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Celtic are willing to sell Stephen Welsh for just €2m (£1.7m) amid interest from Serie A outfit Udinese, according to Messaggero Veneto. 

The lowdown

Udinese are looking for a replacement after their Brazilian defender Samir joined Premier League side Watford, and they believe that the 21-year-old Parkhead academy graduate fits the bill.

The Hoops have allowed to two youngsters to leave already this month, sending Euan Henderson and Liam Shaw on loan to Hibernian and Motherwell respectively.

The latest

As per Messaggero Veneto, Udinese owner Gino Pozzo has apparently been making ‘phone calls’ to the ‘Celtic headquarters’ as he looks to strike a deal for Welsh.

He has reportedly asked if there is any room for manoeuvre on Celtic’s aforementioned valuation, and that request allegedly indicates that the player ‘likes’ the potential move.

The verdict

If these reports are accurate, then Celtic’s valuation seems surprisingly low.

First and foremost, Welsh is under contract in Glasgow for another three-and-a-half years. He has also become an increasingly important member of Ange Postecoglou’s squad this term, making 19 appearances overall and starting Celtic’s last two Premiership games and their last three European ties.

His potential to develop even further is quite evident, too – he has amassed six caps for Scotland at under-21 level, while Celtic youth coach Martin Miller has hailed the ‘fan favourite’ as ‘phenomenal’.

It feels like selling Welsh for £1.7m – barely putting him in the club’s top 30 sales – could backfire horrendously.

In other news, Celtic are close to sealing their next transfer

A transfer claim has been made on Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley, regarding a potential move to Newcastle United.

What’s the talk?

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that his name has been mentioned to him several times, with the midfielder currently out of the picture at Stamford Bridge. The reporter has said that he could be a player the Magpies, who have been linked with the Englishman, are set to target in January.

He told GIVEMESPORT:

“Ross Barkley’s a name that keeps getting mentioned to me. Obviously he’s pretty much surplus to requirements at Chelsea, he’s well down the pecking order. He was out on loan at Villa last year. Other clubs are interested also in Barkley but he might be somebody that Newcastle could possibly move for.”

Exciting

This update will surely be exciting for Newcastle fans as it indicates that there is a chance the midfielder will be pursued by the club in January. Barkley could be a great signing for Eddie Howe’s side and be a player the supporters can get excited about watching due to his experience in England.

The 28-year-old is a proven Premier League performer but has only made one start in the division this season under Thomas Tuchel. This could, as O’Rourke suggests, open the door for the Magpies to swoop in and secure a deal for his services.

Toon legend Alan Shearer lauded the £100k-per-week gem last season and claimed that he can be a ‘match-winner. He told The BBC:

“Ross seems to have found a system that suits him and a manager who wants to play him. This is exactly what he needs.

“He now needs to find the consistency that has been lacking in his game because this is a crucial stage of his career. Ross has been spoken about in glowing terms since he was very young but he is 27 now and needs to deliver on that potential.

“At his best he is match-winner and Villa is a great platform for him.”

This is high praise from a man who knows what he is talking about when it comes to the Premier League, further highlighting Barkley’s ability at this level. He could come in and be able to hit the ground running with his pre-existing knowledge of the English top-flight.

The ex-Everton man has over 200 appearances in the division under his belt. He has 28 goals and 31 assists to date, showing that he has the quality to arrive at St. James’ Park and make an impact in midfield, which is why fans will be excited by this update from O’Rourke.

AND in other news, Howe could solve key NUFC issue by landing “tough-minded” beast who always “delivers”…

Leeds United defender Leo Hjelde was set to return to training on Tuesday following a calf injury, The Yorkshire Evening Post report.

The Lowdown: Calf problem

The Whites have 10 senior men injured at this moment in time, meaning Marcelo Bielsa has had to use a number of Under-23 players in recent defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal.

Hjelde, labelled as ‘superb’ by Paddy Kenny, hasn’t been available in recent weeks after suffering a calf problem in a 3-2 defeat against Manchester City’s Under-23’s at the end of November.

The 18-year-old arrived from Celtic in the summer and is clearly rated by Bielsa, after being named as a substitute in six successive Premier League games between September and November when the club’s injury list wasn’t as big.

