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Aston Villa winger Trezeguet could still leave the club over the coming weeks and has interest from Turkey, according to Birmingham Live.

The Lowdown: Trezeguet’s injury-hit season

Trezeguet, who Gregg Evans felt was the ‘scapegoat’ early in his Villa career, has made just one appearance all season.

The Egyptian has missed the majority of the campaign with a knee problem, with Steven Gerrard describing the 27-year-old as a ‘unique situation’ last month.

He’s currently away with his country at the Africa Cup of Nations, where Egypt are in the final against Senegal, and it seems as if his time in the Midlands could be up this month.

The Latest: Interest from Turkey

According to Birmingham Live, Trezeguet may still depart the club this winter and has interest from Turkey, with their transfer window not closing until Tuesday.

He has been included in Gerrard’s revised Premier League squad list for the second half of the season but now has two days to seal a move to Turkey.

The Verdict: Time to go?

Should Trezeguet leave, Gerrard would be left with four wingers, two on either side, which should be more than enough for the remainder of the season. Ollie Watkins has also turned out on the wing under Gerrard, so a move away for Trezeguet could be best for all parties involved.

Johan Lange will have to be quick, though, especially as sides in the Super Lig have until Tuesday to finalise their winter business.

Villa forked out £9m for Trezeguet back in 2019 and he is still valued at that figure, so you’d expect Villa may be looking at recouping the majority of that in any permanent transfer.

In other news: Villa and Lange now set to sign another young gem for Gerrard; personal terms agreed. 

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been slamming the performance of James Tavernier despite their 2-0 win at home to Sparta Prague on Thursday night.

Two goals from Alfredo Morelos were enough to give Giovanni van Bronckhorst his first win as manager at Ibrox, a result which means that they will definitely finish second in the group and go into the next knockout round due to their superior head-to-head record against the Czech side.

However, while there were some good performances for the hosts, captain Tavernier would not have been hugely pleased with his efforts.

The right-back failed to record a single dribble, blocked shot, key pass or accurate cross in the match, while he was also guilty of losing possession of the ball on 27 separate occasions, the most by far out of any player on the pitch (SofaScore).

Rangers fans slam Tavernier

These Rangers fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that Tavernier was ‘hopeless’ against Sparta:

“Tavernier trying to score an own goal?”

Credit: @douglaspark92

“Honestly though, how bad is Tavernier?”

Credit: @scottelderr

“Get Tavernier substituted. He’s playing like he’s never kicked a ball in his life”

Credit: @Smell_TheGlove

“Tavernier distribution been ropey in defence a few times. Barisic been OK, but not hugely involved either.”

Credit: @adamski152

“Sorry but surely Tavernier has been sussed out at this point.”

Credit: @lfin72

“Tavernier out of position so many times it’s unreal”

Credit: @ianmunr89127700

In other news, find out what Academy news has left these Gers fans gushing

With Ange Postecoglou having endured something of an injury crisis during the early stages of his managerial career at Celtic, the 56-year-old manager will undoubtedly be delighted that a number of his first-team squad are finally returning to full fitness at Parkhead.

Indeed, Mikey Johnston, Josip Juranovic, Georgios Giakoumakis and James McCarthy were all available for selection against St. Johnstone on Saturday after varying lengths of spells spent on the sidelines due to injury, while Christopher Jullien and James Forrest are set to return to first-team training in the coming weeks.

Postecoglou himself recently commented on his excitement regarding the return of Johnston, stating after Saturday’s 2-0 win: “I was really pleased to see Mikey back because he looked really good in pre-season. I know how talented he is but the key for him was to get his body healthy and to be really patient with him.

“He’s a talented player and he’s now getting more game time. The way we play I know he can have a huge impact for us, he just needs to stay healthy and keep improving his game.”

It is easy to see why the 56-year-old appears so happy with the return of the 22-year-old, as, over his brief 8-minute cameo against Ferencvarosi in midweek, the £900k-rated man highly impressed, managing 13 touches of the ball, making one key pass, completing both of his attempted dribbles, creating one big chance and hitting the target with his only shot at goal.

