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Celtic’s chances of reaching the final of the Scottish Cup have taken a blow with Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys being dealt another injury setback.

Giorgos Giakoumakis limped off during their 7-0 win last weekend but they have now been rocked by further issues.

What’s the word?

David Turnbull has only just returned from a lengthy injury layoff but he’s now picked up yet another gutting blow.

Postecoglou confirmed the news this week as quotes from the Daily Record cited his absence.

The boss said: “David Turnbull, he obviously got a pretty hard knock.

“It’s only a couple of days after so we’ll see how it all settles down. I’m hoping it’s not too lengthy an absence.”

Ange will be gutted

Long absence or not, this will come as a major blow to Celtic and it will surely leave Postecoglou rather gutted as a result.

Turnbull was missing with a hamstring problem from before Christmas until the beginning of March and had made three substitute appearances in their last three outings.

However, just as he was beginning to build his fitness and form – registering an assist versus St Johnstone – he is now back on the treatment table.

The Hoops coped well without him, moving six points clear at the top of the Premiership, but this is someone who can change a game and against Rangers, that will be absolutely crucial.

So far this season, the Scot has nine goals and eight assists in all competitions, building upon a debut campaign in 2020/21 where he scored ten times and assisted eight strikes.

Furthermore, no player in the entire Celtic squad has been more creative than him per game, with the attacking midfielder registering 3.6 key passes, 0.9 more than the next best in January signing Matt O’Riley.

Whether or not he would have started this weekend is a different matter entirely but if they can’t call on his services in such a big game, it will be a crushing blow to Postecoglou’s ambitions of reaching a second final this term.

AND in other news, Ange is starting to unearth Celtic’s new Stuart Armstrong in “silky” £405k-rated gem…

With Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side heading into Friday night’s Championship fixture boasting an unbeaten record in the league, coming off the back of a momentum-building 4-0 win at Cardiff in midweek, the Frenchman would have undoubtedly been expecting more of the same in the Baggies’ trip to Stoke City.

However, a 79th minute Nick Powell goal, coupled with a particularly abject performance by Albion, saw the club’s undefeated league run come to an abrupt end at the bet365 Stadium, with Michael O’Neill’s impressive Stoke side taking all three points in a 1-0 win.

As is perhaps to be expected in a game during which West Brom managed to hit the target with just two shots, a number of Ismael’s attacking options failed to impress, with Karlan Grant, Callum Robinson, Matt Phillips and Grady Diangana all earning a SofaScore match rating of 6.5 or lower.

However, it will perhaps be Jordan Hugill who is most disappointed with his personal display against Stoke.

Two passes completed

Despite having failed to find the net over his first six Championship appearances since joining West Brom from Norwich City on a season-long loan deal back in August, Ismael opted to once again start the 29-year-old at centre-forward against the Potters.

However, over the course of his 55 minutes on the pitch, the £1.8m-rated man turned in a truly woeful performance, managing no shots at the Stoke goal – either on or off target – making no key passes and ceding possession of the ball on 12 separate occasions.

The player who Daniel Farke dubbed a “leader” also completed just two of his nine attempted passes, lost 11 of his 14 duels – a failure rate of 79% – made no tackles or interceptions and committed three fouls against the Potters.

These returns saw the £36k-per-week forward receive a rather disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.3, with only Conor Townsend earning a lower score of the West Brom players to have started the match.

As such, while it is true that both Grant and Robinson – the two players to start either side of Hugill – also failed to impress in the 1-0 loss, it was probably the Norwich loanee’s performance which let Ismael down the most, as the 29-year-old offered little to nothing during his 55 minutes on the pitch.

In other news: Sources reveal West Brom development on “committed” £28k-p/w ace, Ismael surely gutted

Southampton made a late bid for Middlesbrough’s Djed Spence on Transfer Deadline Day, according to The Northern Echo.

The Lowdown: Southampton’s busy summer

The Saints ended up having a very busy summer during the summer window, bringing in several young players with potential to develop at St. Mary’s.

They made no less than six signings (Transfermarkt), and it seems they were looking to add more down to the wire on Tuesday.

The Latest: Saints make Spence bid

As per this latest report, the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit made a late bid to snatch Spence from Boro.

They weren’t the only side looking to capture the right-back, though. Leicester and Nottingham Forest were also said to have tried their luck, but nothing materialised.

The Verdict: Needed?

So far at the Riverside Stadium, Spence has made 70 appearances, scoring two goals (Transfermarkt). Quite clearly, he is highly talented if there was such a push for his services on the final day of the window – he was also called “exceptional” by former boss Jonathan Woodgate (gazettelive.co.uk).

