the eye of former player and current U18’s head coach Jack Wilshere, with the former Arsenal talent saying:

It’s unfair to load expectations on such a young talent to impress, but given his rapid development and the qualities displayed, Dowman has all the tools to be the next player of a long list to break into the club’s first-team after spending numerous years in the academy setup.

Barça forward Yamal is just one example of a player who can thrive against Europe’s elite, with Dowman needing to remain focused and determined to continue on his upward trajectory before replicating the impact of the Spaniard at the Emirates.

Sold for £35m: Arsenal's record sale is now worth just £14m

The talented star hasn’t kicked on as people thought he might.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 13, 2024

Looking to make another statement signing, Aston Villa are now reportedly battling Tottenham Hotspur to sign a Serie A winner who would complete Unai Emery’s attack once and for all.

Aston Villa transfer news

As proved in the summer, it’s not just on the pitch that the Premier League’s top six need to watch out for Aston Villa, with their work in the transfer market among the best in Europe in the previous window. The Villans welcomed Amadou Onana to instantly replace the departed Douglas Luiz, whilst also signing the likes of Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley.

Meanwhile, the Midlands club also crucially kept hold of Jhon Duran amid interest from West Ham United. And if there were any doubts over whether the forward can challenge Ollie Watkins for a starting place in Emery’s frontline, then five goals in seven games in all competitions has quickly put those concerns to rest.

With Watkins and Duran to choose from, it should be safe to assume that the Villans are now settled on their attacking options, but reports suggest that they could still add one more star man to complete their attack.

According to reports in Spain, Aston Villa are now battling Tottenham Hotspur to sign Marcus Thuram from Inter Milan, whose current stance is that the £124,000-a-week star is not for sale.

Aston Villa thought they may have the next Messi, then he left for just £7m

He was dubbed the king of speed…

By
Connor Holden

Sep 27, 2024

Whether the lure of Premier League football convinces the forward to complete such a move remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that he would make quite the impact at Villa Park.

Arriving at Inter Milan last summer, Thuram instantly earned a place in the history books alongside the rest of his teammates by winning the Serie A in dominant fashion. Now, two years later, he could be on his way to England’s top flight in a 2025 move.

"Special" Thuram would complete Aston Villa attack

As things stand, the Premier League is still watching on and waiting to see if Aston Villa’s top four finish last time out was a mere one-off, but if the Villans’ business is anything to go by, they should be in and around the Champions League places for years to come. And adding Thuram may even take Emery’s side up another level entirely.

Of course, handing all three players the game time that they need would be an almost impossible task, but if Emery found a way to keep them all happy, then he’d have one of the most dangerous attacking trios in the Premier League.

Alas, it will be difficult to convince Inter to part ways with their star striker who has earned such high praise in Italy, including from teammate Benjamin Pavard. The French full-back dubbed Thuram “special” when speaking about how quickly his countryman settled into life in the Serie A last season.

Al-Hilal have terminated Neymar’s contract after seeing him make just seven appearances, with the path cleared for the Brazilian to return to Santos.

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• Moved to the Saudi Pro League in 2023
• Injuries have stunted progress in Middle East
• Expected to return to his boyhood club

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The South American superstar, who remains the most expensive player of all-time following his €222 million (£186m/$232m) transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, endured a torrid time with injuries during a forgettable spell in the Saudi Pro League.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  He moved to the Middle East in 2023, as he followed Lionel Messi through the exits at PSG, but suffered knee ligament damage while on 2026 World Cup qualifying duty with his country a matter of weeks after signing a lucrative contract in Riyadh.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Neymar returned to action in October 2024, only to then pick up a hamstring complaint. With fitness issues holding him back, and funds to be freed up by moving him on, Al-Hilal have taken the decision to release the 32-year-old forward.

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• WHAT AL-HILAL SAID

  A statement on the club’s reads: “Al Hilal Club Company and Neymar Jr have agreed to terminate their contractual relationship by mutual consent. The club expresses its thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided throughout his career at Al-Hilal, and wish the player success in his career.”

