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Celtic will need all of their best players firing on all cylinders to continue their march towards ten in a row this season, and a recent update from Neil Lennon suggests one of his most talented stars is close to returning to the squad.

What’s the word?

Mohamed Elyounoussi enjoyed a scintillating opening to his career at Paradise before an injury setback stunted his progress.

He has since been ruled out of nine SPFL fixtures but recent quotes from Lennon suggest he is edging towards a first team return.

Speaking from Celtic’s training camp in Dubai, Lennon had this to say on the Southampton loanee, per The Herald: “Elyounoussi is out of the boot now and may train at the start of this week.”

The Celtic boss also went on to deliver some promising news on Tom Rogic.“Rogic is doing gym work, core work. He could train next week.” Major boost for Lennon

The return of Elyounoussi, who is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, is undoubtedly a major boost for the Hoops.

Prior to his injury setback in November 2019, the attacking midfielder scored seven goals and provided six assists in just 13 appearances in all competitions.

The pulsating presence in Celtic’s attack added a level of genuine quality that Southampton thought they’d be getting when he signed for the club in 2018.

That he is due to return to training in the imminent future suggests he could well be in contention for Celtic’s next competitive fixture against Kilmarnock on January 22nd, and his creative quality could be exactly what they need to return to winning ways in emphatic style.

If the Norway international can stay fit for the remainder of the season following his return, he could well play a decisive role in the SPFL title race.

In other news, one Celtic player has made a huge prediction about Odsonne Edouard…

Tottenham Hotspur fans have all made the same point after the Deloitte Football Money League claimed that the club are the richest in London.

Spurs’ revenue for the 2018/19 season stands at £459.3m, leaving them eighth among European clubs.

The number comes after they earned £379.4m in 2017/18.

Indeed, Spurs are now ranked higher than Chelsea, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Juventus.

And supporters are baffled as to how they are not spending more than they currently are, aiming their ire at both ENIC and chairman Daniel Levy.

Of course, the supporters are right.

Spurs are behind only Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool when it comes to Premier League clubs and earning revenue.

The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?

Yet there is frustration over the lack of proper squad depth at the club. They do not have a back-up striker, for example, with Harry Kane injured, while Moussa Sissoko’s injury has left a yawning chasm in midfield.

Spurs are closing in on the loan signing of Gedson Fernandes from Benfica and are trying to do a deal for Sporting’s Bruno Fernandes, per sources, but they face competition, ironically, from United.

An 18-month loan deal for Gedson, a player who is just 21 and is unproven at any sort of level, is not going to satiate the hunger of particular supporters for a big-money signing.

This information from Deloitte is only going to increase that frustration.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans have had their say on a potentially huge swap deal involving Christian Eriksen.

When transfers eventually get confirmed, they can be amongst the most exciting moments for a football fan. But the build-up, and all the waiting for it, runs rings around people’s hearts, toying with their emotions. And in the case of Manchester United supporters, their pursuit of Bruno Fernandes has really taken on them a roller-coaster ride.

The Red Devils were said to have held interest in the Portugal international way back in the summer, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline. Now, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are said to be in talks with Sporting CP over taking him to Old Trafford this month.

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And in an update provided by The Telegraph’s Northern Football correspondent, James Ducker, super-agent Jorge Mendes is now involved in the negotiation process and is trying to help broker a deal.

No clues: Can you name the Man Utd result purely based on these images? Give it a go now…

After hearing about the news, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the developing situation, with a couple believing it to be a very positive update.

Some supporters of the Manchester side took aim at the club’s hierarchy for their incompetence and needing some externally to get things done.

A few fans expressed their relief that it is Jorge Mendes who they are supposedly working with, rather than fellow super-agent Mino Raiola.

With the likes of Raiola and Mendes, modern football just seems to be dominated at the top level by these super agents. They list some of the biggest and best talents as their clientele like Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and rather unsurprisingly, play a key role in the players’ futures.

Having a good relationship with them can pay dividends in the long-run, and if United do pull off a deal for Fernandes thanks to Mendes, then they will surely feel better about having to deal with these kinds of people in the future.

Meanwhile, this Manchester United ace’s wholly ineffective display against Norwich delivered a major warning to Ed Woodward.

Sunderland have been heavily linked with Rangers’ Greg Docherty but Sky Sports’ Keith Downie says the move may not happen.

What did he say?

The midfielder was rumoured to be on the verge of joining Sunderland on loan this month having fallen out of favour under Steve Gerrard at the Ibrox, failing to make a single league appearances this campaign.

Phil Parkinson acknowledged the club’s interest in the 23-year-old last week and the deal looked set to go ahead, but for some reason it appears it now may have stalled.

In a tweet Keith Downie wrote:

“Hearing that Sunderland’s loan move for Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty is in doubt.”

From his comments it seems that the move hasn’t yet reached a definitive conclusion either way, and that means supporters can still hold out hope of an agreement being reached between all of the parties involved.

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Big loss if deal collapses

The Black Cats need to strengthen their midfield after letting Dylan McGeouch leave for Aberdeen, as they now have only three senior centre-midfielders on their books and an injury to one of them could put the team in a spot of bother.

