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Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side bounced back from their 3-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen with a 2-1 win over Aberdeen this afternoon.

Goals from Jota and Callum McGregor sealed the three points for the Hoops, keeping them within four points of the Premiership summit.

The scores were level at half-time after Liel Abada conceded a penalty to the away side, which Lewis Ferguson duly converted, before McGregor won the match in the second half.

Forget McGregor

McGregor picked up a goal and an assist and could take the bulk of the plaudits from today, but another player who is deserving of applause is centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The £20k-per-week gem was an unsung hero at the back as he put in a superb display to keep Aberdeen at bay and ensure that the Hoops came away with all three points. It is easy to see the attackers scoring goals and getting assists and think that they were the stars of the show, but defenders are equally as important as their actions decide whether or not their teammates’ contributions in the final third ultimately make a difference.

Defensively, the American was a rock. As per SofaScore, he won three of his four duels (75%) on the pitch, making two tackles, one interception and four clearances. He also ended the match without being dribbled past once and committed zero fouls. This shows that he was reliable at the back for Postecoglou and that Aberdeen were unable to get past him throughout the game, with Abada’s concession of a penalty the only blot on the defensive copybook.

On the ball, Carter-Vickers was composed and assured. As per SofaScore, he had a whopping 91 touches of the ball and completed an impressive 95% of his attempted passes. This included six of his 10 longer pass attempts and he only gave possession away four times in the entire match, highlighting how crucial he was to Celtic controlling the game as he was not a liability with the ball at his feet. It could have caused issues for the Hoops had he been sloppy with his passing and handed Aberdeen chances to break.

Therefore, he provided a platform for the attackers to build upon and was pivotal to the final result. Whilst others also deserve praise for their individual displays, Carter-Vickers was an unsung hero and should be given immense credit for his performance.

AND in other news, Celtic closing in on key deal for 24y/o midfielder…

Rangers had no issue getting past their opposition in their latest SPFL match on Saturday with a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Alfredo Morelos, Joe Aribo and an own goal from Ryan Sweeney.

Other than Morelos and Aribo, one Rangers player that featured in the win over Dundee at Ibrox that deserves a lot of credit for his performance today was left-back Borna Barisic.

With 90 minutes under his belt on this occasion, Barisic showed Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst just what a crucial figure he can be for the team in a defensive and attacking regard.

From a defensive point of view, Barisic managed to make one tackle, one interception and five tackles as well as winning all six of the duels he was involved in, showing just how vital he was in Rangers keeping a clean sheet on this occasion.

In an attacking sense, Barisic also managed to show off his talents by making two key passes, two accurate crosses and having one shot on target, showing how he ran the show for Rangers up and down the pitch today.

This overall display earned the defender an impressive overall match rating of 8.1/10, making him the joint-second highest rated Rangers player on the day according to SofaScore.

FootballScotland also picked up on the full-back’s solid display by saying that he “provided a good outlet on the left-flank and supported [Fashion] Sakala well.”

With Barisic being praised in the past by former Rangers midfielder Alex Rae for having “terrific quality,” the defender certainly had that quality on display this afternoon for everyone to see.

Looking at the season so far as a whole, with 18 appearances and two assists under his belt across all competitions, this shows just how important he is for Rangers and how significant he can be under van Bronckhorst going forward.

Additionally, with his performances in the nine league appearances he’s made this season earning Barisic an overall rating of 7.27/10, making him Rangers’ third-highest rated player according to WhoScored, this shows just how impressive he has been for them.

Moving forward, if Barisic can continue delivering performances like the one he produced this weekend, he could give Rangers a great chance of securing the league title once again by keeping the team sturdy at the back but dangerous going forward as well.

In other news: Big boost: Rangers receive fresh injury update which is sure to have fans buzzing – opinion

West Ham United are reportedly contemplating making a move for Derby County midfielder Jason Knight in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to club insider ExWHUemployee (as relayed by West Ham News & Views), the Hammers could be set to capitalise on Derby’s financial turmoil by making an offer for the highly-rated 20-year-old this winter.

They tweeted: “West Ham could look to capitalise on Derby County’s financial situation in the January transfer window. One player we like is 20-year-old Irish midfielder Jason Knight. We looked at him last January and could look at him again this January. [@ExWHUemployee].”

The next Declan Rice?

The Pride Park academy graduate has established himself as one of the Championship’s most promising prospects in recent years after scoring 11 goals and providing three assists in 94 appearances for the Rams.

