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As Celtic look to kick-start a new chapter in their history, Neil Lennon will be looking around for ways of building a more exciting future at Parkhead.

Ismaila Soro looks to be the kind of midfield prospect who the Hoops can rely on in the engine room, but getting a deal done for Sheffield Wednesday starlet Liam Shaw could give them the perfect partner for the 22-year-old.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has claimed that the Bhoys have expressed interest in signing Shaw, and that the 19-year-old would be available on a pre-contract now, although Wednesday are in talks with him over a new deal.

Dubbed a “very, very promising young player” by his old manager at Sheffield Wednesday, Tony Pulis, Shaw has begun to establish himself in the Championship side’s starting eleven over the past couple of months.

He’s featured in nine of out of the Owls’ last ten games in the league, including starting and completing the full 90 minutes in the previous matches against Middlesbrough and Derby.

Shaw’s ability to play as both a centre-back and in central midfield would give Lennon added flexibility, with his former Owls boss, Garry Monk saying of his versatility: “He has got the capability of playing everywhere. I am not 100 per cent sure what is going to be his final position. But what I do know with him is he definitely has the capabilities of playing in midfield and centre-back.”

Partnering him in the engine room alongside Soro would give Celtic a real strong presence that would compliment the Ivory Coast ace.

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 2, Shaw has won 3.3 duels per game in the Championship this season, with the 5 foot 8 Soro winning 4.5 per match. That little and large partnership would be almost akin to an N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic style seen at Chelsea, with both capable of sticking their foot in and screening the back four well.

Nick Hammond could clinch a perfect partner for Soro in Shaw.

Meanwhile, Celtic can clinch a bargain deal for this one League One sensation…

West Brom haven’t had a good track-record of signing exciting strikers, and that trend could continue if reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports reporter Kavel Solhekol on the Transfer Show (as relayed by Football Daily), the Baggies have been offered the chance to sign Angers SCO forward Stephane Bahoken with an option-to-buy.

“We know West Brom do not have much to spend [this window], so maybe that would fit the bill,” claimed Solhekol.

Sam Allardyce has already bolstered his struggling Albion squad with the additions of Robert Snodgrass and Andy Lonergan, but the need for extra firepower has been ramped up since the departure of Charlie Austin to QPR on loan and the lengthy injury sustained to Karlan Grant.

Another Stephane flop

As we’ve mentioned, West Brom’s history with the attacking department has been atrocious – the fact that both of last summer’s signings, Austin and Kenneth Zohore, are out on loan speaks volumes, but if that’s not enough, then you may remember Brown Ideye – or Stephane Sessegnon.

In 2016, the Midlands outfit broke their transfer record with the £5.5m signing of Sessegnon from Sunderland. That turned out to be a disaster as he only scored eight goals in 92 appearances – he is arguably one of the worst we’ve ever seen at the Hawthorns.

Before his spell at the Black Cats, the Benin international had never featured in England, and with Bahoken, we’re getting a similar situation as he’s only had one loan spell in Scotland – both played the bulk of their careers in France.

Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the 28-year-old has managed to bag five times in Ligue 1 this term and hasn’t found the net in six successive appearances.

The self-proclaimed “animal” had a pretty dismal spell in the SPFL for St Mirren, leading to manager Danny Lennon urging fans to back him amid claims he “didn’t handle” the situation well at the club.

He failed to score in five appearances, so why would he be suited to a desperate relegation scrap in the Premier League?

Regardless of the Baggies’ finances, Big Sam would stumble into yet another transfer mistake if he were to sanction a move for Bahoken and that, given their history, would be an absolutely unforgivable blunder to make.

AND in other news, 1 goal every 80 mins: THIS is what West Brom could have with one fell £12.5m swoop…

Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Carabao Cup semi-final clash with Brentford this evening, Jose Mourinho has been dealt some worrying news…

What’s the latest?

According to the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, attacking midfield maestro Giovani Lo Celso is now set to miss the whole of January through injury.

The 24-year-old was withdrawn early during Spurs’ 2-0 defeat to Leicester City last month and did not feature against Wolves or Leeds United.

Lo Celso has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the festive period after he was pictured breaking strict tier-4 Covid regulations, along with teammates Sergio Reguilon and Erik Lamela.

Although this news comes at a bad time for Mourinho too.

Attacking midfield worries

The Portuguese tactician has labelled tonight’s match his biggest game since arriving in north London over a year ago, and he’ll have to steer his side to victory without one of his best players.

Lo Celso has contributed to six goals in all competitions this season and has been their most creative midfielder in the Premier League, averaging 0.8 key passes per game, which is more than Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli.

Only Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have managed more (of any player that has started four or more matches).

