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Ange Postecoglou has provided a fresh injury update on Celtic centre-forward Giorgos Giakoumakis… 

What’s the latest?

The Celtic manager has hinted at Giakoumakis making his return to fitness for the club after the international break.

The Australian head coach singled out the Greek summer signing from VVV-Venlo as a player who could benefit from the break as he needs ten days to get himself fit.

He told The BBC, via Vital Football:

“I think from our perspective, the last international window wasn’t kind to us.

“We lost a couple of key players through injury so from our perspective we’re just keeping our fingers crossed that we get through this international window unscathed.

“There’s still guys like Giorgos who needs some work to get them over the next sort of ten days so when everyone’s fit, we haven’t been close to having everyone ready to go, so hopefully that happens.”

Excitement

Celtic fans will surely be left feeling excited by these comments from Postecoglou. They appear to suggest that he could be in contention to make his Premiership debut for the club shortly after the international break, with the Hoops traveling away to play Motherwell on the 16th.

Since joining from Venlo in the summer, the Greek striker has only made one appearance for Celtic. He played 16 minutes off the bench in the 4-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, before missing the win over Aberdeen through injury on Sunday.

Upon his arrival at the club, Giakoumakis admitted that he has admired the club from afar and is confident that he has made the right decision to sign for the Scottish giants. He said:

“Celtic is one of the world’s great football clubs with the best fans around. It is a club I have admired for so long and it will now be an honour to wear this famous jersey.  To know that the manager wanted me so much to join Celtic is really humbling and it makes me know I have made the right choice.”

This shows how motivated he is to succeed at the club and fans should enjoy seeing his passion on the pitch. Along with that, his goalscoring record for Venlo suggests that he could be an exciting player for the supporter to watch in action.

Last season, he scored 26 goals in 30 Eredivisie games as he averaged a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.35 for the Dutch side. He has shown that he can score goals on a regular basis at a respectable standard of football, which is why fans must be excited at the prospect of the Greek forward lining up against Motherwell in two weeks.

AND in other news, “We are looking”: Ange drops Celtic transfer claim which is sure to have fans buzzing…

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has backed Rodrigo to have a good season if Marcelo Bielsa’s side can maintain their standard from the previous campaign.

The Whites impressed last term following their promotion from the Championship, finishing in ninth, but individually, Rodrigo had his struggles.

The 30-year-old was far from proficient in front of goal in the early stages of his Leeds career, not coming to life until the end of the season.

However, having had time to adapt and now free from injury, The Athletic’s Phil Hay believes Rodrigo could end up being a star for the Yorkshire club by the end of this campaign. And Palmer shares a similar sentiment, suggesting that the Spaniard will deliver if the team plays well as a whole.

“People don’t realise how tough the Premier League is until you actually come and play in it and experience it week in, week out,” the ex-Leeds player told FFC when discussing Hay’s Rodrigo prediction. “It’s a tough league.

“A player like Rodrigo will depend on how Leeds United do. I think it’s going to be a difficult season for Leeds United in terms of the standard they set last season, people knowing the way they play, getting used to the way that Leeds United play. They’ve got to dig in.

“Players like Rodrigo, if Leeds are having a good season, I’m sure he’ll have a good season.”

The Whites have had a slow start to the campaign, taking two points from their first three games. From their point of view, hopefully Rodrigo can start firing soon to give that attack a boost and Patrick Bamford some respite.

With Marco Silva’s Fulham side heading into Saturday’s Championship clash having suffered three defeats in their last four fixtures in all competitions, the Cottagers would have undoubtedly been hoping to get back to winning ways against Bristol City.

However, despite dominating possession of the ball over the course of the 90 minutes, as well as taking 22 shots and creating five big chances, Silva’s side would ultimately have to settle for a share of the spoils with the Robins, as Kasey Palmer’s 79th-minute strike cancelled out Aleksandar Mitrovic’s second-half opener – with the game ending 1-1.

Not capitalising on chances created has been something of a recurring theme for Fulham in recent weeks, with the west London side having taken 62 shots over their last three fixtures against Bristol City, Leeds United and Reading, scoring just two goals in the process.

