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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 

After ending Dean Smith’s reign at Aston Villa with a 1-0 win over the Midlands club prior to the international break, Southampton have the chance to get his time at Norwich City off to a bad start when they travel to Carrow Road this weekend for their latest Premier League match.

In terms of which players Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl could pick to face the Canaries on Saturday afternoon, one man who we think deserves to be in the starting XI on this occasion is centre-back Lyanco.

Why Lyanco must start for Saints

Since joining the south coast club back in August on a four-year deal from Torino in Serie A, the Brazilian has only started two games for Southampton, which both came in the Carabao Cup.

the defender, who has been labelled as a “fantastic character” by Hasenhuttl, made his Premier League debut when he came on as a late substitute during their 1-0 win over Watford before playing the last 34 minutes of their 1-0 victory against Villa.

During his time on the pitch against Smith’s former employers, Lyanco showed what a useful defensive unite he can be for the Saints by blocking two shots and making one tackle, one interception and one clearance, whilst winning three of his four duels. He ultimately earned himself a solid overall match rating of 7/10 from SofaScore, despite only playing just over half an hour.

With this in mind, and Hasenhuttl recently revealing that he will be making changes to his team and giving some fringe players the chance to prove themselves in the coming weeks and months, the game against Norwich could be a great opportunity to give Lyanco his first start in the Premier League against a side who have only scored five goals in 11 games.

In terms of who the 24-year-old could replace in the starting XI, he could come in ahead of someone like Jan Bednarek, who played the full 90 minutes in Poland’s recent 2-1 defeat against Hungary earlier in the week and could arguably need a rest. He has also played every minute of league action for Southampton since their 0-0 draw against Manchester City in September.

If Hasenhuttl does start Lyanco against the Canaries and the Brazilian manages to put in another solid performance throughout the full game, he could well cement his place in the team for the time being and prove why the club were right to bring him to St Mary’s.

In other news: Southampton handed huge fitness boost ahead of Norwich clash, fans will be buzzing

Frank McAvennie has claimed that Ange Postecoglou’s backroom staff are now ‘hindering’ him after the Celtic boss won October’s Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month.

The Lowdown: Deserved award

Earlier this week, the 56-year-old was awarded the manager of the month (MOTM) award for the Scottish top flight, but he was pictured claiming it alongside his backroom staff.

He guided Celtic through an unbeaten month, picking up four wins and a draw in the Premiership, as well as a 2-0 win against Ferencvaros in the Europa League group stage (BBC).

The award was well-deserved for Postecoglou, who has taken on a big job to try and beat Rangers to the league title this time around.

The Latest: McAvennie reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Hoops striker McAvennie has been left disappointed by how his former club chose to present Ange’s award, with the inclusion of his backroom staff in the images striking the wrong note with the 61-year-old. He raged:

“It’s big for Ange. He’s had a good month and we have gone unbeaten, you can’t ask for more than that.

“Did you see the pictures? He was stood there with the award with his backroom staff.

“I’m not having that. They have done nothing. This is all down to him.

“I have said many times that Ange should have been allowed to bring his own team in when he joined.

“I think they are hindering him if anything. The club wants to show a united front, I get that.

“But this should be a moment for Ange to cherish, he’s doing so well at the moment.

“It’s his award, no one else’s.”

The Verdict: Results down to Ange

We’re with McAvennie on this one. Postecoglou’s backroom staff may have helped him along his Celts journey so far, but the recent run of results are mainly down to him as the players now seem to be performing for him on the pitch.

Celtic are now just four points behind Rangers in the Premiership after it looked like they were going to be cut adrift once more at one point. Their 30 goals in the league and nine conceded are the most scored and fewest let in out of any other team so far (BBC), suggesting that their attack and defence are clicking.

Postecoglou finally looks to be getting a tune out of his players, and long may it continue if they are going to catch their bitter rivals at the top of the table.

In other news, Celtic have been dealt a transfer blow over this midfielder

Frank McAvennie has claimed that Glasgow Rangers may be making a ‘mistake’ if they end up signing Joey Veerman in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Veerman wanted

As per The Athletic, Veerman is one of the top targets for Steven Gerrard’s team to sign this summer.

