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Celtic may reignite their interest in Liverpool centre-back Ben Davies this summer.

That’s the views of pundit Paul Robinson, with the former goalkeeper believing that a possible deal will come down to the identity of Neil Lennon’s successor as Hoops manager.

Celtic’s Ben Davies saga

Celtic were first linked with Davies back in August 2020, but they waited until the New Year before lodging a bid to tie up a pre-contract for the 25-year-old.

It looked as if they got their wish regarding Davies, with Sky Sports claiming that a summer deal had been agreed. However, just 24 hours later, the centre-back penned terms with Liverpool.

Davies is yet to feature for his new club, though, and talking exclusively to Football Insider, Robinson tipped the Hoops to go back in for the former Preston man, saying:.

“It seemed like a strange addition at the time. To get to the last day of the window… I think they were shopping in places they did not want to shop.”

“If you look at Liverpool’s squad, when all of the centre-halves are fit or even Henderson and Fabinho are fit, he will not play or even get in the squad.”

“Celtic may re-visit it in the summer but it will be very dependent on who comes in there.”

Transfer Tavern take

Liverpool have seven natural centre-back options in their squad, so when the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez return from injury, we feel as if Davies won’t get a look-in at all.

Based on that, we agree with Robinson in believing the Hoops could go back in for the £2.7m-rated ace. He’ll surely want to be playing regularly, and you’d imagine he’ll know all about the Hoops after almost penning terms at Parkhead.

In other news: 47-year-old makes contact with Celtic board to give his thoughts on vacant manager’s role, find out more here. 

Numerous fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter in which the Hammers shared an image of Declan Rice in action for England with the caption of “classy” and two hand-clap emojis.

So far this season, Rice has highly impressed over his 29 Premier League appearances for David Moyes’ side, with the defensive midfielder scoring one goal and providing one assist, as well as making an average of two interceptions, 1.9 tackles and 1.2 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.09. That ranks him as the Hammers’ fourth-best performer in the top flight.

The 22-year-old has also impressed while on international duty with England, most recently during the 2-0 win over Albania in World Cup qualifying on Sunday, a game in which Rice made five interceptions, two tackles and three clearances, earning a SofaScore match rating of 7.8.

After West Ham shared an image of Rice in action for England on Twitter, many fans of the Hammers flocked to have their say on the matter, with plenty heaping a considerable amount of praise on the midfielder. One Irons fan even dubbed the 22-year-old a “Rolls Royce of a footballer”.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to the image of Declan Rice?

“England’s best player plays for West Ham. What a world.”

@AndrewKane221

“My captain.”

@notorious1324

“Always is and always will be.”

@bazza123whu

“England’s best DM, no debate.”

@mattw00druf

“Rolls Royce of a footballer.”

@joehalford1990

“We are so lucky man.”

@_ghzst

“I don’t want him to leave West Ham but if I’m Man City, I’m getting him in as a long term replacement for Fernandinho. He is outstanding. Such a class act.”

@Jayoconnor8

In other news: This West Ham summer target dropped a big hint on his future – find out more here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 280 Premier League appearances during his career, admits he is not bothered who is the next Sheffield United manager after Chris Wilder’s exit.

As a player, Chris Wilder made 105 appearances for the Blades, before guiding them from League One to ninth in the Premier League as a manager in just three years.

The Blades’ top scorer this season, David McGoldrick, has revealed they only found out about Wilder’s departure via social media, such was the chaos at Sheffield United during those 48 hours of uncertainty.

Wilder had been manager at Bramall Lane since 2016 when he replaced Nigel Adkins, however he only managed to get one point from his first four games, but still ended up on 100 points and as League One champions.

Speaking on his displeasure towards Sheffield United after they parted ways with one of their best managers ever, Lee told FFC:

“If I’m being totally honest, I don’t care about Sheffield United, honestly I don’t. I think Chris Wilder was the best man for the job and they’ve sacked him.

“I think they absolutely got it wrong. I think he would have brought them straight back up, he understands the club and the players loved him.

