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Following the arrivals of Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Jota, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda this season, Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side is one that quite clearly boasts a tremendous amount of attacking talent.

Indeed, so far this season, Kyogo has scored 16 goals and registered five assists over his 26 appearances for the Bhoys, Abada has bagged 14 goals and provided 11 assists over his 38 outings for the Hoops and Jota has netted eight goals and registered seven assists over his 24 appearances for the club.

However, despite this clear strength in depth in his attacking lineup, Postecoglou has often found himself short of options up top due to a high volume of injuries – something which ultimately led to the 56-year-old handing 18-year-old Joey Dawson his Celtic debut in a 3-1 win over St Johnstone back in December.

Although, while it may have been luck that saw the centre-forward handed first-team minutes so soon into his professional career, it would hardly be surprising if Dawson becomes a regular in the 56-year-old manager’s first-team squad in the not too distant future, as the teenager appears to be one of the most exciting prospects at Parkhead.

The next John Hartson

Having joined Celtic on a three-year deal from Scunthorpe United last summer, the 18-year-old has quickly settled into life in Glasgow, linking up with Tommy McIntyre’s B team side – for whom Dawson has already bagged nine league goals this season.

As such, it is clear to see why Celtic describe Dawson as a “highly-rated” talent, while Paul Hurst, the youngster’s former manager at Scunthorpe, also appeared extremely excited at the potential of the 18-year-old, saying: “I think he’s a player with a lot of potential. [He] showed good ability during pre-season in various games at different levels.”

And, considering the striker’s uncle, Michael Dawson, went on to play 286 Premier League games in his professional career, while his father, Andy Dawson, played over 300 games for teams such as Hull City and Scunthorpe in his own career, the youngster’s footballing ability quite clearly runs in the family.

Furthermore, should the physically imposing teenager who Michael Dawson described as a “big centre-forward” go on secure a place in Postecoglou’s first team in the coming years, he could very well be a talent who goes on to replicate the goalscoring record of another big Bhoys striker, John Hartson – who bagged 50 times and registered 15 assists over his 105 appearances for Celtic.

Either way, it is clear that the Hoops have an extremely exciting talent on their hands in the shape of Dawson, with it appearing a very wise move for Postecoglou to place his trust in the 18-year-old on a more regular basis – as he could be rewarded with the emergence of a new club legend.

In other news: Ange drops huge transfer hint on “horrendous” £20k-p/w dud, Celtic fans will be fuming

Leeds United have been handed a huge injury boost in training this week…

What’s the latest?

Marcelo Bielsa’s outfit welcome old arch-rivals Manchester United to Elland Road on Sunday afternoon and the Argentine head coach has been gifted a timely boost to his squad.

“Junior Firpo back in training with the rest of the #LUFC squad ahead of this weekend, by the looks of things,” revealed LeedsLive reporter Joe Donnohue on social media.

Huge boost

This news will surely delight the 66-year-old boss, who has been dealing with an injury crisis at Thorp Arch for the majority of the 2021/22 campaign, so to have at least one name back from an ever-increasing list is certainly encouraging.

Even more so as it’s his first-choice and only senior left-back.

The 25-year-old was signed in the summer with the likes of Gjanni Alioski and Barry Douglas departing out the exit door.

It couldn’t come at a better time either with doubts over the man who has been deputising in his absence now on the treatment table himself, Stuart Dallas.

Firpo’s start to life in England hasn’t been easy but recently, prior to his injury, the former Barcelona ace had begun to look a whole lot better.

He thwarted Chelsea’s Reece James despite the Blues narrowly coming out on top that day before putting in his best performance of the season against Burnley, one which had plenty of fans hugely encouraged by his display as the Whites won 3-1.

The £10.8m-rated dynamo is certainly going to be a welcome boost to Bielsa as he faces one of the toughest tests of the season in the Red Devils, who themselves are fighting to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Leeds are merely a couple of poor results away from slipping into a relegation battle, so they need their no.1 left-back available this weekend. Both the manager and the fans must be buzzing.

AND in other news, Raphinha snubs fresh Leeds United contract talks…

Liverpool ran riot against Leeds United in the Premier League on Wednesday night as they ramped up the pressure on current leaders Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp’s side blew away the Whites 6-0 at Anfield, with a comprehensively clinical performance, seeing both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane net twice, and centre-backs Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk also getting in on the goal-scoring action themselves.

While Salah and Mane will once again take much of the headlines, and rightly so, one man who surely had Klopp nodding in approval was Curtis Jones.

The 21-year-old has had an injury-disrupted campaign at Anfield this season, making just ten appearances in the Premier League, and that only amounting to 638 minutes of football in the competition.

