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Wolves are set to face Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace tonight, and Mark Lawrenson fancies their chances of victory at Molineux.

Mark Lawrenson tips Wolves to continue strong run

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are currently unbeaten in their last three Premier League games after victories over both Fulham and Leeds United, which was followed by a draw against Newcastle United (Fotmob).

After two defeats to Manchester City and West Ham United last month, the West Midlands outfit have the chance to move themselves up the standings following their slow start.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Lawrenson believes that Wolves have a great chance of carrying on their good run and described the club in such a way that will please the Molineux faithful.

While giving some credit to the Eagles, the ex-Liverpool defender said: “I still fancy Nuno Espirito Santo’s side here, though. Palace are a good hard-working team, but Wolves are not just a good side, they are a classy one.” Lawrenson went on to predict that the home side will run out 2-0 winners.

Wolves went into the season on the back of two successive seventh-placed finishes in England’s top flight and will be looking to improve on that by potentially breaking into the top six.

Huge opportunity

Every game is a big chance for the team to progress, but getting a result in games like this will inject confidence through the dressing room. Wolves are only three points behind league leaders Everton and could go level on points with the Merseysiders with a win tonight.

With Palace also unbeaten in two games and with Wilfried Zaha having already scored five goals this season (Fotmob), though, the Eagles should certainly pose a threat. That being said, the psychological factor of moving level on points at the top of the league, along with their own good form, may be enough of an incentive for Wolves to get the job done.

In other news, Wolves midfielder admits Molineux move was ‘difficult’ and was ‘hurt for a long time’.

Celtic have been linked to a move for club starlet Karamoko Dembele’s brother, Siriki. That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claim that the Hoops are looking to land a deal for the Peterborough striker in order to convince his younger brother to remain in Glasgow.

The youngest of the Dembeles is currently in Celtic’s reserve team and is rapidly making a name for himself. However, there’s clearly worry amongst the board that the 17-year-old starlet will be tempted by a move elsewhere. Peter Lawwell and co are hoping that by pushing to sign his brother from the Posh, they can retain the teenaged talent.

Dembele not worth the risk for Celtic

Whilst the logic behind signing Siriki Dembele makes sense, Celtic can’t afford to throw cash at targets that look completely random at face value. Lawwell and his club have shown that they can attract the likes of Premier League winger Mohamed Elyounoussi, who has been a stunning loan signing from the Hoops this season.

They are also currently fielding Brighton’s Shane Duffy, another well-established top flight player. Even with reports linking star man Odsonne Edouard to an exit, Celtic don’t need to rummage around in the lower leagues in order to replace him.

Dembele has made a strong start to his portfolio this season with five goals and four assists in 11 League One matches so far. However, last season only saw him find the back of the net six times in a total of 30 appearances, which isn’t exactly enough to wow the fans (via Transfermarkt).

Indeed, these stats would be impressive for a young player on the rise, but Dembele has recently turned 24-years-old and should be in peak condition right now. Plus, compared to Edouard’s return of 21 goals in 27 Premiership games for Celtic last season, the numbers simply do not compare. Plus, after being lauded by Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson as a “destructive” forward, it would probably take a handsome offer to prise the player away from London Road.

Dembele wouldn’t be a substantial like-for-like replacement should Edouard leave the club, and paying money just to keep another player in the ranks seems like too much of a far out approach.

In other news, This player was surprising with poor performance against Hibs…

Leeds may finally be seeing the fruits of their labor following the arrival of Raphinha this summer, but there is one player who they will rue not signing…

What was the word?

One of the sagas of the last winter transfer window for the Whites was surrounding former Hull City talisman Jarrod Bowen, who according to The Sun was of interest to Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta.

They claimed that the Yorkshire giants were only willing to pay £3m loan upfront and then a remaining £15m upon promotion.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay also suggested that the 23-year-old was a player they “looked at” but ultimately, they were “never going to pay what Hull wanted.”

And now that’s looking like a rather silly mistake.

One that got away?

This week’s edition of Monday Night Football on Sky Sports served up Bowen’s new club, West Ham United, as they defeated Aston Villa 2-1 and the former Leeds target played an integral role once again.

He scored and assisted both of the Iron’s goals with SofaScore grading him as their best player with an 8.1 rating. He also recorded two key passes and made 83% of his passes.

It means since his £20m switch in January, Bowen has directly contributed to ten goals in just 23 appearances for the east London outfit. That is a phenomenal return thus far.

