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Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped an update surrounding the fitness of Anthony Ralston ahead of the Hoops’ Premiership clash against Hibernian tonight. 

The Lowdown: Ralston injury blow

The Hoops were without the 24-year-old during their 4-1 win over St. Johnstone at the weekend after he was forced off in the second half of the 2-1 victory against Livingston three days previously, having picking up a knock to his ankle.

This ended up not being a problem for the Bhoys as Reo Hatate scored two of Celtic’s four goals on Saturday whilst filling in for Ralston at right-back.

As the Glasgow giants prepare to take on Hibernian at Easter Road, Postecoglou has shared some behind-the-scenes details regarding the defender’s recovery.

The Latest: Postecoglou’s update on Ralston

Speaking on Tuesday ahead of tonight’s clash, Postecoglou shared an update on Ralston’s fitness and the likelihood of him being able to play against Hibs.

The Celtic manager said of the 24-year-old (via Glasgow Times): “We will see. There was improvement yesterday and there was improvement today. We obviously have an extra day’s break for this game, so we will assess it as we go along.”

The Verdict: Encouraging for Celtic

While this is undoubtedly an encouraging update from Postecoglou, Celtic’s previous match – and Hatate’s goalscoring performance in particular – showed that they didn’t miss Ralston all that much.

This could suggest that the Hoops may not need to rush him back into action tonight and risk him incurring further damage which could keep him on the sidelines for longer.

However, with Ralston having the joint-highest average of tackles per game (1.6) at Celtic in the league this season, this would make him a useful player to recall against Hibernian, especially as they have the third-most shots at goal in the Scottish top flight this season (309).

With tonight’s game in mind, Postecoglou should not consider starting the Scottish right-back unless he is 100% fit enough to play.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter ‘might prefer’ to sign Moises Caicedo, rather than Declan Rice, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Chelsea’s interest in Rice

It is no secret that the Blues hold an interest in Rice, their former youth player, with the Daily Mail detailing that they have previously made attempts to bring him back to Stamford Bridge.

However, with the West Ham United captain contracted until at least 2024, any deal would be an expensive one, with his manager David Moyes claiming earlier this year that £100m would be ‘cheap’ for the 23-year-old.

As such, Potter could turn his attention elsewhere, with his former Brighton protégé Caicedo now emerging as another option.

The Latest: Caicedo instead?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones claimed that the Chelsea manager’s history of working with the 21-year-old may tempt him into opting for the Ecuadorian instead of Rice.

The journalist said: “Potter might prefer Caicedo, having worked with him. I can’t really account for what the manager himself has in his head but, you know, Graham Potter’s position by the end of the season might be in doubt.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

Caicedo clearly has bags of talent, as he has routinely displayed with Brighton since breaking into the first team. He has registered an average of 2.72 tackles per 90 over the past year, placing him in the 84th percentile compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.

That said, Potter shouldn’t let his previous relationship with the player hold sway when it comes to his decision about who to sign, as he does not need to have worked with Rice to see his evident quality, with the Englishman ranking in the 95th percentile among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues in 2022 for his 90.3% pass completion rate.

Despite only being 23, Rice has already made 185 appearances in the Premier League and therefore is far more experienced than Caicedo, who has just 24 to his name. That would appear to make the West Ham star the better prospective signing for Chelsea, even if he does cost more than the minimum £60m fee associated with Brighton’s ‘baller’, as Caicedo was dubbed by BT Sport’s Jules Breach.

Liverpool’s most salient area for reinforcing on the transfer front is unequivocally the centre of the park, but that does not mean the club won’t target the offensive front if the right, enticing opportunity comes along.

And according to reports stemming from Italy (via the Liverpool Echo), MLS outfit Chicago Fire’s prodigious forward talent Jhon Duran has caught the attention of Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, who is making a ‘concrete’ move for the player with the January market recently swinging its doors open.

The teenager has scarcely tasted senior action, but has already impressed in his first year with a clinical edge and fearsome physicality that could pave the foundation for an exemplary career as a striking phenomenon.

A fee of roughly $21m (£17.5m), could be enough to prise him away from Fire’s clutches, as per Calciomercato, and although the asking price might appear steep for an unknown commodity on European soil, his dynamic skill set would be a welcome tool for any top outfit chasing success…

Calciomercato reporter Raffaele Amato tweeted this about the situation: “Liverpool are also making concrete moves for Duran, but the current offer is lower than Benfica’s. The biggest pitfall for the Portuguese is represented by Aston Villa. Chicago are aiming to collect 20 million euros.”

Next Suarez

At only 19-years-old, Duran has bagged eight goals and five assists from only 14 starts across the 2022 MLS campaign in a breakthrough year where the Colombian phenom has emerged onto the American scene in resounding fashion.

