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Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned Celtic about moving for David Moyes in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

According to GiveMeSport, the former SPFL champions have sounded out the 57-year-old West Ham manager as they look to replace Neil Lennon following his exit last month.

Moyes has done a sublime job at the Hammers this season, guiding them to fifth in the Premier League and just three points behind a Champions League spot with a game in hand. Bearing that in mind, Palmer is not too convinced by the idea of Moyes switching the London Stadium for Celtic Park, believing he has found his place in east London.

Speaking on Moyes and Celtic, the retired England international told FFC:

“Celtic is a massive club, a massive club. But I just say sometimes you’ve got to be careful. David Moyes did a fantastic job at Everton then ended up going to Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson, which was always going to be a tough gig, and then for a while he lost his way. He’s a very, very good manager, but he lost his way.

“He seems to have found his niche at West Ham. I think he’s found his little spot there and they’re doing exceptionally well.”

Moyes’ contract at West Ham expires at the end of the season, which could bode well for Celtic. However, with their former player doing so well with the Hammers this term, you would expect the club’s board to get him tied down to a new deal, meaning Celtic are probably going to have to look elsewhere.

That could come in the form of Roy Keane, who is one of the latest names to be linked with the job in the Celtic Park dugout.

Marcel Brands will rue failing to offload Muhamed Besic to Reading on Deadline Day after they declared their late interest in the Everton midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Madejski Stadium natives eyed a late swoop for Besic after turning attentions to Goodison Park in the final hours of the winter transfer window.

Royals coach Veljko Paunovic is said to be a fan of the 28-year-old, while Besic would have been keen to secure a move to the Championship side.

Reading’s interest emerged with less than four hours remaining of the mid-season market but it led to another failed exit for the Bosnia and Herzegovina international, after a move to Rangers in October failed to materialise.

Besic has played no part in Everton’s 2020/21 campaign after being omitted from Carlo Ancelotti’s 25-man Premier League squad.

And while he spent parts of pre-season training with the Toffees first-team, he has since been working with the Under 23s to maintain his fitness.

The £2m-rated enforcer only has six-months remaining on his £30,000-per-week contract and he is likely to now leave Everton as a free agent at the end of the season.

A missed opportunity

Reading’s interest in Besic will represent a missed opportunity for Everton, and specifically, their Director of Football Brands, who would no doubt have wanted to get the Roberto Martinez signing’s salary off the wage bill.

Everton are currently paying Besic to not play, with the 28-year-old not even turning out for David Unsworth’s junior side, having been omitted from each of the U23s’ Premier League 2 fixtures this term.

The Blues managed to offload Cenk Tosun and Jonjoe Kenny’s wages for the time being with the duo departing on temporary deals with Besiktas and Celtic, respectively, while Yannick Bolasie sealed a loan move to Middlesbrough that will run until his Everton contract expires in the summer.

Despite Reading’s interest coming so late, Brands should have moved heaven and earth to see that Besic moved to the Madejski Stadium.

Yet Besic remains on Merseyside to train, stay fit and look ahead to pastures new, knowing he can now reach pre-contract agreements all the while offering nothing to Ancelotti or Everton, despite picking up £30,000-a-week.

AND in other news, the exit of a £28k-p/w dud is great news for a “gifted” Everton outcast…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United midfielder Steve Howey has been talking about Liverpool’s reported interest in Leeds United winger Raphinha.

The Brazilian joined the Yorkshire side from Stade Rennais during the summer and has impressed in the Premier League so far this season, contributing four goals and four assists in 17 appearances; averaging a solid 7.01 rating.

As a result, it has been reported that the 24-year-old is top of Jurgen Klopp’s scouting list ahead of the summer transfer window, as he looks to bring in more competition for his front three.

The Reds already brought in Diogo Jota from Wolves last summer and he was superb before his injury, but the Merseyside outfit have struggled in his absence and have been extremely reliant on Mohamed Salah for goals in recent fixtures.