In the Premier League this season, the winger who was once dubbed “unplayable” by ex-manager Grant McCann has averaged 2.2 shots per game, which is only bettered by Patrick Bamford in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad.

You can only imagine how huge of an influence the Whites boss could’ve had on his career, even with the addition of Ralphinha. He’s looking way better than Helder Costa (one shot per game) and perhaps Jack Harrison too as he’s only scored once in the top-flight this term.

United will get a taste of what could’ve been later this month as they soon welcome the Hammers to Elland Road.

Orta best hope his decision to not pay up for the impressive dynamo doesn’t come back to haunt Bielsa and Leeds.

AND in other news, Forget De Paul: Bielsa has saved LUFC millions thanks to “intelligent” £45k-p/w beast…

Southampton were boosted by the news earlier in the week that four young academy talents have signed professional contracts with the club.

Ryan Finnigan, Jeremi Rodriguez, Fedel Ross-Laing and Diamond Edwards have all committed their futures to the south coast club, which should see them stay with the Saints until the summer of 2023.

Edwards was signed from Reading in 2019 and has clearly impressed in his first year with Southampton, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been rewarded with a professional deal.

The 18-year-old has made six appearances for the U’18 side so far this season, in which he has contributed one goal. He has also played across the midfield, as well as on the wing, which demonstrates his versatility.

He could also be compared to a former Saints youth academy talent in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as he too was capable of playing in a number of positions across the midfield during his time with the club, before his move to Arsenal.

During his time with the Saints, the now-Liverpool man would make 43 appearances for the club, contributing an impressive 10 goals and nine assists.

Following the news that these four had committed their futures to Southampton, academy director Matt Hale had this to say:

“With Diamond, Fedel and Jeremi, we have worked hard through our recruitment work to bring these talented players to the football club.

“All three of them began their full-time programme with us this year and look to be promising young talents that can have an exciting future.”

Therefore, it seems as if Edwards is destined for a big future with the south coast club and perhaps it won’t be too long until we see him make his first-team debut under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

And, in other news… Exclusive: Pundit drops Southampton claim about Jisheng Gao

Former Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan believes that Celtic captain Scott Brown will lose his place in the side to Ismaila Soro.

Brown on the sidelines?

The experienced 35-year-old has been a regular for the Bhoys over the last 13 years, scoring 45 goals and providing 61 assists in 592 games (TransferMarkt).

Described as “absolutely excellent” by teammate Callum McGregor, Brown has not featured for Neil Lennon’s side since their Scottish Cup triumph over Hearts – and after picking up an injury, he was replaced by Soro in the starting line-up his team’s 2-0 victory against Ross County and their 3-0 win over Hamilton.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan believes that Celtic are turning a new corner without Brown as a mainstay in the team.

“Scott Brown is Mr Celtic. He’s been there so long, he’s been their leader,” he said.

“But sometimes when you get to an age that Scott Brown is, I’m not saying he hasn’t got anything to offer because he does throughout the whole club from the training ground to the field.

“You need fresh legs in there at times though.

“Look at what Pablo Hernandez does (at Leeds), when you get to a certain age you share that load out and become an impact player when you need to win a game.

“Now, when you look at Scott Brown that’s the role that he’s playing. You need fresh legs.

“So far this season everyone still needs to prove a point so there’s a lot of pressure on performances.

“It looks like they’ve turned a corner now. They’ve got a bit of confidence, they’re picking up clean sheets.

“Hopefully they’re starting to get that belief back and that consistency that’s needed at a club like Celtic because all the way through this season now players and manager are going to be under pressure and the spotlight.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Whelan is right, not only about the emergence of Soro, but also David Turnbull as the duo have both been putting in some impressive performances recently.

After the Bhoys poor start to the season, both domestically and in Europe, Lennon made the right call by giving youth a chance and it’s gone well for him.

Time will tell whether this move with help Celtic can close the gap to Rangers at the top, having been knocked out of Europe with a whimper, but Soro and Turnbull deserve the chance to prove themselves.

In other news, Celtic manager Neil Lennon issues challenge to ‘tremendous’ star after recent complaints.

Sam Allardyce has been tipped to sign Everton man Yannick Bolasie for West Brom in the January transfer window by former Premier League star Dean Windass.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Windass was asked as to whether he could see the 66 year-old signing his former player for the Baggies next month, to which he said:

“Yeah, pace in the wide areas.

“He’s been Everton’s forgotten man but yeah [I’d take him].