These metrics saw the £9k-per-week forward earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.7, ranking him as the third-best player to feature in the match.

As such, while it is true that Johnston has failed to ever really cement a starting spot in the Celtic side after breaking through into the first team, with his highest number of league appearances in one season being 14 back in 2018/19, Postecoglou simply must unleash the 22-year-old in the coming weeks, as now would finally appear to be the time when the winger can have a real impact within the Bhoys side.

In other news: Conroy drops key update on “priceless” £15k-p/w dynamo that’ll delight Celtic fans

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Ayodeji Sotona to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that Celtic, alongside Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the OGC Nice winger ahead of a potential swoop in the winter market.

The report goes on to state that a number of European sides are also monitoring the 19-year-old, although it is not clear exactly how much the Ligue 1 side would demand in order to part with the former Republic of Ireland U16 international next month.

Bye-bye Johnston

While Sotona is yet to make a single appearance in professional football, there is nevertheless a considerable amount of hype surrounding the youngster, something that likely stems from his impressive performances during his time in the Manchester United youth setup.

Indeed, over his 15 U18 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils back in 2019/20, the £270k-rated teenager scored four goals and registered two assists, as well as netting one further goal over his four outings in the FA Youth Cup that season.

However, aside from his obvious ability in front of goal, there is one characteristic of Sotona that makes him truly stand out from the crowd – his rather extraordinary turn of pace.

Indeed, during sprint tests at the Aon Training Complex, the youngster, who was just 17 at the time, registered a top speed of a whopping 22.9mph – beating the likes of Diogo Dalot (22.6mph), Romelu Lukaku (22.5mph), Tahith Chong (22.3mph), Marcus Rashford (22.1mph) and Daniel James (22mph).

As such, with a clear eye for goal and pace to burn, it is easy to see why Ange Postecoglou is keen on landing the teenager this winter, particularly considering the struggles of one of the 56-year-old’s current options on the left-wing – Mikey Johnston.

Indeed, having struggled with injuries since first breaking into Celtic’s senior team, the £7.9k-per-week 22-year-old has failed to ever really cement a starting spot in the Bhoys side, while his returns so far this season – no goals or assists over 10 Premiership fixtures – have once again been disappointing.

So, should Postecoglou manage to get a deal over the line for Sotona this January, it could well be the final nail in the coffin for the Celtic career of the player who Willie Miller recently dubbed “pathetic.”

In other news: Forget Forrest: Ange must unleash 19 y/o Celtic gem who’s been “bright” at Lennoxtown

Given how the Premier League season has gone for Aston Villa, you would be forgiven for completely forgetting about Neil Taylor.

The 43-cap Wales international has barely been seen at Villa Park this campaign, with Dean Smith clearly favouring Matt Targett as his first-choice left-back.

The only first-team action that Taylor has seen thus far, has been three 90 minutes in the early stages of the Carabao Cup, and then a measly 15 minute outing in the Premier League clash against Manchester City back in mid-January.

Other than that, the Welshman has been forced to either sit on the bench as an unused substitute, or even just miss out on the match-day squad completely.

Taylor earns a reported £45k-a-week at Villa Park, which is still a decent chunk of money for a side who are only a year or so removed from coming up to the Premier League.

The left-back was a key part of Villa’s promotion from the Championship, playing 34 times in the competition, including playing all three games in the play-offs.

But given how things have panned out since then and how Targett is by far and away Smith’s first-choice in his position, Taylor just seems to be stealing a living at the moment.

Villa’s co-owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens will surely be fuming at the fact that a member of Smith’s first-team squad is picking up a sizeable wage packet for doing absolutely nothing so the club simply must wave goodbye to Taylor when his contract expires this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa should target this “fabulous” player who Lee Hendrie adores…

If you’d offered Sunderland supporters third place at the start of this weekend, they’d certainly have taken it.

The Mackems are currently rather bullish about their promotion chances, and who can blame them? Lee Johnson’s men haven’t lost for 11 matches in all competitions, a run stretching back to the 9th February.

Though, they did have a minor hiccup on Saturday afternoon. Sunderland battered and bruised Lincoln last time they played them, winning 4-0. However, there was no such luck on this occasion.