However, the Dutchman feels as if he is being priced out of a move from Heerenveen, claiming that they are making it ‘very difficult’ for him by demanding a ‘crazy’ £8m (Scottish Sun).

The Latest: McAvennie on Veerman

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie, a pundit who of course played in the Scottish Premiership, has claimed that Veerman will leave, but doubts that the Ibrox faithful will be able to spend £8m on him, and added that they do not need to sign him anyway:

“The boy will leave.

“Even Celtic with their finances, will they go out and spend £8million on a player?

“I’m not sure Rangers can do that. I don’t think they have the financial strength. It could be a mistake.

“They have enough midfield players, that’s one position they don’t need to spend £8million on.

“A forward or a centre half I can understand, they are overwhelmed there.

“I don’t think the fans will be happy if they spend £8million, a huge fee, on a player who might only be a bit-part.”

The Verdict: Avoid

Having already brought in John Lundstram from Sheffield United, the Gers already have an abundance of options in the centre of midfield, and so signing Veerman, especially for £8m, would seem like a waste of money.

The 22-year-old would end up being their third-most expensive signing of all time, when really RFC should be looking to spend their money in other areas of the pitch.

Nonetheless, a deal may not easily be done anyway given the club’s stance on the player, and so Rangers should not be looking to waste their time with the new 2021/22 season fast approaching.

In other news, find out what club announcement has Gers talking here!

West Ham United have received a major boost, with David Moyes expected to sign a contract extension before the end of the week…

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, the Scotsman was on the brink of signing a new three-year extension at the London Stadium, which would end any prospects of him returning to former club Everton.

He is likely to put pen to paper on Friday just under three weeks after sealing a place in the Europa League for the Irons with their best top-flight finish since the 1998/99 campaign.

The 58-year-old had been linked with a sensational return to Goodison Park following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid but instead he has agreed to extend his contract, which was due to expire in 12 months’ time.

Huge boost

After those worrying links to his old club emerged during the past week, this fresh development will surely come as exciting news to everyone in east London as the Hammers can now look ahead to what will be a historic season.

Moyes has completely transformed West Ham in his second spell at the club. Last year, he guided them to Premier League safety with just one game to spare and he has now steered them to a top-six finish.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-much-more” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

His recruitment in the transfer market has arguably been second to none, trusting relatively unknown signings from abroad like Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, who have both become instant favourites, whilst no one could have predicted the form of Jesse Lingard, who ended the season on nine goals and four assists having only joined on loan in January.

In response to the report about Moyes’ future, plenty of the Irons faithful have made their feelings known on social media, with the overriding consensus being sheer elation. – albeit from a small sample size, there won’t be many against this move.

“Great stuff”, claimed one supporter, whilst another previously lauded it as “class news”. A further member of the London Stadium fanbase also described it as a “huge relief to 99% of West Ham fans”.

All that’s left is the official announcement from Rush Green but, until then, it seems that everyone associated with the club can now start to get excited ahead of next season.

AND in other news, Moyes must axe “really special” Pellegrini flop, he’s cost West Ham £3.95m per goal…

Aston Villa journalist Luke Hatfield reckons Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings playing up front together is a possibility for Dean Smith’s side this season.

Following Watkins’ outstanding first campaign at Premier League level in which he scored an impressive 14 goals, eyebrows were raised when Villa made the shock signing of Ings earlier this month.

The pair haven’t yet been given the opportunity to play in the same team, with a knee problem keeping Watkins out of Villa’s opening two league matches and their Carabao Cup win at Barrow.

The former Brentford man could return after the international break, which means Smith will have a dilemma having opted for Ings to lead the line against Watford and Newcastle.

Should the Villa boss stick with his usual 4-3-3, the obvious choice would see Watkins move out wide and play on the left, a position he played regularly during his Brentford days.

But Hatfield failed to rule out the possibility of Smith going with two strikers. He told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s played there before for Brentford under Dean Smith, so that is a role he can play, although he was fantastic as a central striker last season, so it wouldn’t shock me to see two up top for Villa.”

Wolves are looking to make more signings before the transfer window closes next week, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

It has been a pretty quiet window for Wolves so far, with the arrival of goalkeeper Jose Sa to replace Rui Patricio and permanent signing of Rayan Ait-Nouri probably their main pieces of business.

