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Ange Postecoglou means business in the transfer market at the moment, with Celtic concluding a number of deals before their first competitive fixture in Europe next week.

They added Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide to their ranks swiftly before concluding moves for Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi.

What’s the word?

Celtic’s recruitment won’t stop there as the Bhoys aim to bring in a few other attacking faces. Gorica winger Kristijan Lovric is fielding interest from the Hoops once again and he could move to Paradise in a £5m deal.

However, the Bhoys have now been presented with an ideal opportunity to sign another long-term target in Peterborough forward Siriki Dembele.

Brother to Karamoko Dembele, the nippy attacker has been the subject of discussion at Celtic for a number of months now. His contract expires in a year’s time and thus he could be available on the cheap.

A fresh report from the Peterborough Telegraph stated that a move to Scotland would be preferred amid links to Rangers, Fulham, West Brom and Nottingham Forest. Dembele spent a part of his childhood in Scotland, so he is already familiar with the surroundings.

Postecoglou needs him

If the Peterborough winger arrives at Parkhead this summer, it may then allow the new Celtic manager to kill two birds with one stone. Mohamed Elyounoussi has returned to Southampton after his successful loan spell in Glasgow, while Odsonne Edouard could still depart, so the Hoops could do with attacking reinforcements.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-news-doig-nketiah-mccann” title= “Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]

Although a potential move to Leicester City fell through after they preferred RB Salzburg’s Patson Daka, West Ham have been keen on adding the Frenchman to their ranks.

Therefore, with the ability to play out wide or as a centre-forward, Dembele could act as a replacement for the pair of them in the Hoops squad. He started out as a winger but in recent years has been turned into a striker where’s been incredibly ruthless in the final third.

The 24-year-old has beaten the goalkeeper on 25 occasions in his Posh career, 12 of which came during the 2020/21 season.

Peterborough were promoted from League One to the Championship and Dembele was one of the stars of the show. He supplied 12 assists for his teammates and was one of the most successful players in terms of take-ons in the third tier of English football.

The winger completed 135 dribbles at a rate of 3.2 per match, the highest tally in League One by some distance.

With that in mind, Barry Fry’s appraisal (as per Football FanCast) will come as no surprise. He said: “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.”

Fry added: “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.”

Dembele has caught the eye for a while now, and with a switch to Scotland favoured, Postecoglou must turn his attentions to the 24-year-old, who could add a vibrant threat to their frontline.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Furuhashi: Ange can form magic Celtic duo by signing “exciting” 21 y/o…

Having already made a number of impressive additions in the summer transfer market, Queens Park Rangers are showing no signs of letting up in their pursuit of new signings, with Mark Warburton’s side being linked with new players on a near-daily basis.

Indeed, having already secured the signings of Andre Dozzell, Charlie Austin, Jordan Archer, Jordy de Wijs, Sam Field, Sam McCallum and Jimmy Dunne this summer, you would be forgiven for thinking that Amit Bhatia and Mark Warburton will be putting their feet up over what remains of the transfer window.

However, this certainly does not look to be the case, with the Rs most recently reported to be chasing a deal for the Manchester City midfielder Tommy Doyle.

And, considering the sheer amount of potential the 19-year-old appears to possess, should the west London club manage to get a deal over the line for the England U20 international this summer, his arrival would be the cherry on the cake on what has been an extremely impressive window for QPR.

Bhatia masterclass

With Bhatia and Warburton seeming to have approached QPR’s summer transfer business on the basis of the idiom strike while the iron is hot, following on from their remarkable form in the second half of last season, it would very much appear as if the Rs will be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming Championship campaign.

This is something that would only be strengthened by the arrival of Doyle, who, despite his tender age, has already made his Premier League and Champions League debuts for Pep Guardiola’s side, with the Spaniard dubbing the midfielder a “special” player.

Indeed, it is clear to see why Guardiola is so impressed with the £900k-rated man. He has scored nine goals and provided 15 assists in over 50 appearances for the Manchester City U23 side, as well as having already made seven appearances for the senior team.

As such, if the £7k-per-week Doyle indeed moves to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer, we would not bet against him flourishing in the Championship next season, while the deal itself would be a massive coup for the club, and yet another masterclass by Bhatia.

Furthermore, with the highly-rated Dozzell having recently joined Warburton’s side, the prospect of the 22-year-old and the Man City starlet playing in the middle of the park for the Rs next season is sure to be a mouthwatering prospect for both the manager and fans of the club alike.

