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According to a report from 90min, Wolves are among the clubs interested in signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the summer transfer window.

The lowdown: An interesting rise to stardom

Signed by Newcastle United from Northampton Town as a youngster, Toney struggled to make the grade in the North East and after a string of loan moves was eventually sold on a permanent basis to Peterborough United in 2018.

From there, the powerful frontman made his name, scoring 49 goals in 94 appearances before making the switch to a then Championship Brentford side.

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Following on from a stunning 31 strikes and ten assists last season, helping the west London club earn promotion, Toney has made a successful start to life in the Premier League, including a dominant performance at Molineux – the Englishman scored and assisted in a 2-0 win, earning Whoscored’s Man of the Match up against the game’s lowest-rated player, Max Kilman.

The latest: Report cites major interest

As per the report from 90min, Wolves, Arsenal, West Ham, Everton and Newcastle are all keen on the 26-year-old.

It’s claimed that despite Toney wanting to sign a new deal to stay at Brentford, the Wanderers are ‘keeping a watchful’ eye on the situation.

The report also states that the were the London club to sell their talismanic frontman, they are likely to hold out for a bid in excess of £50million for the man hailed as ‘special’ by manager Thomas Frank.

The verdict: Priced out

Albeit Toney has taken to life in the top flight with impressive ease, scoring 12 times so far in the league this season, shelling out the suggested £50million plus for a man in his first elite-level campaign is not a deal worth pursuing at Molineux.

Whilst manager Bruno Lage and executive chairman Jeff Shi will almost certainly be hoping to add more senior support to Raul Jimenez during the summer transfer window, this move at this price seems farfetched.

Clearly fitting a certain profile of striker as a powerful presence, Wolves may well be in the market for a direct Jimenez understudy. To that end, when using FBref to find players with closely matching attributes to Toney, Athletic Bilbao ace Raul Garcia and Alaves’ Joselu make up the top two, as Jimenez himself is actually the third-closest likeness.

In other news, a journalist has discussed a possible shock summer exit at Wolves. Read more here.

Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan has been giving his thoughts to a behind-the-scenes revelation at Celtic Park.  

The Lowdown: McKay’s exit

Dominic McKay left his position as CEO at Parkhead on Friday, just 72 days into his tenure.

The club cited personal reasons for his departure, whereas rumours elsewhere believe he may have jumped before he was pushed in regards to his Hoops role.

Ange Postecoglou admitted 24 hours on that he was as ‘surprised as anyone’ over McKay’s exit, with Michael Nicholson placed in interim charge.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Whelan was asked for his thoughts regarding Postecoglou’s comments on not knowing about McKay’s departure.

This is what he had to say to Football Insider, labelling it as ‘pretty shocking’.

“It doesn’t paint them in a good light.

“When you’re looking to rebuild a club from the foundations up, you want everyone to be as close as possible.

“You need that family environment and the feel-good factor around the club.

“Between the fans, the club, the board, the manager, everyone should be kept in the loop.

“So it shouldn’t have been a secret. There shouldn’t be any secrets at a football club.

“The manager needs to know the big decision that are being made, and that includes changes to the structure of the club.

“That one side is pretty shocking and something they need to be better at.”

The Verdict: Has a point

Whelan does make a good point when it comes to Postecoglou’s reveal on McKay’s exit.

From the outside looking in, it appears as if the gaffer hasn’t been kept in the loop in regards to any off-field developments, not exactly ideal for the man who the Hoops hierarchy will be demanding results from while embarking on a challenging rebuild.

However, hopefully, going forward, the communication between the Celtic board and Postecoglou will improve, and who knows, it could be wise to include the manager in discussions when it comes to appointing a new CEO.

In other news: ‘Brilliant’ free-agent Ange spoke about at Celtic still available after comments emerge. 

According to Spanish news outlet Diario AS, Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espirito Santo personally wants to sign Adama Traore for his new club and it is believed chairman Daniel Levy is now ‘preparing an offer’.

The Lowdown: Spurs in attacker hunt…

As well as new defenders, Spurs have been tipped to add to their forward line this summer as August 31 fast approaches.

The likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Lautaro Martinez have been linked as out-and-out striker additions while Denmark sensation Mikkel Damsgaard has been repeatedly mentioned alongside Spurs too.

Now, as per this report from Spain, it appears Levy and Nuno have their sights set on yet another attacking target.

The Latest: Spurs ‘preparing an offer’ for Traore

As per Diario AS, the Lilywhites boss personally wants to reunite with his former favourite player at Wolves and is eager to sign him for Spurs this summer.

