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An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to add another option to their attacking arsenal before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

According to journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon, the Hoops are keeping tabs on Sunderland winger Patrick Roberts ahead of next month's deadline.

The report claims that the Bhoys are monitoring his situation alongside Championship side Southampton, who were relegated from the Premier League earlier this year.

It states that the English magician is now in the final 12 months of his contract at the Stadium of Light and the Black Cats may lose him for nothing if they do not cash in now.

How good is Patrick Roberts?

The 26-year-old whiz is an excellent left-footed right winger who could be a perfect alternative to reported transfer target Tete, who has since joined Galatasaray on a free transfer instead of moving to Parkhead.

Brendan Rodgers signed on loan Tete from Shakhtar Donetsk for Leicester and described him as "exactly" what he was looking for in a right-sided attacker due to his ability to pass, move, and retain possession.

Like the Brazilian ace, Roberts is an excellent creative passer who can also retain possession fairly well for his side on the flank.

The former Manchester City prospect, who played 65 matches under Rodgers on loan at Celtic earlier in his career, enjoyed an impressive 2022/23 campaign for Sunderland as he showcased his ability on the ball.

Roberts started 29 Championship matches for the Black Cats and caught the eye with ten 'big chances' created and seven assists, as per Sofascore.

Jota, who has since departed to join Al-Itthad, was the only Celtic winger who managed more than five Scottish Premiership assists last term.

Tete, on the other hand, created seven 'big chances' and assisted seven goals across 21 Ligue 1 starts for Lyon during spells in France between the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns.

The now-Galatasaray ace completed between 82 and 83% of his attempted passes between those seasons and Roberts recorded a pass success rate of 82% for Sunderland last term, which suggests that they retain possession at a similar level of efficiency.

These statistics suggest that Roberts has the creative ability to be an outstanding threat for Celtic on the right wing by cutting inside onto his favoured left foot to make things happen at the top end of the pitch.

Roberts, who journalist Josh Bunting hailed as "magic" on the ball, could also open up space down the right for Anthony Ralston or Alistair Johnston to bomb forward from right-back as him moving into central positions on his left foot could draw defenders inside, which would free up the full-back to push on.

The 5 foot 6 maestro's aforementioned history with Rodgers and Celtic also suggests that he would be able to hit the ground running due to him already knowing how the manager likes to play, as well as having knowledge of the club and level of football.

Therefore, Roberts could be a perfect alternative to Tete, who has no prior experience in Scotland, as a left-footed right winger to slot into the team this season.

Everton have had their fair share of transfer disasters during the Moshiri era at Goodison Park, with more than £500m spent on signings and nothing to show for it beyond relegation scraps and financial concerns.

However, since the arrivals of Frank Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell in 2022, Everton are looking like a team who can compete comfortably in the Premier League this season so far after signing nine new players over the summer.

The Toffees are currently unbeaten in their last six games and have the best defensive record in the top flight after eight outings, with Conor Coady, James Tarkowski, Amadou Onana and Neal Maupay all becoming consistent features in the team since they joined the Merseysiders over the summer.

Nevertheless, it has taken a lot of trial and error to get the team into shape; and even when transfers have looked promising for the club, the reality sometimes hasn’t lived up to expectations, with James Rodriguez the perfect example of a player who was a superstar on paper but a flop for Everton.

Before he made the move to Merseyside, he was one of the hottest prospects in football, scoring 37 goals and delivering 42 assists in just 125 appearances for Real Madrid.

On the international stage for Colombia, he was the standout performer in the 2014 World Cup, scoring six goals in five games and winning the tournament’s Golden Boot.

Therefore, when the opportunity came for the attacker to join the Toffees in 2020, it was met with great excitement. The talented goal machine had worked with Carlo Ancelotti on two occasions already by that stage and on the surface seemed the perfect fit for Everton.

However, it turned out to be one of Moshiri’s biggest transfer disasters, and financially Rodriguez completely drained the club over his 12 months at Goodison Park.

The player joined on a free transfer from Los Blancos, as confirmed by then-Toffees director Marcel Brands despite initial reports of a £22m fee at the time of the transfer. However, when you take into account the player’s £140k-per-week salary during his 54 weeks at the club, it cost Moshiri £7.56m in total.

Rodriguez made just 26 appearances for the Toffees, scoring six goals and delivering nine assists as he was plagued with injuries, suffering six separate instances of injury in just one year and missing 22 games whilst he recovered.

The former Bayern Munich ace has also branded “spoiled” by journalist Ivan Mejia in the past before he was sold for an undisclosed fee to Qatari club Al-Rayyan just over a year after his arrival on Merseyside.

