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When Jeremie Frimpong unexpectedly left Celtic for German shores back in January, it left the Hoops in the lurch.

The Bhoys suddenly needed to fill a vacant hole at full-back and they didn’t have much time in order to do it.

The player that Peter Lawwell and Celtic’s recruitment team decided upon was Jonjoe Kenny.

On paper, this was an adequate piece of business from the top brass at Parkhead. They’d found a temporary resolution to their problem at barely any cost.

The Toffees defender arrived on loan and after being nominated for Rookie of the Year when playing for Schalke in the Bundesliga, it looked like he’d do well.

Unfortunately, like Celtic’s season, it has been a period to forget. Kenny is eye-catching going forward but truth be told, his defending leaves plenty to be desired.

The £15k-per-week earner has endured a dismal few months at Paradise and with his stay in Glasgow coming to an end, John Kennedy must focus on other options, players who may actually be here next season.

After all, if Celtic decide to bring Kenny back next term, it would be a questionable decision.

When the big games have fallen upon the Hoops, Kenny has never been one to stand up and take responsibility.

In all three Old Firm derbies now, he’s been particularly inconsistent. In February, the defender’s lapse back pass led to a corner from which Alfredo Morelos scored.

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There are no prizes for guessing the man who was supposed to be marking the bullish Colombian from that set-piece; Kenny.

His worst performance in a Celtic shirt arguably followed in the Scottish Cup fourth round.

He and Diego Laxalt had what Paul John Dykes described on A Celtic State of Mind during the half time interval as a “nightmare.”

The Everton youngster struggled with Ryan Kent and was at fault for both goals. He failed to get close enough to Steven Davis for the opener and then accidentally diverted the ball into his own net for the second after failing to track the run of Kent.

Unfortunately, he was poor again the last time Celtic took to the field.

The 24-year-old didn’t provide much support to James Forrest down the right-hand side and was given a rough afternoon defensively.

Kenny lost possession 21 times and only completed 72% of his passes as his side slipped to a devastating 4-1 defeat at Ibrox.

Scott Brown may have been at fault for Morelos’ fierce strike in the first half, but Kenny never looked comfortable during his time on the pitch. His afternoon was made worse by the fact he committed two fouls and was dribbled past on three occasions.

It doesn’t feel as though Kenny has been at the races for a while now. Like Celtic’s season, his performances have only continued to dwindle.

The interim manager needs to factor in other options when the Bhoys face St Johnstone on Wednesday evening.

AND in other news, McKay must wield the axe on 5ft9 Celtic dud, Sutton dubbed him the “new Ryan Christie”…

Since Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris took over from Tony Xia for ownership of Aston Villa back in 2018, they have not been particularly shy when it comes to spending money on bringing new players to the club.

Now that Steven Gerrard has taken charge after Dean Smith left in November, there have been reports suggesting that the former Rangers boss has his ideas of how to make his mark on the Villa squad in terms of potential incomings, and that he will be given the financial backing from the club’s owners to make it happen.

In terms of what future transfers Gerrard could make to transform this current Villa side to potentially fulfil the owners’ ambitions of securing European football on a regular basis, one man who could be seen as a big investment and possibly their new version Gareth Barry is Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

In a recent Villa transfer report from The Athletic, it was claimed that Phillips – who has been described as a “destroyer” on the pitch by former England manager Steve McClaren – “is a player Villa strongly admire but the difficulty of getting him out of Leeds if they remain a Premier League club makes it a non-starter for now.”

Labelled a “powerful” player by former Leeds manager Neil Redfearn, the 25-year-old was comfortably one of their best players in the Premier League last season. WhoScored gave him an overall rating of 7.01/10 for his performances, showing that he took to playing in the top flight like a duck to water after the Yorkshire club’s 16-year absence from that level.

Regarding the idea of Phillips being Villa’s potential new version of Barry, the former Villa midfielder was described in The Guardian as “a technically gifted player with an eye for a pass and an ability to anticipate danger”.

That isn’t too dissimilar to the praise that former Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo gave Phillips by saying that he was a “rock” in midfield for England during their Euro 2020 campaign, whilst also showing his technical passing ability by setting up Raheem Sterling’s winning goal against Croatia in the tournament.