And, against the Robins in particular, there was one player in Fulham’s attacking lineup who disappointed more than most – Josh Onomah.

Lost 75% duels

Having been given the nod to start the fixture in the role of attacking midfield by his manager, Onomah did very little to convince Silva, or indeed fans of the club, that he is deserving of retaining his starting spot in the position going forwards.

Indeed, over his 45 minutes on the pitch, the £5.4m-rated man managed just one shot, completed a mere 10 of his 14 attempted passes, failed with his one attempted long ball and ceded possession for his side on 11 separate occasions.

The player Mousa Dembele once dubbed a “quality” talent also won just one of his four duels – a failure rate of 75% – conceded one foul and touched the ball a grand total of 30 times – 13 times fewer than Paulo Gazzaniga between the Fulham sticks.

These returns saw the £30k-per-week midfielder receive a SofaScore match rating of 6.7, with no Fulham player receiving a lower score than the 24-year-old, something which goes a long way to explaining why Silva hooked the midfielder at halftime.

As such, should 19-year-old Fabio Carvalho return to fitness in the coming days, it would not seem as if Onomah has done anything to convince his manager that he is worthy of retaining his spot in the starting XI for the visit of Swansea City on Wednesday – as the former England U21 international badly failed the 44-year-old against Bristol City.

In other news: Silva drops injury update on “outstanding” £27k-p/w ace, Fulham fans will be buzzing

Crystal Palace journalist Matt Woosnam insists that Christian Benteke was not given the correct amount of service last season.

The Eagles endured a difficult season under manager Roy Hodgson, finishing in the mid-table mediocrity of 14th.

Benteke struggled for goals throughout the first few months of the campaign, scoring just six goals in the first 26 games of the campaign.

The Belgium international then enjoyed a flurry of goals, as he netted four times in his final four appearances of the season, and he has now signed a new two-year contract.

Woosnam thinks that the former Liverpool striker struggled at points because Palace simply decided against putting enough crosses into the box, for the big man in the area.

Of course, Benteke has been prolific previously, scoring 15 goals in 36 games in 2016/17 but since then he scored just six times in three seasons, prior to 2020/21.

And Woosnam said: “I think that was a really interesting one because you look at the reasons behind why he wasn’t scoring and it would be too easy to just point it at the tactics. It wasn’t just that but that definitely played a significant part in it.

“When I analysed the crosses that Palace put in, they crossed the fewest times, I think, of any Premier League club under Roy Hodgson and you look at the goals that he scored in his debut season for Palace and a lot of them were from crosses.

“They weren’t necessarily headers but they were from crosses. Everyone knows how good he is in the air, as well.”

Benteke will be hoping to hit the back of the net this weekend, when Palace take on Chelsea.

This Wolves team are yet to record a single point in the Premier League under Bruno Lage but importantly, they are playing well.

The football from an offensive point of view has been pleasing on the eye as the Old Gold look to forget about Nuno Santo and move on to a new era.

What’s the word?

Wolves haven’t been able to spend too much money in the ongoing window but there is hope that the cheque book is opened in the remaining days of the market.

They are targeting another central defender in the form of Sven Botman at Lille and Duje Caleta-Car at Marseille.

Yet, there is still hope that they’ll sign one or two forwards. Kieffer Moore of Cardiff City has been mooted with a switch but we think Lage should look at acquiring Lucas Ocampos.

The £36m-rated winger was linked with Wolves several months ago but there is now renewed interest in the Argentine from the Premier League.

According to reports in Spain (via Daily Star), Liverpool are now plotting a move for Ocampos.

Must sign

If Lage can finalise a deal for a central defender and then bring Ocampos to the club on top of that, it would end the summer with a bang and conclude their business perfectly.

Capable of playing on either side of an offensive line, the Argentina international has proven to be one of the most dangerous characters in La Liga over the last few years.

For Sevilla last season, the 27-year-old scored eight goals – more than anybody at Wolves – and also picked up four assists for his troubles.

Furthermore, he was dazzling in possession of the ball. Previously described as “electric” during his time in Argentina by Fede Prami, a journalist and River Plate fan, he completed two successful dribbles per match.