The Latest: Training return

Leeds’ Under-23 manager Mark Jackson was talking to the media following the 0-0 draw with Everton on Monday evening.

He revealed that Hjelde was due at Thorp Arch for a return to training on Tuesday, labelling it as ‘a welcome boost to the club as a whole’.

The Verdict: Finally…

Although Hjelde is still yet to make a senior appearance for the Whites, having him back fit is still a welcome boost considering the situation at Elland Road.

Defender Kris Moore was named in a matchday squad for the first time against Arsenal, but with Hjelde now back, Bielsa could select him in the 20-man squad once again.

Hjelde will be able to provide cover at both centre-back and at left-back, and with the way Leeds are going at the minute, it wouldn’t come as a shock if the Norwegian receives his first taste of Premier League action for the Whites before 2021 comes to an end.

In other news: Leeds focused on sealing move for former England U21 ace; fans know all about him. 

Many West Brom fans have been slamming the performance of Jordan Hugill in their 1-0 loss at Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

The striker, who is on loan from Norwich City, was brought on for Grady Diangana just after the hour mark but failed to make any sort of real impact on the game as Daniel Sinani’s early goal was enough to give the Terriers all three points.

Hugill lost out on all four of his duels and failed to record a single shot on goal, dribble or key pass, while he was also guilty of losing possession of the ball five times (SofaScore).

The 29-year-old has only scored one goal in 14 Championship appearances for the Baggies (Transfermarkt), so loaning him in has not proven to be good business so far.

West Brom fans slam Hugill

These Albion fans slammed Hugill’s performance on Twitter, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that the striker was ‘anonymous’ against Huddersfield:

“Hugill making me miss Diangana.”

Credit: @HOLLY073

“Hugill is a waste”

Credit: @TonySmi37140951

“Brings on Hugill who is just anonymous for the time he is on the pitch.”

Credit: @1toowatch

“Absolutely zero chance he’s worse than Hugill though, who is total dross!”

Credit: @MattW1lkes

“Nothing wrong with Reach. Hugill however…..”

Credit: @suttonbaggie

“Every night I go to bed thinking ‘what on earth does any football coach see in Jordan Hugill’? (I think of other things, too, of course).”

Credit: @DickLaurent96

In other news, find out what pre-game team news had these WBA fans buzzing

Coming off the back of Anfield victories against Arsenal in the Premier League and FC Porto in the Champions League, Liverpool have another home clash on their hands this afternoon against Southampton. 

Speaking ahead of the match against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, Jurgen Klopp revealed that the Reds will still be without Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez, Naby Keita, Harvey Elliott and Roberto Firmino through injury. 

With this in mind, here’s how we feel Liverpool will line up against the Saints this afternoon, with six changes from the side which started against Porto on Wednesday night. 

In goal, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Alisson Becker in the team on this occasion given that he’s played in the majority of their league games so far this season. 

Despite Neco Williams putting in a good shift against Porto in midweek, it seems likely that Trent Alexander-Arnold will come back and start given how impressive he has been this season. 

For the centre-back positions, we think Klopp will go with Joel Matip, who also impressed in midweek, but bring Virgil van Dijk back in ahead of Ibrahima Konate, who is currently earning a wage of £70k-per-week according to Spotrac.

At left-back, we expect Andy Robertson to be restored ahead of Kostas Tsimikas to see if he can win his place back in the team after replacing the Greece international in the second half against Porto. 

In midfield, we can see Klopp putting Fabinho and Jordan Henderson back in the starting XI next to midweek goalscorer Thiago Alcantara, leaving Tyler Morton and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to drop down to the substitutes’ bench.

For the front three, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah start on the wings given how they are currently Liverpool’s top two scorers in the league. 

Through the middle, with Takumi Minamino failing to have a big attacking impact in midweek after recording no shots at goal, we think Klopp will start Diogo Jota instead. 

With Southampton conceding just three goals more than Liverpool with 12 league games played, the Reds will need to be in clinical form if they want to secure the three points on offer today and put the pressure on league leaders Chelsea ahead of their match tomorrow. 

In other news: Matip 2.0: Edwards must seal Liverpool move for £22.5m-rated tank who “has everything”

Flocking to Twitter, lots of Manchester City fans have fumed over a blow involving star winger Riyad Mahrez, with manager Pep Guardiola set for a mid-season conundrum.