“Listen, Sam will know, Sam will have it in his mind who he needs.”

Bolasie could be a smart signing

Bolasie could well turn out to be a smart signing by Allardyce should he be able to attract the DR Congo international to the Hawthorns.

He has played in 17 past games before under the former West Ham United and Sunderland boss, and so Allardyce should know exactly to how to get the best out of him.

The 31 year-old also has a wealth of experience in the Premier League under his belt, very much like his manager, which could be crucial in keeping Albion up by the end of the 2020/21 term.

Bolasie can still be ‘unbelievable’ on his day, once exemplified by netting himself a quite sublime hat-trick away at the Stadium of Light for Crystal Palace back in April of 2015, and his pace and trickery makes the wide man ‘fun to watch’.

Nonetheless, Allardyce has been backed to complete the signing of Bolasie in the January transfer window by Windass, but it remains to be seen if a deal does get done.

In other news, find out what big WBA takeover claim has been dropped here!

They may not have come away with anything on Friday night, but Aston Villa’s stock continues to rise.

Dean Smith’s side have been a revelation in the Premier League this season, and barring a hugely controversial VAR call, would surely have left Old Trafford with at least a point in their clash against Manchester United.

And one man who is proving why he’s arguably Smith’s unsung hero, is Matty Cash.

The man signed from Nottingham Forest in the summer has given Villa an extra dimension down the right-hand side, with his energy and dynamism wreaking havoc.

Against United, he produced yet another stand-out display.

As per Sofascore, he won 78% of his total duels on the night, and made three tackles and three clearances too.

But it wasn’t just his defensive work that was impressive. His forays going forward were a vital attacking weapon for Villa, both from dead-ball situations and when crossing from deep.

He provided three key passes (only Jack Grealish had more with four), sent in three accurate crosses (a joint team-high), and also had two shots on goal too.

His attacking intent led to The Athletic journalist Laurie Whitwell to say that he was “dangerous”, whilst CBS Sports’ Luis Miguel Echegaray said that both he and fellow summer signing, Emiliano Martinez, “continues to shine”.

Right-back isn’t the most glamorous position on the pitch. But the quality Cash has brought to the table both offensively and defensively has been second-to-none for Villa.

He’s already become Mr Reliable for Smith, and at just 23, has got all the tools in his locker to be one of the absolute best full-backs in the Premier League.

Given Marcelo Bielsa’s unconditional trust in his Leeds United players, it’s no surprise to see that so many of his key first-team stars have been playing week-in and week-out for a number of years now.

The likes of Kalvin Phillips, Luke Ayling and Mateusz Klich have been virtual ever-presents for the Argentine at Elland Road, with the latter in particular now having played a whopping 115 games under Bielsa.

Klich will turn 31 later this year, and yet he remains an integral part of Leeds’ midfield, featuring in every single Premier League game this season – in fact, such has been his importance to the side, even when he has been an injury doubt before a game, Bielsa has thrown him straight into the starting eleven.

However, a succession plan must already be in the Leeds boss’ mind, and it’s why 18-year-old starlet Jack Jenkins could be the player to fill that role in the years to come.

Described earlier this season as someone who has “quietly been establishing himself as one of the most promising players in the Thorp Arch set-up”, the teenager seems to have all the tools in his locker to become a real force for the Whites.

Traditionally a number eight, Leeds Live revealed that he has blossomed into one of the most important players for the club’s U23s, and that he has “already displayed a lot of maturity this season in terms of his tactical understanding and discipline, qualities which no doubt appeal to Bielsa and helped his promotion to the first-team squad.”

The 5 foot 9 starlet, of course, has just the one senior appearance for Leeds under his belt, a 45 minute appearance in the FA Cup against Crawley Town earlier this month.

Whilst Nohan Kenneh appears to be one of the stand-out players of the Whites’ youth system – Phil Hay even described him as “supremely-gifted” – Jenkins could well develop into one of the most important academy products to come out of Thorp Arch.

Replacing a player of Klich’s importance promises to be a tall order, but at 18, Jenkins has got all the time in the world to develop and grow under Bielsa’s leadership.

Meanwhile, Leeds United are facing a transfer battle for this Serie A sensation…

For Neil Lennon, it is now or never at Celtic. For the sake of his job security and for the sake of the club’s future, they have to start winning games sooner rather than later.

They are 23 points behind Rangers in their quest for ten in a row, an achievement that now seems completely out of the realms of possibility.