The duo combined for their 13th goal of the season, tying a top-flight record, but if Mourinho is to successfully negotiate the busy fixture list, he’ll need to find inspiration from elsewhere.

And without Lo Celso that is so much harder. The £28m (€32m) signing has been noted for his creative output before – Alasdair Gold lauded his urgency and desire back in September, whilst Harry Winks dubbed the gem “technically gifted” and “exciting.”

He clearly doesn’t fancy Dele Alli, who has been snubbed from the matchday squad in ten of 16 Premier League matches. He’s also been linked with an exit following Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment at Paris Saint-Germain.

Ndombele also carries question marks as he won’t be able to cope with the additional workload in Lo Celso’s absence as he’s barely able to complete a full 90 minutes – something he has accomplished only twice in 21 appearances this term.

This all leaves Mourinho with quite the headache, and he’ll have every right to be fuming given the lack of alternatives ahead of such a big game.

AND in other news, Spurs could find their own VVD with swoop for £36m leader…

David Moyes must wield the axe on Sebastien Haller when West Ham United visit Everton on Friday night after the striker’s struggles at Southampton.

Haller was given the starting role at St. Mary’s as Michail Antonio made his long-awaited return to a matchday squad with a seat on the bench, having missed the Hammers’ previous five Premier League fixtures through his second hamstring injury of the season.

Antonio had been a huge loss for the Irons after sustaining a second strain in his return at home to Aston Villa last month, but came through Tuesday night’s trip to the south coast unscathed and will now be pushing for a start at Goodison Park.

Moyes is keen to award minutes to those he feels are proving themselves in training but accepts that Antonio’s injuries forced him to seek alternative options, with Haller stepping in yet only returning two goals while registering just a single shot in each of West Ham’s last three top-flight fixtures.

Haller severely struggled to leave a positive impression on the pitch at Southampton before being replaced by Antonio with 13 minutes still to play and the scoreline locked at 0-0, having caused the hosts very few issues and left Moyes with little food for thought.

The Ivory Coast international often cut a lonely figure yet still managed to register 35 touches of the ball, with which he could complete just nine of 13 passes and attempt a single shot on Alex McCarthy’s goal which was off target, per SofaScore.

He was able to offer one key ball yet let the chance to shine slip through his fingers again, as Haller went on to lose seven of his 12 ground duels, three of five aerial contests, possession 13 times and committed three fouls.

Moyes will likely have to spend little time considering his attacking option for when West Ham visit Everton on Friday night should Antonio show no signs of struggle in training this week, believing his absence has left the Irons forced to muddle through in recent weeks.

“We have missed him, we have been muddling through a little bit without him, trying to find ways of getting goals from other sources if we can. The players have done a good job but obviously getting him back playing, we have to tread carefully with him, be patient with him,” Moyes said after the Southampton game, via quotes by football.london.

Antonio and Haller have each scored three times in the Premier League so far this season despite the London-born hitman featuring for 332 fewer minutes, while also winning just four fewer ground duels (34 to 38), playing four fewer key passes (6 to 10), taking eight fewer shots (14 to 22) and has registered a higher number of successful dribbles (14 to 9) than his strike partner, per SofaScore.

AND in other news, a £7m-rated West Ham dud betrayed David Moyes with a sloppy Saints horror show.

To suggest sacking a manager just six points off the automatic promotion spots would be slightly harsh.

However, when assessing Sunderland it merely seems common practise.

Phil Parkinson was unable to get the Black Cats promoted last season and indeed, it would appear that the former Bradford boss is struggling again.

Sunderland are eight points off top spot and any thought of gaining entry to the Championship automatically is already fading.

In simple terms, it sums up what Sunderland have become. This is a team who at the very least should be competing at the top of the Championship. If you look at their facilities and stadium you’d instantly assume they were a Premier League outfit.

The reality, though, is that they’re languishing in the third tier of English football.

So what has to change? Well the arrival of Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus could give the business side some fresh ideas and impetus.

However, it will be no easy task. It’s already been reported that Dreyfus is not aware of the financial complications at Sunderland and thus, he could be in for quick a shock once he gets his hands on the keys to the club.

Things could be worsened with a move for Nigel Pearson, someone linked with the north-east club this week. The former Watford boss was described as “incredible” by Pep Guardiola for the work he did last season in nearly keeping the Hornets up and has a reputation for getting teams promoted, both as a player and as manager.

He achieved it twice with Leicester, taking them from League One to the Premier League and that’s the kind of experience Stewart Donald will be lusting for.

That being said, it would surely be nothing short of a huge financial gamble to bring him to the Stadium of Light. The fact of the matter is that they’d presumably have to give Pearson a pretty hefty pay packet.

After taking the Foxes to the top-flight, it was claimed that Pearson wanted to take his £750k-a-year salary to £3m-per-annum. That would have been an absurd £57k-a-week. Clearly, he is used to taking jobs on for a comfortable salary.