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The Molineux side have slapped a €40 million (£34.1m) price tag on his head amid Tottenham’s interest but it is believed Levy and Nuno ‘preparing an offer’ around that amount to ‘take over the player’.

AS also believe that Wolves plan to use that money for their own transfer plans as they plot a swoop for Valencia forward Goncalo Guedes.

The Verdict: Unmissable opportunity?

Nuno himself never held back in his praise for the ‘amazing’ player during his time in the Midlands (The Athletic), and given Traore’s ridiculous price drop when compared to last year, it could be an unmissable opportunity to sign him for just £34.1m.

Fabrizio Romano, writing for Calciomercato in October 2020, stated that Wolves valued him at around €100 million (£85.3m) – with that figure now allegedly dropping by more than half.

The 25-year-old still has plenty of years at the very top level in his locker and nobody completed more successful dribbles per 90 in the Premier League than him (4.1) over 2020/2021 (WhoScored).

He could prove to be a real bargain and Nuno already knows exactly how to get the very best out of him.

In other news: Bid pending: Spurs offer now expected to sign ‘incredible’ player after behind the scenes talks, find out more here.

Jim Goodwin has commented on the future of Watford transfer target Jamie McGrath…

What’s the talk?

St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin has admitted that Watford transfer target Jamie McGrath could leave the club on a pre-contract agreement next near.

The midfielder is out of contract in the summer of 2022 and Goodwin has said that the player is ‘within his rights’ to sign a deal with a new club in the winter window ahead of leaving at the end of the season.,

He told the Scottish Sun:

“There was serious interest in him – I’m delighted he’s still here. Jamie would be well within his rights if he signed a pre-contract with another club in January.

“Equally, if someone comes in with an outrageous bid for him we’d need to decide what’s best for all concerned. Ideally, we’d like to tie him down on a long-term contract but, realistically, that’s not going to happen.”

Delight

Watford fans will be delighted by these comments from Goodwin as they open the door for McGrath to arrive at Vicarage Road for free next summer. The Hornets could land the Irish talent without having to pay a transfer fee, with Goodwin suggesting that St Mirren are now resigned to the possibility of him departing on a free.

Hornets fans will also be delighted because of the quality of player this news opens them up to getting. Goodwin has given an exceptional reference for the 24-year-old’s talents, saying:

“He had been pigeonholed as a No 10 at Dundalk and people looked at him as a luxury player, but I had a very good conversation with Jamie and his representatives and explained that I saw there was more to him than that.

“My belief was that he could become a No 8 and be a box-to-box player and I think he’s shown he can do that.

“He’s not one to fly into tackles, but he gets close to opponents, he’s fit, he’s quick and his composure on the ball is incredible. His creativity and bravery when in possession is second to none.”

McGrath was directly involved in 20 goals for St Mirren in all competitions from midfield last season, with 14 goals and six assists in 41 games.

This shows that the 24-year-old has the ability to score and assist goals at a decent rate in Scotland.

Bringing him in for nothing would be a worthwhile gamble for Watford.

Fans will be buzzing if Xisco Munoz is able to sign McGrath on a free transfer, especially if the Irish wizard starts scoring and assisting goals in the Premier League.

AND in other news, Signed for £18m, now valued at £3.6m: Watford endured transfer nightmare with dud…

Celtic’s woes in the Europa League continued last week as they were hammered 4-0 by Bayer Leverkusen on their own turf.

This came after they lost 4-3 to Real Betis in their opening group stage match, with Ange Postecoglou’s side now facing an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout stages.

One player who has struggled in Europe in recent seasons and featured against Leverkusen is defensive midfielder Nir Bitton. In 24 minutes against the Bundesliga side, the 29-year-old lost half of his duels and won possession back once, whilst giving the ball away six times.

The Israel international has been a terrific servant for Celtic over the years. He joined from Ashdod in 2013 and has made 241 appearances for the club in the subsequent eight years, including 153 times in the Scottish Premiership for the Hoops.

A major issue he has had throughout his career in Scotland is his availability. He has been out of action for 12 different reasons since joining Celtic, ranging from the ongoing pandemic to groin injuries and problems with his knee. This has restricted him to less than 20 Premiership appearances in each campaign since the 2016/17 season.

Despite that, his value from August 2018 to January 2019 stood at a respectable £1.80m, according to Transfermarkt. Less than three years later, however, Bitton’s value now stands at £720k and has been steadily declining in the intervening period – dropping four times since January 2019.

