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The Hoops were unable to make amends for their Old Firm loss on Saturday as AC Milan handed them another defeat at Celtic Park. Neil Lennon opted for a weakened side to face off against the frighteningly in-form Italians, who cruised to their tenth win in a row.

It took 14 minutes for Milan to open up the scoring after Rade Krunic beat a struggling Varsilis Barkas for an early lead. After netting a second just before half-time, substitute Mohamed Elyounoussi’s strike looked to put Celtic back in the game, but another Milan goal sealed the result.

With Odsonne Edouard currently ruled out, it looked likely that Lennon would opt for the same strike force he deployed against Rangers. However, he instead dropped both Elyounoussi and Patryk Klimala to the bench and put faith in elusive striker Leigh Griffiths.

Leigh Griffiths stats vs AC Milan

It was certainly an odd decision to start a player who has featured just twice this season, but it’s arguably one of the biggest places Lennon went wrong last night.

Whilst the defence could have been tighter to stop the Milan forwards, the starting Celtic attack was extremely disappointing.

According to Sofascore, Griffiths made just eight successful passes and attempted no shots towards goal. The 30-year-old also struggled to create chances for his teammates, with no successful crosses, long balls or dribbles registered. Needless to say, he was hauled off at half-time and replaced by Ryan Christie, who had a much stronger game.

The midfielder came on and set Elyounoussi up for Celtic’s only goal of the game. He also made a total of three key passes in the second half and created an additional big chance for the Hoops to score.

Griffiths has recently returned from a calf injury, which saw him sidelined for 11 matches. He may still have some fitness to catch up on and will more than likely be left on the bench in Celtic’s next match against Aberdeen on Sunday.

In other news, Celtic will be wishing they had Fraser Forster to fend off AC Milan…

Brentford winger Said Benrahma could be set to join Chelsea this summer after a huge transfer hint was dropped by a close friend.

During a recent Instagram Live session, Moroccan footballer Fahd Moufi commented on Benrahma’s feed congratulating him on an apparent move to the London outfit (relayed via Sportsmole).

Chelsea are interested in signing the 24-year-old from the Championship side as they continue to bolster their squad ahead of next season (per Todofichajes, via TEAMtalk).

Moufi, who plays for Tondela in Portugal, wrote: ‘Congratulations on Chelsea my brother’ on Benrahma’s live feed, which hints that either a deal has been done or advanced talks are underway.

Frank Lampard has already welcomed attackers Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner to the club and could be adding another at Stamford Bridge.

The Algeria international has impressed for Brentford this season, scoring 14 goals and supplying nine assists for the Bees in the Championship (via Transfermarkt).

Chelsea look like they are going to be a very frightening team next campaign and aren’t messing around when it comes to challenging for silverware.

The addition of Benrahma could be an ideal signing to flesh out their attack. The left-winger plays in the same position as Christian Pulisic and would provide excellent cover for cup games or rotation in the Premier League.

Benrahma is also tallying similar numbers to Pulisic before he joined the Blues. The former Dortmund man racked up seven goals and six assists during his last season in Germany and caught the eye of the Chelsea board (via BBC Sport). Lampard is also impressed by the American’s form, so he will likely have the same attitude towards bringing Benrahma to Stamford Bridge.

A signing of the Algerian’s calibre who won’t cost the earth to secure (he is valued at just £9.45m by Transfermarkt) looks like an ideal move for the Blues, particularly as they seek to play in the Champions League next season and push to challenge for the Premier League title in 2020/21.

Should Chelsea sign Said Benrahma this summer? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Tottenham Hotspur have ‘no chance’ of signing Nicolo Zaniolo from AS Roma this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

Tottenham had been linked to Zaniolo long before Jose Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino last November, but the Portuguese wanted to succeed where his predecessor failed in the transfer window.