However, it is worth questioning whether he is player the Saints really needed.

During this transfer window, the Saints captured Valentino Livramento from Chelsea, and Ralph Hasenhuttl already has Kyle Walker-Peters in the same position.

Not only that, Yan Valery’s rumoured move to Olympiacos didn’t go through (Football Insider). As a result, they have three players in that position – do they really need another? The club’s failure to capture £1.8m-valued Spence (Transfermarkt) may well be a blessing in disguise.

In other news, Southampton fans were livid with this man’s new contract.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith must start Emiliano Martinez for today’s Premier League game against Everton at Villa Park.

What’s the story?

Along with Emi Buendia, the goalkeeper was involved in the mess which accompanied Argentina’s clash against Brazil a couple of weeks ago, when health officials ran onto the pitch in protest.

The duo have since spent the last ten days in Croatia in order to train, and Smith has now confirmed that while they will return to Villa Park on Saturday morning, a late call will be made on whether they will be involved against the Toffees in the 5:30pm kick-off.

The manager said: “We are expecting them to join us tomorrow (Saturday) morning and I’ll assess it then and decide if they’ll be involved or not.

“We have got their numbers of what they have been doing each day. That gets sent straight to the performance department and passed onto the coaches. They are in a good place physically which is what we need to know. I’ll assess that in the morning and wait until tomorrow.”

He’s a game-changer

The Argentine netminder has been outstanding for Villa since joining from Arsenal back in the summer of 2020, keeping the third most clean sheets in the Premier League last season with 15.

Described as a “phenomenon” and someone who “guarantees ten points per season” by Argentine World Cup winner Daniel Bertoni, Martinez has been nothing short of outstanding for the Midlands club, so much so that he’s become a permanent part of his country’s squad at international level.

While Jed Steer hardly made a mistake in the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea last week, there is a reason why Martinez has been established as Villa’s number one goalkeeper.

While Smith will understandably have concerns over starting someone like Buendia given that he’s an outfield player and will be short of match fitness, as a goalkeeper Martinez should have no real worries at all.

The £31.5m-rated star simply has to start today against Everton, and could well be a game-changer for Villa as they hope to get back to winning ways.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered an exciting claim about this Aston Villa starlet…

It makes “no sense” for Leeds United to entertain potential offers for star man Raphinha in the January transfer window, according to Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Raphinha stars for Leeds

The Brazilian’s reputation is being enhanced all the time, having shone for the Whites since joining last year, registering nine goals and nine assists since coming to England.

Not only that, but Raphinha has made a flying start to life in a Brazil shirt, setting up two goals on his debut and then bagging a brace against Uruguay.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Hay makes key claim

Unsurprisingly, the winger has been linked with a move elsewhere, with the biggest Premier League clubs circling and a January departure even mooted.

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic before Leeds’ 1-0 defeat at Southampton on Saturday, though, Hay claimed that he can’t see that happening. He wrote:

“Re: Raphinha – I see no sense at all in Leeds entertaining bids in January. It’s not like his value is going to diminish and you’re unsettling your squad at a key point of the season.

“Add to that the fact that the most elite clubs don’t tend to do big deals in January. If they’re doing a Grealish or a Kane for example, those offers tend to come in the summer window because there’s more time to negotiate and value for money tends to be slightly better.”

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The Verdict: Makes no sense

Leeds may have to accept that Raphinha will move on eventually – next summer is arguably looking increasingly likely given his recent form – but a January exit could be hugely damaging.

The Whites are 17th in the Premier League table after their latest setback and they will need the Brazil international for the duration of the campaign. Losing him midway through the season could increase the chances of them getting into a relegation fight, which would be a disastrous scenario after only ending their 16-year top-flight exile in 2020.

In other news, one expert has tipped Leeds to reap a huge financial gain. Read more here.

Many West Ham United fans are delighted with the news that the Irons have verbally agreed a fee with Chelsea for the signing of Kurt Zouma.

The transfer window is fast approaching its end after several months, and the Hammers remain one of the quietest clubs in the Premier League in terms of new arrivals. In fact, they have so far been unable to bring in a new outfield player, with only goalkeeper Alphonse Areola making the move to the London Stadium (Transfermarkt).

However, there may be some positive news on the horizon for the Irons. According to David Ornstein, West Ham have verbally agreed a fee of £25.7m for Zouma. At the moment, there are issues in regards to the £28.8m-valued France international ‘s wage demands (Transfermarkt), with the 26-year-old reportedly said to be looking for £125,000 per week.