Added to that, it has been a bit of a problem position for most of the season with Max Power often facing criticism from fans, while neither he nor George Dobson offering much going forward.

Respectively they each have two and zero goal contributions in the league this season, clearly falling some way short of the standards set by Docherty in his spell in League One last term, when he managed 10 goals and 11 assists.

As a result, it is important that Stewart Donald and Parkinson are able to get this deal across the line, as the Rangers man would likely benefit the side greatly.

Can you remember how much each of these transfer icons cost? Only experts will get 100% on our quiz…

Gerrard admitted that he won’t stand in the way of the player leaving and that may mean that the club just need to meet Rangers’ requirements, which could be solved by Donald providing extra funds.

Adding a player capable of scoring and creating goals would give Sunderland an added element they have lacked throughout the season so far, and that would only enhance their promotion chances.

In other news, Keith Downie has also provided another update that should prick the interest of Sunderland supporters.

West Ham United are showing an interest in signing CSKA Moscow striker Fedor Chalov, as reported by ExWHUemployee on the West Ham Way Podcast 165.

What’s the story?

The Hammers are said to be looking at the Russia international as they search for another option, alongside Sebastien Haller.

This comes with Albian Ajeti failing to make his impact for the club, still waiting for his first West Ham goal and being slammed by Paul Robinson for his “silly” move against Everton when he shoved his head into Mason Holgate.

While it is maintained in the podcast that midfield is the main priority during the winter, the suggestion is that the Hammers will also be looking to strengthen their frontline.

Similar to Haller

It can be suggested that Chalov, who is rated at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, would be an upgrade on Ajeti, as he has six goals and two assists across 24 starts and one substitute appearance in the Russian Premier League and Europa League.

While his goalscoring record is far from terrible, the 21-year-old has not been prolific, as he has only scored in consecutive games once this season. Haller has also done that once, when he got a brace against Watford and followed it up with a goal against Norwich City. In total, he’s found the net only six times.

Considering that Haller has not been especially prolific and Ajeti is still yet to score in a claret and blue shirt, it should be pretty concerning that the Hammers are not targeting someone who has been in and amongst the goals more.

Call yourself a West Ham expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

This lack of a clinical edge can be gathered from the fact that there have been two individual games this season – against Arsenal Tula and Ural – in which he has taken five shots without hitting the back of the net with any of them.

Meanwhile, in his last nine league games, the Russia international has scored just one goal, despite taking a combined total of 24 shots in that time, a return that is anything but efficient.

There are only six teams who have scored fewer Premier League goals than West Ham this season, so when they are looking at striker targets they really need to be considering players who have been scoring with regularity – Chalov has not done that this season.

Meanwhile, one West Ham man in particular was an absolute liability against Leicester City.

As Sheffield Wednesday close in on their new striker, Connor Wickham, Owls boss Garry Monk still retains serious interest in Wigan Athletic attacking midfielder Josh Windass.

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According to Alan Nixon at The Sun, the south Yorkshire side are hopeful of receiving the ‘green light’ from Palace for the 26-year-old frontman whilst they are still lurking around the son of Hull legend Dean Windass.

Earlier today, Football Insider revealed that Wednesday were keen on offering the Latics a swap deal involving Jordan Rhodes, one of their January targets, to help smooth a deal for the former Rangers playmaker.

There has been very little movement in terms of any updates on the deal until now, but even if they are keen on adding him, the Owls face a race against time to get this one over the line with just four hours left before the deadline.

Premier League experts will get full marks: The ultimate quiz on top flight transfer flops…

Windass has played 15 matches in the Championship this season, scoring four goals. He has primarily played in the number ten role but has also been deployed upfront, per Transfermarkt’s recorded matches.

US outlet Bloomberg have provided the latest on Stewart Donald’s attempts to sell Sunderland.

They claim the current owner is looking for £40m to move the club on, something he’s hoping to do by the end of February.

Discussions have been had with two parties but it’s not certain whether an actual agreement will be reached.

Donald claimed at the start of the year that he had no other option but to sell following a significant period of fan unrest that saw him slated quite regularly by the supporters at the Stadium of Light.

However, despite looking to actively move the club on to new hands, the fanbase are failing to let up in their relentless hatred of the businessman.

Taking to Twitter to react to the claims, one individual thought the owner was being deluded, while another was seemingly fed up with the news, suggesting they be told when Donald finally departs the north-east.

There was further negativity from numerous other supporters on social media who seemed to know just how bad Donald was.

The club noted in January that they’d be providing no further update on proceedings until they’d found a preferred bidder, but it’s unclear as to whether either of the parties Sunderland have held discussions with are willing to actually pay the £40m they’re searching for.

As a result, one fan suggested Donald and co have absolutely no clue while other supporters weren’t too hopeful an agreement would be reached.

But there were some positive sentiments from two individuals on Twitter who were intent on seeing the good side to the report – something that appeared to be lacking.

One chose to take on board the credibility of the source, hoping and praying that any new owner would be capable of doing more than Donald has since he walked through the doors at the Stadium of Light.