The Black Cats drew 1-1 but thankfully, they didn’t lose any ground in the promotion race; Hull, Peterborough, Doncaster and Charlton all drew as well.

A win would have boosted their hopes considerably but the main thing is that they still have plenty of momentum.

In these types of matches, you need everyone to stand up and that was evident in Sunderland’s goal scorer. Callum McFadzean popped up at the back post to fire home his first league strike for the club.

Unfortunately, there were plenty who didn’t quite look as assured as normal. One of them was Luke O’Nien. Usually so reliable in defence, the 26-year-old made a mistake in the opening 45 minutes and was arguably at fault for Lincoln’s goal.

Another to frustrate was Grant Leadbitter. The experienced midfielder has recently returned from a dislocated shoulder but has struggled after returning.

He slowed Sunderland’s play down considerably at Wembley last week, as they weren’t quick enough to transition from defence to attack. That was a similar problem a week on against Lincoln.

Carl Winchester has stepped up admirably in recent weeks and indeed, it’s made Leadbitter look all the more questionable.

When Lincoln travelled to the Stadium of Light, he was disappointing, particularly in the second half when he became even slower. During the course of the match, the midfield general lost a massive 67% of his duels, failing to make a single tackle.

On top of that, Leadbitter was dribbled past on two occasions as he was consistently beaten by the Imps’ runners.

It was hardly a surprise, therefore, that Johnson decided to drag him off with around 20 minutes remaining. At the moment, the 35-year-old is holding Sunderland back, rather than adding to their play. In two consecutive starts now, he has looked off the pace.

Johnson needs to prefer other options as the race for promotion heats up.

AND in other news, Forget Diamond: Johnson should unleash rarely-seen SAFC starlet with “clear ability”…

Sunderland have a chance to tighten their grip on a play-off position as they face Rotherham at the Stadium of Light tonight.

The Black Cats are fourth in the League One table and one point ahead of Sheffield Wednesday in seventh, with one match left to play after this game on Wearside.

Alex Neil’s men won 5-1 last time out against Cambridge and will surely be looking to bring that positive momentum into this meeting with Paul Warne’s visitors.

How many changes will Neil make to his side for this clash? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the team from Saturday, with Alex Pritchard, Callum Doyle and Dan Neil all coming in.

Starting off in defence, Doyle may come back in at centre-back to replace the injured Carl Winchester. The Northern Ireland international suffered a groin injury against Cambridge and it remains to be seen when he will be able to return for the Black Cats.

However, the on-loan Manchester City defender has started 32 League One matches this season and made 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he is a player who Neil can rely upon as he has been a regular starter for the majority of the campaign.

In midfield, the head coach might bring in young Dan Neil to replace Luke O’Nien. Against Cambridge, the ex-Wycombe man – who former Black Cats manager Jack Ross once dubbed “awkward to get past” – was underwhelming as he missed a ‘big chance’ and recorded a SofaScore rating of 6.6 – the lowest of all the outfield players outside of the injured Winchester.

This may open the door for Neil to come into the team. The academy product has produced three goals and seven assists from midfield this season and has the potential to be a match-winner for Sunderland tonight.

Finally, we are predicting that Pritchard will start. Mark Cooper once dubbed him an “immense” player and that is exactly what the 28-year-old has been for the Black Cats. The maestro has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.10 in League One this season, chipping in with four goals and seven assists, and that is why he should return to the XI. 

AND in other news, Double blow as Sunderland hit with a huge setback ahead of final two games

After beating Newcastle 2-0 at the weekend, Aston Villa return to Premier League action on Wednesday night when they travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley.

Dean Smith’s side have looked in imperious form this season, finding themselves just six points off a top four place but with three games in hand on West Ham.

Burnley, meanwhile, just appear to have picked up a bit of form, first beating Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League, before dispatching Fulham in the FA Cup fourth round.

With a European spot firmly in their sights, Smith will no doubt look to go as full strength as possible for the game against the Clarets tonight. And with that in mind, below is a look at just how Villa might line up.