In terms of a potential move to Villa Park in the future, if Leeds do end up being relegated this season, Villa should definitely explore the possibility of signing the £36m-rated midfielder in the summer, even though his current contract isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2024.

In other news – Imagine him & Konsa: Gerrard could solve big Villa issue with £7.2m-rated “monster”

With 17 games played in the Championship so far this season, West Brom have scored 27 goals along the way. That’s 17 fewer than Fulham, who are currently one place and six points above the Baggies in the league table.

Taking this into account, and with that the January transfer window is quickly approaching, it seems as though Albion could do with adding an extra attacking option to their squad to help bolster their squad strength up front.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by the Daily Mail that West Brom are one of the Championship clubs – alongside Swansea City, Bournemouth and Stoke City – who are interested in making a move to sign Derby County winger Tom Lawrence, who the Rams are reportedly willing to jettison on a free transfer in January.

Since joining Derby back in the 2017 summer transfer window from Leicester City, Lawrence – who is currently earning a weekly wage of £27k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has gone on to make 161 appearances for the Rams across all competitions, scoring 28 goals and providing 23 assists along the way.

So far this season, the 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £3.6m by Transfermarkt, has played in all but two of Derby’s league games, scoring two goals and providing three assists in the process and showing just how important he is to Wayne Rooney’s side.

As well as his goals and assists, Lawrence’s performances have earned him an overall season rating of 6.89/10, making him Derby’s third-highest rated player according to WhoScored. That would undoubtedly make the Welshman, who has been described as an “intelligent” player by his former manager Phillip Cocu, a big miss for the Rams if he leaves in January.

Lawrence has vast experience of playing in the Championship and has proved himself to be a useful and versatile attacking figure for Derby by playing as a centre-forward and attacking midfielder at times this season, as well on the left wing. Therefore, this could be a great move for Lai Guochuan to explore as a potential free transfer to help push his club towards promotion by the end of the campaign.

Also, with Derby recently being hit with a further nine-point deduction, leaving them bottom of the table on -3 points, it’s safe to say that they are very much in danger of being relegated by the end of the season. That would make a January exit for Lawrence all the likelier if he wants to have a chance of playing in the Premier League next term instead of League One.

In other news: West Brom confirm exciting development which is sure to leave Baggies fans buzzing

Former Wolves loanee Vitinha has been linked with a return to Molineux, with a scout thought to have watched him in action for FC Porto recently.

The Lowdown: Vitinha impresses on loan

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Wolves, making 22 appearances overall and catching the eye with his mature performances.

Vitinha returned to Porto when his loan expired and he has made four Primeira Liga starts so far this term.

The Latest: Linked with return

According to Record [via Sport Witness], Wolves sent a scout to watch Porto’s 3-1 win away to Tondela, with officials from the likes of Valencia, Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad, Tenerife, Extremadura also thought to be present.

It is mentioned that Wolves could potentially be considering a permanent deal for Vitinha in either the January transfer window or next summer.

The Verdict: Shrewd potential business

This is positive news from a Wolves perspective, with Vitinha a player who would represent a long-term addition and someone who becomes more formidable as each year passes.

He may not have been perfect on loan at Molineux, but for a player of his age, he showed what he is capable of and why the club are seemingly watching him closely again. His 90.3% passing accuracy was the best of any Wolves starter in the 2020/21 Premier League and is far above the team’s 81.4% for the current campaign, so he could improve them significantly in this regard.

Some Porto fans have hailed his performances this season – one called him ‘better than prime Iniesta’ – which speaks volumes about the strides he is making. Also, with the 21-year-old already having a taste of Molineux, the readjustment to the Midlands should be fairly comfortable for him, particularly with another Portuguese manager at the helm in Bruno Lage.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly keen on a move for a hugely exciting young player. Read more here.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the shock news that Trent Alexander-Arnold has been dropped by England manager Gareth Southgate.

The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the Reds’ most exciting young players in years, becoming a key part of the Jurgen Klopp revolution at Anfield.

Having spent many years in Liverpool’s academy, Alexander-Arnold gradually emerged with Klopp at the helm and is now widely considered one of Europe’s best right-backs.

He is the youngest player in history to start back-to-back Champions League finals, further highlighting the incredible strides he has made.

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Alexander-Arnold has also become a fixture for England in recent years, winning 12 caps along the way and also scoring once for good measure.