Wednesday night’s return to the starting line-up was his first appearance since playing against Leicester right at the beginning of this month, and while he hardly set the world alight with his display against Leeds, he certainly showed why he could be a really valuable member of this squad heading into these final few months of the season.

As per Sofascore, he won ten of his 12 duels on the night which was the joint-most of any player on the pitch alongside Luis Diaz, and his tenacity to press high and force Leeds into mistakes led to a number of good opportunities for the hosts.

He completed every single one of his seven attempted dribbles – again the most of any player and by far the best success rate – provided one key pass, and drew three fouls too as his quick feet and ability to beat Leeds’ press shone through.

And, writing in her player ratings for This is Anfield, Joanna Durkan gave Jones a seven, saying: “Understandably rusty and did keep hold of the ball for too long at times, but in equal measure readily triggered the press and got the Reds into good advanced positions as a result.

“Took it up a notch in the second, notably outmuscling Harrison and driving into the box and could have gone for it himself instead of looking to set up Salah.”

With the Reds still in the Carabao Cup final, well-placed in the Champions League, and still battling for titles in both the FA Cup and Premier League too, Klopp will need his entire squad fit and firing.

Jones’ performance surely had his manager raving after coming in from the recent cold.

Meanwhile, this Liverpool star has seen his value soar…

New Everton boss Frank Lampard has already brought through a number of youth team players despite his relatively short time spent as a head coach after stints at Derby County and Chelsea.

While Anthony Gordon has already made giant strides this season and is showing great potential, Lampard will likely also be looking to find his new Mason Mount, someone who can create from deep but also play across the attacking-midfield positions too.

Bristol City’s 18-year-old sensation Alex Scott could be that man, after showing some incredible development across this season and turning into one of the Championship’s finest prospects – the same league where Lampard gave Mount his first minutes in English league football.

What’s the news?

According to the Daily Mail, Everton are just one team on a lengthy list of clubs interested in acquiring the teenager’s services in the summer, including the likes of Tottenham, West Ham and Leicester.

While Spurs are now believed to be the ‘front-runners’ for Scott’s signature, the possibility of working with Lampard, who himself was a world-class complete midfielder that loved to attack, would surely be tempting.

Lampard must develop youth

Dubbed the “the next Grealish” by a prominent West Ham insider also reporting the story, the England U19 international is a technically sound and versatile player, who has scored three goals and set up another two in 28 appearances, as well as winning over 50% of his duels across the season and averaging around 74% for completed passes.

Thus, with his ability to score and create consistently, comparisons with Mount start to emerge, someone that Lampard played a pivotal role in developing.

Should Scott choose the Toffees in the summer, he could well become another one of the top young players in the Premier League under the stewardship of the former Chelsea legend.

Furthermore, with the prospect having a market valuation currently at £270k (albeit Bristol City are likely to demand far more than that), not only could Everton gain a future profit, but the signing could facilitate the sales of current deadwood like Fabian Delph and Andre Gomes, who are on far too high wages for the amount of playing time they receive.

The likes of Marc Guehi, Tariq Lamptey and Fikayo Tomori were all developed by Lampard during his time at Stamford Bridge, and have since made permanent moves to top tier clubs for a combined £45m.

If Lampard could replicate this at Everton, who have had close runs with financial fair play troubles this season, he would not only surely re-establish himself as one of the top up-and-coming managers in world football, but also potentially begin to turn things around at the club.

In other news: Everton’s “embarrassing” £34m mistake could now finally be revitalised under Lampard

Aston Villa were rather busy during the previous January and summer transfer windows in terms of bringing new players to the club after Jack Grealish made his record-breaking £100m move to the reigning Premier League champions and current leaders Manchester City back in August.

Looking ahead to the next summer window, it seems as though one of Villa’s recent recruits could be set to call time on his time at the club.

What’s the news?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones had this to say about the summer transfer window and the future of Villa winger Leon Bailey.

He said: “Bailey I’m not so sure about. I think that he really could be moved on in the summer in the right circumstances.”

Fans would be gutted

Since arriving at the Midlands club back in the previous summer transfer window from German club Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth a reported fee of £25m, the winger has made just 12 appearances for the Villans in the Premier League, starting four of them with just one goal and two assists to his name.

In fairness to the £85k-per-week Bailey, injuries have hampered the Jamaican’s time with Steven Gerrard’s side and have kept him out of action for periods of the campaign which have led to his lack of starts in the league, the latest of which being a thigh issue that sidelined him from early-December to February.

Even though the 24-year-old has struggled in getting some consistent run of form under his belt so far this season, it would be a shame to see the club cut their losses on the attacker after just one year as a Villa player.

