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Former Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham has been spotted wearing Hoops attire, The Daily Record report.

The Lowdown: Ntcham at Swansea

Ntcham was one of a number of long-serving Parkhead members who left the club over the summer.

He eventually joined Championship side Swansea City on a free transfer, where he has gone on to make eight appearances during the current campaign.

However, the Frenchman, who won nine honours with Celtic, still has his Hoops attire and decided to bring it out in the week.

The Latest: Instagram post

Ntcham, who follows the likes of Christopher Jullien and Mikey Johnston on Instagram, posted a picture from a gym session on the social media site, wearing an old Hoops tracksuit.

The Daily Record shared the snapshot of the 25-year-old, with Ntcham working on his fitness after a final 12 months to forget at Parkhead, making just seven league starts in the 2020/21 season.

The Verdict: Good to see…

Even though Ntcham’s four-year stay at Celtic petered out somewhat acrimoniously earlier this year, it’s good to see he’s still happy to wear the club’s colours.

The midfielder, who Neil Lennon labelled as ‘unbelievable’, posted a classy message when he left Celtic and his latest antics down in Wales may well strike the right note with Hoops fans.

In other news: Ange shares ‘frustrating’ injury news for ‘consistent’ Celtic regular who may now miss 16 games.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith will be desperately looking over his shoulder after his team’s dismal defeat to Southampton in the Premier League on Friday night.

The Villans’ 1-0 loss on the south coast was their fifth consecutive defeat in the division and leaves Smith’s job hanging by a thread.

While much of the focus will naturally surround the manager, his players hardly covered themselves in glory either, with Anwar El Ghazi in particularly shocking form.

The Netherlands international was recalled to the starting line-up at St Mary’s and delivered the kind of woeful performance which would have left fans fuming.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 16 times over the course of the game and lost seven of his nine duels on the night too, with Valentino Livramento finding it far too easy to pocket him at full-back. Only one of his three attempts on goal found the target, while he has no successful dribbles and none of his four attempted crosses found the mark either.

The Dutchman’s attempt at winning a cheap penalty was also slammed as “pathetic” on commentary, and it rather summed up what was a wholly ineffective performance.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him a measly two, saying: “Should have had an early bath after his 11th-minute booking before another clear foul and then a dive. Livramento wouldn’t have had an easier game this season.

“El Ghazi kept losing the ball while he spurned a golden chance after Livramento slipped before firing high and wide. El Ghazi struck a powerful one which was tipped over by McCarthy after the break as Villa initially went to a 4-4-2. Poor on his return to the starting XI.”

With reports in recent weeks and months already indicating that Smith would be open to selling the winger, the £8.5m-rated Dutchman simply has to be sold after his latest disasterclass.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a worrying contract update…

Celtic and West Ham have been linked with a move for Spartak Moscow forward Jordan Larsson, The Daily Record report.

The Lowdown: Larsson profiled…

Larsson, the son of legendary Celtic striker Henrik Larsson, is 24 years of age and can play on the right-hand side or as an attacking midfielder along with his primary centre-forward role.

The left-footed beast has been hailed as ‘strong’ by retired Sweden international Marcus Allback, who also believes he ‘would suit playing for Celtic’.

He still has 18 months left on his contract in Russia, where he has scored 26 times in 76 appearances, but he has now been linked with a move to Parkhead.

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The Latest: Hoops links

The Daily Record shared a story on Tuesday afternoon, citing reports from Aftonbladet who claim that the Hoops and the Hammers are two sides tracking Larsson’s situation.

The report claims that Spartak’s previous asking price was around £13m, but that is now expected to be lower in order to get Larsson off the books.

The Verdict: Other areas a priority?

It would be a great story for the son of one of Celtic’s best-ever players to move to Celtic Park, however, at this moment in time, it seems as if other areas of the pitch need adding to first before a big-money move for Larsson should be explored.

Central midfield appears to be an area where reinforcements are needed, with Ange Postecoglou relying heavily on the likes of Callum McGregor, Tom Rogic and David Turnbull this season.

Left-back may also be another position that could do with bolstering, with right-back Josip Juranovic filling in over recent weeks following Greg Taylor’s injury.

In other news: Nicholson may ship out ‘quick’ beast alongside Ajeti in January so Ange can make Celtic signings. 

