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Former Scotland international Alan Hutton believes that Celtic’s head of recruitment Gary Penrice deserves to lose his job.

Penrice out?

The Bhoys spent a total of £14.13m (Transfermarkt) in the summer, opting to bring in the likes of Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas and Shane Duffy on loan to bolster their hopes of winning an unprecedented 10-in-a-row.

However, that has not gone to plan with manager Neil Lennon resigning and reports suggested in January that transfer guru Nick Hammond could be dismissed in the summer in what could be a summer overhaul at Parkhead.

On top of this, Penrice has also been linked with a move out of the club after what has been a disastrous 2020/21 campaign for the green half of Glasgow.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton believes that Penrice is not up to the task anymore and expects him to be replaced this summer.

“They need to act, it’s as simple as that,” he said. “It’s not been good enough. It’s like any work you do, if you’re making mistake after mistake, you’re going to lose your job.

“You saw it happen at Aston Villa with Suso (Jesus Garcia Pitarch). He brought in so many players and it didn’t work out. He moved on and look at them now.

“I think if you go through the Celtic squad and what they brought in, yes they had some players that worked out but more often than not, it didn’t. They spent big money.

“It doesn’t surprise me they’re having a full shakeup, revamping everything.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

There is no doubt that Celtic need a revamp – and fast. But supporters will probably need to accept that the rebuild could take a few seasons to get right.

While there are huge expectations for the Hoops to reclaim the Scottish Premiership crown at the first time of asking, it may take a couple of campaigns to put the respective measures in place to eradicate the deadwood in the side.

Ajeti, Barkas and Duffy have been heavily criticised for their abject performances this season – and rightly so. Time will tell whether Penrice is moved on or if Dominic McKay will trust him to move the club forward.

In other news, Celtic-linked manager reacts to Parkhead rumours; Mourinho dubbed him as ‘incredible.’

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the ‘huge’ difference made by the midfield combination of Fabinho and Thiago, after the Reds’ victory over RB Leipzig.

Jurgen Klopp’s men made a welcome return to winning ways on Wednesday evening, easing past the Bundesliga side with a 2-0 triumph.

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane replicated their first leg brilliance with a goal apiece, meaning Liverpool progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-0 aggregate win.

It was in midfield where the most exciting tactical tweak took place, however, with Fabinho restored to his favoured No.6 role, in what could be a massive boost for the rest of the season.

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The Brazilian was a colossus in the middle of the park for Liverpool, winning two tackles and making three interceptions, as well as nine recoveries.

Not only that, but Fabinho also brought the best out of Thiago, with the 29-year-old arguably enjoying his best performance to date in a Reds shirt.

He was given more freedom to express himself in midfield, and had Salah not been wasteful during one first half counter-attack, he would have got a wonderful assist to his name.

If the duo can continue this sort of relationship, it will provide a huge boost as the Reds try to ensure their campaign doesn’t peter out.

Liverpool fans heap praise on Fabinho and Thiago

A number of Liverpool fans took to Twitter to lavish the Reds pair with praise after the game, as positivity returned to the fanbase.

“Fabinho at CM and Thiago in a more attacking role, it’s beautiful.”

Credit: @ScouserChrisLFC

“Fabinho made a huge difference tonight. Offered so much protection to the defenders but also set thiago free to play. Special mention for Nat Philips too. Lad just heads and tackles everything. Nothing complicated. Played well.”
Credit: @wacka83

“Fabinho is world-class at DM. Made a huge difference to the shape, fluidity and core. Thiago certainly enjoyed having Fab there too”
Credit: @Justin_Burns1

“Liverpool look a much better side with Fabinho in midfield and Jota up front. No surprise to see Thiago look so much better as well. Glimpses tonight of what the plan was before injuries killed our season.”
Credit: @sisteers“Fabinho unlocks Thiago.”Credit: @McGlynnimino“FABINHO AND THIAGO IN MIDFIELD IS THE THING OF DREAMS”Credit: @theredsforeverIn other news: Reds boosted in bid to sign Kylian Mbappe. 