Here’s what Howey had to say about Liverpool potentially signing Raphinha when speaking exclusively to FFC:

“Do they really need him? For me, it comes down to the player. Does he want to play week in week out and be a part of something? Or does he want to be a bit-part player at Liverpool? Me, personally? Week in, week out playing football, every day of the week.”

Howey certainly seems to feel that if the £16.2 million-rated Raphinha were to join Liverpool, then he would be on the fringes of the first-team squad, whereas at Leeds, he could continue to be a key player, something which he feels would be better for the Brazilian’s career.

Considering Leeds’ impressive first season back in the Premier League, it is easy to see why Howey feels this way, but if the 24-year-old wants to challenge for major trophies in his career, then perhaps he would be best served moving to Anfield, where he would no doubt be confident in his own ability to challenge the likes of Salah and Sadio Mane for a starting spot in Jurgen Klopp’s side.

And, in other news… Forget Alisson: £26m-rated LFC man endured a nightmare display vs Leicester City

According to Football Insider, Ahmed Musa is having a medical at West Bromwich Albion ahead of a move to the Hawthorns.

Musa having medical

Musa is a free agent, meaning that a deal does not need to be done before the deadline. However, that hasn’t stopped the Baggies making a move on the final day of the window.

This latest report says he is having a medical with the club and is putting the finish touches to a move to the Midlands.

Another attacking option

Sam Allardyce has already captured one striker this window, with Mbaye Diagne joining on loan from Galatasaray (wba.co.uk). Now, though, it appears another forward will be moving to the club. Musa has scored 88 goals throughout his career (Transfermarkt), and has impressed particularly at World Cups, scoring four goals across two tournaments.

Valued at £5.4m (Transfermarkt), Musa did have a failed spell at Leicester City, but he is clearly a player with plenty of talent. If Allardyce can get the most out of the Nigeria international, he could be hugely important in the battle for Premier League survival.

In other news, West Brom failed in a bid for this Turkey international.

Glasgow Rangers sit at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a comfortable lead over their arch rivals Celtic and should now start to think about some long-term investments with an eye on the future…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, long-term Rangers target Juan Alegria isn’t bound for Ibrox – despite a cryptic post on Instagram.

Alegria has been heavily linked with a move to the Govan-based Glaswegian giants, having scored four goals in ten appearances across all competitions this season, via Transfermarkt.

However, contrary to popular belief, it’s claimed the Colombian isn’t on his way to Ibrox but has jetted off on holiday instead.

Alfredo Morelos 2.0

Rangers are the Premiership’s most prolific side, scoring a whopping 57 goals so far – 12 more than any other team – in 22 games this season. But with Greg Stewart seemingly destined for the Ibrox exit, Ross Wilson could do with signing some offensive reinforcements with one eye on the future.

Despite his age, Alegria’s potential arrival would certainly bolster Gerrard’s firepower as he has a penchant for finding the back of the net. He has scored on every appearance in the Kakkonen for the reserve team this season so far.

The 18-year-old has made no secret of his desire to follow in the footsteps of his countryman Alfredo Morelos, who previously plied his trade in Finland after making the switch from his South American homeland.

It’s no wonder, then, that legendary Rangers fullback Alan Hutton has described him as a “big talent” whilst former Celtic and St. Mirren striker Frank McAvennie has hailed him as an “exciting” prospect.

While admittedly very little is known about the uncapped Colombia U17 international, the numbers don’t lie, and he could have a similar impact to Morelos if they can get a deal over the line. Alegria could add a natural goal threat in front of goal and still has room to improve at the age of 18.

Gerrard must convince Wilson to sanction a move for the promising talent as the chance to sign a star in the making who is available for a pre-contract agreement is simply too good an opportunity to miss.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must get Kai Kennedy to sign new deal after Gerrard transfer U-turn…

It’s been a rocky ride for Rayan Ait-Nouri at Wolverhampton Wanderers so far this season.

