A number of Celtic fans hailed club captain Scott Brown on Sunday after the veteran midfielder reached a career milestone.

As noted by the club’s official Twitter channel @CelticFC, the 34-year-old made the 700th appearance of his club career in the 4-1 win at Hamilton, with the Hoops skipper marking the occasion afterwards on Twitter [via @ScottBrown8].

As per TransferMarkt, Brown has now played 557 times for the Scottish champions, with a tally of 44 goals and 60 assists during his Parkhead career, and he maintained his record of starting every Premiership game this season in Sunday’s victory at New Douglas Park.

The 34-year-old is among the top 10 in Celtic’s all-time appearances list (as per fitbastats.com) and has won 20 domestic trophies with the Hoops, including nine league titles. Read Celtic writer Amy Canavan hailed a “vintage performance” from the captain in the win over Hamilton, with David Walton of 67hailhail.com noting that he “made some vital interventions” in the second half.

These Celtic fans took to Twitter to congratulate the midfield stalwart as he racked up 700 club appearances, with one supporter likening him to a “Rolls Royce”:

What did you make of Brown’s performance against Hamilton? Where would you rank him in the list of Celtic all-time greats? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

Back in December, Sky Sports revealed that Sheffield United and Crystal Palace were circling around Ollie Watkins, with Brentford upping the forward’s price tag towards the £25m mark in response to the Premier League duo’s interest.

In Crystal Palace’s case, they have long been interested in the former Exeter attacker.

Back in the summer of 2018, The Evening Standard revealed that the Bees were asking for £15m amid interest from the south Londoners, before the Eagles were believed to have gone back in for the forward in the summer of 2019 – a bid worth £11m was reportedly rejected by Brentford.

Since then, the 24-year-old has quite simply been on fire this term.

Watkins has netted a stunning 20 goals in 31 Championship appearances, and his latest outing for Thomas Frank’s side saw him showcase his clinical nature once again.

The Brentford No.11 only had one shot against Middlesbrough, but it ended with a goal as the Englishman netted an 87th minute winner for his side in a 3-2 thriller at Griffin Park.

As well as his goal, Watkins drew two fouls from the opposition – in truth, that was the only other positive from his display as he failed to muster up a key pass while also having three unsuccessful touches and three offsides to his name.

However, it shows just how clinical he has become by managing to pop up with the match-winning goal, despite not being heavily involved throughout the 90 minutes.

The Crystal Palace target has, in all honesty, been hugely efficient throughout the campaign.

He averages 2.6 shots per game in the Championship, but has still managed to score 20 goals in 31 outings which is a pretty decent return rate in all honesty.

Someone’s got to own them: Who do these incredibly unwanted PL records belong to?

Seeing as Crystal Palace are the Premier League’s lowest scorers with only 23 goals in 26 outings, they could do with somebody as clinical as the Brentford sensation.

In other news, Cenk Tosun has revealed a grand gesture made in his direction on Instagram…

Tottenham Hotspur have officially confirmed that Heung-Min Son is to undergo surgery this week after sustaining a fracture to his right arm during Spurs’ big win against Aston Villa on Sunday.

The injury has the potential to end Son’s season, with the Daily Mail suggesting he will be sidelined for six to 12 weeks.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

The South Korea international has quickly received messages of support from players across the world and Juventus’ Douglas Costa is among them.

The Brazilian, who joined the Old Lady for £35.2m in 2018, was clearly disappointed to see a fellow dynamic winger suffer such a heavy blow at a crucial point in the campaign.

Costa just posted a short reply wishing Son a quick recovery in response to an update on the forward’s injury setback.

Son has already played a total of 32 games for Spurs in the ongoing 2019/20 campaign and has managed to net 16 goals and nine assists in the process as well.

Needless to say, this will be a huge loss for Jose Mourinho and co. for the remainder of their season, particularly with huge clashes against RB Leipzig and Chelsea looming this week.

Meanwhile, many Spurs fans were raving about one man’s display vs Aston Villa…

Wolves fans have taken to Twitter to heap praise on Diogo Jota for his display in the 3-0 win over Norwich.

The 2-cap Portugal international scored his fourth and fifth goals of the week in Sunday’s victory over the Canaries, having notched a hat-trick in Thursday’s 4-0 win against Espanyol in the Europa League.

The former Atletico Madrid forward scored both of his goals against Daniel Farke’s men in the first-half at Molineux, with the first of his brace particularly impressive.

While the second was nothing more than a tap-in, Jota turned exquisitely inside the box after being fed by Matt Doherty, before firing through Tim Krul’s legs to open the scoring – it was a seamless effort.