With that in mind, there is no doubt that Moshiri will feel rueful over signing Rodriguez, but the club could have never predicted that a player with so much promise could be such a letdown at Everton.

Broadcaster Richard Keys claims that Rafael Benitez has been in contact for Brendan Rodgers’ job at Leicester City.

The Lowdown: Rodgers under pressure?

The Foxes head into the international break rock bottom of the Premier League and without a win in their opening seven games.

Rodgers’ position at The King Power is thought to be under threat due to a poor start, with reports suggesting that the Northern Irishman is on the brink of being sacked.

Leicester chiefs are already thought to be sounding out potential replacements, and it looks as if they may have an interested party in Benitez.

The Latest: Keys’ claim

Keys took to Twitter on Tuesday, mainly reacting to Benitez’s recent interview with Sky Sports on his time at Everton.

However, the presenter then said this about the Spaniard and Leicester:

“My friends at Leicester tell me Benitez has applied for that job. Is there a vacancy?”

The Verdict: Interesting

The next few days will be very interesting to see what Leicester officials decide to do regarding their managerial position, as you could argue that now could be a good time to make a change due to the international break.

Thomas Frank and Sean Dyche have been two names mentioned, with Benitez now the third recognisable hat thrown into the ring.

The 62-year-old has plenty of Premier League experience with Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton and has won 13 major honours during his career, so he could well be of interest to Leicester, should they part ways with Rodgers.

Celtic have been left to rue their failure to land current Leeds United starlet, Brenden Aaronson, with the United States international having seemingly been a target for the Parkhead outfit just over two years ago.

Reports back in the summer of 2020 revealed that the Old Firm side – then managed by Neil Lennon – were one of the clubs keen on signing the 5 foot 10 playmaker, with the youngster having impressed for MLS side Philadelphia Union, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 57 games in all competitions.

Described as a “mentality monster” by Matthias Jaissle, the attacking midfielder – who has also drawn comparisons to Germany’s Kai Havertz – was ultimately snapped up by Red Bull Salzburg for a relative bargain fee of just £4.6m in October 2020.

That deal proved particularly astute for the Austrian side as he went on to provide 28 goal contributions in just 66 games in all competitions at the club, before being snapped up by those at Elland Road for a fee close to £25m in the recent window.

Not only have the Glasgow side missed out on what could have been an astute piece of business to sign a player who would have cost less than the £5m paid for Swiss flop Albian Ajeti in that same summer, but the Scottish Premiership giants have also been forced to witness the 21-year-old thrive since then.

Following his exploits in Salzburg, Aaronson has settled quickly into life in the Premier League in recent months, providing a goal and an assist under compatriot Jesse Marsch in his six top-flight outings thus far.

The dynamic sensation bagged his solitary goal thus far in the shock 3-0 win over Chelsea having brilliantly dispossessed opposition stopper Edouard Mendy, before calmly slotting home into an empty net – having thrown in a cheeky, no-look finish for good measure.

The “electric” menace – as dubbed by Wes Burdine – has also impressed as a result of his willingness to put in the hard yards, having been lauded by Marsch for that trait following his debut last month: “[Aaronson] is relentless. He is non stop. His work rate is incredible I know him well and the thing I know about him is he is only going to get better.”

That final line would suggest that the sky is seemingly the limit for the 24-cap magician, with the Celtic Park hierarchy likely to be left to rue their failure to secure his signature.

West Ham United are ‘actively trying’ to sign three players before September’s transfer deadline, according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Poor start

Although David Moyes has welcomed six permanent additions to the London Stadium this summer, the Hammers remain keen on bringing in a number of new players as the club look to prepare for a busy season, with both the Premier League and a potential Europa Conference League group stage campaign at hand.

Of the new additions, only Thilo Kehrer has featured in the Iron’ starting XI in the league so far this term, with the others making brief cameos coming off the bench.

However, with three defeats in their opening three top-flight fixtures, Moyes clearly needs to change something, with the east Londoners currently bottom of the Premier League table.

The Latest: Taylor’s news

Taylor has shared details of three deals that West Ham are hoping to get over the line before the window closes, although he claims that owners GSB are struggling to make substantial progress in the market.

The Irons are currently working on moves for two centre-backs in Spezia’s Jakub Kiwior and Fenerbahçe’s Attila Szalai, in addition to Club Brugge midfielder Hans Vanaken.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the reliable journalist stated: “I think Kiwior, Szalai, and Vanaken are ones that West Ham are actively trying to do at the moment. But the kind of situation with West Ham at the moment seems to be they’re not really making any progress on a number of deals.

“We saw the Emerson deal initially collapse, and the Club Brugge lad [Vanaken] seems to be sort of being held in Belgium at the moment, in terms of they don’t want him to go.”

