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Former Celtic hero Frank McAvennie has waxed lyrical over what he’s seen from current Hoops star Daizen Maeda.

The Lowdown: Maeda plays his part

Ange Postecoglou’s side picked up their biggest three points of the season last Sunday, winning 2-1 at Ibrox to make themselves strong favourites to win the Scottish Premiership title.

Maeda started the game for Celtic and impressed throughout the entire 90 minutes, completing four out of five dribbles and winning six ground duels.

Somehow who was clearly impressed by what he saw from the lively Japanese starlet was McAvennie.

The Latest: McAvennie hails midfielder

Speaking to Football Insider, the Scot hailed Maeda’s incredible work-rate at Ibrox, singling him out for special praise:

“Maeda, my god, what a shift he put in the other day. He covered so much ground at the weekend, he does every week, he looked knackered.

“I’m delighted for the boy because he’s got a few goals but oh my god, the way he runs, amazing. Ange knew he was getting that when he signed this lad and it’s something you don’t see too much of.

“It doesn’t matter the game or the opposition, he will run himself into the ground. Then he will go and do exactly the same a few days later, it’s great to watch.

“I just hope he can add a few more goals to his game because that’s the stat most people care about these days.”

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The Verdict: Deserved praise

Maeda deserves his time in the limelight after the win over Rangers, with others such as Cameron Carter-Vickers and Tom Rogic arguably standing out more on the day.

The 24-year-old was relentless in his off-the-ball work and it played a key role in the Hoops’ rivals struggling to settle in the match, as the visitors took control.

It has been a strong start to Maeda’s loan spell since arriving in January, with four goals in nine league starts coming his way, and he will no doubt be an important figure between now and the end of the season.

In other news, Celtic face competition for one signing this summer. Find out who it is here.

Liverpool are plotting a move for highly rated Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, and he could be the perfect replacement for Mohamed Salah if he leaves.

What’s the story?

According to reports in Italy,  Liverpool are plotting a move for Moussa Diaby as a potential replacement for Salah should the Egyptian fail to sign a new contract.

Diaby currently players in the Bundesliga for Leverkusen and has a great record for a 22-year old, and is rated at £49.5m.

The Reds are one of several Premier League clubs interested in the player with reports saying that West Ham United also want to sign the youngster.

He could be the perfect replacement for Salah

Liverpool have still failed to reach an agreement on a new contract with their star man Mohamed Salah. Negotiations broke down last month but have since restarted, however there are no guarantees that he will decide to stay which has led to Liverpool planning for life without him.

Diaby could be the ideal replacement and with the Frenchman so young it would be a worthy investment. He may not be at the levels of Salah just yet, but Klopp is known for developing good players into world class players so there’s no reason he couldn’t do the same here.

He has made 28 appearances in the league this season and been directly involved in 21 goals. He’s also shone in Europe with his performances in the Europa League earlier this campaign described as “special”.

It’s not a surprise he’s attracting a lot of interest as he is one of the best players in the Bundesliga, ranking in the top 3% for expected non-penalty goals.

When it comes to goals and assists combined for his club this season nobody beats him, he’s been key to the clubs battle for a Champions League place.

It’s hard to directly compare him with Salah given the age and experience difference, it’s more his potential that raises eyebrows. If you compare their stats when they were both 22, they’re remarkably similar.

Their goals per shots on target were the same at 0.46, with Diaby’s number of assists per 90 minutes being more than Salah’s at the time.

If he continues on the same trajectory then he could turn into one of the world’s best. Even if Salah decides to stay put an Anfield, this is a transfer race Liverpool need to be winning.

IN other news: Liverpool in talks over Karim Adeyemi…

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It would be fair to say that the West Ham United supporters were not pleased with what they saw from Pablo Zabaleta in Friday night’s 3-1 win over Fulham.

Zabaleta was handed the right-back berth against the Cottagers, but found it difficult to deal with Ryan Babel, who opened the scoring early on.

The 34-year-old has been a fine signing for the Hammers since his arrival in 2017, but his contract will expire this summer and he could well move on or even retire.

It seems that the West Ham fans will be happy to see the back of the Argentine based on their reaction to his display against Fulham.

Indeed, many took to social media to criticise the South American, claiming that he no longer has what is required to operate in the Premier League.

