Promising Update On Ange’s Celtic Contract Future Revealed

Celtic head coach Ange Postecoglou has been heavily linked with a move away from the Scottish Premiership with several English top flight clubs on the search for new managers.

The 57-year-old was asked by Sky Sports whether any of the speculation, particularly amid interest from Spurs, had come across his radar. To which he defiantly said: "And yet, I'm still here."

Adding more to his reply, Postecoglou said:

"Listen, it doesn't,""I think anyone that knows me knows that what is important for me is the here and now. I've never planned anything in my football career."My ambitions right now are to enjoy tomorrow and have a good game and try to win a cup final to have a special year. It's not every year that you get the chance to win a Treble. If anyone thinks that I am thinking anything other than that then they don't know me."

Celtic face Iverness in the Scottish Cup final and the manager appears focused on bringing the treble home for Celtic fans.

What's the latest on Ange Postecoglou's Celtic future?

In the last 48 hours, the Daily Mail's Rob Draper reported on behind the scenes news he's heard on Spurs' interest in Postecoglou in a promising boost for Celtic fans.

With Tottenham set to part ways with acting manager Ryan Mason following the end of the Premier League season, It's reported that Xabi Alonso, their initial no.1 candidate, had ruled himself out of contention while Postecoglou looks quite likely to commit to another year at Celtic.

For Spurs there wouldn't be an exorbitant exit clause due to the 57-year-old's one-year rolling contract with Celtic. Yet, the manager's desire is to remain at the club with his "ultimate ambition" said to be to guide Celtic through to the Champions League knockout stages.

Additionally, the current Celtic side has been "largely recruited by him" and so Postecoglou wants to yield returns on that faith shown in him by the club.

What is Ange Postecoglou's contract situation at Celtic?

As reported by the Daily Mail, Postecoglou is on a one-year rolling contract. This means that unless terminated by either the club or the manager, it will renew again and "roll" into another season.

For Celtic, it's a precarious situation as they can do little to prevent Postecoglou from leaving if he decided to due to the lack of a prohibitive exit clause.

For instance, another former Spurs managerial candidate, Feyenoord manager Arne Slot has a £17m release clause, while the Daily Mail claims Postecoglou's contract does not contain an "expensive" clause.

That said, Postecoclgou seems set for another year at the club with a European adventure in sight.

Sunderland Could Land Their Own Nagelsmann

Despite a sensational season which saw Sunderland narrowly miss out on the Championship playoff final, rumours are rife about Tony Mowbray's future at the Stadium of Light.

What's the latest on Mowbray's future at Sunderland?

The former Blackburn Rovers boss took over in the northeast following Alex Neil's shock move to Stoke City earlier in the season and has delivered far better results than many Sunderland fans would have dreamed of at the start of the campaign.

Last season's promotion from League One, via the playoffs, suggested that this season would be all about ensuring stability in the second tier, especially after losing the influential Neil.

However, Mowbray would go one further and took a depleted Black Cats squad into the top six on the final day, despite missing key players such as Ross Stewart and Danny Batth through injury.

Further injury concerns meant that Trai Hume would partner Luke O'Nien at centre-back in the away leg at Kenilworth Road, with natural wingers Lynden Gooch and Patrick Roberts featuring at full-back, so Mowbray cannot really be blamed for the defeat.

Remarkably, talkSPORT are claiming that the 59-year-old is now fighting to save his job at Sunderland, with three young European managers on a potential shortlist to replace him in the summer.

The same report claims that RB Salzburg boss Matthias Jaissle is currently top of that shortlist, with Francesco Farioli and ex-Barnsley boss Gerhard Struber also options for the Black Cats.

While it would be incredibly harsh to sack Mowbray following such an impressive campaign, the prospect of hiring a top young manager such as Jaissle is surely a hugely exciting one for the Black Cats, with the 35-year-old perhaps reminiscent of former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann.

RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann celebrates after the match vs Spurs

Who is Sunderland manager target Matthias Jaissle?

The German coach spent time working in RB Leipzig's academy before he was even 30, and he earned a move to Danish side Brondby, where he worked as an assistant manager for two seasons.