Everton will renew their efforts to sign Donny van de Beek on loan when the January transfer window opens, according to ESPN’s Rob Dawson. 

The lowdown

Van de Beek’s agent Guido Albers confirmed in September that talks had taken place with Everton during the summer (via The Athletic). United had moved to block the transfer on the penultimate day of trading.

But the Dutchman has remained an outcast in the early months of the season, playing just 15 minutes of Premier League football.

After the £120,000-per-week midfielder was handed a rare opportunity to shine in last season’s 4-1 European win over Istanbul Basaksehir, BT Sport’s Owen Hargreaves hailed him as ‘close to perfect’, so it is no surprise to see yet more links suggesting a player of that quality could be on the move.

The latest

Dawson writes that ‘a host of Premier League clubs’ are considering a January loan swoop for Van de Beek.

He explicitly names Everton as well as relegation-threatened Newcastle United.

Sources have told ESPN that the player himself is ‘keen to explore his options’ ahead of the mid-season market.

The verdict

Surely United can’t stand in Van de Beek’s way this time on the grounds that he’s part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans? He’s effectively a forgotten man at Old Trafford, with Gary Neville even warning fellow struggling signing Jadon Sancho he could end up like the Dutchman (Sky Sports), hardly a glowing endorsement of his chances.

And he seems, understandably, to be unhappy with the situation, having been filmed throwing his chewing gum and training bib to the floor when Solskjaer overlooked him against Villarreal.

Everton could grant a new lease of life to a player who demonstrated at Ajax that he has plenty of quality – in his last season in Amsterdam, he recorded a whopping 30 goal contributions.

In other news, fans reacted to this Aaron Ramsey report. 

According to Turkish news outlet Fotospor, as shared and translated by Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur are taking an interest in Fenerbahce defender Kim Min-jae yet again after their links with the player last year.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyed 2020 move…

Over the summer of 2020 during Jose Mourinho’s tenure at the club, Tottenham were linked with a move for the South Korea international.

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Indeed, as explained by sources from the player’s homeland, he was once heavily courted by some of Europe’s top clubs, including the Lilywhites, before he eventually sealed a move to his current club from Beijing Guoan in August.

Korean Sports reporter Jason Lee, sharing a report from SPOTV News, relayed that Kim himself was particularly keen on a move to Spurs back in September 2020.

Indeed, the 25-year-old was apparently ‘waiting for Spurs to make their final offer to Beijing’ and preferred a move to north London over Serie A giants Lazio, who were also interested at the time.

The Latest: Spurs back in…

As per Fotospor, Tottenham are seemingly back in for the towering defender, with the club, and managing director Fabio Paratici by extension, now ‘preparing to make an offer’.

However, Fenerbache don’t intend on making things simple for Spurs as they outline ‘very difficult demands’ – especially considering they plan on keeping him past January.

The Turkish Super Lig giants apparently want €25m (£21.07m) for Kim, whilst also demanding a lofty 25% sell-on clause.

The Verdict: Right move?

The 6 foot 3 colossus comes as an outside option to strengthen Antonio Conte’s defence over a year after Tottenham first registered interest. While Kim doesn’t exactly come as the most blockbuster defensive target when compared to the likes of Stefan de Vrij or Matthijs de Ligt, he could be a shrewd one.

Nicknamed the ‘Monster’ back in South Korea for his large, imposing frame, £21.07m is arguably a small price to pay considering that he is still fairly young. The 37-cap international’s price tag is also far less than that of De Vrij or De Ligt, with the former valued at around £40m and the latter £63m.

After Tottenham announced pre-tax losses of £80.2m, taking their debts to £706m in total (The Guardian), Kim’s signing could be a cheaper alternative to the bigger names.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist makes exciting Spurs transfer claim with offer on the table, find out more here.

A worrying transfer claim has been made on Rangers beast Glen Kamara, amid interest from the Premier League…

What’s the talk?

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield has claimed that Aston Villa, who have recently been linked with the Finland international, need a player in his position ahead of the January window.

He told GIVEMESPORT:

“One that’s really interesting is Kamara. Villa need a player in his position.

“The question, I suppose, is do you want to be shopping in Scotland? No disrespect, because you’ve seen some great players come out of there and you only need to look at the likes of Virgil van Dijk, but there are players in that division who, let’s be honest, aren’t quite Premier League quality.