“I half hope they get their next appointment wrong because I think it’s just a bad decision to get rid of him. What he’s done for that club as a player and a manager, he took that club from the bottom of League One to the Premier League in three years.”

Chris Wilder has been linked with the vacant Celtic job in recent days as they look to regain the Scottish Premiership title from rivals Rangers next season.

The 53-year old was a Sheffield United fan as well as manager and the club may find it difficult to replace him.

Queens Park Rangers return to Championship action following the international break as they welcome Coventry City to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium later this afternoon.

Mark Warburton has thrown the gauntlet down onto his squad to book a top-ten finish heading into the final nine games of the 2020/21 season.

Last time out, the Hoops were pegged back by Reading as both teams took a share of the spoils.

The 58-year-old has plenty to consider heading into the Good Friday encounter, so here’s our predicted XI as well as the latest team and injury news from west London…

There could be as many as four changes from the 1-1 draw at Reading.

In the build-up to the match, Warburton revealed that he had no fresh injury concerns, telling the club;s official website: “There are no new injuries that I’m aware of. Obviously, that could change when the boys return from international duty today [Thursday], but I’m not aware of anything new.”

Two of those returning players, Seny Dieng and Lyndon Dykes, started last time out and should remain in the lineup.

Warburton should stick with a 3-5-2 system, although we may well see skipper Geoff Cameron start alongside Jordy de Wijs and Rob Dickie. It means Yoann Barbet makes way.

There may even be a return for Todd Kane at right wing-back, having been dropped for Osman Kakay. The versatile 23-year-old drops to the bench, with Lee Wallace continuing on the left.

In midfield, we’re expecting Dom Ball to replace Sam Field in the third change from QPR’s last outing, whilst Ilias Chair is axed in favour of Chris Willock, who had a more positive impact at the Madejski Stadium.

The 23-year-old dynamo, valued at £3.6m, was graded as the Rs’ worst player (5.9) as per WhoScored ratings.

Finally, Dykes is likely to start alongside Charlie Austin in attack once again. He scored in that draw and will want to remain in form heading into the final matches of the campaign.

Former Leicester City star Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that Jonny Evans has been so good at the Foxes, he has been worth the same £80m fee as Harry Maguire.

The pair played together at the King Power Stadium, making 17 appearances together in the heart of the Leicester defence in 2018/19.

Gillespie played with Evans for Northern Ireland 12 times, and he believes that his countryman has carved out a place for himself as the best defender at Leicester.

So good was he alongside Maguire, he believes that it would have been easy to confuse the pair in terms of their transfer valuations.

Maguire moved to Manchester United for an £80m fee in 2019, a world-record price for a defender.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Gillespie said: “They obviously played together at Leicester and you can sort of look at it when they were at Leicester and go, ‘well, which one of these is the 80 million pound player?’

“Jonny is that good.”

He also believes that while Leicester have a number of excellent defenders, name-checking both Wesley Fofana and Caglar Soyuncu, Evans remains the first defender on Brendan Rodgers’ team-sheet.

Leicester are currently third in the Premier League table, and are a shoo-in to qualify for the Champions League, as they sit seven points clear of fifth-placed West Ham United.

He added: “He’s an important, integral part of that Leicester side.

“Those centre-halves, Fofana, the young French lad, Brendan Rodgers is obviously a big fan of his, Soyuncu has done really well but I think, out of them, Jonny’s the first centre-half on the teamsheet. He’s been very consistent over the years with his performances.”

Rangers have been linked with a move for Dijon centre-back Senou Coulibaly recently and if he were to join Steven Gerrard’s side at Ibrox this summer, he could be the ideal man to replace Filip Helander.

According to French news outlet Foot Mercato, via Get Football News France, both Rangers and Huddersfield Town are keen on signing the 26-year-old defender this summer.

The Frenchman has made 17 appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season, contributing two goals and averaging a disappointing 6.52 rating.

However, he is featuring in a side currently rock bottom of the French top-flight and looking nailed on for relegation, so you would expect that his performances would improve in a side such as Rangers, who will be challenging for the title next season.