Earlier this year, Derby boss Wayne Rooney dubbed the youngster a “manager’s dream” who “gives everything”, highlighting his work ethic and dedication to make it to the top of his game. Coincidentally, those are two attributes that epitomise the current Hammers talisman; Declan Rice.

His hard work is clearly being rewarded by the Manchester United legend, as Knight has started 11 of his 14 league appearances this term, helping him earn eight caps for the Republic of Ireland along the way.

However, due to the Midlands outfit’s off-field troubles, they could have no choice but to offload their young star in order to balance the books.

That’s according to Football League World, who claimed that Derby are at risk of losing several of their academy prospects in the near future as their struggles to find a new owner continue.

It’s thought that the club’s administrators have failed to rule out the prospect of selling players in January, and Knight is a prime candidate to depart Pride Park.

With Mark Noble set to retire at the end of the season and summer signing Alex Kral yet to make a serious impression in the first team, Moyes may be tempted to move for Knight over the coming months and his arrival would surely get the club’s supporters buzzing.

And that’s because the youngster already appears to be outperforming West Ham’s club captain in the current campaign.

As per WhoScored, Knight has averaged 0.7 key passes, 0.7 shots per game, 0.9 tackles and 1.6 aerial duels won in his league outings, bettering Noble’s tallies in each metric. With a suitable all-round game, he’d surely be the perfect midfielder for Moyes, mirroring what somebody like Rice brings to the team.

For context, he has managed 0.7 shots per match of his own and 0.9 key passes which are near identical tallies to Knight. Furthermore, the England international has won 1.3 aerial battles an outing, just 0.3 fewer than West Ham’s latest transfer target.

Therefore, Moyes could secure an upgrade in midfield on Kral and Noble, all while potentially discovering his next Rice in the process. That’s certainly something for the fanbase to get excited about.

In other news… Newman could seal dream West Ham deal with “outstanding” £21m “superstar”

As per Milan News, it appears a major Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has emerged in the race to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Kessie…

Tottenham have been linked with a swoop for the potential 2022 free agent since the end last summer’s transfer window with managing director Fabio Paratici targeting a move.

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La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Get Italian Football News) even claimed that Spurs talks with Kessie and his entourage were at a ‘very advanced’ stage at one point.

Meanwhile, Sportitalia TV reporter Rudy Galetti claimed that Tottenham even had a close agreement, so while these claims have failed to come to fruition so far, there is certainly plenty of noise about this one ahead of the 2022 January transfer window.

The Latest: Tottenham ‘ready’ to meet Kessie demands…

In an update, Milan Live now say that both Tottenham and Paris-Saint Germain are both ‘ready’ to ‘welcome’ and ‘satisfy’ Kessie’s wage demands – said to be around €10 million-per-season (£8.5m).

It also believed that Kessie’s exit from the San Siro is ‘increasingly likely’ with Milan potentially having to search for replacements already.

The Verdict: Get it done…

The Ivory Coast star would undoubtedly bolster Conte’s options in midfield and provide a real degree of quality, as evident by his impressive 13 goals and four assists in 36 Serie A starts last season.

Despite being a natural defensive midfielder, Kessie has flourished in a more advanced role under Stefano Pioli with Milan’s boss even calling him ‘sumptuous’.

Valued at around £49.5 million by Transfermarkt, Spurs and Paratici could bypass that or any fee by signing him on a pre-contract in January – a move which is surely a no-brainer.

In other news: Spurs eyeing ‘special’ £30m ‘beast’ as reliable reporter lifts lid on Levy meeting, find out more here.

Leeds United were subjected to another heavy defeat on Saturday evening as they lost 4-1 at home to Arsenal, just four days after being thrashed 7-0 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

The Whites are in the midst of an injury crisis, particularly with key players Kalvin Phillips, Patrick Bamford and Liam Cooper all sidelined, which hasn’t helped their fortunes of late.

However, that doesn’t excuse some of the defending on display against the Gunners, with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville labelling it as “like an under-9s team defending.”

All four of Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s defenders could be subject to criticism, with Luke Ayling being told by 90min’s Tom Gott that he needs to make sure he “knows the offside rule.” However, centre-back Robin Koch was particularly woeful, with the German being handed a 5.9/10 rating by SofaScore for his display, the lowest of anyone on the night.

Despite being a defender, the 25-year-old only made one tackle and three clearances throughout the 90 minutes, as well as winning just 43% of his duels. He also lost the ball 11 times whilst making 52 touches, which amounts to a loss of possession once every 4.7 touches.