Who is that?! Nobody has been able to name the teams all of these obscure managers were once in charge of…

It would be hard for anyone to do worse given what he’s failed to achieve. After entering the club in May 2018, Sunderland weren’t able to break out of League One and are still some way off finding themselves back in the Premier League.

At the time of writing, they sit in seventh place in the third tier, two points off Portsmouth in the playoffs.

Whether an agreement can be reached remains to be seen but there are certainly reasons to be more positive at the moment. Before defeat against Pompey, the Black Cats had gone nine matches unbeaten.

Check out more details of Donald’s plans to sell Sunderland here…

So Jordan Hugill’s terrible form in front of goal in recent months continues.

After enjoying an impressive start to the season that saw him score seven goals in QPR’s opening 13 games in the Championship, the 27-year-old has really hit a brick wall in terms of finding the back of the net.

His latest blank against Huddersfield on Saturday afternoon means he has now scored just the once in his last 13 league games, and his performance against the Terriers certainly left a lot to be desired too.

As per Sofascore, his 6.2 match rating was the joint-second worst of any player on the pitch, and when you look at his underlying numbers, it is easy to see why. He missed one big chance, had just 19 touches, made only eight accurate passes and committed three fouls.

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After seeing his display, QPR fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the striker.

Some QPR fans meanwhile questioned why Warburton didn’t either take Hugill off, or bring on Aramide Oteh earlier.

Another couple of supporters insisted that Hugill gives the team nothing, with one fan in particular slamming him for committing fouls.

How the tides have changed for the Hoops.

After bagging six in a demolition job over Cardiff on New Year’s Day, Mark Warburton’s side have managed just one win in the Championship, losing four.

Are you a Championship expert? How much did each of these big-money signings cost?

If they are to avoid a dramatic slide into the relegation places, then they will need Hugill to step up and end this worrying goal-scoring form in immediate fashion.

QPR desperately need him to get his mojo back, or else things could get a lot worse.

A multitude of complicated footballing and psychological reasons can be used to explain Rangers’ slump since the return from the winter break, but there is no doubt that Steven Gerrard’s squad lacks the required depth needed to challenge the status quo in Scotland.

On the chalkboard

Rangers’ title aspirations were dealt a potentially terminal blow on Wednesday night as Kilmarnock staged a late show to record a 2-1 victory at Rugby Park.

In the absence of Borna Barisic, who was sidelined through injury on the night, Andy Halliday was trusted to deputise at left-back.

Despite being a holding midfielder by trade, he naturally offers more balance than the right-footed Jon Flanagan in the left-back position and it was no surprise to see him included in the starting XI.

The Scotsman may have provided the assist for Scott Arfield’s opener, but his defensive frailties were exposed when Stephen O’Donnell was allowed to stab home the equaliser unopposed at the back post.

Distinct lack of depth

Halliday is a functional option at best for Gerrard but the gulf in class between him and Barisic is alarming.

He is far from the standard Rangers need to go all the way in the SPFL, and the fact he is, on current form at least, the most obvious replacement for Barisic underlines the lack of strength in depth which is ultimately holding the title chasing outfit back.

Neil Lennon, by comparison, has Boli Bolingoli and Greg Taylor to choose from at left-back – two options who are levels above Halliday and the incredibly inconsistent Flanagan.

At right-back Gerrard faces a similar problem in the shape of Matt Polster, who is considerably inferior to James Tavernier and struggling to make any sort of impact at Ibrox despite some fleeting glimpses of promise in recent weeks.

Beyond the starting XI there is a lack of quality alternatives at Gerrard’s disposal from back to front, and Halliday, who is valued at £450k by Transfermarkt, is a prime example of that season-defining problem for the club.

A lot has been made of Garry Monk freezing Keiren Westwood and Sam Hutchinson out at Sheffield Wednesday.

The goalkeeper has shared his side of the story, and his message on Twitter made it seem as though he’s accepted that he isn’t going to be playing for the Owls again.

It’s sad to see a man who has previously won the club’s Player of the Year award treated like this, but you can justify it.

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Westwood is 35 years old and he’s not getting any younger, and on top of that there were calls for him to be dropped before Monk left him out.

However, it’s tough to rationalise why Hutchinson has been frozen out, and a look at the stats makes it even more baffling.

The stats make it clear that Hutchinson is up there with the best in the squad.

Now, we’re not saying that he’s the best player at the club who plays in the defence, because he ranks below both Tom Lees and Julian Borner in terms of WhoScored average rating, but he’s the most effective outfielder when it comes to keeping the ball out of the net.

He makes the joint-most tackles and the joint-most interceptions in the team, while also making very few mistakes. He averages the third-highest pass completion rate in the squad, while only two Wednesday players have fewer unsuccessful touches per game.

Hutchinson’s stats show that he would be a great asset to Monk’s side, so why has he chosen to purposefully alienate him?

We don’t know what’s gone on behind the scenes or in the dressing room, but in purely footballing terms it makes no sense for the manager to be leaving Hutchinson out.

In other news, Sheffield Wednesday fans should be encouraged by one expert’s update.