Check out the video below to see Pl>ymaker FC’s American Soccer Fan give his take on all six ‘field goals’ in West Ham v Burnley…

Their criticism was perhaps a touch harsh, but Zabaleta did struggle on Friday night.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to his performance can be seen below:

The Athletic’s Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has confirmed a fresh injury concern for Jesse Marsch regarding Pascal Struijk.

The lowdown: Regular feature for Leeds

The 22-year-old was named on the bench against Southampton over the weekend despite completing 90 minutes in four consecutive Premier League outings prior to the international break.

So far this season, Struijk has made 28 appearances across all competitions, but the Dutch starlet only came on for the dying moments of the 1-1 draw at Elland Road on Saturday and was asked to operate as a makeshift left-back.

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The reasons behind Marsch’s selection have now been made clear…

The latest: Struijk injury worry

Writing for The Athletic on Monday morning, Hay has confirmed that the versatile Dutchman has been hampered by a hamstring problem and illness during the international break.

He reported: “Struijk returned a positive COVID-19 test during the international break and experienced a hamstring niggle too. So, the rationale behind the pre-match selection was less simple than a basic pecking order but Marsch was essentially picking between two defenders who were not entirely match fit.”

Fellow defender Robin Koch was also among the substitutes for Leeds on Saturday, but the German remained unused.

The verdict: Needs must

Ideally, Marsch would have given the three-cap Netherlands  youth international a full afternoon off. However, as talismanic ace Luke Ayling was forced off in the latter stages on Saturday, Struijk was called upon to fill the void.

Having watched the Dutch youngster come through a brief outing, along with welcoming Kalvin Phillips back into the fray, the Leeds manager will soon hope to have a plethora of options available across all positions, a luxury which has been all too rare this season in Yorkshire.

As Leeds prepare for a pivotal trip to face fellow relegation battlers Watford, Marsch may well call upon the £13.5m-valued Struijk – who was recently hailed as ‘amazing’ by Kevin Phillips – from the start once again at Vicarage Road next weekend in a case of needs must.

In other news, Leeds star unsettled following manager departure. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United will be looking to continue their fine form under Jesse Marsch as they head to the capital to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League, where they can nudge ever closer to safety with a win.

The Whites have picked up ten points from a possible 12, a run of form that has seen them rise five points clear of 18th-placed Burnley, prior to their Sunday afternoon clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Last time out, the Yorkshire giants ran rampant over Roy Hodgson’s struggling Watford side, though that was some two weeks ago, and the American head coach is now left with plenty to ponder heading into kick-off.

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He has already effectively confirmed that Kalvin Phillips will be starting, whilst Adam Forshaw’s season is over after sustaining an injury in training this week.

So with the England international set to return to the starting lineup for the first time since his comeback, someone will have to make way and that could be Robin Koch, who was Leeds’ second lowest-rated player, as per SofaScore figures, in the 3-0 win at Vicarage Road.

The versatile German, usually deployed in central defence, played the full 90 but he was a big liability and against a much better team, the Whites would have been punished.

He could only muster up a passing accuracy of 57%, some way off the standard set by Phillips (82.6%), whilst he also lost possession a whopping 23 times from his 59 touches – once every 2.5 touches, which is shocking for a ball-retaining midfielder.

Koch was also dribbled past on a worrying five occasions and he committed one foul, so with the prospect of facing Conor Gallagher, a much better option than any of the Hornets’ cast, Marsch has to make a big call indeed.

In the past, the £15.3m-rated calamity has been slammed for his “criminal” defending by BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand, who slammed his attempts to thwart Bruno Fernandes during a clash with Manchester United.

With Phillips returning to the side, it should be an easy, albeit a bit of a ruthless decision to drop Koch for tonight’s encounter. He should not be in the midfield at the very least as Patrick Vieira’s side could really do damage with the struggling German sat in the engine room.

AND in other news, Journalist reveals where Leeds will strengthen this summer…

Newcastle United may resume their pursuit of Reims striker Hugo Ekitike when the summer transfer window opens, according to a joint report in The Athletic from Chris Waugh and George Caulkin. 

The lowdown

On the evening before Deadline Day, the Magpies returned with an improved offer in excess of £20m for Ekitike, which Reims accepted. However, the player opted against making a move in January, preferring to wait until the end of the season to make a decision on his future.

Newcastle had already signed a striker earlier in the transfer window, activating the £25m release clause in Chris Wood’s Burnley contract.