“But Kamara is certainly the most interesting one for me.”

Concerning blow on the cards?

These worrying quotes from Hatfield will surely leave Rangers fans feeling concerned ahead of the next couple of transfer windows. If Villa do need a player in his position then he could be a viable target for them, both because he has recently been touted with a switch and the arrival of Steven Gerrard at the Premier League club.

The Liverpool legend left Ibrox to join Aston Villa earlier this month and knows exactly what Kamara is capable of in midfield. He brought the Finland international to the club and handed him 123 appearances, with a 124th for the club coming against Hibernian on Sunday, showing that he was a crucial part of his team.

This shows that there is a pre-existing relationship between the two and Kamara knows that Gerrard rates him highly. Therefore, he could potentially be tempted to make the switch to Villa, knowing that he will get opportunities to prove himself at Premier League level and test himself against the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in midfield.

His contract at Rangers expires in 2025 so supporters will not need to worry about him leaving on the cheap with the club in a strong position on that front.

However, it remains to be seen if the Gers are able to reject big-money bids that Villa could come in with for his services which is why supporters and indeed, new manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst, will be worried about his future heading into January.

Losing such a talented and influential player from the spine of the team will undoubtedly worry the Dutchman and his cohort of staff at Ibrox.

AND in other news,  Rangers secured dream deal with “brutally ruthless” £1m beast, he’ll be Gio’s main man…

Glasgow Rangers centre-forward Jermain Defoe could be on his way out of Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Frank McAvennie, who suggested in a recent interview with Football Insider that, following his removal from Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s coaching staff at Rangers, the 39-year-old’s time at the Premiership side could be coming to an end.

Speaking about the former England international’s future, McAvennie said: “The manager doesn’t know Defoe, so he can’t have any complaints. He’s bringing in his own team and he needs people he can trust. Defoe will know that as well so I can’t imagine he’s too annoyed. I think his time is up at Rangers now.

“He’s got a few months left on his deal so I can see him hanging around Ibrox until the end of the season. He’s always there as an option and what an option to have, he’s still so clinical. We know he’s a popular boy as well, the players all like him by the sounds of it and he’s a fan favourite. Short-term, he can help, but I don’t see a long-term future there.”

Defoe must go

While it is indeed true that Defoe is something of a fan favourite at Ibrox, considering the fact that the veteran striker is currently taking home a whopping £15k-per-week in wages, it would seem a very wise move for Van Bronckhorst to move the 39-year-old onto pastures new in January.

With Defoe now back to being contracted solely as part of the playing staff at Ibrox, his worth to the club is ultimately reflected by his returns on the pitch – something that does not make pretty reading so far this season.

Indeed, the former Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward has played a grand total of nine minutes for Gers in the current campaign, being left out of every single matchday squad, be that in the league, domestic cups or in Europe, apart from the two fixtures in which he has made an appearance.

As such, it simply cannot be argued that Defoe is worth the extremely hefty weekly wage the Light Blues are currently paying him, particularly with it being reported that Rangers’ finances are far from healthy at present.

So, while it may be sad to see him go, the sensible move for Van Bronckhorst would certainly be to thank the 39-year-old for all he has done for the club before allowing him to find a new side in the January transfer window.

In other news: Wilson may repeat his huge 2017 “mistake” by signing £15m flop, Rangers fans will fume

Aston Villa have not approached Rangers over Borna Barisic, according to Heart & Hand. 

The lowdown

It’s been claimed that former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is keen on bringing Barisic south of the border, having taken over at Aston Villa.

A report suggested that an £8million January transfer was a genuine possibility. Gerrard regards Barisic as a ‘fantastic player’ who’s ‘really, really consistent’.

Barisic is under contract at Ibrox until May 2024 after penning a new £18,000-per-week deal in January 2020 (via Transfermarkt) however, meaning the Light Blues are in a fantastic negotiating position.

The latest

Heart & Hand, an official media partner of the football club, tweeted that they had ‘asked’ about Barisic and ‘been told’ that there was no contact between Rangers and Villa.

“Any reports to the contrary are false,” they added.

The verdict

It seems that Gerrard and Villa have other targets in mind at left-back. For example, a recent report suggested that they are keen on Stuttgart’s Borna Sosa, a compatriot of Barisic.

This is very good news for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Rangers. According to WhoScored, Barisic has been the team’s third-best performer this season, behind only Joe Aribo and 10-assist right-back James Tavernier.