The 6 foot 3 centre-back would face plenty of competition if he were to make the move to Ibrox, considering Gerrard has the likes of Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun, Nikola Katic, George Edmundson and Jack Simpson already at his disposal.

However, he could prove to be a direct replacement for Helander, with the Swedish international having been linked with a move to both Leicester City and Aston Villa in recent weeks.

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The former Bologna man has played a key part in Rangers’ title success this season but he may have his head turned by Premier League interest, which would, in turn, leave a gap in Gerrard’s squad.

Coulibaly is younger and significantly quicker than Helander, so could prove to be a solid replacement for the 27-year-old, whilst given that he is currently valued at £720k by Transfermarkt, he could probably be brought in at a fraction of the price Helander would be sold for.

Although he is contracted with Dijon until 2023, they may be forced to cash in on him this summer following relegation, and a move to Rangers would surely be appealing for the 26-year-old, especially as they can likely offer Champions League football next season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

Therefore, Ross Wilson should definitely consider a move for Coulibaly this summer as he could prove to be the dream replacement for Helander should he depart.

And, in other news… Wilson headed for huge Rangers transfer error over wonderkid tipped to become a “top player”

According to a report by Football Insider, GSB have ‘made progress behind the scenes’ in recent days as they look to sign Celtic star Odsonne Edouard – with West Ham United now climbing into pole position. 

GSB making progress for Edouard

The Frenchman has bagged an impressive 20 goals in all competitions for the Hoops and continues to attract serious interest as a result, including from GSB and West Ham.

Edouard has been scoring goals prolifically north of the border for many seasons, totalling 57 SPFL strikes since the 2017/2018 campaign – as well as assisting his teammates 25 times (Transfermarkt).

His form at Parkhead has prompted West Ham to prepare a swoop as they lay the groundwork and enter pole position, according to Football Insider, and the outlet even claim he could leave for as little as £8 million. 

As explained, GSB have allegedly ‘made progress behind the scenes’ as they hope to get a deal in place before the window opens.

Transfer Tavern take

Former boss Neil Lennon, often blown away by Edouard’s performances before his dismissal, most recently called him ‘magnificent’ after a wonderful outing away to Hamilton (Glasgow Live).

And we believe the striker definitely has what it takes to be a success in the English top flight judging by his consistent goal return over the last few seasons.

If Football Insider’s information on the ridiculously cheap price tag of £8m comes to fruition, signing Edouard seems like a real no brainer for West Ham and manager David Moyes – even if he didn’t step up to the plate in England, there is little risk involved.

Arguably, going by this fresh update, Edouard should even be up there with the likes of Tammy Abraham and Ivan Toney as a priority Hammers striker target.

In other news: West Ham gifted injury boost over ‘sensational’ ace, find out more here.

Questions marks firmly remain over the future of Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace.

The current Eagles manager sees his contract expire at the end of the 2020/21 season and could soon draw his tenure at Selhurst Park to a close.

Naturally, a number of managers have been linked with the impending managerial vacancy at the club, with the likes of Eddie Howe and Valerien Ismael amongst the most prominent names believed to be interesting Steve Parish.

Former Crystal Palace forward Marcus Bent has thrown a new name into the ring in the form of Burnley’s Sean Dyche. Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said that the current Clarets boss is a “great” manager and would “level” Palace out in the Premier League.

Considering Dyche’s achievements with Burnley since 2012, his appointment would actually be clever by the club heading into the 2021/22 campaign. The former Watford coach has led the Lancashire outfit to two promotions to the Premier League and has gone on to oversee 221 matches so far in the top flight, winning 66.

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That experience would lend itself very well to Palace, especially with them losing Hodgson, who has himself managed in 359 matches in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, it is Dyche who has continued to better Hodgson for the most part when Palace and Burnley face off. The Clarets have come out on top in each of the last three meetings in the Premier League between the two sides, not conceding a goal in any of those.

Burnley have also managed to achieve two top-ten finishes in the league in the last four seasons, even venturing into the Europa League during the 2018/19 campaign, whilst Palace have not earned a higher finish under Hodgson than 11th.