Given his fairly young age and the attacking option that he can provide for Gerrard as well as the hefty £25m fee the Villans shelled out for him, it’s safe to assume that a lot of supporters would also not want to see him leave prematurely if they don’t feel he’s had a substantial chance of being successful at the club.

After all, this is a player labelled as someone that “can do anything” by former Leverkusen coach Heiko Herrlich, and judging by his potential, it would be a howler to lose him after getting very minimal returns for their expenditure.

Bailey will undoubtedly be hoping that he can force himself back into the team, which he hasn’t been able to do since he recovered from his latest injury, and keep his fitness up for the remainder of the campaign to show Gerrard what he can do and why he deserves to have a future at Villa Park.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops behind-the-scenes AVFC claim that’ll leave Villa Park buzzing – opinion

Andrew Dickson was left slamming Glen Kamara after his part in a goal conceded by Glasgow Rangers in their Scottish Premiership clash at lunchtime.

The Lowdown: Early setback

After going 1-0 up early on at Motherwell, the Ibrox faithful were dealt a setback when Leon Balogun was given a straight red card just before the half-hour mark.

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The hosts then equalised through Ross Tierney, before Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team eventually got a grip on the game in the second half.

The Latest: Kamara slammed

Taking to Twitter, Scottish football journalist Dickson slammed Kamara after Tierney’s goal, claiming that it was an ‘all-round shambles’ from him as he put unnecessary pressure on his side:

“That was an all-round shambles from Glen Kamara. Rangers have gone from being very comfortable to on the ropes in five minutes.”

The Verdict: Not his best

That moment from Kamara was certainly not his best in a Light Blues shirt, as he was guilty of dwelling on the ball when he should have really just cleared his lines.

That was one of eight occasions that he gave the ball away cheaply, while he also lost three of his duels, made no clearances and failed to block any shots on his goal (SofaScore).

Lucky for the Finland international, the Teddy Bears won the match anyway, but van Bronckhorst will surely be concerned about his midfield maestro going into their first leg against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Europa League.

In other news, find out what ‘huge blow’ has now emerged for the Gers here!

Leeds United have been dealt yet another blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League meeting with Arsenal this weekend.

What’s the latest?

In comments made after the 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday (via Leeds Live), Mikel Arteta revealed that Bukayo Saka – who appeared to be withdrawn in the 87th minute of the clash with a knock – should be available for selection for Sunday’s fixture at The Emirates, as the 20-year-old was only suffering from fatigue.

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Concerning the fitness of the England international, Arteta said: “Bukayo was fine, he was really fatigued and he has been through a little injury as well.”

Marsch will be fuming

Considering just how impressive Saka has been for Arsenal this season, the news that the winger looks as if he will be fit to face Leeds this weekend is sure to have left Jesse Marsch fuming.

Indeed, over his 34 Premier League appearances this term, the £58.5m-rated forward has been in electric form, bagging 11 goals – one of which came against Leeds – registering six assists and creating eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £30k-per-week sensation average a SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as Arteta’s best player in the top flight of English football.

As such, it is clear for all to see that, should Saka indeed be fit to face the Whites this weekend, it will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Marsch’s chances of leaving north London with all three points in tow.

And, following the injuries sustained by both Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas last weekend, the suggestion that Saka will be lining up against Leeds on Sunday is yet another setback the 48-year-old manager and his side have to find a way of dealing with in their fight to secure Premier League survival this season.

AND in other news: Victor Orta could “pick up a real gem” with Leeds bid for “complete” 17 G/A sensation

Harry Kane was left a mere passenger as Tottenham Hotspur held out for a draw against title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening.

Perhaps it was a by-product of the way Antonio Conte set up his side but the England skipper struggled to have any sort of influence on the game as a late, deflected Luiz Diaz strike salvaged a point for the home side.

Heung-min Son had opened the scoring in typical fashion, slotting home from six yards out after Ryan Sessegnon squared the ball across the box for his 20th Premier League goal of the season.

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But in lasting the whole 90 minutes, Kane was pretty anonymous barring one or two flashes at goal. He registered the fewest touches of any Spurs starter (35), three less than goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (38), who was also much better in possession.

Indeed, the £90m-rated talisman made only 50% of his passes, attempting just 18 all match. By comparison, Lloris made 20 successful passes, which includes goal kicks and was more than Kane’s overall attempts, via SofaScore.

Kane also struggled to make much of an impact inside the box, failing to register a single shot on or off target, with his only effort being blocked.

Meanwhile, from his 35 touches, he lost possession 16 times, meaning he gifted the ball back to Jurgen Klopp’s Reds once every two times he had the ball, which was also once every 5.6 minutes.

