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Celtic’s search for a new manager has taken on an exciting lease of life over the last week or so with the Bhoys really stepping up their hunt to replace Neil Lennon.

A number of managers have been touted with taking over but there is one name that’s now seemingly at the top of their list.

What’s the word?

Journalist Alan Nixon reported earlier this week that Eddie Howe was a serious candidate to become Celtic’s new manager.

That information has now also been reported by The Scottish Sun. They claim that Howe is indeed in the frame to take over, but they have also revealed the 43-year-old’s stance on heading to Parkhead.

They state that the former Bournemouth boss is seriously interested in succeeding Lennon in Glasgow.

Howe has even started his own due-diligence on the behind-the-scenes structure of the club and has sounded out contacts within the game who have close ties to Celtic.

Having sought advice from those connections, he is ready to return to management and become the new Bhoys manager.

Fantastic news for Celtic

Over the last week or so the Hoops hierarchy haven’t particularly had an easy time of it when trying to find Lennon’s replacement.

Jesse Marsch has been ruled out of the running to come to Scotland while Chris Wilder is facing pay-off issues and interest from Burnley.

As for Roy Keane, he now looks less likely to arrive after seemingly being the favourite a week ago.

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However, they have received a few boosts in the last few days with Lucien Favre and now Howe reportedly interested in becoming the next Celtic boss.

If those two names are at the forefront of Dermot Desmond’s thinking then fans should be completely delighted. Celtic podcaster Paul John Dykes revealed last week that Keane’s potential arrival had gone down like a led balloon among the supporters.

However, Favre and Howe have achieved a lot more and they’ve also not had ten years away from management.

Favre had a win rate of 61.82% before losing his job with Borussia Dortmund in December while Howe’s achievements make for impressive reading.

In two separate spells, he took Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League, cementing themselves in England’s top-flight.

He is meticulous on the training ground and is known for developing and using young domestic talent; something that would undoubtedly benefit the Hoops.

Should Desmond bring him to Parkhead, he’d be a brilliant appointment, one who could breathe fresh life into a decrepit think tank.

AND in other news, Celtic could land Kenny upgrade in 32 y/o who’s “up there as a captain with Maldini”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who scored 45 goals for Newcastle United, believes the only reason Brighton will have a psychological edge over the Magpies on Saturday is because they won their last game, and thinks it’ll be two completely different teams facing off at the Amex.

Lee believes Newcastle will be feeling like they won their last game, however, because of the nature in which Jamaal Lascelles’ equaliser came about in the final seconds.

Brighton have become one of the best sides to watch under Graham Potter as they play attractive and attacking football, and Lee believes it will be two polar opposite ways of playing on Saturday evening.

Speaking on what the two teams’ last result will mean for Saturday and his expectations for the crunch game, Lee told FFC exclusively:

“I think the only reason they’ve got a psychological edge is because they won their last game and you always look back at your last result, but we didn’t lose our last game. So, we can look back at our last game like we won because of the late goal.

“I think it’s two teams that play different football. They probably play one of the best styles of football in the league but it’s two teams that have the same problem, they can’t score goals.

“They’ll play good football, and you know that they’ll try and play through you but, they have the same problem as us and that is they can’t score goals.”

Brighton put three past Newcastle in the reverse fixture, which is the most goals the Seagulls have scored in a single Premier League game this season.

Newcastle could find themselves in the bottom three before they kick-off on Saturday evening if Fulham beat Leeds tonight.

Despite a raft of stars absent with injury, Liverpool triumphed after extra time at Wembley courtesy of a towering header from the Dutchman

Virgil van Dijk's extra time header secured Liverpool their first trophy of the season in their bid to win the quadruple as they beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Carabao Cup final.

In a game where Van Dijk and Raheem Sterling had goals ruled out for offside in either half, the Dutch defender would not be denied a second time as he guided a header into the corner just before the game went to penalties.