The Algerian has been scintillating in front of goal so far this season, currently topping City’s charts as their top scorer in all competitions despite only starting two Premier League matches (WhoScored).

This is made all the more impressive due to Mahrez now competing with Gabriel Jesus for a place on the right-hand side of the Premier League champions’ attack, with the Brazilian striker impressing in his new role under Guardiola.

Regardless of the competition with Jesus for a starting berth, the African superstar has maintained his brilliant form from last campaign when given the opportunity, but City may have to contend without him for a long time in January.

As per Manchester Evening News, due to his Africa Cup of Nations duties, Mahrez is ‘set to miss up to six weeks of action’ for City when he joins up with Algeria for the tournament in January.

Flocking to this news, it’s safe to say that many Sky Blues believe this length of time could be a problem. Check out some of their verdicts from Twitter below.

Man City fans fume over Mahrez blow…

“Noooooo”

Credit: @CmonCity10

“So long”

Credit: @ana20209

“Rip penalties in Jan”

Credit: @ZHR_960

“Six weeks is too much”

Credit: @tatsi_fred

“Nah this can’t happen”

Credit: @Zayn926113198

“6 weeks is an absolute joke”

Credit: @DakMCFC

“That is brutal, hopefully we don’t get any injuries”

Credit: @TommyBo62100038

In other news: ‘So underrated’, ‘Speechless’ – Man City fans blown away by ‘unplayable’ ace after ‘unreal’ Brighton display, it’s not Foden… find out more here.

Crystal Palace secured a memorable victory over the weekend after seeing off reigning Premier League champions Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

It was Wilfried Zaha and summer signing Conor Gallagher who stole the headlines after getting on the scoresheet on Saturday, but it’s arguably another recent acquisition who has provided the Eagles with the most hope in the opening weeks of the campaign.

While Gallagher’s 12-month loan deal is preventing Palace supporters from getting carried away with the midfielders tenacious displays, Odsonne Edouard continues to capture the imagination.

The 23-year-old arrived at Selhurst Park in a deal that could rise to £18.5 million during the previous window and has immediately made his mark in south London.

After coming off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur to make his debut, Edouard bagged his first Palace goal just 28 seconds later and only had to wait a few minutes later to get his second.

The blistering start was followed up by a thunderous strike against Arsenal, and journalist Tom Barclay has not only been impressed by the Frenchman’s ability to put the ball in the back of the net, but also his versatility.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Edouard has just joined but he has already shown his clinical ability in front of goal and ability to play in different positions.”

With Wilfried Zaha too ill to feature against the Gunners and consigned to the bench the following week when Newcastle United came to visit, Edouard was forced to play on the left-hand side of a front three.

And despite Palace’s talisman returning to the starting lineup last time out, the former France U21 international remained in his unfamiliar position out wide.

Nevertheless, Edouard has still managed to put in a string of eye-catching performances thanks to his tactical intelligence and unselfish play, making it clear why his former manager Neil Lennon labelled him “sensational” during their time together at Celtic.

It may be early days in the youngster’s Palace career, but it appears as though Steve Parish has sealed a dream transfer by attracting the £15.3m-rated gem to the capital club.

Given more time to settle into his new surrounding, develop an understanding with his teammates and get to grips with the demands of the Premier League, Edouard is likely to go from strength to strength under Patrick Vieira’s tutelage, providing the Eagles with a new hero to get behind.

And, in other news…Parish must revive CPFC interest in “extraordinary” £10.8m-rated gem, Vieira needs him 

Tottenham Hotspur will still be without two first-team players as they return to UEFA Europa Conference League action later this evening…

What’s the word?

Spurs’ form has taken a turn for the worst in recent weeks, losing three straight heavy defeats in the Premier League, whilst they only just salvaged a point against Stade Rennes in their group stage opener two weeks ago.

Nuno Santo will probably be wanting to change things up on the pitch but he’ll be limited in his options as he won’t be able to call upon either Steven Bergwijn or Ryan Sessegnon.

Bergwijn picked up an injury during that clash in France, whilst Sessegnon has been injured since the international break at the start of the month.

“Nothing has changed,” the Portuguese told the club’s official website this week. “Sess and Stevie will not join the group. The rest of the squad is available. We will also bring in some Under-23s to help us, and we go for the game.”