Most of the transfer talk at Wolves this summer has been dominated by current players Ruben Neves and Adama Traore, who both continue to be linked with moves away from Molineux.

According to Fabrizio Romano (via The Here We Go Podcast), Neves is one name on a list of midfielders Manchester United are looking at. Meanwhile, The Telegraph are reporting that Tottenham are hoping to sign Traore on a loan deal with a view to a permanent transfer.

And Hatfield has spoken to FFC about that potential loan deal and Wolves’ overall plans for the rest of the month.

“The deal with a loan with a view, I don’t think it would work for Wolves,” the Express & Star reporter said. “They’d be losing a very good player, or one of their best players, for essentially a very small fee right now.

“It would give them very little money to play with in terms of this window when they are looking to make signings before this window closes.”

It is shaping up to be an exciting deadline day at Wolves, with it certainly looking like they could get some last-minute deals done.

Some Everton fans have been left to buzz following a transfer update on Goncalo Guedes that has since been shared by @TheEvertonEnd on Twitter.

As per Plaza Radio (via Plaza Deportiva), the Goodison Park faithful have reportedly joined the race to sign the Valencia ace.

His contract at the La Liga club runs out on 2024, and they are demanding a transfer fee of at least €25m (£21.6m) for anyone to sign him once the summer window opens.

Guedes scored a respectable seven goals and made a further seven assists in 34 games in total over all competitions in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), and at 24 years of age, he has certainly not reached his footballing peak yet.

Nonetheless, with Carlo Ancelotti looking to strengthen his attacking options for next season, the winger could well be the answer to his prayers.

Everton fans on Guedes transfer update

These Toffees buzzed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that he would be a ‘brilliant’ signing:

“Yes please go on Marcel get it done mate would be brilliant signing for us I’m sure of it”

Credit: @Jackbluenose1

“This would be a good signing”

Credit: @efcsam_

“Yessssssss”

Credit: @2k21hypocrite

“Oh go on then”

Credit: @rhysdav43668344

“Buy this man now”

Credit: @BBydays

“This is the signing of the summer if we get him”

Credit: @Djeczo

In other news, find out what transfer update has left EFC fans raging here!

West Ham United will make the short trip to west London to take on Chelsea this afternoon as the Hammers look to boost their chances of a top-six finish in the Premier League.

The Blues already look set to finish third in the league whilst the Irons’ fate is still uncertain with Wolves and Manchester United also in the hunt for sixth place.

David Moyes’ men will take confidence from the fact that they beat Thomas Tuchel’s side 3-2 in the reverse fixture with every remaining game now vital for the east London club.

With a crunch first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Frankfurt on Thursday, will the Scotsman prioritise Europe and look to make changes against Chelsea? Here is how Football FanCast expects the Hammers to line up.

West Ham XI: Fabianski, Johnson, Dawson, Alese, Cresswell, Soucek, Rice, Bowen, Lanzini, Benrahma, Antonio

As expected there’s no change in goal as Lukasz Fabianski continues his role as league goalkeeper whilst there’s a major change in the defence with Issa Diop now ruled out with an ankle injury.

With Craig Dawson the only fit senior centre-back, we expect Moyes to finally give an opportunity to exciting youngster Aji Alese.

The 6 foot 3 Nigerian has been excellent for the Hammers’ U23s this season and was described as “gold dust” by Tom Edwards on the We Are West Ham Podcast.

Moreover, the 21-year-old is a left-footed centre-back so should slot in next to Dawson perfectly as he gears up to make a potential Premier League debut.

Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice are set to continue their partnership in front of the back four whilst there is another change in the attacking midfield trio with Moyes playing his usual 4-2-3-1 set-up.

Nikola Vlasic was handed a rare league start against Burnley last weekend and failed to deliver once again, therefore we expect the Croatian to be replaced by Said Benrahma to add much-needed creativity to the side and support for striker Michail Antonio.

The £69k-per-week 24-year-old has endured a tough first season in claret and blue, scoring just one goal in all competitions.

Despite playing a London rival in Chelsea, this afternoon’s match is crucial if West Ham are serious about securing a top-six finish, with other sides in the hunt breathing down their neck.

AND in other news, Moyes can axe “superb” £50m ace with WHU swoop for “one of the most exciting talents”…