After beating the Blues on spot-kicks in 2022 at this same stage, Jurgen Klopp's youthful side heaped more misery on Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea on Sunday.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Wembley…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Caoimhin Kelleher (8/10):

  Superbly denied Cole Palmer from point-blank range, was so quick to smother Conor Gallagher's late effort, and put in an impressive all-round display between the sticks.

  Conor Bradley (7/10):

  Looked lively from the get-go in attack and outshone opposite number Ben Chilwell. Even when he was booked in the first half, the Liverpool fans sung his name in appreciation of his performance.

  Ibrahima Konate (8/10):

  Had a couple of good tussles with Raheem Sterling but seemed to more often than not win that battle. Showed great pace to hold up Nicolas Jackson when through on goal and pulled off some great last-ditch challenges.

  Virgil van Dijk (9/10):

  Looked imperious in Liverpool's backline at times and the totemic figure thought he had scored a superb header only for it to be ruled out for offside in the build-up. The Dutch rock would not be denied, however, and scored the winner at the death to cap off an imperious performance.

  Andrew Robertson (7/10):

  Swung in some dangerous crosses in the first half, the best of which found the head of Cody Gakpo, whose header hit the post, and then for Van Dijk's disallowed goal. Had some trouble with Palmer at times, though.

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  Midfield

  Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):

  Marshalled the midfield well, showed plenty of energy, got stuck in, and wasn't afraid to try his luck at goal from range. Tired a bit towards the end of his outing.

  Wataru Endo (7/10):

  Was like a pitbull terrier in the early exchanges and pressed Chelsea's players into mistakes. Was, perhaps, unfortunate to be offside moments before Van Dijk looked to have given Liverpool the lead.

  Ryan Gravenberch (4/10):

  Looked a little off the pace in the game's opening stages but before he could make an impact he went off injured following a late challenge by Moises Caicedo.

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  Attack

  Luis Diaz (7/10):

  Seemed to be the biggest threat in Liverpool's more makeshift front three as his pace and trickery caused Chelsea's defence a few issues.

  Cody Gakpo (6/10):

  Went oh so close to breaking the deadlock but his header cannoned off the post. Was a bit rash with some of his finishing and needed to lead from the front more as one of the more senior players.

  Harvey Elliott (6/10):

  Showed some neat touches and interplay and while he perhaps didn't provide enough substance in attack in normal time, grew as extra-time wore on.

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  Subs & Manager

  Joe Gomez (6/10):

  Was caught out a couple of times in defence when he replaced the injured Gravenberch.

  Bobby Clark (7/10):

  Came on for the marauding Bradley in the second half and looked bright when given a chance to shine.

  Konstantinos Tsimikas (7/10):

  Slotted in nicely for Robertson when called upon and also produced some teasing deliveries into the box. Got the assist for the winner at the death.

  Jayden Danns (8/10):

  The youngster looked to run at Chelsea's defence from the moment he came on and directed a well-placed header at goal, that was well saved by keeper Djordje Petrovic. Nearly won it in extra-time, too.

  James McConnell (7/10):

  Settled into the game nicely when he was introduced.

  Jurgen Klopp (9/10):

  Was hamstrung by a raft of injuries and a youthful, inexperienced bench but was brave to trust his young charges in such a big game. He was more proactive than his managerial counterpart Pochettino. In his last season as manager, the German will now try and win the Premier League, Europa League, and FA Cup, too.

Former Sheffield United midfielder Keith Gillespie has exclusively told Football FanCast that the Blades’ “poor” campaign could see them struggle to cash-in on some of their players this summer.

Since losing heavily at Chelsea back in November, United have been rooted to the bottom of the Premier League for the entire campaign, and are likely to have their relegation back to the Championship confirmed in the coming weeks.

Sheffield United finished 8th in their first season back in the top-flight in what proved a well-oiled machine under Chris Wilder, but they’ve struggled at both ends of the pitch this term.

The Blades have scored the fewest amount in the division – with only Southampton and West Brom shipping more than their 52 in the Premier League.