Southgate has axed him from his Three Lions squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, however, with Kyle Walker and Kieran Tripper preferred at right-back.

The England boss claims Alexander-Arnold’s form has not been up to scratch this season, but his omission certainly feels harsh – the likes of Trippier, Walker and even Eric Dier haven’t exactly been setting the world alight.

From a Liverpool perspective, it is no bad thing, allowing the boyhood Reds supporter to recharge his batteries, but it will undoubtedly be a personal blow.

Liverpool fans react to Trent’s omission

These Liverpool supporters have been providing their thoughts on the matter on Twitter.

“Walker and Trippier haven’t been better than Trent this season. Ridiculous decision from Southgate, he’s out of his depth.”

Credit: @Declancarr96

“Good news for Liverpool but England is the only footballing nation in the world who wouldn’t recognise Trent as England’s first choice right back. If he was Spanish, Italian, French etc…”

Credit: @Irvine_1980

“Gutted for him but delighted at the same time. Just shows how out his depth Southgate really is”

Credit: @Macros0611

“Great news for us, but Southgate really is clueless. Dropping Trent despite his form being good recently but recalling Lingard for a few decent games after 2 years of rubbish and retaining Dier who is bang average”

Credit: @kat_lfc13

“My impression is that Trent is unorthodox good and lesser coaches like Southgate don’t know how to fit him in. Comfortably England’s best RB, but you won’t hear any Liverpool fan whine about his exclusion”

Credit: @NotoriousJOS

“Tells you all you need to know about Southgate. A hopeless manager at club level. A bog standard player. No Alf Ramsey”

Credit: @gedstamper

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been calling for the Reds to sign one specific player this summer. Read about him here.

Reports by Il Napoli Online over the weekend claimed Carlo Ancelotti has a strong interest in signing Alex Meret this summer, yet the SSC Napoli goalkeeper will not solve his Robin Olsen problem at Everton.

Ancelotti had expected to hold talks with AS Roma over turning Olsen’s loan permanent at the end of the season, but those plans may now be on hold.

The Daily Mail have claimed that Olsen wishes to leave Goodison Park once his temporary deal expires after a break-in at his home allegedly saw burglars threaten his family as they stole jewellery and a watch.

Olsen’s wife and children were traumatised by the ordeal and had considered returning to Sweden, before Everton found them alternative accommodation while upgraded security is installed at their Greater Manchester home.

Ancelotti had shared earlier in the month that he still believed Olsen wished to remain on Merseyside beyond his initial season-long loan despite the break-in, although that may no longer be the case.

“No, I think he’s happy to stay,” the Italian said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “In this moment he has to talk with his family and manage that, but I think he is happy to stay. He wants to stay, and we want him for the next season.”

But Ancelotti may be lining up a potential replacement for the 31-year-old in Meret, who is thought to be considering his future at Napoli and may request a transfer in the summer.

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Meret has only opened 12 of the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium natives’ 27 Serie A fixtures this season, in which he’s kept four clean sheets, conceded 17 goals and proving unable to permanently dislodge David Ospina between the sticks.

It was reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football-Italia, last March that Meret had rejected a new contract with Napoli as he wanted assurances he would be the club’s first choice, and remains on the same £36,000-per-week deal that runs until 2023.

But Ancelotti looking to test Meret’s commitment to Napoli and the Italian outfit’s plans for the 24-year-old will be unlikely to see the Everton boss solve the problem that Olsen leaving would cause.

Ancelotti lauds Olsen for the impact that his presence at Goodison Park has had on Jordan Pickford, believing the England international has taken his game to another level due to the competition that the Roma loanee offers.

“I think he is doing well because I rotated him,” Ancelotti said of Pickford’s performances against Liverpool, Southampton and West Bromwich Albion. “I took him out from a little bit of pressure. He is doing well now.

“Robin Olsen is injured but when he comes back, he can play some games to keep Jordan fresh and be like he is in this moment now.”

Olsen is not yet 100% fit but returned to training from an oblique abdominal muscle injury at the end of last week, and may soon continue showing why he is a better long-term rival for Pickford than Meret would be.

Over their respective performances in the Serie A and Premier League this season, Meret boasts a worse post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed of the trio at negative 1.1 to Pickford’s minus-0.8 and Olsen’s minus-0.3, per FBref. Showing that he concedes more often from shots where the goalkeeper is considered more likely to make a save.