In total, the 23-year-old had four shots – scoring with his two on target – while also making two key passes.

Jota also completed two dribbles and won a freekick from Norwich – he was also involved defensively, with two successful tackles to his name.

Wolves’ win means that they are now just five points off the Champions League places.

Let’s see how the Wolves fans on Twitter reacted to Jota’s display…

To kick off the reaction, Wolves FanCast noted that Nuno’s 3-5-2 formation really suits Jota, and also added that the attacker has found his groove again.

Simmo then mentioned that the Wolves No.18 was at his tenacious best against Norwich, and was also unplayable like he was at the end of last season.

Sarah then said that Jota fully deserved his Man of the Match award as he was spectacular on Sunday.

Cal then went as far as saying that it was the Portugal international’s best performance of the season.

Lastly, these two fans mentioned how incredible Jota can be when he’s in the mood.

@MaestroMoutinho called the Wolves star one of the most electric players in the world – a huge statement – while also saying that he’s unstoppable when he gets into form.

Premier League Inflation: You won’t believe how much these famous transfers would cost today…

Billy then said that Jota is one of the scariest players in the Premier League when he gets going.

In other news, Raul Jimenez has uploaded a 13-word Instagram post following the win over Norwich…

Bukayo Saka starred for Arsenal once again on Monday as a youthful side breezed past Portsmouth into the quarter-final of the FA Cup.

The left-back came close to scoring in the second-half when his shot was tipped over by Pompey goalkeeper Alex Bass, while he also managed two dribbles.

His performance earned him praise from Tony Pulis, who highlighted his pace and temperament as two key attributes which could help him become a “top player”.

There are many Arsenal supporters who agree with the former Middlesbrough manager’s view, and have taken this opportunity to praise the 18-year-old.

The Gunners have a few exciting young players at the club currently, and Mikel Arteta seems willing to give them a chance to prove themselves on the pitch, with Saka and Gabriel Martinelli thriving in particular.

The pair have made 12 and 14 goal contributions respectively, and with years ahead of them they could become a regular feature in the Arsenal side for a while.

Watch Arsenal Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

One former youngster who didn’t manage that was Serge Gnabry, who is now tearing things up at Bayern Munich with 18 goals and 10 assists this term, and some fans have brought up the winger due to his failed experience under Tony Pulis at West Brom.

Some fans have also been commenting on Saka fulfilling the left-back role, even though his is naturally a winger. Contrasting opinions have been voiced about the 18-year-old, but he is certainly showing a lot of promise currently.

Can you name all of these obscure Arsenal signings? Give it a go now!

Meanwhile, Martin Keown has been speaking exclusively to Football FanCast and shared his view on a host of different topics.

He may be an unknown name to many Premier League fans, but Crystal Palace target Filip Kostic is one of the most exciting players in Germany right now.

This season, he has 12 goals and 12 assists already in all competitions, which comes after he managed 10 and 13 respectively last season as well.

Whilst Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller and Ante Rebic were all allowed to depart Eintracht Frankfurt for pastures new last summer, the Serbia international was kept at the German outfit despite being the subject of a €40m (£33.6m) offer from Internazionale, Bild (via bulinews.com).

Watch Crystal Palace Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Of course, his form has not gone unnoticed by clubs across Europe, and according to one report Premier League side Crystal Palace are said to be interested in him, per The Sun (print edition, February 23rd, page 63).

But what have those in the know had to say about Kostic?

Adi Hutter, Eintracht Frankfurt manager

The Eagles will have felt it would be difficult to replace Niko Kovac after he was poached by Bayern Munich, but Hutter has done a good job in doing so.

He guided them to the semi-finals of the Europa League last season, as well as a seventh place finish in the Bundesliga.

Following Kostic’s brace against RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal earlier this month, he said per FR:

“He plays football like no other: with incredible dynamism, with incredible assertiveness.”

Frankfurt have almost become synonymous with Kostic’s busting runs down the left flank, and Hutter’s reliance on the former Hamburg man is clear for all to see – he has missed just 207 minutes in all competitions this campaign.

Kevin Trapp, Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper

The 29-year-old is one of the best shot-stoppers in the Bundesliga – only Yann Sommer (76%) has a better save percentage ratio than Trapp’s 70.4% in the league this term amongst the number one goalkeepers – and he has Champions League experience with PSG as well. He said of Kostic, per FR:

“He doesn’t shy away. He is a mentality monster.”