That would have ranked him third in the Wolves squad, only behind Adama Traore and Pedro Neto.

Vitally, Ocampos is also well-disciplined, especially defensively. He is in the 97th percentile among players in the same position across Europe’s top five leagues in the past year for aerial duels won.

The attacker is also in the 95th percentile for successful pressures which proves he has the energy and work rate to suit Lage’s system.

Although he’s worth a fairly sizable sum of money, Wolves need to lure him to Molineux, especially with the idea of Adama Traore leaving still lingering in the atmosphere.

AND in other news, Sky Sports reporter drops exciting Wolves transfer update, fans should be buzzing…

Serie A expert Conor Clancy doubts Euro 2020 star Mikkel Damsgaard has the ability to replace either Mo Salah or Sadio Mane at Liverpool.

Damsgaard impressed during the tournament, reaching the semi-finals with Denmark and scoring twice along the way, including a world-class free-kick against England in the last four match at Wembley.

He has now returned to Sampdoria in Serie A and there are various reports suggesting that he could move on in this transfer window for a significant fee.

Liverpool have been linked with a potential move, that would cost in excess of £30m, but Clancy has his doubts as to the viability of the 21-year-old being a hit at Anfield.

Damsgaard remains a young player and he has had just one season in the top-flight, moving to Sampdoria from FC Nordsjaelland at the beginning of the most recent campaign.

He went on to make 35 appearances, scoring twice and registering four assists, and Clancy, the editor in chief of Forza Italian Football, does not think that he would be able to match the output of superstars Salah and Mane.

He said: “I’m not sure. I’ll never see Damsgaard scoring the number of goals that Mane scores or Salah scores.

“And I’m not sure if he’s as bustling as Mane would be off the ball but he’s more of a playmaker rather than one of the players in that front three.”

Serie A expert Conor Clancy insists that Jeremie Boga would be limited by Rafael Benitez if he decided to move to Everton.

The Toffees have been linked with a potential swoop for the winger this summer, as have Crystal Palace.

Boga has emerged as something of a star during his time with Sassuolo in Serie A, and reports suggest that Atalanta have already tabled a bid worth £15.5m for his signature, though it was rejected.

The 24-year-old, who is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, has made a total of 90 appearances for the club and has scored 18 goals, while also laying on seven assists.

A pacey, tricky winger who can play on the left, in attacking midfield and up front, Boga needs to be able to have the opportunity to play with complete freedom, according to Clancy, who is the editor-in-chief at Forza Italian Football.

Boga, of course, has experience of playing in England, as he came through the ranks at Chelsea, though he made just one senior appearance for the Blues.

Like a number of Chelsea youngsters, he went on a spate of loan spells, playing for French club Rennes, Granada in Spain and fellow English club Birmingham City.

Clancy said: “Maybe Everton might make a little bit more sense but still, under Benitez, he’s going to be a lot more restricted than he would like to be.

“With Sassuolo, he’s basically just told, ‘there’s the ball, go and play’. I think he’s got to go somewhere where that can also happen and I don’t see that from Everton in the Premier League.”

West Bromwich Albion are lining up a swoop for Sheffield United striker David McGoldrick, as reported by Football Insider.

In 2020/21, the Republic of Ireland international enjoyed a quite productive season for the struggling Blades, registering 11 goal contributions in 40 appearances; nine goals and two assists [Transfermarkt].

Now moving into the new campaign, the 33-year-old may well swap Yorkshire for the Midlands following recent reports.

West Brom are believed to be in the market for an experienced forward with a track record in the Sky Bet Championship, with McGoldrick fitting the bill [Football Insider].

The Baggies are said to have made an approach for his services, with Sheffield United ready to listen to offers for the 6ft 1in ace.

In light of this news, no wonder loads of West Bromwich Albion diehards took to Twitter to vent their dismay at recent events.

West Bromwich Albion fans react:

Replying to popular West Bromwich Albion fan outlet WBA Report, here is what some Baggies supporters had to say about the links:

“Absolute travesty of a signing , another centre forward that doesn’t score goals. Excellent. Peak Albion.”