The summer arrival from Angers SCO has gone from hero-to-zero in the space of just one week – scoring the opener against Crystal Palace before being particularly error-prone against Leicester City this afternoon.

Nuno Santo’s side went into the match on the back of an unbeaten four-game run but that came crashing down against their local rivals, the Foxes.

Max Kilman was adjudged to have handled inside the area for Jamie Vardy’s first spot-kick in the 15th minute, though he missed his second penalty chance nearly 25 minutes later after Ait-Nouri clattered into Justin James.

It wasn’t the only mistake from the young 19-year-old though.

Per SofaScore, he lost possession 15 times, won just three of eight duels (37.5%), made just 50% of his crosses and recorded only one successful dribble from three attempts.

BirminghamLive graded Ait Nouri’s display a paltry 4/10 and said: “We saw the good of Ait-Nouri against Palace last week and today we saw the bad and the ugly. His positioning in the build-up to Leicester’s second penalty was bad, and his attempted recovery challenge on Justin was incredibly ugly.”

TalkingWolves were more scathing in their verdict, calling his error a “braindead decision.”

There were already plenty of questions marks about the youngster going into the match defensively too.

It was something that his manager pointed out despite his attacking contribution against the Eagles, claiming: “The goal was focused on, but this is not what we look at. He has a lot of things to work on. He has to have the knowledge and the main idea of the shape of the team.”

No other Wolves player recorded a lower rating than Ait-Nouri (6.1) and given Marcal’s short but encouraging impact, it’s a swap Nuno may consider after the international break.

The veteran won 75% of his duels, provided an accurate cross and made the same number of tackles as the £18m-rated starter, per SofaScore.

It may have just been an off afternoon, but clearly, the raw teenager has plenty left to learn before he cements his place down in a Europe-chasing Premier League starting XI.

AND in other news, Jeff Shi’s summer decision is his biggest Wolves mistake yet…

Crystal Palace cruised to a comfortable 4-1 win over Leeds United at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Roy Hodgson’s side took the lead when Scott Dann headed a corner from Eberechi Eze into the back of the net, with Eze scoring his first goal for the club in sensational style with a sublime free-kick shortly after Leeds striker Patrick Bamford was denied an equaliser after his effort was ruled out by VAR due to the fact that his outstretched arm was offside.

Bamford pulled one back by finding the bottom corner, but his efforts were ultimately in vain as an own goal from his teammate Helder Costa and a goal from Palace striker Jordan Ayew secured the victory.

Patrick van Aanholt put in an impressive performance, Ayew was magnificent, but Scott Dann sent Hodgson a timely reminder with his defensive masterclass.

Reports in recent times revealed that several Premier League clubs are keen to make a cut-price move for the defender in the winter transfer market.

SofaScore gave Dann a high grade of 7.7 for his efforts (only Eze scored higher) – the centre-back completed 19 out of 21 passes at a pass completion rate of 90%, blocked one shot, made one interception and a staggering eight clearances, whilst he also won four out of five duels overall (80%), took 33 touches of the ball and wasn’t dribbled past once, which suggests that he managed to keep Bamford at bay for most of the game.

Similarly, the 33-year-old received a higher rating of 8/10 from Sky Sports, whilst football.london went one below, claiming he scored “a great header to open the scoring” and “maintained control for much of the game”, although he “lost Bamford for Leeds’ opening goal, however”, which is perhaps a little unfair. 90Min awarded him with the same score, saying he “led the line excellent and scored an outrageous header to give his side the lead as well.”

Palace have often been accused of lacking leadership in the past but Dann showed that he is both comfortable on the ball and confident without possession as he marshalled the defence in the absence of Gary Cahill and James Tomkins.