He has proven time and time again that he is a man for the big occasion – he managed those two goals against Leipzig, as previously mentioned, whilst he has also scored against Die Rotenbullen and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Evan N’Dicka, Eintracht Frankfurt defender

Following the winter pause, N’Dicka has been moved to left-back to cover for Kostic, who has been given the licence to bomb forward. His role is now to cover for the attacker, but that does not seem to be a problem for the Frenchman. Speaking about his left-sided partner he said, per Hessenschau:

“He is a buffalo. You get the feeling that he can do everything alone.”

With Kostic being such a vital part of Frankfurt’s attacking play, he desperately needs someone to be able to take over the majority of his defensive duties, and it has worked wonders so far – Kostic already has six goals and two assists since January 18th. As long as the two can continue to work in tandem, everything is possible for the Eagles this season.

Click here for more Expert Roundup content from across the footballing world.

Leeds United. Unbeaten in five. Five wins from five. Five clean sheets. One point title lead. Seven point cushion.

It’s fair to suggest that things are going swimmingly well over at Elland Road as we enter the final nine games of the Championship season.

Marcelo Bielsa has stuck to his guns all year and it’s finally reaping the rewards after a tough festive period had shouts of burnout 2.0.

One downside of that is the fact that his fringe players rarely see the light of day and as such neither January addition has managed to start a game for the Whites yet.

However, that hasn’t stopped Ian Poveda from trying to buck the trend as he scored a fine goal on Monday night for the U23 squad, leading to calls from fans wanting him involved in the first-team setup.

Our writers have given their verdicts on the 20-year-old potentially earning a promotion to the senior fold below, read on…

Billy Meyers

“While promotion is far from a certainty given Leeds’ tendency to mess things up – see last season, for example – now is as good a time as any for Bielsa to hand Poveda some game time at Elland Road. The Yorkshire-based outfit sit top of the Championship and are seven points clear of third-place Fulham, so the former Marseille boss can afford to be slightly experimental. 

“Of course, the Argentine is a stubborn operator, but even he must see the benefits of giving the January signing some action. He has impressed in the U23 ranks, netting a goal on Monday, and Bielsa would be taking a huge risk in more than one aspect if he doesn’t hand the former Barcelona academy man some game time in the final nine games. 

“If the Leeds boss doesn’t play Poveda, he risks going into the Premier League with a 20-year-old who hasn’t had any chance to learn his trade in the senior game, and the pressure will only mount on Bielsa to play the forward in England’s top-flight – where, we presume, he will be less interested in taking risks given what’s at stake.”

Kealan Hughes

“The old cliche says to never change a winning team, and considering Leeds have won five on the bounce without conceding suggests that Marcelo Bielsa has got everything right, so there is no need for Ian Poveda to come into the team.

“He seems to be a like-for-like replacement for Jack Clarke. Both are young wingers with a lot of pace and raw talent, and Bielsa clearly feels he can’t trust that type of player yet since Clarke made just three appearances before his loan ended.

“However, in playing for the under 23s Poveda has already proved that he can provide that spark, and he could be a secret weapon to come on in games where the Whites are searching for a winner, and I’d be surprised if he does have an impact before the season ends.”

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Charles Jones

“I think that Marcelo Bielsa would be foolish to change anything at this point in the season. Leeds have won each of their last five games keeping a clean sheet in every single one of them, and you should never change a winning formula, especially when the finish line in terms of promotion is in sight.

“Poveda is just 20 years old, and he’s signed until 2024, so there’s no real need to rush him into the team for the sake of it.

“The winger will have to be patient, and I don’t think he’ll mind if it means a shot at Premier League football next season.”

Lewis Blain

“It’s the biggest problem at Leeds, aside from Patrick Bamford’s wastefulness in front of goal – just when does Marcelo Bielsa buck the trend and change things up from the ‘norm.’

“This is something that could certainly change if Ian Poveda continues to set alight the U23 squad having bagged on Monday night which quite frankly epitomised ‘Bielsaball’.

“If Leeds find themselves in an injury crisis with only nine games to spare, then the likes of the young 20-year-old will need to be called upon, so it may be wise to stick him on the bench and give him a few cameo opportunities. It’ll only benefit the greater cause and in addition, hand them a glimpse into his qualities ahead of the new season.

“While it would be a big risk, it’ll be one that’s worth taking.”

Call yourself a Leeds expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

And in other news, Victor Orta may soon be the most important man at Leeds…

Divock Origi has successfully made a name for himself in the camps of Liverpool’s opposition. Particularly Everton and Barcelona who will probably always remember the fury and heartache they suffered at the hands of the Belgian.

However, at his own club, he’s become somewhat of a yo-yo player. A section of Liverpool fans have slammed the 24-year-old for his recent poor performance against Chelsea where he lost possession 11 times and made just 12 passes (via Sofascore).