Crystal Palace are having a steady season, however there is uncertainty around a lot of players’ futures and Roy Hodgson has commented on this situation.

Hodgson discusses contracts

The manager, when asked about the numerous players whose deals have expired, said: “It’s not been discussed as yet. I’m certain that when the day comes – I’m pretty certain that the club are informing players about their intentions in terms of when they intend to sit down seriously and discuss what the next step is.
“There’s a third of the season still to go, these players are still under contract. It’s not unfair, I don’t think, of us to ask those players to keep giving their best, to keep playing to the absolute top level of their ability in order to earn the amount of money we’re paying them.
“But there will come a time, I’m sure, when they’ll want to know: ‘What is my future – is it here with you or am I going to be allowed to leave?’ Because they’ll be looking to find other clubs if they don’t get the contract here. I know that both the chairman and the sporting director are both fully aware of that.
“But I think it’s sometimes not a good thing if you very early on let players know that you don’t want them any more, all the time we are depending very heavily on them. There will no doubt be some who don’t necessarily get a new contract.”

The club have a big problem

It is a crazy situation that the club find themselves in. If you include the loan of Michy Batshuayi expiring, the club currently have seventeen players whose contracts expire in June 2021 (Transfermarkt).
Therefore the Eagles need to be making decisions immediately on the future of their players so that they can have a plan and structure for next season.
It is even more of a peculiar situation because Hodgson’s contract is also expiring in the summer. The club might know their plan for next season, but the South London fan base do not, and it is unfair to an extent to leave them in the dark on such a serious matter.
Therefore it would be great for all associated with the club if they tied some of the players down to a new deal, and allowed others, who are surplus to requirements, to leave.
In other news, Palace fans reacted to Hodgson’s comments following the win over Brighton!

Everton must look to offload Fabian Delph at the end of the season after Carlo Ancelotti admitted he is “frustrated” by the midfielder’s injuries.

What’s the word?

Via quotes by the Liverpool Echo, the Blues boss has vented his frustration at Delph’s string of issues that have kept the England international sidelined since the start of December.

Delph sustained a hamstring injury during the first-half of his side’s 1-1 draw with Burnley and missed Sunday’s meeting with Fulham due to fitness concerns, which had kept him from taking a place in the squad that beat Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup.

The £80,000-per-week midfielder had returned to Ancelotti’s matchday plans earlier this month when listed among the substitutes against Leeds United and Manchester United, and would have featured in some capacity against Spurs if included.

Ancelotti now hopes Delph will be fit to play a role in Wednesday’s Premier League clash with title-chasing Manchester City, as the former Sky Blues midfielder can help to ease the burden on those who have played frequently this season.

“He’s not injured again, but he has a little problem and is not fit 100%,” Ancelotti said. “The fact he had a problem in the past we want to be sure to put him in.

“He was on the bench the game before and during training he had a contraction of his muscle, not a big problem but he’s not available for the [Fulham] game. Maybe Wednesday he will be.

“Of course, we are frustrated because I think he’s an important player with a lot of experience. He could help us with the fact, in this moment, as in the game against Tottenham, I only had two midfielders.”

Time to get rid

Delph has now missed 19 of Everton’s 29 Premier League and cup games through injury, illness or fitness issues this season after sitting out the Fulham affair, while missing 21 of the Toffees’ 38 top-flight fixtures last term.

The 31-year-old has also only started four of his seven appearances across all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign, as the £10m ex-Man City midfielder brought his total outings to 27 since being signed to a three-year deal under Marco Silva in 2019.

Delph is bleeding Everton’s majority owner Farhad Moshiri dry on his £80k-p/w deal, that has seen the Blues pay out almost £11m in wages over his 135 weeks at Goodison Park so far.

Everton are seeing absolutely no value in his signing with Delph costing the club, including the fee paid to Man City, £770,500 a game. He is also yet to score or assist a single goal.

Ancelotti must now see that Delph does not play into the third and final year of his current deal, and should urge the Blues’ Director of Football Marcel Brands to spend the coming months shopping the 20-cap international on the transfer market.