The latest

According to Waugh and Caulkin for The Athletic, Newcastle were apparently left disappointed that they couldn’t land an additional centre-forward.

Eddie Howe ‘had always wanted’ to recruit a ‘younger forward’ who could provide cover and competition for Callum Wilson. Ekitike fits that particular bill, and the report claimed that the Magpies ‘may return’ to the table for the Reims starlet ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The verdict

It’s easy to understand why Newcastle may not abandon the idea of signing Ekitike. The teenager has netted eight Ligue 1 goals this season despite only starting 11 top-flight games, and French football expert Julien Laurens believes that the 19-year-old possesses ‘amazing talent’.

He would also fill something a gap in the squad, for Howe must have recognised that all of Newcastle’s current centre-forwards are 29 or older, so they can’t really be described as long-term options.

Ekitike may find the move more appealing in the summer, when Newcastle will hope to have secured their Premier League status, something which currently hangs precariously in the balance. At least this report suggests that all hope is not lost when it comes to PIF potentially bringing the teenager to Tyneside.

In other news, Newcastle were offered the chance to sign this player on Monday

Liverpool, and by extension transfer chief Julian Ward, are interested in signing highly-rated Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni this summer, according to journalist Santi Aouna.

The Lowdown: Tchouameni excels for Monano

The 22-year-old has emerged as arguably one of Europe’s most exciting midfielders, having impressed hugely for Monaco this season.

Tchouameni has made 32 Ligue 1 appearances so far in 2021/22, averaging 2.5 tackles and 2.8 interceptions per game (Whoscored) and even being hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by Paul Pogba and ‘incredible’ by Paul Robinson, who said he’d be a ‘good fit’ for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool.

The Frenchman has been linked with a move to the Reds in the recent past and another exciting transfer claim has now emerged.

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The Latest: Journalist shares Reds contact

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Foot Mercato journalist Aouna confirmed Liverpool’s interest in signing Tchouameni in the summer.

“Contacts have already been initiated between the parties,” he said, claiming the player himself is “interested” in a move to England.

The Verdict: ‘Good fit’ indeed

Midfield is an area of the pitch that Klopp should be looking to strengthen this summer, with a freshness required, in terms of age.

Tchouameni could be the perfect acquisition by Ward, in that respect, coming as a hugely exciting option, such is the quality of his all-round game.

The France international is a colossal figure off the ball, as mentioned with his defensive statistics, but he is also strong technically, enjoying an 87.2% pass completion rate in the league this season. He looks tailor-made to thrive in the Premier League, given its physical, technical style.

Tchouameni’s long-term potential is great and he is someone who could be seen as a long-term replacement for the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, but also be a key figure immediately.

In other news, a key Liverpool update has emerged regarding a superstar player. Read more here.

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronkhorst has been handed an Old Firm injury concern over Ibrox winger Fashion Sakala.

What’s the latest?

According to Scottish Daily Mail (printed edition, 28 March – page 71), via IbroxNews, the Gers attacker is currently isolating with an illness and will not be participating in his country’s games this week.

The report claims that van Bronckhorst is now monitoring his progress to see whether or not he will be available for their match on Sunday.

This comes after Alfredo Morelos also picked up a fitness concern during the international break.

On edge

This update will surely leave the Dutch head coach on edge as it would be a big blow to lose Sakala for the clash with Celtic later this week.

It is a massive match at the top of the Premiership table that is enhanced by it being an Old Firm game, with the Gers currently three points behind their rivals. They can either claw themselves back level with the Hoops or plummet further behind them with less than two months to go in the season.

This game is likely to have a huge say in the title race and that is why van Bronckhorst will want as many of his top players available. Sakala falls into this as he has been in fine form this season, playing in multiple positions across the attack.

He has electric speed and the quality to make things happen in the final third, which is why he has been a key player for the club in recent months.

Ex-Gers fullback Alan Hutton lauded his pace earlier this term, saying: “He’s like a firework, isn’t he? You just light him and watch him go.

“He’s one of these players who plays at 100 miles per hour, he takes players on, he’s aggressive, he can get shots off.

“Sometimes you just wish he could slow down, but I think that’ll come with time and experience at a new club. As he plays with these players around him with intelligence – he’ll get on that same page.”

In the Premiership, Sakala has produced seven goals and one assist in 24 outings – starting nine games – and provided 1.2 key passes per game. He has also completed 1.5 dribbles per game as he has shown that he can burst past players with the ball before delivering a cross, key pass or shot.