Writing in The Guardian, the Italian transfer guru revealed that Roma have rejected their interest in the wonderkid as they have no intentions of letting him leave the Stadio Olimpico. The Spurs manager made it clear that he wanted to sign Zaniolo in the summer but Mourinho has been dealt a bitter blow as the Serie A club’s manager Paulo Fonseca has insisted that he is not up for sale because the 21-year-old is part of his plans.

After arriving at Roma from Inter Milan for £4m in 2018, Zaniolo has been described as one of the best players of his generation, having broken into the first team and establishing himself as one of their key players in the process.

The five-cap Italy international has made 25 appearances in Serie A this season, scoring six goals, supplying one assist, taking 1.7 shots and successfully completing 2.2 dribbles per game on average (via WhoScored).

The attacking midfielder, who can also operate in a more withdrawn central midfield role, has been compared to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard and the Giallorossi claim that he is the heir-apparent to Francisco Totti. However, Roma are in no rush to sell him and have slapped an asking price of £50m on his head to ward off any potential suitors.

While he is surely a dream signing for Spurs, there is no way they would be able to afford him at the moment even if he were available in the transfer window.

After borrowing a huge £175m loan from the Bank of England to cover the costs of these uncertain times, Daniel Levy has insisted that he will not be spending “rivers of money” before the start of next season and Mourinho will have to look elsewhere if he wants to sign a new playmaker in the summer.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sign Zaniolo? Let us know in the comments below!

Everton star Richarlison has opened up about the Twitter spat he had with Flamengo fans back in September.

Speaking to Esporte Espetacular (via Sport Witness), the Brazilian had a lot to say about the Blues fans and how much he appreciates their support.

“The affection of the fans is wonderful. I love it,” Richarlison laughed. “I keep singing at home the music they made too… It’s more or less like this: ‘He’s Brazilian, he only cost 50 million we think he’s brilliant, Richarlisonnnn.'”

The 23-year-old also spoke about the online argument in which he found himself involved with Flamengo fans on Twitter last year. The debate followed a statement from manager Jorge Jesus claiming his side would finish inside the top six if they were to play in the Premier League. Richarlison disagreed with his take and got into a disagreement with supporters.

“I respect it [Jesus’ opinion], but I don’t think so. Talking about top six is kind of heavy. But other than that it’s just a joke on the internet, chit chat with fans. Zero problems.”

The forward went on to say “Of course I’ll defend my team” if somebody was talking about them. He then weighed Flamengo up against Everton and stated: “I think Everton win.”

Richarlison’s latest comments, coupled with his tally of 12 goals for the season so far, ought to further endear him to the Goodison Park faithful.

What do you make of Richy’s comments, Blues fans? Join the conversation in the comments below…

Charlie Miller has said he believes Glasgow Rangers’ Ryan Kent can offer so much more.

The ‘Gers signed the 23-year-old for £7.5m last year after the winger had spent the 2018/19 campaign on loan at Ibrox from Liverpool. The previous term was far from a disaster for Kent, with him scoring eight goals and providing three assists in 32 matches in all competitions, but Steven Gerrard will have been hoping for more when he parted with such a big fee to take him to the club permanently.

Former Bears player Miller has been talking to the Daily Record about the ‘Gers, and told them about his frustration with Kent. He said:

“Ryan Kent is another one. I really believe that he can do so much more.

“It’s not having a go at him, but’s just that I believe he has so much to offer and it was so frustrating the way it didn’t work out last season.”

This promises to be a huge season for the 54-time Scottish champions. They have already gone two years without silverware under Gerrard – if the Liverpudlian wants to hold on to his job, they cannot afford to go a third. With Celtic having racked up a 13-point lead before the 2019/20 season was abandoned, there is plenty of work to do, and Gerrard will be looking to his star players to step up to the plate. The £3.15m-valued Kent is amongst that group.

Just like Miller, many ‘Gers supporters will likely be expecting more from him this upcoming campaign.

‘Gers fans, do you agree with Miller’s views on Kent? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

West Brom are on the verge of achieving a glorious return to the Premier League, just as long as the current campaign isn’t voided, of course.