The frustration is completely justified following the £18m-rated man’s (Transfermarkt) lacklustre displays at New Meadow and Stamford Bridge, but those calling for his dismissal need to remember the season-defining performances he put in last campaign. Liverpool would not have been able to lift the Champions League trophy without Origi and his Anfield heroics against Barcelona.

He also had a direct hand in the thrilling 5-5 draw against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup after his acrobatic strike forced the game to penalties.

So where has it all gone wrong for Origi? Despite his fruitful 2018/19 season, there was no replacing Roberto Firmino as the focal point of the Liverpool attack. Because of this, the Belgian has seen very little action that hasn’t been from off the bench this season.

In the Premier League, he has started five games and has contributed to five goals. Only one of those matches saw Origi start in his natural position up front, the rest were on the left-wing.

Across the other 23 gameweeks, Origi has played a total of 62 minutes coming off the bench (via Transfermarkt). His dip in form and arguably woeful performance against Chelsea could be down to his irregular game time and constant switching of positions.

With the increasing media surrounding the potential Timo Werner move to Anfield, it seems fans are head-over-heels with the idea of the young German play-maker joining the ranks. The desire to get rid of Origi based off Werner’s wish (via HITC) to join Liverpool is very premature and fans shouldn’t hold out hope for a dream transfer until the papers are signed.

Although, that is the way of football. Clubs must offload whoever slows them down to ensure the team will succeed. If Liverpool clinch Werner in the summer, the likelihood is that Origi will be sold – such is the ruthless nature of the game.

However, Divock Origi survived the offloading of strikers including Dominic Solanke and Danny Ings, as well as Rhian Brewster who is out on loan. Klopp sees something in the Belgian that he feels this Liverpool side needs.

There’s no telling what news is hearsay and what has some legs to it nowadays. But if the forward is to be shipped off in the next transfer window, he certainly deserves better support from more sections of the fanbase until that day comes.

What do you think, Reds? Is Divock Origi a cult hero? Or has his time come to an end at Liverpool?

Aston Villa are keen on signing Wolves defender Dion Sanderson on loan in the summer, per Football Insider.

What’s the word?

Sanderson is currently on loan at Cardiff City, having made just one senior appearance for the Molineux club. Ironically, that came in the EFL Cup defeat to Villa earlier this season.

At the age of 20, he has played three times for the Championship club, against Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and Barnsley.

Villa are said to be keen to bring him in this summer, while the Welsh club are also reportedly hoping to snap him up on a permanent deal.

Did he really play for us?! No Villa fan has managed to name all of these obscure Villans….

Pointless

As moves go, this is a remarkably odd one from Villa.

Sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch would be bringing in a player to develop for their local rivals, essentially doing Wolves a favour in the long-term.

Add into that the fact that Villa signed four centre-backs last summer, in Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Kortney Hause, and Bjorn Engels, who are all unlikely to be muscled out of the side by a player with one senior appearance for a Premier League club.

It feels like an unnecessary piece of business, and a deal that Wolves would welcome with open arms.

For that reason alone, Villa should swerve this.

Meanwhile, Villa are set to make a decision on this man this summer!

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has been doing his bit for the local community of Enfield, and supporters in north London have been absolutely lapping it up.

The Spurs chief was spotted preparing food parcels and other items for delivery to self-isolating elders and those that are vulnerable in the local area.

With football under lockdown until the end of April at the very earliest, those involved in the sport have been doing all they can to keep things ticking over, and as Mourinho isn’t expected to be running about anytime soon, clearly he felt the need to do something to help those in need instead.

Here’s how fans have been reacting…

Plenty of fans were full of praise for their manager, labelling his gesture as “absolute class” as well bringing back the “Special One” nickname.

Mourinho is certainly a divisive figure at the club, but whoever was going to replace the overachieving Mauricio Pochettino was always going to find it a hard task to win over supporters, though something as kind as this is certainly one way to go about it.

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Spurs discussion going on in the Vital Tottenham Forum! Click here to get involved!

Sometimes he rubs them up the wrong way, as seen with his comments on their striker situation whilst on other occasions he earns their support as seen here. Very marmite.

Further members of the Spurs faithful took it to the next level with a few light-hearted jokes, such as comparing his pose in one photograph to that of Cristiano Ronaldo before he takes one of his famous free-kicks whilst another fan claimed that if it were Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, then Sky Sports would be making a documentary about it.

Premier League experts will get full marks: The ultimate quiz on top flight transfer flops…

AND in other news, Gary Neville issues damning verdict on Spurs…