Therefore, Rangers would be without a big attacking threat if his illness causes him to be out on Sunday. This is why van Bronckhorst will be on edge in the coming days and hoping that Sakala is able to recover in time for the massive meeting at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Forget Bassey: Rangers can find Balogun 2.0 in “exciting” 18yo with “massive presence”…

West Ham United are reportedly keen to sign Lille defender Sven Botman this summer after Premier League rivals Newcastle United failed in an attempt to lure the 22-year-old to the northeast. However, the Irons could find themselves facing a major obstacle in their pursuit of the Dutchman.

What’s the story?

According to The Evening Standard, West Ham are tracking the centre-back ahead of a potential move in the summer.

However, it appears as though the 22-year-old would favour a move to Newcastle instead. Speaking to The Athletic last month, Magpies director Amanda Staveley revealed that Botman “desperately wanted to come” to Newcastle and apparently “still does very much”.

The Hammers will also have to battle Serie A leaders AC Milan, who have registered an interest in the Dutch defender.

David Moyes’ side are still very much in contention to secure European football for next season, and the remaining two months of the current campaign will prove to be a major signifier as to what calibre of player the club will be able to lure to the London Stadium this summer.

West Ham must swoop for Botman

Despite the off-field controversy surrounding the Frenchman, on the pitch Kurt Zouma has proven to be an impressive addition to Moyes’ squad after joining from Chelsea last summer for £29.8m.

However, the Irons have struggled to find a consistent partner for the 27-year-old, with the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Craig Dawson and Issa Diop all featuring alongside Zouma this term, although the former was ruled out for the season in November with an ACL injury.

Finding a consistent first-choice centre-back pairing is a must for the Scotsman this summer, and Botman could prove to be the perfect fit. At 6 foot 4, the defender is a colossal presence who also boasts a plethora of experience for his age, making 105 senior career appearances at the age of just 22.

Moreover, the Dutchman was a kingpin in Lille’s famous Ligue 1 title success last year, seeing off PSG to be crowned champions of France.

Although Newcastle can offer an exciting project to Botman, they won’t be able to provide European football immediately, whereas West Ham still have time to secure their place in continental competition for next term.

Regardless of how this campaign ends for the east London outfit, qualifying for Europe will no doubt be the objective once again for next season, and solidifying a defence which has conceded 39 goals in 30 Premier League matches will be necessary.

The addition of Botman would certainly help West Ham’s cause, but the Irons need to convince the Dutchman to make the move to London rather than Tyneside or Milan.

In other news: West Ham handed major injury setback which could cost them Europe

Aston Villa have a record of being particularly active in the transfer market, even before Steven Gerrard was appointed as their manager back in November.

Now that the Villa boss will have his first summer window ahead of him once the season ends, it seems as though the 41-year-old may already have some plans in place regarding one area of his squad he wants to strengthen at Bodymoor Heath.

What’s the talk?

According to a recent report from Football Insider’s sources, Villa will be looking to bring in a left-sided centre-back during the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report also claims that this could put the future of Tyrone Mings into doubt, who they say “has not completely convinced” Gerrard in terms of his capabilities on the pitch.

Thrilling news for fans

Villa originally signed the defender on a loan deal from AFC Bournemouth back in the 2019 January window before securing him on a permanent basis in the following summer.

Overall, the Englishman has gone on to make 121 appearances for the Villans across all competitions, chipping in with seven goals and seven assists along the way.

In terms of why the Villa boss may yet to be convinced by Mings, only four other outfield players in the Premier League have made more errors that have led to an opponent’s shot this season.

This shows that the 29-year-old has been known to be a bit of a weakness at the back for his team at times.

In fact, 66% of voters in a poll ran by Football FanCast earlier this season claimed that the centre-back is a liability for Villa and could therefore be over the moon to hear that his place in the team could be at risk next season.

While Gerrard’s reported efforts to see a new left-sided centre-back enter the frame at Villa could spell the end of the road for Mings, it could have a positive effect and make him step his game up if he knows that his place in the side will be at risk if he doesn’t.

With that in mind, the England international will have to make sure he uses the final games of the season to show his manager that he has what it takes to be an important figure in the team for the foreseeable future.

In other news: Source: AVFC’s “difficult” dud could now leave Villa Park, it’s great news for Gerrard