The Baggies are sat in second position in the Championship, one point behind league leaders Leeds United and some six points clear of the dreaded playoff positions.

As a result of such an impressive season, other clubs have already attempted to try and swoop like vultures for the Albion chief-in-command Slaven Bilic.

According to Turkish outlet Fotospor, Fenerbache were interested in making the Croatian their next manager with him reportedly top of club president Ali Koc’s wishlist.

And while nothing has come to fruition on that end, it is only fair to argue that should the Baggies earn promotion before the summer, his stock will undoubtedly rise as he’s clinched some form of success in the present day.

There have been other claims from the Express & Star that the west Midlands outfit would like to clinch loan star Filip Krovinovic at the end of his current spell after impressing at the Hawthorns.

Cameo Clubs: Which obscure teams did these football legends play for?

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The 24-year-old’s role in the starting XI has increased since the turn of the year following suspension to Matheus Pereira, and he has contributed with two goals and two assists as well as averaging 1.4 shots, 1.2 key passes and an 85.2% passing accuracy rate this season, via WhoScored.

Yes, a player of his class would thrive with more time and space on the ball in the top-flight, but that should by no means be their priority – it was Bilic who brought his fellow countryman to Albion along with their other enigmatic stars.

When announcing his appointment, sporting and technical director Luke Dowling described the 51-year-old as the “perfect fit” with a “wonderful aura about him”, and he hasn’t been wrong.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Bilic has been the one to orchestrate everything on the pitch, which in turn has given them a real chance at returning to the promised land, and therefore, he’s the most critical member of the Baggies setup.

Protect him at all costs.

AND in other news, West Brom fans gush over Romelu Lukaku admission…

No doubt one of the more sensationalist transfer stories involving Newcastle in recent weeks, but the Gareth Bale rumours appear to have been dead and buried already.

With the Magpies in the midst of a potential takeover, and some big-money signings possibly on the horizon, the Real Madrid star was one of the marquee names linked with a move to St James’ Park.

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But now, according to journalist and sports correspondent in Spain for AFP, Tom Allnutt, even if the takeover goes through and Newcastle do show some interest in luring Bale away from Los Blancos, the Welshman is “not interested” in the making the switch.

After hearing about the update on Bale, Newcastle fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the news.

A couple of Newcastle fans insisted that they didn’t want another “overpaid” star to turn up at St James’ Park.

Well that didn’t take long.

Just as the Bale to Newcastle rumours started emerging, the story has effectively been killed off. And even fans of the Tyneside club don’t seem too surprised or bothered.

Whilst new signings and big names could be on the cards, there is also an air of realism to the kinds of players the club would be able to attract. And Bale just doesn’t fall into that category.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

What a victory it was for England against Montenegro on Thursday.

On a day of celebration for the Three Lions – it was their 1000th game – Gareth Southgate’s side were in irresistible form. They beat the Balkan nation 7-0, with Harry Kane scoring a hat-trick in the process.

Also on the scoresheet was Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. It was the first time since June 2017 that he had bagged for his country, and it come on his first start in 19 months at international level. It is fair to say that he took advantage of the opportunity his boss gave him at Wembley.

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The goal will be the main talking point, of course, but there was plenty more to savour about this performance.

Impressively, he scored with his only shot of the match, but he contributed more from a creative point of view. Only Ben Chilwell – the Man of the Match – made more chances for his teammates than the former Arsenal man’s three. On top of that, he completed two of the three dribbles he attempted, whilst he landed an impressive 88% of his attempted passes.

Defensively, he made his mark as well, winning two tackles and completing two interceptions. Considering this was his first start in such a while at this level, it was an outstanding display from the 26-year-old.

Those watching on will have been happy to see the former Southampton man do so well, but it would have been interesting to get Jordan Henderson’s thoughts. The 29-year-old was suspended for this match, with Oxlade-Chamberlain effectively taking his place in centre-midfield.