The £18m-rated Italian also claims a worse pass completion percentage than Olsen at 44.9% to the Sweden internationals’ 49.3%, despite only 17.9% of his passes travelling 40 or more yards while Olsen launches 51.4% of his kicks and Pickford 54.1%.

So, if Olsen is to leave, Ancelotti would be better served to keep looking for the Roma loanee’s replacement than sign a downgrade in Meret.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £17m ace dubbed the next Erling Haaland…

Everton completed the ultimate smash and grab by winning a point from their game at Goodison Park park last night against Leicester City, with another point tallied up in their battle for safety from relegation this season.

Frank Lampard will be delighted that his team have managed to build a four-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone with just seven games left to go and the belief in the dressing room will hopefully push the team on to put in a performance in the Merseyside derby this weekend.

Despite only having 36% possession, fewer shots on goal and no big chances created throughout the game, the hosts refused to let the game pass them by to ultimately take a point away from the difficult game against the Foxes yesterday evening.

Leicester opened the scoring early when Harvey Barnes found the back of the net in the fifth minute of the first half, and from that moment it looked like it was going to be a tale of ill-fate for the Toffees, a situation we’ve seen the side find themselves in numerous times this season.

However, Lampard’s side remained resilient and held off the visitors from taking their further chances over the rest of the game, and Richarlison took the opportunity to find a last-minute winner scoring to undo Leicester’s work in the 92nd minute, sealing a point in the process.

One player who will go under the radar for his huge influence in the centre of the pitch with a performance that kept Everton in with a chance was Fabian Delph, someone who is currently enjoining a renaissance period at Goodison Park.

According to SofaScore, the 32-year-old midfielder won 100% of his five aerial and ground duels combined, made five blocks, two interceptions, one key pass and two tackles.

Furthermore, he only lost possession nine times in his 53 touches of the ball in an all-round impressive display that made him the real hero in the team.

The Toffees boss will surely be absolutely delighted that Delph has come back into the team to make such an influential impact on the side following a long-term injury.

The former Manchester City star also played a huge part in the victory over Manchester United, and Lampard will surely be hoping that his inclusion in the team will continue to inspire further positive results.

AND in other news: EFC plotting £25m bid for “dangerous” £152k-p/w ace, it could be bye-bye Richarlison

Marcel Brands could be risking another Everton disaster amid reports CSKA Moscow have enquired over the Cenk Tosun’s situation in the final week of the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, CSKA have approached Everton chiefs to sound out Tosun’s availability to join the Russian giants on a short-term loan deal.

The Toffees are aware of greater interest in the 29-year-old from clubs across Europe but are yet to receive any other formal offers, as they strive to offload a striker who has been deemed surplus to requirements for the past two years.

Marco Silva slapped a £20m asking price on Tosun in the winter 2019 market and while he joined Crystal Palace on loan with an option to buy for that sum last year, returned to Goodison Park where he has been stuck behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin in Carlo Ancelotti’s pecking order.

Tosun is eager to secure regular game time to solidify his place in Turkey’s national squad for this summer’s postponed European Championship, having so far only played 43 minutes in the Premier League this season.

The £6.5m-rated flop, signed by Sam Allardyce for £27m, is further yet to start a top-flight game and was omitted from the matchday squad that beat Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup over the weekend.

West Brom had been linked with interest in Tosun following Allardyce’s appointment, but would appear to be one of the sides yet to make a formal approach as the February 1st deadline continues to near.

Should Everton accept CSKA’s offer?

Everton need to reach a decision on how the January transfer window will end for Tosun soon, as the Blues cannot afford to fall into the same trap with the Turkey international as they backed themselves into with Yannick Bolasie.

Reports have suggested Everton may even opt to retain Tosun and let him spend the next six months on the bench to provide cover for Calvert-Lewin, after seeing Joshua King price himself out of a move from AFC Bournemouth by demanding a £120,000-per-week contract.

Brands securing Tosun a loan exit this month without an obligation for the side to purchase the 29-year-old at the end of the season would also be a naïve decision by Everton, having already seen the striker depart on a temporary deal in the hope that it would be his end destination only for injury to force the £60,000-per-week dud back to Merseyside.