With the former Fulham and Liverpool boss set to depart Selhurst Park come the end of the campaign, Dyche would certainly seem the perfect appointment, as Bent has justifiably suggested.

AND in more news, find out why Palace have taken a blow in their pursuit of another potential managerial candidate…

This season has been the very definition of a horror show for Celtic and everyone at Parkhead.

The Bhoys have surrendered their grasp on the league title and they will finish the 2020/21 campaign without a single trophy to their name.

It ends what has been a decade of complete dominance for the Hoops and throughout the rest of the season, nothing but pride is at stake.

They capitulated in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup last weekend, ruing not only a missed penalty and a succession of excellent chances but also their defending.

As Rangers won 2-0, it was their two full-backs who had to be held accountable from a defensive point of view.

On the chalkboard

Diego Laxalt has had a very inconsistent stay at Celtic. Going forward he has looked like creating plenty of chances but when he tries to defend, he is left all at sea.

Against Dundee United a few weeks ago he was tortured by Lawrence Shankland and he was left at the mercy of Joe Aribo in a similar fashion last Sunday.

The Rangers winger led Laxalt a merry dance down Celtic’s left-hand side and the Uruguayan was powerless to stop it.

For the opening goal, he wasn’t even in the picture as Steven Gerrard’s men countered and then scored acrobatically from Steven Davis.

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Though, for the second strike, Laxalt was worse. The AC Milan loanee was turned inside out by Aribo who then rolled the ball across goal. Jonjoe Kenny didn’t track Ryan Kent and he then inadvertently put the ball in his own net.

It was a shocking performance from the left-back, a player who surely won’t warrant the £7.2m fee Celtic could pay to sign him permanently in the summer.

John Kennedy has to take the decision of dropping him when the Hoops face Aberdeen on Wednesday night.

He was a liability last weekend and has to be taken out of the firing line. After all, his performance sparked considerable criticism.

Celtic podcaster Paul John Dykes called his first-half against Rangers a “nightmare” during the interval while John Hartson had some very choice words for the defender.

Speaking on Premier Sports’ live coverage of the clash, Harton said he “does nothing” before unleashing the following: “Well he went off after half time obviously and John Kennedy would have been disgusted with his left-back. He’s from good stock as well. He’s on loan from AC Milan. He is a good player.”

Unfortunately, Laxalt has rarely shown that he’s a good player while in Glasgow.

With little time remaining in the season and nothing to play for, it feels pointless to field an individual who is almost certainly going to depart in a few months.

Kennedy needs to axe him for good, starting on Wednesday evening.

AND in other news, Celtic may have their new Tierney in “tricky” 18 y/o who’s rarely-seen at senior level…

Crystal Palace return to Premier League action after a more than a two week break as they take on Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Monday evening.

The Eagles’ most recent outing ended in defeat, Chelsea running out emphatic 4-1 winners at Selhurst Park.

Could Palace boss Roy Hodgson make many changes from that clash?

We are expecting only a couple of alterations for the trip to the East-Midlands.

Vicente Guaita will predictably be in net, with there being good news and bad news for the defence stationed in front of him.

£65k per week defender Gary Cahill is a slight doubt after missing training but fellow centre-backs Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins have returned from their serious problems.

It might be slightly too early to start each of them considering their long injury lay-offs so Scott Dann could earn a start as a consequence, his first since mid-February.

Meanwhile, there could be a slight alteration at left-back with Tyrick Mitchell coming in for Patrick van Aanholt. Former Fox Jeffrey Schlupp has also recently returned but the trip to the East-Midlands may come too soon for him.

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Away from those slight alterations, the team should have a fairly familiar look to it.

Cheikhou Kouyate will be selected at centre-back, with Jairo Riedewald and Luke Milivojevic paired in the centre of the park as usual.

Eberechi Eze should be selected on one flank whilst the mercurial Wilfried Zaha, who has scored on six occasions against Leicester throughout his career so far, is a shoo-in to start.

Meanwhile ,Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew will lead the line once again for the Eagles in the East-Midlands. The two have scored seven goals between them this season.

AND in more news, find out why the departure of Christian Benteke could be a crushing blow for Palace…