It seems that many West Ham fans are delighted by news of the agreement, and these supporters took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the prospective arrival of the Premier League and Champions League winner at the London Stadium.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Zouma news

“I’d love him at West Ham. Think there’s too many harsh critics out there. Fingers crossed we get it over the line!”

Credit: @MattWaite5

“Hope so, be a good signing for us”

Credit: @Titcomb27

“Get the deal done, crying out for someone to partner Ogbonna, we pay Yarmo 120k a week, why can’t we pay Zouma 125k”

Credit: @joecronin1999

“Sign Zouma”

Credit: @FCarruthers

“Please sign Zouma. Please sign Zouma. Please sign Zouma””

Credit: @Ginger_nols

“Pay it, whilst your at it give rice double that”

Credit: @sammhadgraft

In other news, West Ham are also interested in this Brazil international.

Aston Villa could launch a January move for Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu, according to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans.

The Lowdown: Romeu profiled

Romeu, labelled as ‘hard working’ by Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, emphasised by his desire to win the ball back by averaging the most tackles (2.4) per game out of his teammates in the Premier League so far this season, turned 30 back in September and is under contract at St Mary’s for a further 18 months.

The Spaniard has been a Southampton player since 2015 and has made 230 appearances for the club – 18 of which have come during the current campaign.

He’s primarily a defensive midfielder who can also occupy a central role and holds a Transfermarkt valuation of £5.4m.

The Latest: Villa keen?

Evans shared a transfer mailbag on The Athletic on Wednesday, answering questions from supporters ahead of the January window.

When asked what size the budget will be for Steven Gerrard in 2022, Evans said that Villa will be flexible. He then added that sporting director Johan Lange will present a number of midfield options to Gerrard following Marvelous Nakamba’s injury, one of which could be Romeu after the club tracked him over the summer.

The Verdict: Smart move?

For the right price, Romeu could well be a shrewd addition at Villa Park. He has bundles of Premier League experience and knows the defensive midfield role like the back of his hand.

Villa’s only available defensive midfielder is Douglas Luiz with Nakamaba now sidelined, and the Brazilian has been linked with a move away himself.

So, should Luiz depart over the next six months, more than one holding midfielder may be required in the Midlands, so signing Romeu for a relatively low fee from a Premier League rival could be a solid starting point.

He’d be able to help youngsters Jacob Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka in front of him, and you’d expect the Spaniard still has plenty to offer despite turning 30 earlier this year.

In other news: ‘Expected this’ – Many Villa fans react as Gerrard now wants ‘baller’ in January. 

Liverpool have been dealt a last-minute blow with Roberto Firmino a doubt for the title-deciding crunch clash against Manchester City.

What’s the news?

The Brazilian forward was not seen at Liverpool’s training ground on Friday ahead of today’s game which will be a worry for them, but Jurgen Klopp is still hoping he will have a fully fit squad available to him.

In his press conference the same day, the German manager said: “it looks like everyone’s available again”, with the other doubt being Fabinho who suffered a cut following a clash of heads in their Champions League game against Benfica midweek.

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Firmino vital to Liverpool

Bobby Firmino as he’s called has been a vital part to Liverpool’s success under Klopp, and although players such as Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz have shown they can fulfil that role, he would be a huge miss ahead of their biggest game of the season.

He has been involved in eight goals in 17 Premier League appearances for the Reds this term and has more combined goals and assists per 90 minutes compared to Jota at 0.82 to 0.73.

It’s not just a push for the title that the club need to maintain, but they are also still in the FA Cup and Champions League. A fit Firmino will be vital to any success Liverpool have this season.

Opponents City also boast an incredibly strong squad going into the fixture with Ruben Dias the only big miss for them.

With Firmino they could perhaps exploit this defensive weakness and he could link up with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané for a ruthless front three.

Another advantage to having Firmino over the other options available is the big game experience that he has. The forward has appeared in two Champions League finals for the Reds and played a key part in their last title-winning campaign.

His experience is extremely valuable and he has been described as “elite” by former Premier League striker Ian Wright.

Just a point separates the two sides and whoever claims victory will be in pole position to lift the famous trophy in May. It promises to be a game to remember, and the potential absence of Firmino could leave City with a huge advantage.

IN other news: Liverpool now plot bid for £101m machine, he could be better than Thiago – opinion…

Newcastle confirmed Steve Bruce’s successor as they officially unveiled Eddie Howe as the club’s new manager earlier this week.