Even if he replicated the £750,000 annually he received in the Midlands at Sunderland, it would mean that Donald or Dreyfus would have to pay him just over £14k-a-week.

For context, Sunderland defender Bailey Wright is currently on £13k-a-week so it seems manageable. However, it’s important to remember that Pearson’s latest job was in the Premier League, a role where he earned £1m in bonuses alone when he left Watford.

This seems like too much of a financial burden and if Sunderland brought him in before the takeover is done, Dreyfus would be walking into nothing short of a financial disaster.

One of the most important things Sunderland have thought about in the last 18 months is the sustainability of the football club from a financial point of view.

On the pitch, Pearson would more than likely deliver results but if the Mackems fail in terms of promotion again, it would not have been worth the risk on spending so much.

Donald has already taken a gamble on Will Grigg which didn’t work out. He needs to make sure he doesn’t take the same financial punt once again.

Meanwhile, some very BAD NEWS has emerged for Sartori and Dreyfus in their takeover attempt…

Leeds United have one of the best managers in the world at the helm, but sometimes we struggle to make sense of Marcelo Bielsa’s ideas and plans.

Indeed, El Loco has been labelled as the best coach in the world in the past, but we can’t help but feel that his latest tactical plan makes very little sense.

The Argentine gave us some insight into the inner workings of his mind when it comes to the pecking order in some key positions in his squad and he stated that Tyler Roberts is his second-choice striker this season behind Patrick Bamford.

“Just to make a reference, for example, we have Bamford and Roberts up front, Rodrigo and Pablo in attacking midfield. Poveda and Costa, Raphinha and Harrison [on the wings],” he said.

It’s great to see that the gaffer has his second-string options all planned out, but it’s hard to understand why he sees Tyler Roberts as his second-choice striker while Rodrigo is considered an attacking midfield option, surely these two should be swapped around?

Now, we’re not saying that Roberts isn’t a good player, he has been described by the boss as a man with “undoubted qualities” in recent weeks, but he doesn’t seem to be cut out to be a top-flight striker.

He played more often as an attacking midfielder last season, earning plaudits from fans in that role with many christening him as the new Samu Saiz, meanwhile, the sad reality is that he doesn’t score enough to be a viable option up front.

He has just seven goals in 59 games for Leeds, and that simply isn’t good enough for a man that you may be relying on to lead your line.

Rodrigo on the other hand, does have that striking instinct that Roberts lacks, he once hit 16 goals in a La Liga campaign and he’s regularly found the back of the net in both the Champions League and the Europa League.

Roberts and Rodrigo both seem to be viewed in the wrong way by the manager.

It’s only taken a few months for Tottenham talisman Harry Kane to make a complete mockery of Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson’s claims after a 1-1 draw against Manchester United last season.

“When Jose took the job I worried for Harry Kane. He played under Pochettino and Tottenham sort of had a go wherever they went. There were goals, there were crosses, there were shots. (But now) he’s going to be playing up front on his own and it is going to be hard work. In the end he’s trying to hit 60-yard passes just to be involved in the game. That’s not Harry Kane.

“I think he’ll have a serious think at the end of the season, I really do. I don’t see him getting 25-30 goals next season with the way Jose will want to play. And Jose won’t want to play like he did when he first got in there and it was 4-2 and 5-3, no way. He’ll like those games like Friday night, 1-1.”

Fast forward to the beginning of October, and the England international has been directly involved in 27 goals in just 26 games under Jose Mourinho, including a truly remarkable tally of seven goals and six assists in his seven matches this season.

But whilst Kane has been enjoying a truly astonishing run of form in front of goal, the most awe-inspiring thing has been the way he has created chances for others.

Heung-min Son enjoyed a field day against Southampton a few weeks ago thanks to Kane’s vision and timing of passes, and it was noticeable that he was dropping more and more deeper in that game to catch Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side off guard.

A look at his heatmaps last season and the 2017/2018 campaign saw a noticeable difference in where the 27-year-old was picking up the ball, with less emphasis on being inside the box and being a predatory striker.

With Gareth Bale working his way back from fitness, Mourinho should seriously consider starting the Welshman up top, and dropping Kane into a number ten role and leaning on him as more of a goal-scoring playmaker, than a play-making goal-scorer.

Described as someone with a bit of “magic” by teammate Ben Davies, this season could see Kane transform into one of the Premier League’s leading assist-producers, and really bring the best out of a returning Bale.

West Brom boss Slaven Bilic has an interesting selection dilemma facing him this weekend after a busy summer of transfer activity.

The Baggies are yet to win in the Premier League since their return this season and have conceded a whopping 11 goals from three matches, so it’s fair to suggest that change is needed somewhere on the pitch.