Big setback

This will be hugely frustrating for the 47-year-old and it may leave him a little worried heading into kickoff, even if it is against a team of much lower quality.

Spurs will remember the Dinamo Zagreb clash from last season, which saw the Croatian champions perform a stunning comeback to knock them out of the Europa League, so no team should be taken lightly.

Nuno badly needs to shake things up, so having a player with a point to prove like Sessegnon available would’ve been an interesting option, whilst Bergwijn had started their opening three league games before his injury.

It can’t be that much of a coincidence that the Lilywhites won all three of those games, too.

He is also one of their biggest threats in the final third, having averaged 1.3 key passes and 2.3 shots per game, a feat only bettered by top goalscorer Heung-min Son, as per WhoScored.

Nuno may have to call upon some of the players that have severely let him down in defeats to arch-rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace in recent weeks.

The Spurs boss is also thought to be under increasing pressure, according to some reports in the press, so it’s crucial that he gets a result and avoids an embarrassing upset against Mura tonight.

Given their recent performances, Nuno may well be gutted to not be able to change his side completely heading into this fixture.

AND in other news, Paratici risking catastrophic Spurs transfer disaster with £40.5m-rated “lightweight”…

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has confirmed that Patrick Bamford has been ruled out of Leeds United’s Premier League clash against Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the story?

Writing on Twitter, the journalist confirmed that the 28-year-old will sit out today’s game at St Mary’s through injury, having also missed the games against West Ham and Watford just before the international break.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Saints, Bielsa himself added: “Bamford won’t play and Kalvin has chances of being able to do so. He has a problem in his ankle which we informed previously. His recovery is subject to the evolution of the injury. I anticipated a date (for him to return), it wouldn’t be because I have arguments to do so. The evolution we have to control is on a day-to-day.”

Another chance for Rodrigo

Bamford was a revelation in the Premier League last season for Bielsa’s side, netting 17 goals and providing another eight assists in 38 games, leading to rave reviews from Ian Wright.

The Match of the Day pundit said: “You look at what Bamford has been through, six loan moves, his upbringing, private school stuff, Palace fans complaining about the way he runs – he has been through so much. People told him he would never be a Premier League striker.

“But Leeds fans deserve credit for sticking by him, even when you looked at some of those games and he did miss some easy chances. The manager stuck with him, and it will be difficult to find a manager with as much faith in Bielsa.”

Given the lack of genuine centre-forward cover at Elland Road, Leeds fans will surely be worried about Bamford’s ongoing absence and how long he will be sidelined.

What it does mean is another chance up front for Rodrigo, and the Spaniard will be hoping to take his opportunity later today against the Saints.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered an encouraging pre-match boost about Kalvin Phillips…

Fulham have been dealt a major blow regarding the fitness of Fabio Carvalho ahead of their upcoming Championship clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Fulham website, Marco Silva revealed that the 18-year-old is set to miss the club’s Championship fixture against Birmingham City on Wednesday evening due to injury.

However, the 44-year-old went on to claim that Harry Wilson could be in line for a return to the side following his own recovery from a knock.

In his comments, Silva said: “Harry Wilson is good, he’s okay. He’s making steps to play tomorrow.

“We have some more doubts about Fabio. He got a knock to his foot, on his toe. Against Stoke, he played with some pain in his foot, and after that it got a little bit worse.

“It’s not something really, really serious, but we are trying to reduce the pain so he can train in a high intensity and can be ready to play as well.”

Silva will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Carvalho has been for Fulham so far this season, and how poor the Cottagers looked without the attacking midfielder in their loss to Blackpool last weekend, the fact that the teenager looks set to miss what is sure to be yet another challenging test against Birmingham will undoubtedly have left Silva gutted.

Indeed, over his five Championship appearances this term, the £225k-rated youngster has scored three goals, provided one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.4 shots and making 2.2 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player Silva himself dubbed a “fantastic” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.30, ranking him as Fulham’s fifth-best performer in the second tier.

However, it once again looks as if the Portuguese manager will have to make do without the starlet on Wednesday evening, something which is sure to put a huge dent in the club’s chances of leaving St. Andrew’s with a positive result.

In other news: £5.4m-rated Fulham flop who lost 80% duels failed Marco Silva’s trust vs Blackpool