The three-cap gem was at the centre of heaped praise from talent scout Jacek Kulig when he was still only 18-years-old, regarded as a “complete” centre-forward, “fast, powerful & confident with the ball at his feet”, and “aggressive & determined in the penalty area.”

His all-encompassing aura on the pitch, despite his tender age, could pay dividends for Klopp as he looks to turn the page on a new chapter at Anfield, and bring the club a talisman for the coming years that could emulate the success of coveted centre-forward Luis Suarez, someone who like Duran, was very much an aggressive and complete attacker.

Suarez signed for the Reds from AFC Ajax in 2012 for a fee of £22.7m, and he went on to forge one of the most devastating careers in Premier League history, captivating fans and pundits alike with his blistering arsenal and innate knack to find the back of the net from every distance and angle, scoring 69 goals and 39 assists over just 110 Premier League outings.

The “wonderkid” – as heralded by Tom Bogert – is still very much untested on the biggest stage, but he certainly holds the ingredients to serve up a concoction of striking excellence, and with a cutting edge already apparent from his little time spent in the MLS, he could nurture his precocious abilities at one of the world’s most prominent outfits.

His impressive Sofascore rating of 6.91 is a testament to his tenacity and all-encompassing approach to his game, and with 2.2 shots per match, his peppering output is certainly reminiscent to a former phenom in Liverpool red who took the nation by storm.

Wolves have suffered a big transfer blow as long-term target Carlos Alcaraz has joined Premier League rivals Southampton, in what could be a repeat of the disaster which saw the Old Gold miss out on World Cup sensation Enzo Fernandez last summer.

The Molineux outfit have long been linked with Racing Club star Alcaraz, who has burst onto the scene in Argentina in recent years, contributing 12 goals and six assists in 83 appearances in all competitions.

This saw football talent scout Jacek Kulig describe the 20-year-old as “one of the biggest talents in Argentina” in 2022, so it is easy to see why Wolves were keen on bringing him to Molineux.

However, Wolves have once again failed to act quickly in the January transfer window, as Alcaraz’s arrival at Southampton for a fee of just £12m was confirmed earlier this week.

If he can have a big impact in the English top flight and help to keep Nathan Jones’ side up this season, then Julen Lopetegui will surely regret not bringing the youngster to Molineux this month.

The Old Gold will be praying that Alcaraz doesn’t enjoy a similar development to fellow Argentine youngster Enzo Fernandez, who joined Benfica ahead of Wolves last summer, despite chief scout Matt Hobbs travelling to South America to try and complete a deal for the 21-year-old.

Hobbs and Wolves refused to pay his £17m release clause and he instead joined Benfica, playing a huge part in their impressive domestic and Champions League form so far this season, with WhoScored awarding him an impressive 7.13 rating for his performances in Portugal’s top flight.

He was then a mainstay in Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina side as they won the World Cup in Qatar and is now attracting the interest of top clubs across Europe, with Chelsea reportedly offering £112m at the start of the January transfer window.

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You’d have hoped that Wolves would have learned their lesson from Fernandez, but to lose out on Alcaraz to a Southampton side whose recent form suggests that they are destined for the drop could be another shocking mistake by the Old Gold hierarchy.

If Alcaraz can live up to his potential at St Mary’s, then he could easily move on for a huge fee in the future, and Wolves will surely be left regretting their failure to act quickly in the transfer window once again.

Leeds United added to their squad over the weekend by striking a club-record deal to sign winger Georginio Rutter from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.

However, that was not the club’s only business that they completed last week as Victor Orta and Jesse Marsch also sanctioned an exit for Polish international Mateusz Klich.

The Whites allowed the veteran midfielder to join Major League Soccer outfit D.C. United on a free transfer and the club could look to bring in a replacement for him during the January transfer window.

Klich made 14 appearances off the bench during the first half of the campaign and this indicates that there is now a gap in the squad in that position heading into the second half of the season.

Earlier this month, Leeds were named as one of a number of Premier League clubs interested in a deal to sign Bristol City central midfielder Alex Scott, alongside the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton and Hove Albion, and AFC Bournemouth, and he could replace the 32-year-old at Elland Road.

The Telegraph’s John Percy has claimed that Wolverhampton Wanderers are particularly keen on a swoop for the gem but the Championship side’s £25m asking price could prove to be an issue for them.

Orta could now replace the departed Klich by securing a deal to sign Scott ahead of their top-flight rivals, as the 19-year-old has shown promise in the Championship this season.

Robins player pathway manager Brian Tinnion previously heaped praise on the talented youngster, saying:”His work rate and his desire to learn has been unbelievable.