Time simply has to be up for the perennially crocked dud.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring an “exciting” teen prospect Carlo Ancelotti could sign for free…

Liverpool went out with “a whimper” and were “disgraceful” as they lost 1-0 to Brighton at Anfield on Wednesday night.

Cundy not impressed

Those were the words of former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy, as he reacted to the Reds’ second home defeat in a row.

The Seagulls’ Steven Alzate scored the only goal of the game in the second half after Trent Alexander-Arnold got himself caught under the ball and Dan Burn headed across goal to provide the assist.

While Liverpool once again fielded a makeshift defence, it was at the other end of the field where their problems lied, having created just two big chances and one shot on target during the 90 minutes (Fotmob).

Speaking to talkSPORT, Cundy was furious with what he saw and did not sugarcoat his words while discussing the performance.

“That was pathetic from Liverpool tonight,” he said.

“They are up against a side, and credit to Brighton they are a good side, but that is the defending champions you just watched there.

“A whimper, disgraceful, shocking… and you know what? History may be repeating itself.”

Klopp managed to secure two Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund before he left his position, and Cundy related Liverpool’s current form to the German tactician’s final days in charge in North Rhine-Westphalia.

“You look at what Klopp did at Dortmund when their season imploded; in his final season all of a sudden it went to pot when they went on a run of two wins out of 16.

“This is something that has happened before to Klopp, in Germany. He demands so much, and his demands have been brilliant.

“But are we looking at a Liverpool side now that has just run out of gas? Because that is not the Klopp Liverpool that we have seen over the past three seasons. They went out with a whimper.

“Credit to Brighton, because they deserved it, but that was just shocking!”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

While it was a really poor performance from Liverpool, it’s fair to say there are elements about the display which were out of the manager’s control – namely injuries.

Let’s not forget, captain Jordan Henderson is being made to play as a centre-back, costing the Reds his usual energy in midfield, while the likes of Alisson, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota all missed the match as well.

Supporters will be feeling down in the dumps after that one, but it can all change again if they can beat Manchester City on Sunday. What a funny old game football can be.

In other news, Liverpool fans go after under-fire Klopp star once more after Brighton slip-up.

It must be a huge relief for everyone at Sunderland that they can finally focus on the football again.

Their festive period was ruined by a bout of Covid and thus, they had four consecutive games postponed by the authorities.

A 0-0 draw wasn’t exactly the most ideal way to return to action last weekend and they now face a tough encounter against Hull City.

It’s a clash we’ve seen in the Premier League and Championship in the last decade but they now meet in League One amid multiple years of plight.

It will be interesting to see how Lee Johnson decides to line-up with his squad nearly back to full health.

Denver Hume and Luke O’Nien are still a few weeks away from a return but Callum McFadzean is set to be back in the squad this weekend.

With that in mind, we’re tipping the Mackems to make three changes from the side that drew with Northampton.

Lynden Gooch returns to the starting XI for the first time since picking up an injury towards the latter stage of November. He’s made a few substitute appearances under Johnson but now should be his time to fully prove his worth to the new manager.

That means that McGeady is dropped from the starting XI, but on the opposite flank, we also think that Jack Diamond will be taken out of the firing line. Consequently, Chris Maguire – their top scorer in League One last term – comes into the XI.

The other change is at left-back where McFadzean is fit enough to play again. Dion Sanderson deputised in that third of the pitch against the Cobblers but unfortunately misses out on this occasion.

The midfield has a familiar look to it while Conor McLaughlin continues at right-back with O’Nien out and recovering from a dislocated shoulder.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Grigg: Speakman can boost SAFC promotion bid by signing “terrific” 12-goal gem…

New West Brom boss Sam Allardyce has it all to do in January if he’s to turn around the sinking Baggies ship this season, though he may be about to resolve one of their biggest problems in one fell swoop…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Star, out-of-favour Manchester United defender Phil Jones is a target for the struggling Midlands outfit next month.

It’s claimed that the Red Devils are even willing to pay a ‘considerable portion’ of his whopping £120k-per-week wages in order to get him off the books at Old Trafford.