He then took on his first role at RB Salzburg as manager of the U18 side, where he earned a remarkable average of 2.78 points per game across 23 fixtures in charge, which saw him earn his first senior management role at FC Liefering in Austria.

Another successful spell would follow, as he averaged 2.12 points per game between January and June 2021, before he was deemed ready to take on the job at RB Salzburg following Jesse Marsch's upgrade to RB Leipzig.

He has since gone on to average a phenomenal 2.27 points per game, winning the Austrian title and cup thus far, which emphasises the winning mentality he could bring to the Stadium of Light.

Winning titles at such a young age is rarely seen in football management but Nagelsmann would achieve it at Bayern, having also made his name at Hoffenheim and another of Red Bull's sides in Germany.

The similarities are apparent and while it would be a big gamble to replace Mowbray, Sunderland could just find themselves a gem if they appoint Jaissle this summer.

Spurs: Romano drops Dybala transfer update

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur are currently ‘not in talks’ to sign Juventus forward Paulo Dybala and will not be looking to sign him this summer.

The Lowdown: Previous transfer links

The Argentine joined the Serie A outfit from Palermo back in 2015 when he put pen to paper on a five-year deal, and he has since gone on to make 293 appearances for the Bianconeri during his seven-year spell at the Allianz Stadium.

However, the 28-year-old recently confirmed that he would be leaving the Turin giants upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the month. That announcement initially appeared to have grabbed the attention of multiple Premier League clubs, including the Lilywhites, who had reportedly registered their interest in the striker.

Following a fresh update from Romano, though, it now seems highly unlikely that Spurs will be making a move for the Argentina international as the summer transfer window fast approaches.

The Latest: Romano confirms Spurs stance on Dybala

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Tottenham will not be monitoring Dybala over the coming weeks and are expected to look elsewhere to bolster their ranks.

He wrote: “Nothing has changed on Tottenham side: they’re not in talks to sign Paulo Dybala as of today – and he’s never been considered a serious target. Spurs want different players.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-developments-2/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Conte mustn’t be keen

Spurs came very close to signing the 33-cap international in 2019, so it’s no surprise to see that they apparently reignited their interest in him earlier this year, especially considering his impressive record in the final third. He racked up 21 goal contributions in 39 matches across all competitions for Juventus this season, as per Transfermarkt.

After receiving an extra £150m investment as a result of successfully securing Champions League football next season, Antonio Conte will now be able to use part of this vast sum to fund any potential new signings that he wants to bring in ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, in the hope of the club being able to get their hands on some silverware in the near future.

The north Londoners are in need of a new striker to provide competition and backup for Harry Kane, who is currently the only natural centre-forward in N17, but it seems that the 52-year-old must now feel that Dybala isn’t the right fit for his squad if Spurs aren’t keen on the Argentine.

In other news… French outlet confirms that negotiations are now underway to sanction the exit of one Spurs first-team maestro

Rangers had a disaster with Joe Worrall

It has been over a week since Rangers ended their season by winning the Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Ryan Jack and Scott Wright.

The Gers failed to win the Premiership as they finished runners-up to their arch-rivals and they lost the Europa League final on penalties in Seville, with a win at Hampden on the final day a good way to finish the campaign.

With no Rangers football to enjoy, supporters may have tuned in to the play-offs in England during the previous weekend.

Nottingham Forest secured their promotion to the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Huddersfield at Wembley and any Gers fans watching will have recognised their captain – Joe Worrall.

He spent the 2018/19 campaign on loan in Glasgow as he made 32 appearances and scored one goal for Steven Gerrard. At the end of his time at Ibrox, it was reported that the now-Aston Villa boss opted against pursuing a permanent deal as he wanted to go after alternative targets in the window.

This was a huge disaster from the head coach as he has developed into a superb centre-back who is now set to play in the top-flight for Forest next term.