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The Verdict: Need to avoid another injury crisis

Whilst undertaking a busy schedule in the Europa League last season, the Hammers’ lack of depth really came to the fore when they suffered a defensive crisis in the run-up to their semi-final clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.

With Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma already unavailable, Issa Diop sustained an ankle injury, leaving Craig Dawson as Moyes’ only fit centre-back to face the eventual tournament winners.

Other areas of the pitch were also affected towards the end of the campaign, with fatigue visibly evident throughout the team as they dropped to seventh in the Premier League for a finish.

Therefore, with eight departures already confirmed this summer, three further additions to Moyes’ squad would help to alleviate the lack of depth currently inhibiting West Ham (they currently have the smallest player pick in the top flight) as they seek to turn a corner after their awful start to the domestic campaign.

Everton are looking in France for some striker reinforcements if reports are to be believed. 

What’s the word?

According to reports, via TEAMtalk, the Toffees are interested in Rennes marksman Serhou Guirassy.

Frank Lampard has reportedly been a fan of the powerful attacker since his Chelsea team faced the French side in the Champions League two years ago.

Available for around £15m, it could prove to be a huge coup for an Everton side still looking to keep their spending as low as possible. 

He can replace DCL

A huge blow for the blues, Everton are to be without their star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the next six weeks following a “freak” injury picked up in training.

It seems like the Toffees are set for another season without a proper forward, which is made all the more apparent following the departure of Richarlison, who deputised for most of last season.

With large parts of Lampard’s game geared towards the presence of a powerful forward, perhaps poaching this 6 foot 2 Guinean could fill that role and challenge the England international should he return to fitness.

The 26-year-old would thrive off the service of Dwight McNeil and Anthony Gordon, who both put in some wicked deliveries during their loss to Chelsea on Saturday.

Having that central striker could tie together everything the Everton boss has been building this summer.

With 12 goals and three assists last season in all competitions, it is clear that Guirassy is a capable striker with the ability to score and create.

In fact, he ranks in the top 6% for pass completion percentage as well as the top 2% for non-penalty goals when compared with other forwards in Europe’s top five leagues. His presence is felt by all due to his size, but he clearly has incredible feet that make him a multi-faceted threat for defenders.

It is this sort of player that the Toffees had been crying out for, with the “powerful” £18k-per-week attacker is claimed to have “a decent turn of pace and makes intelligent runs.”

With these sorts of attributes, combined with some consistency that can be found in his 48 appearances over last season, Guirassy can certainly replace the gaping hole left by Calvert-Lewin.

Rangers have not been shy when it comes to signing players from clubs south of the border in the past.

This latest summer transfer window has seen the Gers bring in players such as Ben Davies and Tom Lawrence from English clubs to help strengthen their squad.

Another player the Ibrox side secured from England is Scott Arfield, who made the move to Glasgow from Burnley back in the 2018 summer window.

With there still being some time left before deadline day arrives at the end of this latest transfer period, the Gers could use this time to secure a potential successor for the former Clarets star.

Earlier in the window, the club were mentioned with a potential move for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks.

Hailed as a “perfect” player by former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, Winks could be a valuable asset for Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

To compare the £91k-per-week Englishman with Arfield, according to SofaScore, the duo have an identical rating for their tactical ability as well as a similar rating for their defensive prowess, highlighting some similarities between the pair in the middle of the park.

By the same metric, Winks trumps the current Rangers midfielder in terms of his technical, creative and attacking ratings, which suggests that he would be more of a threat in front of goal than the Canadian.

Despite playing ten fewer league games than Arfield last season, the 26-year-old still managed to deliver more crosses and make more interceptions than the former Burnley figure.

Bearing in mind that the 33-year-old is one of the oldest figures in Rangers’ squad, the Spurs man may well be seen as a viable and suitable long-term replacement for the veteran at Ibrox.

Taking into account how the Englishman only started nine Premier League games for the north London club last season and was not included in the squad for their opening match of the season against Southampton yesterday, this suggests he could be surplus to requirements at the club and would be better off elsewhere. Indeed, reports of late suggest he is now expected to leave north London before September 1st.

With that in mind, a potential move to Ibrox where he can play regularly and fight for trophies at a big club would surely be a tempting prospect for him.

As a result, the Gers should certainly explore a move for the midfielder so they can tick off a long-term replacement for Arfield on their list.

Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension sporting director Fabio Paratici, have re-emerged for Blackburn Rovers starlet Ashley Phillips amid his contract talks.

The Lowdown: Spurs once in pole position?

The Premier League side have long been linked with a move for the highly-rated central defender, with reports earlier this year suggesting that they were even fronting the race for his signature.