His strike was his fifth goal of the season, whilst he also won Liverpool’s Player of the Month award for October. Henderson, meanwhile, continues to be criticised by part of the Anfield faithful and has picked up a Premier League WhoScored rating of just 6.85 this campaign.

The captaincy does work in his favour, but this run of form will surely have the midfielder – who was signed by the Reds for £20m in 2011 – scared of losing his place not just at club level, but internationally as well. Now back to full fitness, Oxlade-Chamberlain is beginning to hit his stride and should be worrying his club captain.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Tottenham have targeted the signing of Roma’s Nicolo Zaniolo, according to The Express.

What’s the latest?

Spurs have been tracking the attacking midfielder for some time now but a change in manager could have seen a change in approach in the transfer market, but Jose Mourinho too is reportedly interested in the playmaker.

With Christian Eriksen possibly on his way out in January, the Italy international would act as a like-for-like replacement and ensure the new boss still has creative players at his disposal.

However, he could face competition for his signature from his former club Manchester United, who are believed to be chasing a £50m deal for the 20-year-old.

Another point of difficulty for Spurs is that Zaniolo only signed a new five-year contract in the summer, and therefore it is possible that neither he nor Roma has any interest in him departing the club.

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Necessary step?

Tottenham have been reliant on the creativity of Christian Eriksen for several years now, and it is no surprise that his downturn in form has coincided with terrible results on the pitch.

The Denmark international looks a shadow of his former self and no longer seems happy in a Spurs shirt, which is reflected by his two goals and one assist this season.

It is probably best for both parties that he moves on, and another hungrier talent is brought in – Zaniolo fits the mould.

He is a different type of playmaker to Eriksen, more similar to Dele Alli in the way he finds space effectively in and around the penalty box, often making his way into goal-scoring positions – with seven goals to his name in 2019/20.

As a result, he would be a good addition to the squad and is a player Mourinho would need if Eriksen left. Although the Dane hasn’t reached his typical high standards, he still possesses a quality which could benefit the squad on occasion.

Daniel Levy bringing in a big-money signing would signal the ambition and trust he has in Mourinho, which would signal to him that the club wants to move in the right direction.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

West Bromwich Albion somehow still hold sole possession of the Championship lead after a week where they failed to pick up a single victory.

In midweek, Slaven Bilic’s men had to come from behind to salvage a point against the league’s basement boys, Barnsley, as they took a two-goal lead into half-time.

The Croatian was able to inspire a comeback in the second half in that match, but on Saturday, he was powerless to the actions of the man in the middle.

We mastered the trick in the video below in 8 attempts… could you do better?

Albion’s game with Charlton Athletic was mostly marred by controversy, which culminated in the visitors netting a late winner after being gifted a dubious penalty decision.

Earlier in the tie, the Baggies also saw starlet Nathan Ferguson sent off for an awful challenge on Chris Solly, but at first, the referee had attempted to give Grady Diangana his marching orders rather than the defender.

Ferguson had been hauled off at half-time against the Tykes, and now he will be serving a three-match man – there’s plenty still to be learned.

The 19-year-old had been linked to some major moves over the past week or so – whether that has had some impact in his downturn in form remains to be seen, but you’d imagine it may have got to the youngster’s head slightly.

Reports have suggested that the likes of Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur would all be interested in signing the rising star. However, they may want to hold back another six months or even a year, as he clearly is still very raw.

This is only his first season in the men’s game, so he’s hugely unexposed, and perhaps, this incident on Saturday proves that to an extent.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

There’s no doubt that Ferguson has been one of Bilic’s best players this season, he’s shown crucial versatile elements to his game at both right-back and left-back, and in future, there’s the possibility of centre-back too having played there for the U23s.

He’s won two Man of the Match awards in front of the TV cameras while no other player in the squad records more tackles per game (2.4) than he does.

The Croatian’s little project is undoubtedly on the right career trajectory at the Hawthorns, but there’s still some growing up to do until he can justify those elite-level links.