Midlands reporter Matt Davies once compared him to “Wolverine” after a speedy recovery from injury and his steeliness at the back played a significant role in Forest’s promotion. He made himself a rock at the heart of the defence

In the Championship, he averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.07 as he helped his team to keep 16 clean sheets. He won 63% of his duels and made 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game as he delivered brilliant performances on a regular basis.

Worrall was exceptional on the big stage in the play-off final. As per SofaScore, he made six tackles, one interception, two clearances and won seven of his 12 duels as he stood strong to keep the likes of Danel Sinani, Lewis O’Brien and Jordan Rhodes at bay.

Earlier this year, the 6 foot 4 colossus was linked with a £15m move to West Ham and he was touted with a switch to Brentford for the same price in 2021. Premier League clubs have taken an interest in the defender and his valuation – pre-promotion – seemed to be clear.

Forest may demand more for his services now that they find themselves in the top division but he is, at worst, a £15m player on current form and that is why Rangers had a howler with him.

The Gers opted against attempting to bring him back to Ibrox and they will now have to watch him either seal a big-money move to West Ham, or play regular football in the Premier League with Forest.

AND in other news, GvB can find Kemar Roofe 2.0 in Rangers swoop for “clinical” gem who “rarely misses”…

Expert confirms Jose Sa injury

Influential Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa tweaked a medial ligament in his knee last weekend, injury expert Ben Dinnery has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Sa injured against Liverpool

The Portuguese colossus enjoyed a superb first season at Molineux, shining between the sticks and being described as ‘dominant’ by former Wanderers ‘keeper Matt Murray.

Unfortunately, Sa picked up a knee issue in last Sunday’s 3-1 Premier League defeat away to Liverpool – he was replaced by John Ruddy at half-time – leading to concern about the length of his upcoming absence.

A fresh claim now suggests that the 29-year-old could be set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/all-the-latest-from-wolves-8/” title=”All the latest from Wolves!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Dinnery confirms problem

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery, who features on Sky Sports, said that Sa’s injury could be a fairly serious one, acting as a big blow for the player:

“It looked like it could be an MCL based on what we saw with the mechanism of injury. He seemed to slip and extend his leg when he was kicking. He pointed to the inside of his knee when he was in discussions with the medical team.

“It was moments before half-time He tried to continue and ultimately couldn’t.

“So it does seem like there has been a slight tweak or strain of that medial ligament. It’s a shame to end on a setback because he has been very good for them this season.”

[freshpress-poll id=“388780″]

The Verdict: Recover throughout the summer

While Sa’s injury setback is clearly a negative, it could certainly have happened at a worse point in the season, rather than in the final match.

It gives the Wolves shot-stopper time to work on his recovery rather than racing to get back, with Bruno Lage’s men not back in competitive action until August.

The hope is that Sa is available for pre-season in July, however, resting up for the time being but returning to his impressive top form again in 2022/23.

In other news, one Wolves player has been linked with a move to Spain. Find out who it is here.

Thomas Partey missing for Arsenal v Everton

Everton secured their Premier League status on Thursday in what was a monumental night for the club.

A stunning 3-2 comeback victory over Crystal Palace staves off relegation and will give Frank Lampard the opportunity to build his own squad in the summer transfer window.

The Toffees could end their dismal league campaign with a win against Arsenal in Sunday’s concluding match of the campaign, and Lampard has been given a big boost ahead of the clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Gunners midfielder Thomas Partey has been ruled out of the game, with Mikel Arteta and his medical staff not willing to risk any further complications by including him for the final match of the season.

The Ghanaian has been sidelined for Arsenal since sustaining a thigh injury in the 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in early April.

With an average rating of 6.96 on WhoScored, Partey ranks second among the Arsenal squad, despite him featuring in only 24 league matches for Arteta’s side.

Compared to his positional peers in the top five European leagues, the Ghana midfielder ranks in the 96th percentile for total shots (2.04 per 90) and the 88th percentile for dribbles completed (1.88). These statistics would suggest that Everton will be quite glad that they aren’t facing the 28-year-old this weekend.

It’s no coincidence that Arsenal have only won four matches out of the eight for which Partey has now been missing, losing the other four, and they are at severe risk of missing out on Champions League qualification yet again.