Indeed, reliable journalist Alan Nixon claimed in early May that Spurs were ‘leading Man United and Chelsea’ in the race to sign Phillips and were ‘favourites’ to get a deal done.

It was claimed that the Lilywhites were looking to seal an agreement for around £3m, and after those reports died down, it appears that links with the exciting young defender have re-emerged.

The Latest: Paratici re-emerges for Phillips…

Paratici and Spurs are apparently still lurking for Phillips amid the teenager’s talks over a professional contract.

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The Lancashire Telegraph say that there is ‘lingering interest’ from Tottenham in the 17-year-old, who has received plaudits for his dominant performances at youth level.

The Verdict: Make the move?

Phillips really could be one to watch based off some glowing endorsements over the last year.

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham pundit John Wenham raved over the 6 foot 4 ace after looking into him, going on to brand Phillips a ‘monster’ whilst urging Paratici to get it done ‘ASAP’.

Elsewhere, former Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has called the prodigy ‘phenomenal’, and it’s not hard to see why Spurs are still in the running for the coveted teenager, who is an England underage international and has already trained with Blackburn’s first team.

Leeds United forward Rodrigo is attracting increasing interest in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Turkish media outlet Takvim, who revealed that, despite Galatasaray having reached an agreement with Cagliari for the transfer of Joao Pedro, the deal is now in doubt due to the 30-year-old’s agents demanding an unacceptable commission for their work in negotiating the forward’s move.

As a result, the Super Lig side are said to have now turned their attention to Leeds forward Rodrigo, with talks regarding a €12m (£10m) deal for the 31-year-old Spain international between the two clubs believed to have already started.

Supporters will be buzzing

While it is true that selling a player for less than half of the £26m fee Leeds paid for Rodrigo will be a bitter pill to swallow for Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani, considering how mediocre the forward has been since his 2020 arrival, coupled with his extremely hefty weekly wage, the news that the Whites could get the Spaniard off of their books this summer is sure to have left the Elland Road faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 31 Premier League appearances last season, the £10.8m-rated forward badly struggled for form in Jesse Marsch’s side, scoring six goals, registering one assist and missing five big chances, as well as hitting the target with an average of just 0.6 shots, losing possession 11.5 times and completing a mere 21.2 passes per game.

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These returns saw the £100k-per-week player who Beren Cross dubbed “anonymous” average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.80, ranking him as the Whites’ tenth-best performer in the league last time out.

The argument could be made that these metrics are not overly disastrous, however, considering Orta paid a club-record fee for the 31-year-old, in addition to Rodrigo being by far and away Leeds’ highest earner, much more output will have undoubtedly been expected from the forward.

Indeed, it would appear that is an opinion shared by many Leeds supporters, with the vast majority revealing in a poll ran by Football FanCast that they think the 27-cap international should be sold this summer.

As such, while it is true that the Whites and Galatasaray do not have the best relationship, should the Turkish side agree a deal to take Rodrigo off of Leeds’ hands this summer, it would certainly look to be a favourable outcome for all involved with the club.

AND in other news: Orta can seal “unbelievable” seventh signing as Leeds plot bid for “insane” free agent

Leeds United securing a move for RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams can now happen ‘very quickly’, according to Bild.

The Lowdown: Phillips to leave Leeds

The Whites look set to lose star midfielder Kalvin Phillips after they agreed on a £42m fee with Manchester City for the 26-year-old on Friday.

A transfer is expected to be finalised this week, with Leeds looking to bring teenage midfielder Darko Gyabi to Elland Road from the Etihad Stadium in a separate £5m deal.

Adams has been ‘on the shortlist’ at Elland Road when it comes to senior replacements for Phillips, and it looks as if Leeds chiefs can now push through a move.

The Latest: Adams transfer update

Bild provided an update regarding Adams’ future at Leipzig on Monday morning, amid links of a move to Yorkshire.

They claimed that ‘things can go fast’ and happen ‘very quickly’ when it comes to a potential move to Elland Road due to Phillips’ pending transfer to Manchester City and Leipzig’s swoop for Xaver Schlager.

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The Verdict: Time to act

Time is of the essence when it comes to bringing in a replacement for Phillips, and it seems as if Leeds now have an ideal opportunity to do so when it comes to signing Adams.

The USA international has been described as ‘unbelievable’ by Ralf Rangnick and an ‘elite’ number six by reporter Andrew Stern, and he has previously worked under Jesse Marsch at both New York Red Bulls and Leipzig.

Marsch mainly used Adams as a holding midfielder but also played him at full-back and as a right midfielder.

However, you’d expect that the 23-year-old will need to operate as an out-and-out defensive midfielder to replace Phillips, should a move to Leeds materialise.