Albion manager Big Sam is targeting a new centre-back as his number one priority, as per the report, and knows Jones well from a stint at Blackburn Rovers in 2009/10.

Righting Bilic’s wrongs…

The Baggies’ summer activity was nothing short of a shambles as Slaven Bilic failed to secure experienced heads in the backline, and a move for the 28-year-old would certainly resolve that.

After Ahmed Hegazi was sold in October, the Croatian was left with players who have either never cut it or have never played in the top-flight. Indeed, the only centre-back they signed was Cedric Kipre from then-Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic.

Yes, they signed a 36-year-old Branislav Ivanovic, but it’s clear to see he’s done and dusted unlike Thiago Silva as his former club, Chelsea.

The Athletic claim he even rejected the chance to sign Shane Duffy, who has since gone to Celtic and already clinched a trophy. A decision that has proven to be a disaster already – the Midlands outfit rank second-worst for goals conceded so far this season.

Allardyce desperately needs a fresh figure in a defence that leaks two goals per game on average.

The United outcast has won a Premier League, Europa League and an FA Cup, and has also racked up 200 appearances in the English top-flight.

Big Sam once touted Jones to become England captain one day back in 2011, he said:

“I was never in doubt that he was going to make it. He is already growing into what I consider to be a leader. When he gets more experience he will be able to control his team-mates and eventually he will wear the armband for England. It’s a lot to ask of such a young man but he has the all-round outstanding ability to be a very top player.”

Whilst ex-United boss Louis van Gaal emphasised his versatile nature, after offering him a new contract, he claimed: “Phil is a talented footballer with great versatility.”

Even Jose Mourinho was a fan, dubbing the Englishman the ‘ideal’ defender, suggesting he’s “everything I like in a central defender.”

Yet he finds himself hugely out-of-favour under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer despite their defensive frailties, so a new start at the Hawthorns could be exactly what both Jones and Albion need.

AND in other news, Dowling heading for a familiar mistake as HUGE club eye Baggies sensation…

The extent to which Sunderland have failed in the transfer market over the last few years can always be brought back to the 2019 window.

At first glance, it looked as though Josh Maja was going to stay at the Stadium of Light. However, his agent managed to tie up a deal with Bordeaux and he departed the Mackems.

Consequently, they were left needing a striker to fill the gap of the 15 goals he’d taken with him to France.

That, however, didn’t go well at all. Sunderland came into transfer deadline day still needing a centre-forward and consequently, opposing clubs could string them along.

That’s exactly what happened with Stewart Donald. He failed with several bids for Wigan attacker Will Grigg before eventually landing him for £4m.

Financially that was shocking business but they were at least signing someone with a proven track record in League One. He’d scored 19 for Wigan in the very same division only a year prior, firing the Latics to promotion.

To say things haven’t worked out since would be an understatement. He’s scored only eight times after arriving and is yet to find the back of the net in 2019/20.

At Wimbledon, though, another striker was banging in goals on a regular basis, one the Black Cats let slip through their net.

After leaving West Brom in the summer of 2018, Finnish striker Marcus Forss had a trial with Sunderland. They chose not to sign him and instead, he went and penned terms with Brentford.

A loan spell followed last season where Forss bagged 11 times in just 18 third-tier outings. Since heading back to the Bees, he has scored goals again – this time in the Championship. In 19 appearances this season, the 21-year-old beast has found the net seven times.

This is a young individual who knows where the goal is and appears to be a player that Lee Johnson is crying out for.

The criticism, therefore, should go to Donald and the Mackems’ talent spotters for failing to sign him.

Forss has now been linked with Borussia Dortmund and could make a move to one of the most prestigious clubs in European football.

Had he signed for Sunderland, who knows where they could be now? Unlike Grigg, the youngster could have won them promotion.

In other news, Johnson must unleash Sunderland talent with “magic feat”…

West Ham United must bite the bullet and look to sell Ryan Fredericks after reports emerged suggesting the right-back is facing an uncertain future following his omission from the matchday squad at Sheffield United.

What’s the word?