The £15.3m-rated centre-back hadn’t played in the Premier League since the opening day of the season, in what was also a humbling defeat as Leeds lost 5-1 to Manchester United.

According to Transfermarkt, illness and a pubis bone contusion have kept the German out of action for three months, which may partly explain why Koch struggled against Arsenal.

Gary Neville highlighted the centre-back and Bielsa’s management of him after the match, stating: “That’s what happens when your centre-back is not there. Koch is out of position on this side.

“I just don’t see the benefit of Koch going, leaving his space and chasing Lacazette all over the pitch. Then leaving so much for the defenders to do.

“It’s not for me to talk about how Marcelo Bielsa plays the game but I am not having that, not against Lacazette. If that was a great player up front, who maybe could turn, get on the ball and run at you. Messi or someone like that. then you would want to go in and man-mark. But Lacazette is pulling the Leeds centre-backs, who are leaving enormous gaps and they aren’t good enough to fill them.”

On a night to forget for Leeds, and in particular their defence, it was Koch who was perhaps the biggest villain.

In other news – Forget Raphinha: Leeds’ £3.6m gem with 3 key passes was Bielsa’s shining light v Arsenal

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst could make a major blunder in the January transfer window amid Watford’s reported interest in Borna Barisic.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, the Premier League side have got their sights set on the £15k-a-week earning Barisic, and that they have shown an initial interest in signing him.

The report does add, however, that his price tag may be a bit prohibitive for a move, and that with two years left on his contract at Ibrox, he could demand a fee in the region of £5-8m.

Would ruin Rangers’ title momentum

One half of the Gers’ incredible full-back double act with James Tavernier, Barisic has been an outstanding provider and scorer of goals for the club since he made the switch to Ibrox.

The Croatian flyer racked up 14 assists in 50 games across all competitions last season, including enjoying an impressive Europa League campaign too – he bagged three goals and set up another three as the Gers made it to the last 16.

Former Rangers full-back Steven Smith has previously waxed lyrical about the Croatian, saying: “When you have got him on one side and the numbers that Tavernier is producing on the other side, I think when people tell you the numbers it is scary. You are talking about forward players and strikers not even reaching those numbers so the two of them have been outstanding.”

His start to the current campaign has been much more disappointing, with no goals and just the two assists, but the fact he’s played in 21 games across all competitions and only missed matches through injuries, shows just how important he still is.

Selling him in January, when the Scottish Premiership title race remains wide open – the club have got a six-point lead over rivals Celtic right now – would ruin a lot of the momentum that has been built up at Ibrox.

It would be a major call and gamble to sell one of your starting XI players, and it would surely leave Gers fans fuming.

Meanwhile, Rangers are eyeing a move for this Championship star…

Lots of Everton fans have been left fuming over some transfer news which has emerged on Philippe Coutinho.

As per The Daily Mail, the Goodison Park club have now been offered the chance to sign the former Liverpool playmaker in the January transfer window.

His representatives have spoken to the Toffees about a possible deal, but it is not clear whether Rafael Benitez will end up pursuing it.

Coutinho’s Anfield connections may turn the Everton fanbase against any move, given that some Blues made it clear that they did not want Benitez for that reason, and the midfielder’s statistics have been largely underwhelming at Barcelona.

The Brazil international is 29 years of age as well and is likely past his peak years, so the Toffees would do well to avoid signing him.

Everton fans on Coutinho transfer news

These Everton supporters were left fuming as the transfer news on Coutinho was shared on Twitter:

“God I feel ill”

Credit: @james_gavo3

“Here we go”

Credit: @BT_1878

“Another washed up injury prone player. No thanks”

Credit: @ToffeeTosh1878

“Won’t have learnt a thing.”

Credit: @eideangm

“We never learn, do we”

Credit: @efcsam16

“Of course Kia has, the absolute clown”

Credit: @bluesofgoodison

In other news, another transfer update has had lots of Everton fans buzzing

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Monaco monster Benoit Badiashile…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are plotting a swoop for the defender and are currently in talks with the Ligue 1 club over a deal for him this month.

The report claims that he is valued at £35m by the French side and it remains to be seen whether or not Newcastle are willing to meet their demands.

Buzzing

Eddie Howe will surely be buzzing with this news for several reasons. For starters, he will be delighted that the club are actively making moves to strengthen the defence, with talks having already been opened over a transfer for Badiashile.

It shows that they are not willing to waste time and wait until the end of the window to make signings. They want to strengthen the team as quickly as possible and this will please the ex-Bournemouth boss as his team is in dire need of reinforcements.