Christian Ramirez, who was born in Los Angeles, has switched the Crew for the Galaxy, and is projected to be the starting striker for Greg Vanney

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• LA Galaxy acquire Ramirez from Columbus
• Traded Dejan Joveljic earlier this week
• Crew also lost star man Cucho Hernandez

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Galaxy have quickly found their replacement for Dejan Joveljic, as they acquired Christian Ramirez from the Crew, according to a report. He spurned offers from Colombian side America de Cali to stay around MLS. The 33-year-old is from Santa Ana, California, and attended college in Santa Barbara.

  Tom Bogert was first to report the news.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ramirez enjoyed something of a career rebirth last season under Wilfried Nancy and Columbus. He scored eight and assisted six in all competitions for the Leagues Cup champions, while playing just over 1,400 minutes – competing for time with Hernandez and Diego Rossi.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  The move would seem to leave the Crew with extensive work to do in attack. They lost star man Hernandez to Real Betis earlier this week in a deal worth $16 million. It now leaves Rossi as the only remaining starting-caliber attacker in the side.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RAMIREZ?

  The forward will join up with the Galaxy immediately, and figures to be the starting No.9 as the Los Angeles side retools after winning 2024's MLS Cup.

Leeds United maintained their place in the top six in the Championship with a hard-fought 1-1 draw away against Norwich City on Tuesday night.

The Whites went 1-0 down in the first half, thanks to a penalty from Josh Sargent, and lost central midfielder Ilia Gruev to an injury, just days after captain Ethan Ampadu suffered a knee injury.

Daniel Farke’s side reacted well to that setback, though, and clawed it back to 1-1 in the 60th minute. Largie Ramazani raced onto a through ball from Wilfried Gnonto to find the bottom corner and his second goal for the club since joining from Almeria.

The West Yorkshire outfit are aiming to secure promotion to the Premier League at the second time of asking, after they lost 1-0 in the play-off final against Southampton at Wembley last term.

Leeds finished third in the Championship during the regular season and that meant they missed out on automatic promotion to the top-flight, with Ipswich Town and Leicester City going straight up.

The Whites were relegated from the Premier League in 2023 after a string of poor signings, including Luis Sinisterra, left them struggling under Jesse Marsch.

Luis Sinisterra's time at Leeds

In the summer of 2022, former Leeds head coach Marsch wanted to bolster his attacking options and opted to swoop for Feyenoord winger Sinisterra.

It was reported that the West Yorkshire outfit splashed out a fee of £22.3m to sign the Colombia international, after he had produced 12 goals and seven assists in the Eredivisie and six goals and four assists in the Europa Conference League during the 2021/22 campaign.

Unfortunately, Sinisterra’s debut season with the Whites was full of injury issues and underwhelming performances on the pitch in the Premier League, as the team were relegated down to the Championship and had Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce in charge at various points.

As you can see in the table above, the Colombian forward did score five goals in 19 matches, which was not a dismal return, but his lack of creativity is clear to see.

The winger did not do much to create for his teammates, with less than one key pass per game and zero ‘big chances’ created overall, to go alongside his goal threat.

Sinisterra also missed a whopping 16 matches through injury, with ankle, muscle, and foot issues, and that limited his involvement during the season.

The former Feyenoord star did not hang around for the Championship campaign, though, as he moved to Bournemouth on loan for the 2023/24 term, before joining them on a permanent deal for £20m.

This meant that Leeds made a loss, albeit of only £2m, on the 25-year-old whiz, who did not do enough to help them avoid relegation in the 2022/23 season.

Things could have been different, though, if Victor Orta had been able to sign one of his alternative targets for the left wing position that summer – Cody Gakpo.

Leeds' interest in Cody Gakpo

Marsch confirmed that Leeds wanted to sign the Netherlands international during the summer of 2022 and claimed that Orta had been to meet the family after agreeing personal terms.

The saga dragged on throughout the window, however, and the Whites moved to sign Sinisterra out wide in July, before continuing to pursue Gakpo, who was once described as a “towering” presence by U23 scout Antonio Mango.

Unfortunately, though, the West Yorkshire outfit were never able to get a deal over the line for the PSV star, and it was later revealed that it was because of a hat-trick from the Eredivisie sensation.

In his documentary, Gakpo revealed that he had three options on the table; stay at PSV, move to Southampton, or move to Leeds, on the eve of a clash with Volendam.