Following the recent departure of Wilder, it promises to be a summer of change at Bramall Lane, especially with a host of players out of contract this summer, including one of last season’s major success stories in John Lundstram, and Gillespie believes their lacklustre campaign could affect their transfer plans.

He told Football FanCast: “In terms of the performances this season, because Sheffield United haven’t won games and have been poor this season, clubs are going to go ‘there’s nobody really I want to pick from Sheffield United’ that’s going to improve their side. Last season [John Lundstram] he was fantastic, popped up with a lot of goals, but this season has been more difficult.

“I know he’s out of contract, but he’s been a very good signing for him and somebody that definitely they would want to hold on to to help them get back to the Premier League. But if somebody comes knocking from the Premier League, he isn’t turning that down. 

“You want to be playing as much Premier League football as possible, because it is a short career, so you can understand players making that decision.”

With no permanent manager and some of their best players possibly eyeing moves away from Bramall Lane, by the time Sheffield United get their Championship campaign underway in early-August, they could have very different look about them.

Many Manchester United fans were left to slam the display of Fred in their 0-0 away draw at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men really struggled to break the South London club down at all and in the end had to settle for a point, which meant that they lost further ground on their local rivals Manchester City in the title race and will now surely be looking more over their shoulders than in front of them.

Fred’s performance in particular flattered to deceive several members of the Old Trafford faithful, as the central midfield player lost out on no fewer than eight of his duels in the game, while also failing to record a single clearance and losing possession of the ball eight times, earning him a quite measly 6.6 overall rating on Sofascore, the second-lowest out of any of his teammates to have started the match.

Manchester United fan reaction to Fred display

These Red Devils slammed his performance on Twitter, with one MUFC supporter saying that the Brazil international was ‘poor’ while another claimed he is ‘one of the worst players’ in the team:

“Fred is one of the worst players in the @ManUtd team. He cannot pass or shoot. To think we had midfielders like Scholes, Carrick and Keane and now we rely on Fred and Matic. I would rather we lose a game 1-0 but have ten shots on goal. This park the bus tactic is sickening #MUFC”

Credit: @mojodurbs

“You could see Rashford especially get frustrated playing in front of Fred and Matic because they offered absolutely nothing to the forward players. Zero service all night. Way too safe. Which is their job. It’s the attributes they have. They just shouldn’t be #mufc starting CMs.”

Credit: @Kyles_Page

“Fred was awful and not for the first time but why wait 75 minutes when it was clear from the first half? We do the same things and expect different results. Einstein’s definition of insanity is proving true #mufc”

Credit: @thereddevilway

“One of the worst collective performances I can remember in the Bruno era. Marcus, Fred & Bruno particularly off it. Henderson and Bailly probably the only players who were up to the standards tonight #MUFC #CRYMUN”

Credit: @BenrubiLiam

“United are dropping more points then leaking tap l have say there was no creative in United team apart from Bruno. Needs some help. Fred was poor again but no one mentions it he’s not good enough #mufc”

Credit: @mahadnur93

“I AM SICK OF #FRED… THAT’S A BRAZILIAN WHO CANNOT PASS OR SHOOT #MUFC need to move these players”

Credit: @SebastienRault5

In other news, find out whose display against Palace was also slammed here!

USMNT Olympics hopeful Taylor Booth suffered an injury setback last week, and he's now revealed his timeline to return to the pitch.

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• Booth sidelined with injury for Utrecht
• Had five goals in February prior to setback
• Midfielder reveals timeline for return

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In a 1-0 victory over FC Twente on Sunday, the USMNT midfielder exited the pitch just 22 minutes into the contest, hobbling off with the support of medical staff. However, it appears that he has avoided a serious long-term injury with his latest social media update.

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• WHAT BOOTH SAID

  The 22-year-old midfielder informed his followers that he will 'hopefully' return to the pitch in a 'few weeks', which will be a relief to his club and country.