Thoughts of succeeding in such a quest have become merely a fantasy and they have to improve. Thus, could change be on the cards?

On the chalkboard

One of Celtic’s biggest underperformers in recent weeks and months has been Ryan Christie.

The winger scored 20 times and provided 16 assists last term but in 2020/21, he has been a shadow of his former self.

Christie has scored just once in his last 16 matches – a peach in the Scottish Cup final – but beyond that strike, he has been a huge disappointment. Coincidentally, it seems to have curtailed with rumours of a move away.

Both Leeds and Arsenal have been touted as potential destinations but on the basis of his current form. He doesn’t deserve such a move.

His torrid time was typified in the 2-2 draw with Livingston last time out. He lost possession of the ball all too easily for their opener and then went onto surrender it on a further 16 occasions – the fifth-worst tally of anyone on the Celtic side.

He also failed to complete a single dribble which was down from his season average of 1.6 successful take-ons per match.

The solution

Given Celtic’s current plight, throwing lesser-seen players in at the deep end may be quite harsh.

Yet, they could well have something extra to prove to the manager. After all, if they can’t get a run in the side even when the senior figures are letting Lennon down, there isn’t much hope.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-celtic-manager-stories” title=”Read this week’s latest Celtic news!”]

Therefore, we think the Celtic boss should take the surprising decision to axe Christie tonight and start none other than Mikey Johnston.

The 21-year-old has started on just two occasions this term and even with James Forrest out, hasn’t been able to work his way into the side.

Of course, a lengthy injury spell has played havoc with his chances but after playing from the off in two games during the club’s bout of illness, deserves another run in the side.

Johnston hasn’t been a regular with Celtic yet but demonstrated positive signs last season on his way to being described as a “real talent” by Chris Sutton. He scored and assisted on the opening day of the 2019/20 campaign against St Johnston and then earned plaudits after scoring off the bench versus Ross County.

He ended last term with six goals and six assists from only 22 appearances and it’s that potential, combined with a few glimmers in recent weeks that should earn him a start on Tuesday.

The youngster provided three key passes against Hibernian a few weeks ago – the most of anyone on the Celtic team while his three dribbles were only bettered by Tom Rogic on that occasion.

With that in mind, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t start against Hamilton tonight. He’s certainly shown better glimpses than Christie in recent weeks.

AND in other news, Celtic struck genius deal with £10k-p/w titan who’s “grabbing the bull by the horns”…

Just when Leeds United thought Diego Llorente was finally going to show why the club spent big money on signing him in the summer, the Spaniard went down with another injury last week.

The centre-back has been so unfortunate with his struggles with injury in his debut campaign in English football, being restricted to just two competitive appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

He played just 10 minutes of the game against Newcastle in the Premier League in mid-week before being forced off, and Bielsa confirmed after the game that the signs were worrying.

He said in his post-match press conference: “He has a similar problem to the one he had before. It’s a problem for him, for us, for all of us. In this moment, what worries me is Diego’s state of mind, given the succession of injuries he has had. It’s natural that he’s sad because of this now and we share that sadness.”

But whilst Llorente looks set to be out for another extended spell, Leeds may well see this as the perfect opportunity to tap into their resources of young talent, with Leif Davis waiting on the side-lines.

The 21-year-old, who can play at left-back or in the middle of defence, has tasted very little Premier League action this season – just 31 minutes to be precise.

But what is clear though, is that people at the club think very highly of him, with The Athletic journalist Phil Hay declaring that those at Elland Road consider him an absolute bargain signing.

Speaking on The Phil Hay Show back in November, he said: “He’s very well thought of, is Davis, and he has been since he came, and of the Under-23s, he’s really been as involved as most under Bielsa and has quite often been the go-to player when Bielsa’s needed a left-back.

“The bottom line is that at Leeds, they think an awful lot of Davis, and they think that he’s a bit of a steal for what they paid to sign him from Morecambe.”

Whilst Davis has been Bielsa’s “go-to” at left-back, perhaps he could do the same at centre-back when Leeds take on Leicester in the Premier League on Sunday.

If Jamie Vardy is fit, then his pace is likely to cause some problems, and Davis’ extra speed given that he can also play at full-back may be the perfect recipe to success for Bielsa’s side.

If the experiment works out, then the Leeds boss may have stumbled on the kind of defender who could be the mainstay of this Leeds defence for the next few years at the very least.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa would love this Leeds United transfer target…