According to Claret & Hugh, Irons boss David Moyes opted to name young full-back Ben Johnson among his substitutes for last Sunday’s 1-0 win at Bramall Lane after Fredericks developed a slight knock that prevented his involvement.

Moyes has not called on Fredericks to play a single minute in any competition since September’s 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where the 28-year-old was forced to be replaced early in the second-half after sustaining a hamstring injury.

The blow swung the door wide open for summer signing Vladimir Coufal to start at Leicester City and Moyes has never looked back since, with the £5.4million man now considered the firm first-choice.

Fredericks is only expected to be offered a recall should Coufal sustain an injury, but may also be sold in January or the summer to avoid losing the former Fulham ace for free with his £40,000-per-week contract expiring in 2022.

Time to bite the bullet

With Fredericks’ future at the London Stadium far from certain as Moyes edges in favour of Coufal, who has started all six available Premier League games, it is time for West Ham to bite the bullet and look to offload the Manuel Pellegrini signing as soon as possible.

Pellegrini was full of hope for Fredericks when the Chilean unveiled the full-back as his first signing in 2018, claiming the free transfer would provide the Irons with great qualities that would only develop in claret and blue.

“I am very pleased to welcome Ryan to West Ham United as our first signing this summer,” Pellegrini said, via quotes by the club’s official website. “He joins having had a successful season with Fulham and is a player who will bring great qualities to our squad.

“He has good experience, with more than 150 senior appearances already but, at 25, he is still a young player with his best years ahead of him. Ryan has good character, is hungry to succeed, and has shown me that he has great desire to be a West Ham United player.”

But West Ham supporters have struggled to see the qualities Pellegrini lauded, as Fredericks has been relentlessly plagued by injuries with an ankle problem sidelining the 28-year-old for 77 days and 14 matches in his debut season, while hamstring and shoulder issues ruled him out for periods last term.

Added to Fredericks’ constant injuries, Moyes is seemingly confident Johnson is now ready to step up and take on more responsibilities in the senior fold having named the 20-year-old on the bench at Sheffield United.

It was the fourth time this season that Johnson has featured in an 18-man league squad, though failed to enter the action like against Wolves when replacing the injured Fredericks or in West Ham’s three Carabao Cup ties prior to elimination at Everton.

AND in other news, West Ham can ease David Moyes’ fear by signing an “exemplary” gem who may not cost David Sullivan anything.

It was reported earlier in the year that Southampton were keen on signing Rob Dickie from Oxford United and after his impressive start to the 2020/21 campaign, it could be argued that they may regret not acting on that reported interest.

The centre-back eventually ended up joining Championship side QPR, where he has enjoyed an excellent start to life with the Hoops, having averaged a very solid 6.96 rating across his 10 appearances in the second division thus far (per WhoScored).

Mark Warburton’s side were able to sign the 24-year-old for just £2.43 million, suggesting that it could have been a bargain deal for the Saints if they had managed to bring him to the South Coast.

During his time with Oxford United, Dickie was heavily praised by manager Karl Robinson, who said:

“I know he’s quick, I know he’s talented, I know he’s great in the air, but I need to see what he’s like when he’s on the floor and see how he stands up. In the second half, I thought Rob Dickie was magnificent.” (per Oxford Mail)

Whilst the centre-backs at Southampton have impressed this season, with Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard two of the club’s best-performers in the Premier League so far this season, Dickie could have been an excellent back-up option in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

At just 24-years-old, you would imagine that he still has a lot of room for improvement in his game, so he could have been one for the future at the Saints.

WhoScored describes the defender’s strengths as passing, ball interception and blocking the ball, suggesting that he could have done a job as a ball-playing centre-back at the South Coast club.

The deal to sign him for so cheap could be compared to the Saints’ signing of Jose Fonte back in 2010, with the Portuguese centre-back joining from Crystal Palace for just £1.26 million, before going on to make 286 appearances for the Saints in a seven-year spell at the club.

It can be certainly argued that after an impressive start to life at QPR, the Saints may regret not taking a chance on Dickie, especially when he was available for less than £3 million.