  Instagram/tb.23

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The U-23 USMNT have a big test in March against Thierry Henry's U-23 France side, who are set to field some of the hottest up-and-coming prospects in Europe – like Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola. However, the young USMNT group have a few impressive prospects of their own, with rumors circling that PSV's Ricardo Pepi could be sent to the U-23s given the form of Josh Sargent and current starter Folarin Balogun.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BOOTH AND THE U-23 USMNT?

  The Utrecht midfielder will be sidelined for the next few weeks as a result of the injury, and is likely to miss the next U-23 camp. Boss Marko Mitrovic will be bringing in his crew mid-March, which could be a stretch for Booth, who will be aiming to be fit for the camp regardless.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou revealed how he would have dealt with Richarlison's 'keepy-up' incident against Nottingham Forest last season.

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• Richarlison showboated against Forest last season
• Was brought down by Johnson with a rough tackle
• Postecoglou gave his verdict on the incident

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Richarlison drew ire from the Forest faithful for attempted showboating with keepie-uppies at the City Ground during Tottenham's fourth Premier League game of the previous season. Brennan Johnson, who was then a Forest player before the Lilly-whites signed him on deadline day in the summer in a £47.5million deal, was furious with the Brazilian and went in with a rash challenge to dispossess the forward.

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• WHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID

  Addressing the incident, Postecoglou backed Johnson for his robust response, suggesting that Richarlison had crossed the line with his showboating. Speaking to reporters, he said: "I reckon even if you did what Richy did as a kid, someone would give you a whack! That’s just part of football. Everyone knows there’s a line.

  “It’s all good. We don’t want to take all the fun out of the game. Every player knows there’s a line and if you cross that line, somebody will bring you back into line pretty quickly. Brennan did that with Richy.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Richarlison is one of the aces for Postecoglou who fired on all cylinders, scoring a brace against Newcastle United, in the previous matchday. The manager would urge him to keep producing the goods as Spurs are desperate to bring back their title ambitions on track after a wasteful November.

  "I hope there’s a lot more to come, hopefully that’s the platform we’ve given him," he said.

  "Look, it’s always the challenges for footballers. He came here, he’d had a fantastic impact in the Premier League with Everton, he came here and whenever significant money is invested, the expectations rise, you are going to a club where you are competing for honours and all those sort of things are the challenges you have to overcome when you come to a big club.

  "That coupled with the physical setbacks he’d had, with a striker there’s usually just one thing people measure you by which is goals and all those kind of factors, but that’s up to him now. Like I said, we're trying to give him that platform now and he showed last week that he can be a real threat at this level both with and without the ball. He won’t be starved of opportunities here and it’s up to him to take those and take his football to the kind of level that we believe he can."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  As Tottenham face Forest again, the reception for Richarlison and Johnson from the home fans will be interesting to watch. More so, if both the players get on the scoresheet on a winning cause for the London side.

This season can essentially be classed as a write-off for Wolves. They won’t achieve European football and they’re looking unlikely to secure a top-half finish too.

With that in mind, Jeff Shi better start preparing for next term.

What’s the word?

Wolves are one of a number of sides vying for the signature of Bayer Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba this summer.

That’s according to the Express, who began their report this week by stating Manchester United have placed him under their microscope after scouting him.

They suggest that Leicester and Wolves have also scouted the defender on numerous occasions but in recent days, he’s been urged to join Barcelona.

It’s thought that Liverpool also have an interest in Tapsoba, a young defender who could cost a considerable amount. Sport suggests his value is at around €40m (£34.2m), while he currently earns £37k-per-week.

Perfect for Nuno

One of the Old Gold’s biggest problems this season has been their transition between a three-man and four-man backline.

The inconsistency in rhythm it’s caused has plagued the squad and as a result, they’ve struggled this term. Their clean sheet against Leicester last month, for instance, was just their second in the league since October.

Therefore, the addition of a player like Tapsoba could be the missing piece of the jigsaw. Not only is he adept in a back four but he’s also been very capable of playing in a back three. Crucially, he usually plays as the left centre-back, the clear weakness in the Wolves defence with Willy Boly and Conor Coady on the right and in the middle.