Lampard will be relaxed knowing that top-flight safety has been achieved, but a win against the north London side will end the season on a positive. It might seem that bit more attainable with their opponents deprived of one of their top performers from the 2021/22 campaign.

AND in other news, Forget Richarlison: Everton “nightmare” with 17 duels won was their real star against Palace

Liverpool pair set to be fit for CL final

Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are both expected to be fit for the Champions League final, according to reliable journalist David Lynch.

The Lowdown: Injury concerns for Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp’s side may have won the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon but it ultimately came at a cost following a couple of injuries to key players.

Salah limped off before half-time against Chelsea at the weekend, while Van Dijk played no part in extra time at Wembley after being unable to carry on.

Unsurprisingly, it led to concern surrounding their involvement in the Champions League final against Real Madrid on May 28th, as Liverpool look to add further silverware this season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-32/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Lynch gives positive update

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, and writing for Anfield Watch, Lynch claimed that neither Salah nor Van Dijk required a scan and that both should be able to feature in the Champions League showpiece Paris later this month.

The reporter tweeted: “No scans for either Salah or Van Dijk today with #LFC still confident both players avoided real injury at Wembley.”

The Verdict: Massive boost for Liverpool

There is a strong argument to say that Salah and Van Dijk are the first two names on Liverpool’s team sheet, with the pair well on their way to securing their status as Anfield legends, if they haven’t indeed done so already.

The Egyptian is a goalscoring machine, netting 155 times in 252 Reds appearances, while the Dutch centre-back has been a game-changing presence since 2018, completely transforming a previously brittle defence.

For that reason, the idea of them both missing out against Real Madrid doesn’t bear thinking about, immediately affecting the Reds’ chances of winning a seventh European Cup.

It looks as though both should be available for Paris, although missing the Premier League clash against Southampton on Tuesday night would be a blow. Jurgen Klopp has a big judgement to make in that regard, but at least the news from Lynch is encouraging.

In other news, Liverpool have been linked with a surprise move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Leeds: Jones drops exciting Traore claim

Transfer insider Dean Jones has made an exciting claim regarding Leeds United and a possible pursuit of Wolves winger Adama Traore. 

The lowdown: Traore’s troubles

In January, the 26-year-old joined Barcelona on loan until the end of the season, with a £29m permanent option included in the deal.

However, since arriving in Spain, the powerful ace has made just 10 La Liga appearances for the Catalan giants, completing 90 minutes on only one occasion.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-3/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Traore is now expected to return to Molineux at the end of the season, where his future remains in the balance.

The latest: Traore ‘open’ to Leeds move

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has suggested that Leeds will likely be among the leading contenders to land the Spain winger in the summer.

The journalist explained: “He knows they want him. I think he’s been open to it in the past. If there’s no future for him at Wolves, or Barcelona, then he will have to consider it.”

The verdict: Worth the risk

Traore was once dubbed ‘undefendable’ by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp due to his frightening pace, power and direct running style, possessing all the raw attributes to succeed at a high level, but he has often flattered to deceive in the final third.

Despite the eight-cap Spain international’s frightening physicality, he has just 24 direct goal contributions in 160 Premier League appearances and has earned a lowly 6.94 Sofascore rating in the Spanish top flight this term – taking only 23 touches per game – in a disappointing 2021/22 campaign.

However, with the long term future of Raphinha at Elland Road in doubt and fellow winger Dan James failing to hit the ground running in Yorkshire, Whites manager Jesse Marsch would indeed be wise to keep Traore in mind if the price is right this summer as Wolves potentially look to cut their losses on the 26-year-old.

In other news: Leeds want this powerful 12-goal striker who is ‘ideal’ for the Championship

Sunderland predicted starting XI v SWFC

Sunderland are back in action this evening for their second-leg semi-final play-off clash against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

The Black Cats secured a 1-0 victory over the Yorkshire club in the first leg at the Stadium of Light on Friday thanks to a goal from striker Ross Stewart.