This means that his value has plummeted by 60% in under three years, despite being in what should be the prime years of his career as a holding midfielder. It’s hardly a surprise, therefore, that he’s been dubbed a “walking joke” by popular Celtic platform, Bhoys Analytics.

His performances in the Europa League, along with his injuries, may have played a part in his valuation flopping in recent years. He averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.72 across five games in the 2019/20 edition of the competition, making one tackle and interception combined per game.

The following year, he averaged a score of 6.63 in three appearances as the overall quality of his displays lowered, despite him averaging 2.7 tackles and interceptions per match. This suggests that he was not performing to a high enough standard in the Europa League, irrespective of any accomplishments domestically, and that could hint at why his price has been falling.

He has struggled on the pitch in Europe and off the pitch in terms of his availability and there are no signs to suggest he is on the way back up. Could it be time for Celtic to part ways with the midfielder?

AND in other news, Postecoglou provides fresh injury update that should excite Celtic supporters…

Rangers slumped to back-to-back defeats in all competitions following a hugely disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Dundee United this afternoon.

The Gers were hoping to bounce back from Tuesday night’s loss in the first leg of their Champions League third round qualifying tie against Malmo, but it wasn’t to be for Steven Gerrard’s charges.

After an evenly-contested opening 45 minutes at Tannadice, the reigning Scottish champions were dominant in the opening exchanges after the break. However, a lucky bounce of the ball presented Dundee United left-back Jamie Robson with a golden opportunity to put the hosts ahead, and the 23-year-old made no mistake.

Despite Rangers’ desperate efforts to find an equaliser, their forward line looked blunt and way below its best, producing just two shots on target all afternoon.

Unfortunately for Alfredo Morelos, the Colombia international was the most underwhelming attacker in his first appearance of the new campaign.

As per SofaScore, Rangers’ star striker had just 29 touches in the 82 minutes that he was on the pitch, two fewer than goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin. Morelos also lost six of his 10 duels against the Tangerines, had just one shot on target and lost possession eight times.

The £10.8m-rated forward has let Gerrard down before, although it’s usually for his ill discipline rather than poor displays in front of goal.

El Bufalo will be forgiven for his poor showing by Rangers fans given his previous exploits for the club, but they, alongside Gerrard, will be hoping for a much-improved showing next time out from the 25-year-old.

He was perhaps thrown into the starting XI too soon by the manager considering that he only returned from his homeland a few days ago, yet Morelos would still have been expecting to put in a better performance than what he did today.

In other news… Gerrard must unleash “special” 25 y/o vs Dundee Utd, he could be Rangers’ game-changer 

Leeds United ambassador Noel Whelan has backed Diego Llorente and Robin Koch to start at centre-back together against Burnley this weekend.

The Lowdown: Leeds host Burnley

The Whites get their 2022 action underway on Sunday afternoon, with the Clarets making the trip to Elland Road. It is a crucial game at the bottom of the table as Marcelo Bielsa’s side desperately look to find some form and pull themselves clear of danger.

Leeds have been injury-plagued at centre-back throughout the season but Llorente and Koch are both fit for the weekend showdown, with the pair in contention to start.

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The Latest: Duo backed to start at centre-back

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan backed the duo to face the Clarets on Sunday in the absence of the injured Liam Cooper, saying:

“This is what we bought them for. We bought these players to be our regular centre-halves.

“It’s only due to injuries when they first came into Leeds United. You’ve had Struijk who came into some really good form and started pushing and competing for these places.

“I would love to see the two of them start together. I think a lot of the fans will love to see that partnership try and develop over a space of time, especially when you’ve got Liam Cooper out.

“You can get yourself Luke Ayling back to the right wing-back role, which is fantastic. That’s where he’s got all the energy. Then pop Dallas back into that central midfield area, where we know he loves to play in that position.

“I think you’ve got to look at those two. You’ve got to stop putting round pegs in square holes here and play two quality, international centre-halves together.”

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The Verdict: Form a partnership

Having a settled centre-back pairing is crucial to any team’s success, laying the foundations and allowing two players to build a strong on-pitch relationship.

Llorente and Koch may well be tasked with doing that in the coming months, with Cooper expected to be out until March, and Sunday could be the first test of their credentials.

Both players have suffered injuries of their own this season – they have only started 15 league games between them – but now is the time for them to show their worth, hopefully playing their part in Leeds rising up the table.

In other news, Leeds have suffered another big injury blow. Read more here.

Jack Pitt-Brooke has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are now eyeing four major signings this summer.