The Magpies are 19th in the Premier League and have only won one game all season. This shows that the current crop of players have not been good enough for a team that wants to avoid relegation, which is why PIF must splash the cash to improve Howe’s options ahead of the second half of the season.

One of Newcastle’s biggest issues has been their defence. They have conceded the most goals in the division (42) and the signing of Badiashile could improve their backline. The 20-year-old has averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.79 in Ligue 1 for Monaco this term, after managing a score of 6.91 in 32 starts last season.

He helped the French side to keep nine clean sheets in the 2020/21 campaign as he won 63% of his duels and made 2.4 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he can consistently provide strong defensive performances at the top level, winning the majority of his duels and helping his team to keep shutouts – something Newcastle have struggled with this season as they sit on one clean sheet after 19 matches.

Therefore, Howe will be buzzing with the prospect of Badiashile arriving at St. James’ Park. Not only is he a player with immense potential, given his performances in Ligue 1 at the age of 20, but he has also proven that he can perform in the here and now and the Magpies need the defensive monster in their bid to avoid relegation down to the second tier.

AND in other news, “They are…” – Chris Waugh drops key NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…

Celtic are not pursuing a deal to bring Mehdi Ghayedi to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Gol Bezan (via the Daily Record), who claim that Celtic are not one of the sides interested in signing the Shabab Al Ahli winger this month, despite earlier reports suggesting that Ange Postecoglou’s side had made an offer for the 23-year-old.

In a post on Twitter, Gol Bezan journalist Arya Allahverdi stated: “Mehdi Ghayedi to Celtic rumours are not true. Confirmed this with his intermediaries.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering the sheer amount of potential Ghayedi quite clearly possesses, the news that Celtic are in fact not interested in a move for the Iran international this month is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful gutted.

Indeed, despite being just 23 years of age, the £1.08m-rated forward has already made quite an impression on the Asian football scene, scoring ten goals and registering five assists over his 29 appearances for Iranjavan FC, bagging 27 goals and 21 assists over 111 outings for Esteghlal FC and netting four goals and providing one assist over his 14 fixtures for Shabab Al Ahli.

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Furthermore, Bhoys Analytics also suggested that Ghayedi could be a player in a similar mould to Celtic’s on-loan Benfica winger Jota, while the Iranian starlet has also been dubbed a “magician” by Navid Molaaghaei and an “extraordinary killer” by ADSportsTV – following the winger’s spectacular last-minute winner against Sharjah FC last year.

As such, it would very much appear as if Ghayedi would have made a fantastic addition to Celtic’s options out wide, perhaps even being ahead of a few current first-teamers.

However, following the latest update, it would appear as if a move for the Shabab Al Ahli starlet is not on the cards for Celtic this winter, despite it being reported that Postecoglou is on the hunt for a second winger this month – in addition to 56-year-old Bhoys boss doing his best to land Jota on a permanent basis.

In other news: Postecoglou drops teasing 10-word January update that will have Celtic fans buzzing

Leeds United have been boosted in their efforts to sign Ola Aina, with the defender reportedly ‘destined’ to leave Torino in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Leeds tipped to sign Aina

The Whites have already been linked with a move for the 25-year-old in recent weeks, with Victor Orta on the lookout for options to strengthen Marcelo Bielsa’s squad – the manager was forced to bring on two debutants against West Ham on Sunday.

The former Chelsea youngster’s current deal expires in the summer of 2023, so Torino are running out of time to receive a fee for him.

Aina may have started 13 Serie A matches for the Italian side this season but it doesn’t appear as though he is considered a key player.

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The Latest: New report emerges

According to Tuttosport [via Sport Witness], Aina is now ‘destined’ to leave Torino this month, with a number of clubs eyeing him up.

Leeds are again named as one of them but other Premier League teams are believed to be in the mix too, as he potentially goes ‘towards’ a return to England.

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The Verdict: Ideal addition this month

Aina may not necessarily be the glamour signing that some Whites supporters crave in January but he is a solid right-back who could provide strong competition for Luke Ayling.

He is currently on Africa Cup of Nations duty for Nigeria, starting and winning their first two matches and averaging three tackles, three interceptions and two clearances in the competition so far – he was even Whoscored’s Man of the Match in their opener against Egypt.

That highlights what a competent defender Aina is, and with Ayling not getting any younger at 30, Leeds could even view the Torino man as his successor.

In other news, Leeds have been backed to signing an English midfielder this month. Find out who it is here.