In other news: QPR lining up bargain swoop for highly-rated “assassin”, Warburton surely buzzing

Surrey failed to record their first Championship win of the season despite making Nottinghamshire follow-on

John Ward at Trent Bridge14-Jul-2008
Scorecard
Samit Patel pulls through midwicket on his way to a match-saving 134* © Getty Images
In the end, Surrey were not quite up to it. The match was in a sense a microcosm of the current Test at Lord’s, and at the same time as South Africa were playing out time to the south, Nottinghamshire were holding off Surrey and frustrating their attempts to record their first Championship victory of the season.Nottinghamshire’s main hero was the century-maker Samit Patel, but he had a useful supporting cast as the Surrey bowlers toiled all day. Perspiration was clearly in evidence, but there was not quite the inspiration needed against determined batsmen on a good pitch.The play was competitive throughout, although without quite the intensity there had been the previous evening at the start of the Nottinghamshire follow-on. Andre Adams had been an unlikely nightwatchman, though he had survived his three balls overnight, and he was soon going for his strokes in the morning. Not all were well controlled, but for the present the sun shone for him. The Surrey bowling was good, but not inspired, with Chris Jordan the most dangerous. Adams lofted Saqlain Mushtaq for two successive sixes to reach his 50, off 47 balls. Saqlain, who appeared to be suffering from a recurrence of knee trouble, did not bowl as much as may have been expected.Then the balance swung again. Matt Wood, who had been solid and reliable at the other end, found one from Jordan too good for him and edged it to the keeper, having made 26 off 95 balls. Adams became strangely bogged down after reaching his fifty, taking 30 further deliveries to add 8 runs, and was then yorked by Matt Nicholson. Adam Voges and Patel had to steady the ship again before lunch.Like so many of Nottinghamshire’s batting partnerships this season, it proved to be useful, but was broken before it became dangerous. Voges glanced Jordan to the boundary to avert the innings defeat, but shortly afterwards he drove loosely at Jade Dernbach outside his off stump and the wicketkeeper, Jonathan Batty, completed the 500th dismissal of his career. Chris Read (5) soon followed, yorked by Pedro Collins; his batting form recently must be a serious disappointment to him just at the time when some good runs could have regained him his Test place.The match was again in the balance at 207 for 6, Nottinghamshire 22 runs ahead with just four wickets left and the best part of two sessions remaining. But Patel curbed his mercurial instincts to play with admirable responsibility, as did his new partner Graeme Swann, and the pair handled all that Surrey could fire at them during the afternoon. By tea Surrey knew they were in danger of missing out, with Nottinghamshire 99 runs ahead and still those four wickets intact.Surrey’s self-belief started ebbing away after tea, as they were unable to part the intransigent pair. Patel became the first top-order Notts batsman to reach a century this season as he slashed Dernbach backward of point for four, having taken 130 balls to get there. Minutes later Swann reached 50 (76 balls) with a handsome boundary through the covers off Jordan. This was the partnership that really saw the job through, and it could not have come at a better time.When the teams left the field, Nottinghamshire were 187 runs ahead, and the unbeaten pair (Patel 134, Swann 68) had added 165 for the seventh wicket. Collins and Dernbach took two wickets each; Jordan’s one expensive wicket did him no justice at all.Surrey will rue their failure to complete their victory, but at least they did well enough to enforce the follow-on. Nottinghamshire can take pride in their fightback, but may well reflect on the fact that they should not have placed themselves in such a disadvantageous position in the first place. This match showed yet again in the case of both teams how important the state of mind is in the game of cricket.

Sunderland fans want to re-sign Victor Anichebe after the 33-year-old was pictured at the Black Cats’ pre-season friendly against Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday.

The Stadium of Light outfit were in action against Tranmere at Prenton Park as they continue their preparations ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. The match ended 0-0, which perhaps illustrates Sunderland’s struggles upfront – the loss of last term’s top goalscorer Charlie Wyke (BBC) to Wigan Athletic (wiganathletic.com) is a huge blow to Lee Johnson and co.

Anichebe, who used to play for Sunderland amongst other clubs in the Premier League, has been retired for a number of years. During his career, he managed just 42 goals during 267 matches (Transfermarkt), which is far from prolific, but his physicality make him a difficult proposition to play against in his heyday.

A photo of Anichebe at the match was shared on Twitter by Sunderland’s official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the former Nigeria international.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Anichebe below

“Announce Him I beg he will tear up league 1 with his physicality”

Credit: @safcreportt

“Sign him up can’t be worse than grigg”

Credit: @Alex16793

“Sign. Him. It’s simple, pay as you play big target man up front”

Credit: @Hawko88

“Swap him for Grigg asap”

Credit: @SuperkevFTM

“Sign him, hasn’t played for 3 years but still walks into our team”

Credit: @GazJFisher

“Jokes aside, it’s impossible to do worse than what we’ve got up front, get him signed”

Credit: @15jgilmore

In other news, Sunderland fans were far from happy with this ex-player’s comments.