Credit: @LeeWestwood11″No better than HRK. I’m guessing we’re going for the cheap options again…..”Credit: @DJAndyMole”Oh god please no”Credit: @Brett_J89″Please no”Credit: @stelongy87″Oh dear”Credit: @bakeyboy0″We would honestly be better off re-signing HRK”Credit: @GeeCeeWBAIn other news, a West Brom star has been linked with a move to a Premier League giant.

Leeds United have made their first move to sign Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are one of the clubs monitoring the Blues ace ahead of a potential move, and that they had been tracking his progress closely during his loan spell at West Brom last season.

The Athletic have now claimed that the Whites have made an approach to sign the 21-year-old, with fellow Premier League outfit Crystal Palace also said to be vying for his signature.

The report adds that a new central midfielder is the club’s big priority at the moment, and that Chelsea would be willing to sanction another loan move away for Gallagher.

Perfect for Bielsa

If Bielsa can get a loan deal over the line for Gallagher, then they would be getting someone who is still very young at 21, but already has extensive experience playing in the Championship and Premier League.

Despite not making his mark on the first team at Chelsea, Gallagher has received plenty of plaudits during his loan spells, with former Charlton boss Lee Bowyer even calling the £13.5m-rated midfielder a “jewel” who was “impossible to replace.”

During the youngster’s time at Swansea, Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews lauded the “unbelievable” energy Gallagher possesses, even comparing him to Chelsea icon Frank Lampard.

The former Blackburn midfielder said: “The one thing he has got is a fantastic engine, much like Lee Bowyer or Frank Lampard – it’s amazing, the resemblances between those two in their younger years particularly. 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.”

On Twitter, The Athletic’s West Brom correspondent Steve Madeley threw his backing behind a potential move to Leeds, saying that Gallagher’s “energy and commitment are perfect for Bielsa.”

That emphasis on the  21-year-old’s dynamism and work-rate is something which will be music to the ears of Bielsa, and a season-long loan move surely has nothing to lose for Leeds next season.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign their new Pablo Hernandez in this star…

The Express and Star journalist Matt Maher has dropped some exciting news involving Aston Villa.

What’s the story?

While new signings will, of course, dominate the news cycle during the summer transfer window, Dean Smith’s side have moved quickly to ensure that the future of their academy players also remains bright, confirming that several youngsters have put pen to paper on new deals.

And after relaying the news, Maher has also now dropped an update on one of those players, in particular; Kaine Kesler.

Writing via his official Twitter account, he said: “#avfc have handed 18-year-old Kaine Kesler, who captained their youngsters to glory in last season’s FA Youth Cup final, a five-year professional contract. New deals too for Mungo Bridge, Akos Onodi, Viljami Sinisalo, Myles Sohna, DJ Sturridge and Tyreik Wright.

“Will need to look back in the books for confirmation but pretty sure Kesler’s five-year pro deal is the longest #avfc have ever given an 18-year-old. Jack Grealish, for context, signed a four-year contract after just turning 19 in 2014.”

Villa fans will be buzzing

The fact that Kesler has signed the longest pro deal of any teenager in the club’s history – even surpassing that of Villa talisman Jack Grealish – is a real indication of the kind of high regard that the 18-year-old is held in.

The right-back, who can also play further forward too, was instrumental as Maher says in captaining Villa’s youth side to FA Youth Cup success, wearing the armband in a 2-1 triumph over Liverpool in the final.

He was also, of course, involved in the ‘senior’ side’s FA Cup third-round clash against Jurgen Klopp’s men, when Villa’s youngsters had to step in to replace the usual first-team stars .

Here on FFC, there have been numerous calls for Smith to unleash Kesler in the Premier League already, and the success he enjoyed with the youth sides last season should surely see him into the manager’s plans ahead of the new campaign, especially with Ahmed Elmohamady having departed this summer.

Plenty of Villa fans have already made it clear just how much they rate him when they urged Smith to start him against Manchester City towards the end of last season.

News that Kesler has signed a five-year contract, and thus ensuring his long-term future is at Villa will surely have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have been handed an encouraging transfer update…