Tosun again returning to Goodison Park after failing to set the world alight after a few months away would only risk the Toffees’ chances of recouping a significant proportion of the fee paid to Besiktas in 2018, as he will then be in the final year of his contract.

It is the exact situation that Everton have found themselves in with Bolasie, who is now inside the final six months of his contract after Sporting CP turned down their €4.5m (£4m) option to buy the DR Congo winger last summer after an underwhelming season in Portugal.

Since then, a move to Middlesbrough fell through and Neil Warnock has confirmed the Championship side are looking at alternative options, to leave Everton desperate to offload Bolasie’s wages before he departs as a free agent.

The more Everton either price Tosun out of a permanent move or send him out on loan without an obligation to buy, the more likely it is that he becomes a Bolasie 2.0. Something majority owner Farhad Moshiri will no doubt want to see his side avoid.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit expects Everton to sell a £180k-p/w duo before Monday’s deadline…

According to a report by Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy are now on the verge of selling defender Serge Aurier, with his return to Paris-Saint Germain ‘almost done’.

The Lowdown: Aurier linked with Spurs exit

After a brilliant start to the 2020/21 season under former manager Jose Mourinho, with a particular highlight being his performance during the 6-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford, the 28-year-old is now one of the candidates to be sold this summer.

Indeed, as Tottenham need to adopt a sell-to-buy policy for transfer dealings, Aurier has become one of the Lilywhites players heavily linked with an exit. The Ivorian has seen his form dip since the turn of the year and, most recently, Ligue 1 giants PSG have been eyeing a move for him according to reports (Foot Mercato).

The Latest: Exit now ‘almost done’

Aurier is now at the centre of a major exit claim, with Football Insider bringing a development on his future.

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They believe that Tottenham and Levy have accepted a bid from PSG for the 28-year-old and a return to the French capital is ‘almost done’ nearly four years after Spurs snapped him up from the Parc des Princes.

Rather than let him go for nothing at the end of next season, with his contract expiring in 2022, Spurs wish to offload Aurier this summer and have duly accepted PSG’s offer. Indeed, it appears that he is now on the verge of leaving north London.

The Verdict: Correct call by Levy

Despite earning praise for his form earlier this season, Aurier has arguably dipped since the turn of the year and has often failed to eradicate the rash tackling and lack of composure from his game.

Many Spurs supporters have been critical of the 66-cap international for a while now, and some of them could be pleased with this development as they hope for a rebuild at N17.

Tottenham want to sign a ‘leader’ at the back this summer (Alasdair Gold), as well as a new striker according to Sky Sports, but they will first need to bolster the transfer kitty by offloading surplus-to-requirements players.

Aurier arguably falls into this category, and while Football Insider don’t mention the alleged fee accepted, many supporters must be hoping it is substantial enough to warrant his departure.

In other news: Spurs favourites to appoint this ‘perfectionist’ manager, find out more here.

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers are planning to make a bid for Lewis Ferguson after he handed in a transfer request at Aberdeen.

The Lowdown: Ferguson hands in transfer request

Ferguson, who currently plays for the Dons, handed in a transfer request to leave the club (BBC).

Aberdeen have since released a statement in regards to the situation, saying they have received an “insulting” offer for the 21-year-old’s services from a Premier League outfit (afc.co.uk).

The Latest: Gers interest

Following this update, the Gers are said to be interested in making a move for the £2.7m-valued U21 Scotland international (Transfermarkt).

Rangers are confident Ferguson is “desperate” to make the move to Ibrox if a deal can be agreed, Ibrox sources have told Football Insider.

The Verdict: Top talent

Ferguson has enjoyed his most lucrative season to date from a personal perspective. He has scored 10 goals in all competitions for Aberdeen to take his overall career tally to 21, while he also chipped in with five assists (Transfermarkt). It seems only natural that he will move on to bigger and better things.

Given he is the nephew of former Gers player Barry Ferguson and the son of Derek Ferguson, there will be some who are confident Lewis will choose Ibrox as his next step. However, the midfielder’s agent has said it is his dream to play in the Premier League (The Daily Mail via The Scottish Sun), something which Rangers likely can’t compete with. It therefore remains to be seen whether he can be convinced to move to the 55-time Scottish champions.

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this article.