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Blessed with enormous levels of strength and pace, his ability to recover and batter opponents aside is truly eye-catching. A quick look at the statistics tells you all you need to know.

So far this term, the 22-year-old has won an impressive 2.1 aerial duels per game and produced 1.9 tackles per match. For context, no centre-back at Wolves has won more in the tackle department than Tapsoba has.

He’s a player that’s earned rave reviews and thus, it would be a big surprise if Wolves could lure him away from the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona to Molineux instead.

Germany legend and Leverkusen managing director Rudi Voller once said: “His really big potential makes Edmond Tapsoba a very interesting proposition as a player.”

Their sporting director, Simon Rolfes, added: “Edmond Tapsoba was a regular first choice at Guimaraes at the age of 20 and, in addition to his defensive ability, he’s also dangerous in front of goal.”

Because of his pace, he is able to recover incredibly quickly. Last season, the young centre-back made 13.05 recoveries per 90 minutes. For context, the highest in the Bundesliga was 16.21.

He also made 5.03 counter-pressing recoveries per 90 minutes, something that demonstrates his ability to fit into even the most demanding and intense teams.

The Burkina Faso international is clearly blessed with a lot of talent. Wolves must do as much as they can to secure his signature. He’d surely fit seamlessly into their defence.

AND in other news, Wolves could find another Neto by swooping for “unpredictable” £101k-p/w Mendes client…

Despite just being relegated immediately back down to the Championship and finishing 13 points from safety, the West Brom job will still be an attractive one for many people, according to former Wigan Athletic manager Paul Jewell.

The Baggies are on the hunt for their third manager in less than 12 months having already parted ways with Slaven Bilic last December after earning a 1-1 draw away to Manchester City, and it was reported last week that Sam Allardyce would not be remaining as the club’s manager in the Championship.

Reports have suggested that West Brom will target Chris Wilder this summer but may face an uphill battle as the former Blades manager is reportedly willing to hold out for a Premier League job either this summer or into next season.

It is still a massive club that will attract a lot of managers despite now being in the Championship and set to potentially sell their star players, Matheus Pereira and Sam Johnstone. That’s according to Jewell, who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“It will be a well sought after job and I know Chris Wilder has been mentioned, because he did a great job, getting Sheffield United up through the leagues as well as in the first season in the Premier League. So I’m sure his name will pop up.

“It will be a job that a lot of people are interested in because, I worked there very briefly and it’s a huge football club with great supporters, great fan base and good facilities. So it’s got all the infrastructure to be a Premier League club so it will attract a lot of suitors.”

Allardyce was brought in as West Brom manager back in December as they looked to address any relegation fears early on and give the former England manager a transfer window to improve the squad but for the first time in his career, Allardyce saw his side relegated from the Premier League.

West Brom’s Achilles’ heel this season was their defensive frailties having conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season having leaked an amazing 76 goals in just 38 games.

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Eight years ago an incident at Ibrox went into Celtic folklore.

When Scott Brown guided a brilliant 20 yard drive around Allan McGregor and inside the post he did more than just equalise in a pulsating Scottish Cup tie – ‘The Broony’ was born.

El Hadji Diouf had been as irritating on the park as he had been in the media beforehand, so when Brown’s shot hit the back of the net there was one person that he wanted to share the moment with – the on-loan Blackburn Rovers midfielder.

Thus, a legend was born.

The Broony has been a stable part of the Celtic supporter experience since that day with it’s originator more than happy to join in, especially on the rare occasions that he finds the back of the net.

That Scottish Cup tie was won in a dramatic replay at Celtic Park, the Hoops going on to claim the trophy with a win over Motherwell at Hampden Park. It was the first trophy for Neil Lennon as manager, and it certainly wasn’t the last.

The title was lost on the final day of the season but since 2012 the SPL/SPFL trophy has been a fixture in the Celtic board room.

Last week Brown signed a two-year contract extension. If title number eight is clinched there’s no doubt that ‘The Broony’ will be at the centre of the celebrations.