Looking ahead to tonight’s clash, Sunderland manager Alex Neil revealed that his side have no new injury issues coming off the back of Friday’s win, which will be music to the ears of many fans of the Wearside club.

With that in mind, here’s how we feel the Black Cats could line up for tonight’s crucial showdown.

In goal, having kept a clean sheet last time out and saved Wednesday’s only shot on target, it seems likely that Neil would stick with Anthony Patterson to see if he can stop the home side from scoring this time around.

For the back three, we predict that Bailey Wright and Danny Batth will keep their places in the team but see Callum Doyle come back in from the start after making a late cameo on Friday to see out the win.

Labelled as a “very exciting talent” by Kevin Phillips, Doyle has racked up a lot of experience during his season with Sunderland on loan from Manchester City’s U23 side in terms of his playing time.

With that change in mind, we think that Dennis Cirkin will also keep his place in the side but move into the left wing-back role with Jack Clarke dropping out.

Having had his move to Tottenham Hotspur described as “bizarre,” the 21-year-old failed to have much of an impact last time out either in an attacking or defensive sense for his side.

For the right wing-back position, we can see Lynden Gooch lining up once again to make up the back five.

In midfield, rather than making anymore big changes, we think that the duo of Corry Evans and Luke O’Nien will make up the central midfield on this occasion.

Then for the final three attacking positions, having scored the winner in the first leg and racking up a total of 25 goals in 51 games this season, it’s safe to suggest that Stewart is likely to be the first name on the teamsheet for the Black Cats.

Behind Stewart, we can see Alex Pritchard sticking in the team to try and be an attacking nuisance once again.

Finally, with Neil suggesting that Nathan Broadhead could be available to play after missing the first leg through injury, we feel that the Sunderland boss will put him back in the team if he’s fit enough to add an extra attacking threat in his side.

In other news: Neil must ruthlessly axe “effortless” £25k-p/w SAFC dud, he could cost them promotion

Leeds could now poach Man Utd man

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch is set to make changes to his backroom staff this off-season and one move seems likely to happen…

What’s the word?

The Athletic’s Phil Hay reported that current Manchester United assistant Chris Armas was one of the candidates for a permanent position under the American at Elland Road, despite being impressed by Mark Jackson’s impact at the club.

Further fuel has since been added to the fire, with transfer insider Dean Jones believing that it’s a real possibility that Marsch’s former NYRB right-hand man swaps Old Trafford for west Yorkshire in the summer.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title=”Read the latest Leeds United news and rumours!”]

“It would be a much better fit for him because, at the moment, it sounds like there’s almost zero respect at Manchester United,” he told GIVEMSPORT.

“He needs to work with people that understand what he’s good at and give him the respect that he clearly deserves in his field of work.

“Jesse Marsch is somebody that knows him well, he’s definitely contemplating how his backroom team shapes up for next season and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he turned up at Elland Road.”

Boost for Marsch

This would be something of a major boost for the 48-year-old as working with people he’s enjoyed success with before is only going to help Leeds improve tenfold.

Armas has also been getting experience in the Premier League, under Ralf Rangnick, so should the Yorkshire giants stave off relegation, then it will come as another bonus.

Described as “very helpful” and a “good expert” by the interim Red Devils boss, the 49-year-old assistant was part of the set-up that won NYRB’s the Supporters’ Shield in 2018 and it’s believed that his social skills make him a valuable part of any backroom staff.

“Chris cares about people deeply. He wants to foster and establish relationships that go beyond the soccer field. As an athlete, I can tell you that’s one of the most valuable assets that an assistant coach can have – or any coach for that matter. It doesn’t surprise me that Ralf would want someone like that on his staff,” former New York Red Bulls midfielder Dax McCarty told The Athletic.

Some have even claimed that he has an “infectious positivity about him.”

With Erik ten Hag soon to be coming through the door in Manchester and his contract expiring on June 30th, we could well see Armas in the Leeds dugout next season and that is surely going to delight Marsch, who has worked with him before across the Atlantic.

AND in other news, Marsch must axe “horrible” & “negative” £29m Leeds duo, they’ve been shocking all year…

Game
Register
Service
Bonus