Andrew Symonds, the Australian allrounder, is not yet convinced about players’ safety in Pakistan, the venue of the Champions Trophy in September

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2008
Andrew Symonds is not ready to go to Pakistan yet © Getty Images
Andrew Symonds, the Australian allrounder, is not yet convinced about players’ safety in Pakistan, the venue of the Champions Trophy in September. Symonds had expressed reservations ahead of Australia’s scheduled tour to Pakistan earlier this year, which was postponed.Although Pakistan recently hosted the Asia Cup concerns have grown following attacks in Islamabad, the capital, and in the port city of Karachi the last week.”My feelings haven’t changed a great deal,” Symonds said on his arrival from the West Indies. “I don’t mind the odd game of cricket for Australia, but it is only a game at the end of the day, and putting yourself in a position where you’re not safe, to me is ridiculous.”Symonds’ opinion, though, was in complete contrast to fellow Queensland allrounder Shane Watson. “Personally, I’d go anywhere, I’ll play anywhere, I just want to play for my country,” Watson said. The ODI series in the West Indies marked Watson’s comeback to the team after more than a year, and he’s ready to play for Australia anywhere.”That’s what I’ve worked so hard for, the injuries I’ve had, pretty up and down times over the last year, so I’d do anything to play for my country so wherever we have to go, I’ll go.”Michael Clarke, who captained Australia in Ricky Ponting’s absence for the final two ODIs, declined to comment, leaving the issue to the game’s administrators. Clarke said he would wait to hear what Cricket Australia, the Australian Cricketers’ Association and the International Cricket Council decided on the issue.Ponting had indicated last month players were still uneasy over touring Pakistan last month. Cricket Australia is expected to take a decision within two weeks, while the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh said decision will not be made before it get reports from its security experts and the Federation of International Cricket Associations. The ICC is yet to make its final decision on Pakistan conducting the tournament. Sri Lanka is the alternate host for the Champions Trophy, but South Africa have also been tipped as a replacement.Australia are drawn in a pool comprising India, Pakistan and the West Indies, and are scheduled to play their first match against India in Lahore on September 13. Symonds, Clarke and Watson have been named in Australia’s their preliminary 30-man squad for the tournament.

George Edmundson looks to be on the brink of a Rangers exit this summer, with his mistakes last season arguably costing him a career under Steven Gerrard at Ibrox.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Record, Ipswich Town are pushing ahead in their hopes of signing the 23-year-old defender this summer and have offered him a three-year contract at Portman Road.

Edmundson has slipped down the pecking order at Ibrox and was sent out on loan to Derby County in the Championship last season, where he would make 10 appearances under Wayne Rooney, averaging a less than impressive 6.62 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The former Oldham Athletic man was one of the players to breach covid guidelines in November 2020 and was promptly sent out on loan in the winter transfer window, which suggests that Gerrard was clearly furious with the youngster’s actions.

Before the incident, Edmundson had featured 17 times for Rangers in all competitions, but has not played again since, and it seems as if his time at Ibrox will shortly come to an end.

Should Rangers sell Edmundson?

At 23-years-old, you could argue that Edmundson would still have a future at Rangers had he not broken those guidelines in November, but it now seems as if Gerrard will axe him for good as Ipswich close in on a deal for him.

The Gers conceded just 13 goals in the Scottish Premiership last season, so it was always going to be tough for Edmundson to reclaim a starting spot ahead of the likes of Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and Leon Balogun.

The January addition of Jack Simpson was also arguably the nail in the coffin for Edmundson, despite him impressing at times for Rangers in the past.

After his league debut in a 5-0 win against Hamilton in 2019, Gerrard was quick to sing the young defender’s praises, saying:

“Really strong, he’s been out a little while looking in. I wanted him to get used to how we play and have a look at our opposition.

“He’s looked in, been learning and working ever so hard for his opportunity. That came today and he took it, I thought he was faultless. Outstanding.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

However, his actions last season, as well as the impressive performances of other defenders, have meant that Edmundson was always likely to be something of an outcast at Rangers on his return from Derby County, and it now seems as if he is set to leave Ibrox for good.

And, in other news… Rangers handed huge boost with “outstanding” 33-goal beast, Wilson must deliver