The Lowdown: Champions League uncertainty

Spurs are not guaranteed to finish in the UEFA Champions League places this season, given that they are currently three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand on their North London rivals.

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It would be more difficult to attract the calibre of player that they would want should they miss out, and they could also potentially lose some of their best players, with the likes of Harry Kane now being linked to big-spenders Newcastle United.

The Latest: Four signings eyed

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Lilywhites journalist Pitt-Brooke has revealed that Antonio Conte’s team are now looking to make four major signings in the summer.

They reportedly want to bring in a new left-sided central defender, two wing-backs, and a back-up to Kane.

The Verdict: Exciting

It is certainly exciting for THFC fans that they seem to be looking to go on a spending spree this summer.

The likes of Omar Marmoush and Lautaro Martinez have been linked as striker options, while Ben Davies could become more of a squad member next season, meaning that a more natural centre-back will likely take his position on the left of a three-man defence.

Djed Spence has been strongly linked with filling in the right wing-back position at Tottenham, while at left wing-back, Sergio Reguilon has not always been in favour under Conte.

Nonetheless, it could be a new-look Spurs side built in Conte’s image by the end of the summer transfer window, which should surely excite the Lilywhites faithful.

In other news, find out who THFC have now held talks over signing here!

‘Another’ blow for Leeds United as defender Robin Koch will be out for a month yet, BBC’s Adam Pope has confirmed from Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ injury storm

The Whites have been struck by what The Athletic’s Phil Hay describes as a ‘perfect storm of injuries’ in recent weeks, with the likes of Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips, Patrick Bamford and several defenders all missing matches.

And while the Brazilian is expected to be fit and raring to go this weekend against Wolves, Bielsa shared some troubling news on Koch in his Thursday press conference, as the issues in defence persist.

The Latest: Another month for Koch

As shared by BBC’s Pope, the German defender ‘has another month to go’, meaning Bielsa will still be struggling for depth at the back for at least four more weeks.

Liam Cooper has been chastised for his form this season, while the likes of Luke Ayling and Diego Llorente have also been hit by injury issues.

The Verdict: Big blow to Bielsa’s depth

While the Whites’ defence has improved slightly in recent fixtures, conceding just once across their last two games, the extent of Koch’s injury continues to be a big blow for the manager.

The 25 year-old is capable of playing in the heart of defence, at right-back, or even in defensive midfield,which means his absence hurts Bielsa’s options in multiple positions.

He has also been hailed as a ‘leader’ and ‘magnificent’ by former Elland Road man Noel Whelan, and with Cooper struggling for form the side could certainly use some of that leadership.

Now facing a Wolves team who sit eighth in the expected goals department this season, with the numbers showing Bruno Lage’s side are actually creating far more chances than their goals scored suggests (Understat), Saturday’s meeting could be a real uphill battle for Bielsa and co.

In other news, see exactly what one talkSPORT pundit had to say about Cooper’s showings this season…

Sky Sports News have shared the latest injury update on Tottenham Hotspur full-back Matt Doherty live on air.

The Lowdown: Doherty’s rise to prominence

The 30-year-old has risen to prominence at Spurs in recent weeks, having become a key player in Antonio Conte’s starting XI. The Irishman has recently produced two goals and three assists in  the space of six league matches, which has added to the Lilywhites’ push for a fourth-place finish in the Premier League table.

However, Doherty’s contributions for the current campaign have now seemingly come to an end after the defender sustained a knee injury against Aston Villa on Saturday, forcing Conte into an unwanted substitution in the 21st minute.

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The Latest: Sky Sports News drop on-air Doherty update

Reporting live on air, Sky Sports News have revealed that Doherty is out for up to 12 weeks following the injury he sustained against Villa, which means that he will now miss the remainder of the Premier League season.

With the on-air clip shared via Twitter, Sky reported: “BREAKING: Tottenham’s Matt Doherty is out for up to 12 weeks.”

The reporter delivering the update referred to it as “bad news for Tottenham”, with the Irishman having “really found form lately”.

The Verdict: Huge blow for Conte

Conte has struggled with finalising his starting options at wing-back this season. However, Doherty has made the step up in recent weeks and has since featured in the starting XI in Tottenham’s last seven Premier League games.

Consequently, this news will come as a huge blow to the Spurs manager, who will now have to rely on Emerson Royal as the only fit right wing-back available for selection for the remainder of the season. It’s a cruel blow for Doherty, too, who was just hitting his stride after a difficult start to life in north London.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops Dejan Kulusevski transfer claim