Perhaps, the Croatian will look to tinker his midfield, particularly as he’s brought in two (kind of) new additions in Conor Gallagher from Chelsea and the returning Filip Krovinovic.

Could one, both or neither start at St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday?

A case can be made for Krovinovic after he became an integral part of seeing Albion over the line post-Christmas. However, it’s the young English starlet he should look to unleash.

The 20-year-old enjoyed a barnstorming season in the Championship last term, playing for both Charlton and Swansea on loan, he provided six goals and eight assists.

Gallagher also averaged 1.8 tackles, 1.7 shots, 1.2 dribbles and 1.2 key passes per game as well as earning his side a free-kick 2.1 times per match too, via WhoScored.

He’s very much a box-to-box threat, so it’s no wonder he’s drawn comparisons to Frank Lampard – Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews said: “But for me, he’s a classic No 8; he has an unbelievable energy, he does the ugly side of the game, but you have to let him off the leash and let him get forward.”

Whilst former manager Lee Bowyer was gutted to lose him in January, claiming he was “impossible to replace” as it’s rare to find a “jewel like that.”

Bilic is yet to try him out in the big time and it would seem that a player of this calibre is too good to be merely sitting on the bench or on the fringes.

Krovinovic contributed to five goals, averaging 1.4 shots and 1.1 key passes but clearly, Gallagher was much better and deserves the opportunity here.

AND in other news, Bilic outcast is quickly becoming West Brom’s expensive forgotten man

Leeds United’s great start to life in the Premier League continued this afternoon as they edged past old Championship foes Sheffield United this afternoon.

And whilst they were making moves on the pitch, they appear to have been doing the business off it too.

According to the Press Association, the Yorkshire giants have launched a £15m bid to sign Norwich City playmaker Todd Cantwell, although no agreement has yet been reached.

The 22-year-old was absent from the Canaries’ matchday squad earlier this afternoon.

It’s also claimed that Norwich want add-ons involved in any deal.

During his first-ever season in the top-flight, Cantwell provided six goals and two assists whilst averaging 1.4 tackles, 1.3 dribbles, 1.1 shots and 0.9 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

He could well be a viable alternative to the host of midfield options the Whites have been linked with in recent weeks, namely Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul, Fiorentina’s Erick Pulgar and Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskiy.

Cantwell has drawn plenty of plaudits since his meteoric rise up the Canaries ranks. Danny Murphy once told Match of the Day that he’s a “terrific player,” adding: “I like his creativity. I like his bravery on the ball. Good awareness of where players are. With and without the ball he does his job.”

Whilst former youth coach Gary Cockaday believes the young sensation is a “God-given” talent whilst he’s been likened to Spurs’ Dele Alli for similar playing styles.

Without Pablo Hernandez, Marcelo Bielsa has been torn between Tyler Roberts and summer signing Rodrigo to play out of position in his absence, thus a player like Cantwell could help fill that void substantially.

He also fits the mould of being a player that can improve tenfold under the Argentine’s stewardship – ala Ben White, Robin Koch and many more.

AND in other news, Bielsa may have already found his new Ben White right under his nose…

The transfer saga of Wilfried Zaha and his potential move away from Crystal Palace has been one of the biggest stories in recent years. Of course, it was never going to break records or write history but the Ivory Coast forward has managed to turn a lot of heads when he was suddenly available on the market.

But he ended up staying at Palace and slowly but surely, the story died down a little bit. Now, however, a couple of seasons into the future, he might be set for a move once again. Darren Bent spoke exclusively to Football Insider and talked about how it is time for the 17-cap superstar to make a step up in his career. The destination? Everton.

Here’s what he said for Football Insider: “I know you might look at where they are in the league but I’d say it’s a step up in regards, they have a top manager, he’s going to attract top players. I like what they’re doing down there, they’re building something quite special, so it would be nice for Zaha to go there and transform them to where they feel they should be.

“I really like it, it suits him well and he’d do well going there. It’s about going to the best fit for him and if he goes to Everton he’d get a lot of game time and he’d go well.”

Of course, this would not be the first time Carlo Ancelotti’s side tried to snatch him up. Palace had rejected £70m plus James McCarthy and Cenk Tosun last summer and stated their star is worth £80m.

It is not known how much would the Eagles ask for now but it would definitely be a formidable amount either way.

Zaha has played a total of 362 games in all competitions for the club since his arrival and has managed to net 57 goals in that time as well. For that reason, he would not go for cheap.

Verdict

If Ancelotti is really to strengthen his team for the upcoming 2020/21 Premier League season, he will have to add quality firepower to the Toffees’ ranks. Zaha certainly falls under that category.

However, his availability is questionable. Palace would probably be open to selling but it still might cost an arm and a leg.