“He has every single attribute you would want in a professional footballer. He can tackle, he’s great with both feet, he can head the ball, his delivery is good and his overall quality is great.’

“He lets his football do the talking and he’s getting better all the time. We are really excited about his future.”

These comments indicate that he is a player with big potential and his form this term backs that up.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.88 in the Championship and made 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game, along with chipping in with four assists for his teammates, which shows that he is a tenacious midfield player who can also provide creativity at the top end of the pitch.

At the age of 19, Scott could arrive as a long-term addition to the side instead of someone who would be expected to make an immediate impact.

This means that he could be the perfect replacement for Klich as the maestro could take up the Polish gem’s role of being a substitute option, rather than replacing a regular starter, before working his way into the XI in the future.

Alan Brazil has slammed the Everton fans live on TalkSPORT after the club’s board of directors were told to stay away from the last home game.

The Lowdown: Chaos engulfing Goodison Park

At the end of last season when Everton confirmed their safety in the Premier League there were scenes of relief and jubilation at Goodison Park which will have filled fans with hope and optimism that something similar wouldn’t happen again.

However, that was seemingly only to be a dream as Everton find themselves inside the bottom three and facing a real threat of relegation, especially given their worrying lack of transfer activity.

It’s not just on the pitch that thing are going wrong for Everton though as last week their board of directors were urged to stay away from the ground due to threats to their safety, which was soon followed by claims of Denise Barrett-Baxendale having been put in a headlock when leaving the director’s box, although this is yet to be proven.

The Latest: Everton are in a huge mess

Despite those claims not being proved true, Brazil still didn’t hold back as he slammed the Evertonians for putting the board of directors’ safety at threat and not allowing them to attend a game.

He said: (0:00) “I understand the fans’ passion that Frank was relating to there but I’m sorry, this has gone too far when directors and don’t get me wrong we’ve got so many foreign directors now, when they feel it’s not safe to attend a football club they might as well walk away and say I’m out, I’m selling the share. That is a disgrace.”

The Verdict: Moshiri must get the club in order

Evertonians have every right to be angry and fed up with what their club and board are serving up and have been doing for several years now as they have thrown away so much money on transfers over the last few seasons.

However, the fact that directors were advised to not attend games is certainly not on and the threat appeared to be real given what happened to the likes of Ellis Simms and Yerry Mina after the game when they were trying to leave Goodison Park.

It’s very bizarre for Brazil to have gone on national radio to kick Everton fans when they’re already down and struggling to get behind their club, manager and players and face dropping out of the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Newcastle United’s bid to sign wonderkid Matheus Franca from Flamengo has fallen short of the asking price, Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

What’s the word?

The versatile attacking midfielder has already made 28 appearances for Flamengo, scoring seven times and the 18-year-old is wanted by Newcastle.

Romano claimed that Eddie Howe’s side have had a bid of around €16m (£14m) rejected, with the Brazilian club wanting around €20m (£17.6m) – and it remains to be seen whether a deal will be struck before the end of the window.

Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Romano stated that not only are Newcastle currently short with their own valuation, but there are other clubs also interested in a deal for the midfielder.

He said: “They made a second bid last week for Franca, it was a bid around €16m total package.

“The answer from Flamengo was no. From what I’m told, Flamengo want €20m. Also, Olympique Lyon are interested in the player; Real Madrid have sent their scouts to keep an eye on him; but Newcastle are the priority for Franca, so let’s see how it will continue.”

One for the future

If Newcastle do secure Franca’s signature, it seems likely that he will be a signing for the future rather than one who comes into the first team straight away.

Although he could provide cover for Miguel Almiron or Joelinton, he will need regular minutes to develop, and a loan move – perhaps back to Flamengo – could be beneficial once his future is secured at Newcastle.

He has “a very good understanding of the game” according to Flamengo youth coach Fabio Matias, whose comments certainly suggest Franca could bring a lot of outstanding technical quality as an attacking midfielder.

Considering Newcastle have Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton on their books, they will be hoping that the increasing Brazilian contingent at the club could help convince Franca to join over the likes of Lyon.

Sunderland centre-back Bailey Wright is unlikely to sign for Portsmouth, according to BBC reporter Andrew Moon.

The Lowdown: Wright in Portsmouth’s sights

It has been reported in recent days that Wright is a very serious target for Portsmouth, with a deadline-beating deal at one stage looking likely for the defender, who has featured for Sunderland 14 times in the Championship this season.

With several of these appearances coming as a substitute, including in the recent victory against Middlesbrough, it is clear that the defender is no longer one of Tony Mowbray’s first choices, however he could now be set to remain at the club.