The 43-year-old has taken over with immediate effect and will be in the dugout when the Magpies face Brentford in the Premier League on the other side of the international break.

He inherits a side 19th in the division and without a win in 11 games and could face a difficult settling in period as Newcastle attempt to close the gap between themselves and the rest of the teams outside of the relegation zone.

Wilson 2.0

One thing Howe could do to turn things around is place an emphasis on young players before he has the chance to make his own signings in the January window. The Magpies have some talented youngsters in their academy and he could potentially find Callum Wilson 2.0 in striker Dylan Stephenson.

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Not only has Wilson been a terrific player for Newcastle in the past 18 months, but he was also a key figure for Howe on the south coast over a number of years. He played 187 matches for the head coach for the Cherries, scoring 67 goals and providing 31 assists in all competitions. The centre-forward then signed for the Toon Army in 2020 and has since scored 16 goals in 30 starts in the top-flight.

In Stephenson, Howe could find Wilson 2.0 as he has shown excellent promise in the academy side this calendar year. Back in April of this year, Magpies youth coach Neil Winskill claimed that the youngster is ‘always top of the charts’ for physical data. He told the club’s official website:

“I’m thrilled for Dylan because he is such an honest, hard-working lad. He’s the type of player any team would like to have in their XI, who’s going to really put a shift in for you.

“Every game and training session, the physical stats come through and he’s always top of the charts but we had a chat during the week about the need for him to be consistent with his quality, and he spoke to me about how he thinks people will judge him on goals.”

This suggests that the 18-year-old gem has the physical capabilities to make the step up to senior level. Winskell’s comments indicate that he would not struggle with the intensity of the Premier League and the running demands that would be placed on him in Howe’s team, which is a promising sign for his chances of making the grade.

In terms of his football ability, he has caught the eye recently. He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.77 in the EFL Trophy, scoring once and providing one assist in three games for the Magpies against first-team Football League outfits.

In the Premier League 2, he has scored seven goals in 10 matches for the U23 side. This shows that he already has the maturity and ability to score regularly at youth level, which is why, along with his physical attributes, he could have the potential to come into the first team and make an impact. It is now down to Howe to unleash him and craft him into Wilson 2.0.

AND in other news, “Still planning”: Fabrizio Romano drops key transfer update that’ll delight NUFC fans…

Glasgow Rangers return to action at Ibrox tonight as they look to make their way through to the last four of the Europa League.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s side are 1-0 down on aggregate heading into this evening’s fixture and will be hoping to turn things around to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition.

They head into the game off the back of a 4-0 win in the Premiership on Sunday, with Kemar Roofe’s hat-trick and Joe Aribo’s wonder strike securing all three points.

However, they will have to make at least one change to their starting XI from that match. Swedish international Filip Helander has been ruled out for the rest of the season and would be ineligible to face Braga irrespective of his fitness because he was left out of the Europa League squad.

This means that a spot has opened up at centre-back alongside Connor Goldson ahead of the clash with Braga…

Forget Balogun

Nigerian international Leon Balogun started in the first leg in Portugal but Van Bronckhorst must leave him on the bench this time out. Instead of going with the experienced battler, he must start Calvin Bassey at centre-back tonight.

In the 1-0 defeat to Braga, the 33-year-old ex-Wigan man made a direct error leading to the opposition’s only goal of the game. His failed clearance allowed Abel Ruiz to smash the ball past Allan McGregor and Bassey must now move across to centre-back, with Borna Barisic keeping his place at left-back from the weekend.

Bassey has been in fine fettle in Europe this season, averaging a SofaScore rating of 6.92 across 10 appearances in the competition. The defender has settled into a prominent role in the first-team and has coped with the step up to playing European football.

He was previously dubbed “phenomenal” by Leicester City coach Steve Beaglehole and Van Bronckhorst also claimed earlier this season that he is “full of energy” at the back, with his form living up to the praise.

In the Premiership, he has averaged a score of 6.97 over 26 starts. He has won 62% of his duels in the division and helped Rangers to keep 13 clean sheets in that time, as he has proven that he can perform to a high level on a consistent basis in the Scottish top-flight.

The 22-year-old tank has shown that he can be a reliable option for Van Bronckhorst over the course of the season, domestically and in Europe, and he must now be called upon for this gigantic clash at Ibrox tonight.

AND in other news, From £4.5m to £25m: Wilson had huge Rangers howler over “remarkable” 12-goal gem…