It’s worth pointing out that Leeds enjoyed a whopping 65% possession of the ball but they couldn’t make their overwhelming majority of possession count where it mattered the most. Once again, the wily veteran has shown that he is more than capable of delivering the goods, having started three wins out of four so far this season. So, Hodgson must keep the £2.5m-rated beast at all costs, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Tyrick Mitchell’s injury is a timely boost for Patrick van Aanholt’s Crystal Palace career…

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Doriva ganhou mais uma opção no setor criativo do Bahia às vésperas do início de 2016. Na noite de quarta-feira, o clube anunciou a contratação do meia Juninho, que defendeu o Macaé durante a disputa da Série B.

O jogador de 29 anos é aguardado na próxima quarta-feira para iniciar a pré-temporada com o restante elenco. De acordo com o clube, suas boas atuações nos duelos contra o Macaé chamaram atenção da diretoria.

Juninho tem passagens por Duque de Caxias, América-MG e Tombense. O meia contribuiu para o acesso da equipe da Baixada Fluminense à Série B, e esteve no elenco da equipe de Tombos ao título da Série D de 2014.

Ao lado de Juninho, já chegaram ao clube outros dois reforços: o atacante Hernane Brocador e o volante Luisinho.

According to emerging reports this week, Celtic are starting to have doubts over the future of their captain Scott Brown.

The 35-year-old has started every single Scottish Premiership game so far this season but has been left exposed at times due to his lack of mobility and pace, perhaps resulting in this reported pursuit of an alternative – or some would say, a successor.

90min claim that Neil Lennon is keen to secure a replacement for the veteran this summer and Crystal Palace regular James McCarthy is top of his shortlist.

This campaign has the potential to be hugely historic as the Bhoys aim for a tenth title in a row, and of course they’d like their long-serving skipper to be part of the journey, but it has been evident that a long and tiresome season may be too much for him.

However, they should forget about splashing the cash to do that and instead, opt to promote someone from within and maybe they already have the perfect heir in waiting.

Celtic signed teenage sensation Luca Connell from Bolton Wanderers last summer for £350k and Neil Lennon is thought to be a huge fan of his, resulting in a fast-track into the first-team setup.

The 19-year-old has already been called up to his national side, where Mick McCarthy labelled him a “breath of fresh air,” so it’s time he’s given an opportunity.

“He’s left-footed and he can certainly find a pass. He hits it with a bit of authority and lets people have the ball. He doesn’t mind putting his foot in either so he’s fitted in pretty well.”

Mick McCarthy on Connell.

Whilst former Wanderers teammate Remi Matthews believes he has a very, very bright future and tipped him for huge success at Parkhead.

“From day one, he has been sensational,” he said before adding: “He took to it like a duck to water and he was a standout straight away. He’s a top player. He is so talented. He’s not flashy in the sense that he won’t go and beat a man, but he has a phenomenal range of passing, and there is no doubt at all in my mind that if he was to go to Celtic, he would be their leading assist provider by the end of the season. That’s how good he is.”

It seems a no-brainer for Lennon to promote Connell into the first-team and have Brown mentor him for the next eight months in the hope that he could take the reins following that tenth title.

AND in other news, Celtic set for huge mistake as transfer target moves elsewhere…

Glasgow Rangers continued their impressive early season form with a 3-0 victory against St. Johnstone on Wednesday.

The Gers came into the game on the back of two victories against Aberdeen and St. Mirren, who they beat 1-0 and 3-0 respectively and, with Celtic’s match against the latter postponed following Boli Bolingoli’s breach of pandemic regulations, the Ibrox outfit knew they could go five points clear of their fierce rivals with a win – goals from Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo and Borna Barisic made sure that was the case.

After the match, Steven Gerrard was asked about the future of both Greg Docherty and Ross McCrorie, and he confirmed that both players could be sold this summer – the former has been given permission to talk to Hull, whilst Hibernian are interested in the latter.

The boss’ comments have attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters, and it is fair to say that they are not happy with Gerrard’s comments. After all, they are both young, and they both have quality – McCrorie has been hailed by Gerrard himself as a potential future captain, whilst Docherty managed five assists in seven games whilst on loan with Hibs during the second half of last term.

The fans have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!