The back-five should remain unchanged with Smith clearly settled on Emiliano Martinez in goal, and Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Matty Targett in front of him – they’ve mainly been responsible for Villa conceding just 18 goals in 17 league games this season.

In midfield, with Burnley’s better defensive solidity compared to Newcastle from the other night – Sean Dyche’s side have let in just 22 goals compared to the Magpies 34 – Smith may be tempted to start Jacob Ramsey to give Villa a bit more offensive thrust alongside Douglas Luiz.

Further forward, Ross Barkley could drop out of the starting line-up after a disappointing performance against the Magpies, with the England international being substituted in the second-half after tiring quite badly.

The Birmingham Mail gave the 33-cap ace a 6.5 match rating, the lowest of any Villa starter, and said: “Back-to-back starts now for Barkley after such a long layoff. He felt it in terms of his fitness as the game went on and was rightly taken off as he was breathing heavy.”

If Barkley’s given a rest, Jack Grealish could move inside, with Bertrand Traore on one flank and Trezeguet potentially returning to make a start on the other after his own comeback from injury.

And up front, Ollie Watkins will be hoping to continue from where he left off the other day, after breaking his goal-scoring drought.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Luiz, Ramsey; Traore, Grealish, Trezeguet; Watkins.

Meanwhile, Villa could land a Barkley upgrade in this Brazilian…

Brian Deane has exclusively told Football FanCast that he would welcome the addition of Ryan Bertrand at his former club West Ham.

The left-back recently announced that he will be leaving Southampton after seven years of service at the end of his contract, meaning the Hammers could snap him up for nothing.

Bertrand, who turns 32 in August, has remained as Saints’ first choice left-back – until his recent injury – despite his imminent departure and already has a number of clubs queuing for his signature.

Arsenal, who failed in their January attempts to sign the England defender, Crystal Palace and Leicester are all set to battle it out to sign the free agent this summer.

But Deane believes that he’s gone under the radar during his time on the south coast and would be a great signing for West Ham.

David Moyes currently has two recognised left-sided players at his disposal, but Arthur Masuaku prefers to play in a more advanced role, which would leave Bertrand to battle it out for the number one spot with Aaron Creswell, should he decide to return to the capital.

Deane told Football FanCast:

“Somebody who’s very good, mobile, quick. For me, if I am somebody who’s building a team, I am always looking at the mobility and Ryan Bertrand has played for a lot of seasons and gone under the radar at Southampton for a long time.

“He’s probably in the second-tier of full-backs and could kick on.”

Mark Douglas has dropped some insight on potential Newcastle United takeover investors which he claims is problematic for Mike Ashley.

The Lowdown: Newcastle valuation drops

As per Sportico (via The Chronicle), the valuation of the St. James’ Park faithful has dropped steeply since the global pandemic, with a new value of £190m being reported.

That is the 11th highest in the Premier League, citing that the ongoing threat of relegation hugely depresses the valuation.

There was a point in the season where Steve Bruce’s team were seriously under threat of dropping down to the EFL Championship, and so this has seen the valuation of the North East club plummet.

The Latest: Insight on potential takeover investors

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Douglas has shared that it is understood that rival investors to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group would value the Tyneside club under the original £350m agreement.

Douglas adds that this is problematic for Ashley, as he wants the value that he has put on the Magpies to be consistent.

If the KSA consortium were to pull out of the deal altogether, then other potential investors may not want to buy at the price that he has set.

The Verdict: KSA consortium deal key

It is key that if there is a takeover of the Toon, then it is by the KSA consortium, to satisfy all parties involved.

For Ashley, he would then be able to sell at the valuation that he has put on NUFC, and the consortium would then be able to take over as per their aim.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-updates-3/” title=”Newcastle updates! (3)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

There would certainly be question marks over whether the chief executive of Sports Direct would consider selling to anyone else if the consortium pulled out altogether, especially if nobody is willing to meet his original valuation.

Nonetheless, with Newcastle’s value depreciating, Ashley will want to get the deal done as soon as possible in order to get his money’s worth.

In other news, find out which ‘magnificent’ ace Newcastle are keen on signing here!