The impressive forward told himself that he would have signed for the Saints if he scored once or Leeds if he landed a brace. Instead, he scored a hat-trick to stay with the Dutch side.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.

This means that, if the attacker was true to his word, the Whites were within one goal of him deciding to make the move to Elland Road in 2022. Instead, Sinisterra was the only left-sided forward added in the window and Gakpo went on to shine for PSV before joining Liverpool.

Cody Gakpo's current market value

At the time of writing (03/10/2024), the Reds winger now has a current market value of a whopping €55m (£46m) by Transfermarkt, having been in England since the start of last year.

Six months after Leeds were unable to secure a deal to sign the attacker from PSV at the end of the summer transfer window in 2022, Liverpool snapped him up for a fee of at least £35m in January 2023 to bolster Jurgen Klopp’s forward options.

Gakpo produced a staggering nine goals and 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie matches during the first half of that season and hit the ground running in England, with seven goals and three assists in 21 Premier League appearances.

This meant that the Dutchman racked up five more goal contributions than Sinisterra did for Leeds during the 2022/23 Premier League season, despite not moving to the country until the January transfer window.

He followed that up with 16 goals and six assists in all competitions last term for Liverpool, which included eight goals and five assists in the top-flight, which shows that the talented gem can be a reliable scorer in English football.

The 25-year-old, who has been capped 32 times by the Netherlands, was valued at €30m (£22m) by Transfermarkt in 2022 when Leeds were interested in him.

This shows that he has soared in value since the Whites missed out on him, as the forward is now worth over twice as much, and that is why he is one that got away for Orta and Marsch.

Sinisterra was the only left winger they landed instead and the club ultimately made a loss on the Colombian, who was outperformed by Gakpo in the Premier League that season.

80% duels lost: Farke must drop Leeds star to unleash teen titan instead

The Whites central defender endured a difficult night against Norwich City.

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By
Dan Emery

Oct 2, 2024

Celtic’s board backed Brendan Rodgers in the summer transfer window by smashing the club’s transfer record to sign central midfielder Arne Engels.

The Hoops reportedly splashed out a fee of £11m to sign the Belgium international from German side Augsburg to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

Engels has produced two goals and three assists in seven appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, as he has hit the ground running in Glasgow.

He is not the only star midfielder within the squad, though, as captain Callum McGregor continues to go from strength to strength at Parkhead.

Callum McGregor's soaring market value

The former Scotland international, who retired from national team duty earlier this year, joined the club’s academy in 2001 at the age of eight, meaning that he did not cost the Hoops a penny.

He came up through the ranks in the youth system and made his breakthrough at first-team level in the 2014/15 campaign, after scoring 12 goals in 37 games for Notts County in League One in the previous season.

At the start of the 2014/15 term, McGregor was valued at just €750k (£628k) and he has since gone on to become club captain and played 475 competitive matches for the Bhoys.

At the time of writing (15/10/2024), Transfermarkt has his current market value at a whopping €8.5m (£7.1m), which shows that his value has soared throughout his time with the Hoops.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Celtic have hit the jackpot with the midfield maestro, given that he has emerged as the club’s captain and racked up almost 500 appearances after coming through the academy.

His performances so far this season have been so good, in fact, that FBRef lists Declan Rice as one of the most similar players to him in the Champions League.

Callum McGregor's form this season

In two outings in Europe, McGregor has completed 95% of his attempted passes and made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game for the Hoops.

Meanwhile, Rice, who joined the Gunners for a fee of £105m from West Ham in 2023, has completed 92% of his passes and made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per match across two games in the Champions League.

This shows that both players have been incredibly efficient in their use of the ball whilst also being combative with their defensive work in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the table above, McGregor has enjoyed a stunning start to the 2024/25 campaign with a return of five goals and assists in seven appearances in the Scottish Premiership.

The 31-year-old, who was described as “amazing” by Rodgers, is not showing any sign of aging and remains one of the top players in the squad, as shown by his performances this season and his similarities to a £105m talent in Rice.

Celtic have struck gold with the Scottish maestro and Rodgers will be hoping that his strong form so far this term continues throughout the rest of the season.

Imagine him & Engels: Celtic told they should "definitely" target SPFL star

The Scottish champions have been urged to look at the Scotland U21 international.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 13, 2024