But there remains a possibility that Gerrard looks to raid his former club for a player he believes can make the step-up to the English Premier League.

Indeed, The Daily Mail (via Birmingham Live) have reported that Ryan Kent is very much on his radar, so while the Gers have seemingly won the Barisic battle, they may have many more to come with their former gaffer.

In other news, could Rangers add competition for Barisic at LB?

Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier is attracting interest from FC Barcelona.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Spanish journalist Gerard Romero (via Sport Witness), who stated that the 21-year-old goalkeeper is one of four options Xavi Hernandez is considering a move for in the event that Marc-Andre ter Stegen were to leave the Camp Nou at the end of the current campaign.

Romero goes on to claim that Ajax’s Andre Onana, Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels and Fiorentina’s Bartlomiej Dragowski are the other three candidates who Barcelona believe could potentially replace their current 29-year-old number one.

Leeds must avoid Meslier disaster

Considering just how important a part of Marcelo Bielsa’s side Meslier has become since his £5.85m permanent switch to Elland Road in the summer of 2020, were Leeds to lose the services of the France U21 international at the end of the season, it would undoubtedly be an outcome that would leave the 66-year-old manager furious.

Indeed, over his 35 Premier League appearances last season, the £18m-rated shot-stopper kept 11 clean sheets and made an average of four saves per game – the second-most of any ‘keeper in the league.

These returns saw the player who Bielsa himself claimed “transmits security” earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.13, ranking him as the Whites’ fourth-best player in the top flight last time out.

And, after putting pen to paper on a new £22k-per-week contract which runs until 2026 back in August, the goalkeeper has once again been in impressive form over his 16 Premier League appearances in the current campaign, keeping three clean sheets and making an average of 3.1 saves per fixture – the joint seventh-most in the division.

These metrics have seen the 21-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Bielsa’s sixth-best performer so far this term.

As such, with it appearing as if Victor Orta and Bielsa believe that Meslier will be Leeds’ number one shot-stopper for many a year to come, the ‘keeper being pinched by one of the biggest clubs in the world – a move that would surely tempt the Frenchman – next summer would come as a gutting blow to both the director of football and manager, who simply must do all they can to ensure there is no way for Barcelona to get a deal over the line for the former FC Lorient man.

In other news: LUFC handed huge Jan boost on “unbelievable” £34m-rated “storm”, Bielsa surely buzzing

With the January transfer window set to open in a matter of days, journalist Luke Hatfield has dropped a claim that could leave a lot of Aston Villa fans worried about the future of one of their star players.

What’s the news?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Hatfield had this to say about the possibility of Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez attracting interest from other clubs and potentially leaving the Midlands club.

He said: “Martinez was one which was always kind of a little bit of a worry because of the performances he’s putting in have made him one of the top goalkeepers in world football at the moment.

“But his reaction to the Crystal Palace game when he went over to the fans and [kissed] the badge. I mean, it shows that players are enjoying playing for Villa at the moment and enjoying their time under Gerrard, so fingers crossed they can keep the group together.”

Fans scared

Since joining the Villans back in September last year from fellow Premier League club Arsenal in a deal worth a reported fee of £17m, the Argentine has firmly cemented himself as their number one goalkeeper with 55 appearances and 20 clean sheets under his belt across all competitions.

In addition to this, at the end of his debut season at the club, the shot-stopper managed to win the Supporters’ Player of the Season award, showing how much he is admired by the fans at Villa Park.

As a result, they will surely be scared that his future is potentially in doubt heading into the January transfer window.

This season has seen Martinez earn himself an overall performance rating of 6.94/10, making him Villa’s fourth-highest rated player according to SofaScore, which also shows how good he is on the pitch and why Hatfield thinks he could be attracting interest from other clubs.

Moving forward, even though his current contract at Villa isn’t set to expire until the summer of 2024, it could be worth the club offering the stopper a new deal to keep him out of the clutches of any club that may want to sign the 29-year-old in the future.

With the Daily Star claiming that fellow Premier League club Manchester United reportedly have Martinez on their transfer shortlist, this could spring Johan Lange into action to get the Argentine to sign a new deal.

In other news: Forget Mings: £82k-p/w AVFC dud who lost the ball 17x was Gerrard’s weak link vs Blues – opinion