The Latest: Update from Moon

Taking to Twitter to comment on the recent rumours, Moon simply said: “I’m told Bailey Wright is unlikely to join Pompey.“

The reporter does not completely rule out a deal taking place, but it appears as though the centre-back will stay at Sunderland, unless there is late interest from another club.

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The Verdict: Useful option

While he is not a consistent starter, the Australian has still played his part in what has been a very good season for Sunderland so far, looking particularly impressive in the away match against Huddersfield Town, winning four duels and making three clearances in the 2-0 triumph.

Lauded as ‘excellent in the air’ by journalist Josh Bunting, the 30-year-old has been given an increasing amount of game time recently while Danny Batth has been injured, featuring for the full 90 minutes against Wigan Athletic and Blackpool.

Having sufficient depth could be absolutely vital in the second half of the season, with the Black Cats looking to continue their push for the top six, and Wright is a solid back-up option for Mowbray to have, should any of his defenders encounter any more injury issues.

An update has emerged regarding Glasgow Rangers’ efforts to bolster their squad at Ibrox during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

The 4th Official has revealed that the Light Blues have struck a deal to sign Belgian midfielder Nicolas Raskin on a permanent basis ahead of next week’s transfer deadline.

They tweeted: “Rangers have reached an agreement with Standard Liege for the transfer of Nicolas Raskin. Personal terms had already been agreed with the Belgian. As I said in my last post on this from 5 days ago, Rangers were looking at a 4 and a half year deal.”

The 21-year-old’s contract with the Pro League club is due to expire at the end of the season, and this allowed the Premiership giants to speak with the player before agreeing a fee with Liege.

Ryan Jack upgrade

Ross Wilson could land Michael Beale an upgrade on current Rangers box-to-box midfielder Ryan Jack by getting this deal for Raskin over the line in the coming days.

In the Premiership this season, the 30-year-old Scotland international has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.94 across 14 appearances for the Light Blues.

The former Aberdeen midfielder has averaged 1.3 key passes and 1.8 tackles and interceptions per match for the Gers, which shows that he makes contributions at both ends of the pitch whilst maintaining an impressive average performance level.

However, Raskin could be an upgrade on the Scottish dynamo if he can translate his form in the Pro League for Standard Liege over to the Premiership.

In the Belgian top flight this season, the 21-year-old has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.01 in 16 outings and made 1.1 key passes and 3.7 tackles and interceptions per outing.

These statistics indicate that the youngster could offer a similar level of creativity whilst offering far more defensively in comparison to the current Rangers midfielder.

Raskin, who journalist Bob Faesen once hailed as “powerful”, could also be a more reliable option for Beale, as Jack has a history of missing matches due to injury.

The Scotsman has suffered 15 separate injury issues for Rangers since the start of the 2017/18 campaign and has missed 40 games in all competitions since the start of last season.

Meanwhile, the Standard Liege maestro, who is nine years younger than Jack, has only sat out eight matches due to injury in his career – spanning the last three seasons – and this suggests that the Belgian gem is not as much of a liability as the 30-year-old when it comes to his fitness.

Therefore, Raskin could be a notable upgrade on the Rangers midfielder due to the quality that he could offer on the pitch, his injury record, and his long-term potential at the age of just 21.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano says that Newcastle United have had a ‘new bid’ rejected for Flamengo midfielder Matheus Franca.

The Lowdown: Bids already made

It has been reported that Newcastle have had a ‘number’ of bids rejected for Franca already, with Flamengo thought to be demanding a fee in excess of £20m for him, and a ‘significant’ sell-on clause of around 40-50%.

Eddie Howe has admitted that he would still like to make more signings if possible before the end of the window, after capturing winger Anthony Gordon from Everton.

The Latest: Another bid rejected

Taking to Twitter, Romano says that the St. James’ Park outfit have had a ‘new bid’ rejected for Franca, worth a total package of €20m (£17.5m), while Flamengo are holding out for €25m (£22m):

“Flamengo have turned down new bid from Newcastle for Matheus Franca — it was worth €20m total package.

“Newcastle want Matheus but they will not overpay, clear message as last bid was close to ‘internal’ Brazilian market release clause worth €25m.”

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The Verdict: Pay the extra money?

The North East Club simply cannot afford to be haggling over just a few million pounds, with Transfer Deadline Day fast approaching.

Thus, they should just pay the £22m for Franca, if that is what Flamengo are looking for.

The Brazilian is an exciting talent, having already played 30 matches for Flamengo by the age of just 18, scoring seven goals (Transfermarkt), and has won both the Copa do Brasil and Copa Libertadores.

Nonetheless, he has been courted by the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid as well, and so the Magpies will not want him to go elsewhere.