The 28-year-old striker is in a rough patch right now, scoring just once in his last seven league outings but he’s always going to struggle to find the net if he’s only seeing the ball every five or six minutes – he certainly won’t get on the scoresheet without a shot on target either.

As The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick wrote in his post-match ratings column, the Lilywhites forward was ‘a yard off the pace, which hampered Spurs’ ability to play on the counter,’ whilst he was among Alasdair Gold’s worst-rated starters, too.

Kane may have had a big part to play in Son’s opener, providing a sublime pass to Sessegnon out wide but aside from that, he was left a shadow of his goalscoring best.

The Englishman was once dubbed a “monster” by his South Korean teammate for his efforts in a 4-1 win over this very team back in 2017, so to deliver this sort of performance is a big contrast.

Fewer touches than the goalkeeper, no shots on target – Kane certainly suffered as a striker at Anfield but that’s not his fault, given the way Conte set up his side this weekend.

AND in other news, Forget Son: “Sensational” Spurs titan who had 11 clearances stole the show at Anfield…

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona midfielder Nico Gonzalez this summer, according to a report from Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Rising star

A graduate of the famous La Masia academy in Catalonia, Gonzalez has amassed 78 appearances across all levels for the Spanish giants.

Following a La Liga debut under Ronald Koeman in a 4-2 victory over Real Sociedad, the 20-year-old has made 37 outings for the senior side and has quickly become a regular feature under club legend Xavi.

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However, despite an apparent emergence into the big time, the Spanish sensation could be set to depart the Camp Nou already…

The latest: Wanderers ‘very interested’

As per Sport, translated by SW, Wolves are believed to be ‘very interested’ in the three-cap Spanish Under 21 starlet.

It’s claimed that there is uncertainty about Gonzalez’s future in Spain as the club holds an ‘internal debate’ on whether or not to cash in this summer.

The report states that super-agent Jorge Mendes, who has close connections with Molineux, is involved in the dealings for the midfielder hailed by Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta as possessing ‘brutal talent’.

The verdict: Star signing

So far this season, Gonzalez has scored twice and provided two assists in 37 appearances across all competitions for Barca, earning a stylistic comparison to the likes of Borussia Dortmund superstar Jude Bellingham, Manchester City ace Bernado Silva and highly-rated Barcelona teammate Pedri (FBref).

Predominantly operating as a box-to-box central midfielder, the Spaniard can also play in a deeper-lying role as well as in wide positions, levels of versatility that would be a welcome addition to Bruno Lage’s squad.

Whilst the future of Ruben Neves remains in the balance amidst interest from Barcelona and beyond, Wolves should certainly remain attentive to the possibility of signing Gonzalez regardless.

In other news, Wolves have been backed to sign a Premier League attacker this summer. Find out who it is here.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Hugo Ekitike heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Magpies have not stopped trying to snap the attacker up since they failed to bring him in back in January.

A deadline day move for the striker fell through on deadline day and PIF have been working on an agreement to sign him ahead of 2022/23 ever since.

Romano Tweeted: “Hugo Ekitike is back to full fitness after injury and he’s now prepared for an important summer: Newcastle have been working on this deal since January, he’s a top target but Borussia Dortmund are now pushing. BVB have Ekitike in their list to replace Haaland.”

Supporters will love him

The Toon supporters will love Ekitike at St. James’ Park as he is an exciting young centre-forward with quality and potential.

90min reporter Graeme Bailey claimed in January that “many in France believe he could be the next Mbappe” and Toby Cudworth added that PSG sees him as a “possible successor” to the France international.

Given that Mbappe has 25 goals and 17 assists in 33 Ligue 1 outings this season, this is high praise for the Stade Reims attacker and highlights how impressive he has been in his home country throughout the campaign.

The 19-year-old has racked up nine goals and three assists in 14 starts in the league, which is a phenomenal return for a player of his age. Meanwhile, no Newcastle player has scored more than six in the Premier League, suggesting that he would be an immediate upgrade on the current options on Tyneside.

He has proven that he can deliver in the final third with goals and assists at the top level and is a player who can perform in the here and now whilst also holding the potential to improve further.

Ekitike still has the majority of his career ahead of him, barring injuries, and has the scope to develop further as he gains more experience. Eddie Howe can work with him on the training pitch to hone his skills and help him to fulfil his potential.

Therefore, the fans would love the Frenchman at Newcastle as he would be an exciting addition to the squad, both in terms of what he can offer on the pitch next season and what he could do in the future for the club.

AND in other news, “They expect..”: NUFC closing in on colossal summer signing, supporters will be elated…