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Celtic signed no fewer than six players during the summer transfer window but it seems one name escaped their grasp – for the time being at least…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, the defending Scottish champions could revisit their pursuit of Charlton Athletic starlet Alfie Doughty, either in January or next year.

He claims that the club are playing the long game after having bids knocked back throughout the last few months.

It’s been previously claimed that the Hoops had at least two offers rejected in September and that they had been planning to offer £800k for him in a third ploy, but evidently, that did not come to fruition.

The 20-year-old could be signed on a pre-contract for free in the winter window.

Lawwell masterclass

Neil Lennon did get an addition in the wing-back position having landed AC Milan outcast Diego Laxalt on loan, though that is merely a temporary switch at this stage which means he could be in the same scenario next summer.

And waiting for it too all unfold over the young League One winger could prove to be a masterstroke from Celtic chief Peter Lawwell as instead of paying close to seven figures for what could be a generational talent, he may well get him for free in the next three to nine months.

Doughty has begun the season in superb form for the Addicks, scoring one goal in four league starts whilst also averaging 2.8 tackles, two key passes, 1.8 dribbles and 1.3 shots per game, via WhoScored.

This makes him seem like the ideal man for that left wing-back position long-term.

Former Kingstonian boss Leigh Dynan gave the youngster his debut in the men’s game, and once dubbed Doughty a “tremendous footballer” with a “big future” before also adding: “There’s a diamond there to be polished. I can assure you that.”

Lawwell’s shrewd stance could mean that it’s the Bhoys’ diamond to polish and by the time he arrives at Parkhead, he may well have enjoyed a full season under his belt – another plus for Lennon.

They must revisit this deal in January.

AND in other news, Brendan Rodgers flop has finally found his feet…

Many Sunderland fans have reacted with outrage after a statement from the club over season tickets refunds for the games missed due to the 2019/2020 season being curtailed.

The Wearside club saw their season come to an abrupt end as the League One season was ended via a points-per-game system.

Finishing eighth in the table, the Black Cats missed out on the chance to gain promotion to the Championship, the second successive year in which they have fallen short in that aim.

Stadium of Light season ticket holders missed a total of three home games due to the curtailment of the season and a recent announcement by the club has seemingly upset those fans.

The latest announcement made by Sunderland revealed that those fans with season ticket cards for the 2019/20 campaign will not be refunded until August at the earliest. The Black Cats outlined the process for supporters who were looking to gain refunds for the games missed against Shrewsbury Town, Accrington Stanley and Peterborough United.

“Sunderland AFC would like to thank supporters for their continued patience and advise them of the following details relating to the 2019-20 refund process,” the club statement read.“As previously announced, all season card holders are entitled to a pro-rata refund for the club’s cancelled home fixtures against Shrewsbury Town, Accrington Stanley and Peterborough United.“And supporters that purchased single match tickets for the club’s remaining games – home and away – are entitled to a full refund.“The refund process will take place via the following phases:“PHASE ONE: Home match tickets – 6 July ‘til 17 July“PHASE TWO: Away match tickets – 27 July ‘til 7 August“PHASE THREE: Season cards – 17 August ‘til 28 August“If a supporter is eligible for a refund, a credit balance will be applied to the ‘Account Cashback’ section within their online ticketing account in line with the dates above.“This process applies to all ticket purchases, including those made in person, by cash payment and via Direct Debit.“After logging in, supporters must enter the bank details they wish to use for the refund transaction before the expiry of each phase, after which point all cashback refunds will be processed.“Meanwhile, our commercial team are currently in the process of contacting our commercial clients in order to talk through the options available to them.“The Stadium of Light Box Office remains closed to the public and further information regarding its re-opening will be announced in due course.“We would like to once again thank supporters for their continued patience and understanding throughout what remains an incredibly challenging time for us all.”Sunderland Echo reported the view of fans following the announcement which saw a large number of season ticket holders take to social media to criticise the club statement.

This is another kick in the teeth for Sunderland fans from the club, who simply cannot seem to get anything right at the moment. One must wonder how hard it could be for the club to refund season ticket holders now rather than making them wait until August, a further blow to supporters who have been deprived of three home matches.

Unfortunately, reimbursing those would hurt Sunderland financially but there is also the trade-off of the loss of goodwill from what seems an excessively prudent approach by the club.

What do you make of Sunderland’s latest season ticket decision? Let us know in the comments section below…

Tottenham Hotspur defender Juan Foyth wants to remain in north London to fight for a place in the first team, according to The Athletic as per @HotspurRelated. 

Tottenham correspondent Charlie Eccleshare revealed Foyth has not held talks with the club over his future. despite reported interest from Leeds United.

The 22-year-old Argentine defender was once considered a prodigy of former boss Mauricio Pochettino, but has fallen out of favour with his successor Jose Mourinho, having featured just twice for the first team since the Portuguese took over from Pochettino back in November.

Foyth failed to register a single goal or assist in the Premier League last term, playing four games in the top flight, making 1.8 tackles and completing less than one clearance on average per game (via WhoScored).

However, Mourinho heaped plenty of praise on the 10-cap Argentina international after he made the most of a rare start with an impressive performance in the Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.

Speaking to The Evening Standard at the time, the Portuguese said “he was very stable, very solid, very calm. He played very very well.”

While there is no doubt he has bags of talent, his Spurs career has been littered with errors so far.

As it stands, it seems as though Foyth has no way forward if he stays where he is, as he has found chances hard to come by under Mourinho.

Although he might not like to admit it, a loan or permanent transfer may be best for everyone involved at this stage of his career. It is ultimately up to Daniel Levy to decide his next move, but the Spurs chairman could be forced to sell him this summer anyway to comply with UEFA squad rules.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sell Foyth? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Arsenal should do everything that they can to sell Mohamed Elneny as he has threatened to derail a potential transfer deal with Turkish outfit Besiktas, as per Askam.

According to Hurriyet (via Askam), the defensive midfield player, who issued a warning to the administration on the grounds that he could not get a  €1.3 million debt, has tied the hand of Besiktas, who were experiencing economic difficulties.

Elneny, who said that he would not play the remaining eight games of the season if he did not get his debts on top of this, drew an ultimatum to Besiktas, as per Askam. The 27-year-old, who said he could leave the team, may not be in the team in the remaining matches if he does not receive his money. However, the football player continues to negotiate on salary.

Indeed, Elneny has made 28 appearances in all competitions so far in Turkey, making two assists, as per Transfermarkt.

However, he is due to return to north London after his loan spell is finished, where it will be up to Mikel Arteta and the board as to what they would like to do with him.

The Egyptian international has never really nailed down a place in the Gunners’ starting eleven. He has made 89 appearances in all competitions over five campaigns, but has never featured in more than 14 Premier League games in one term (via Transfermarkt).

He is also technically not Arteta’s man, and arguably has the likes of Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi to try and overtake in his position.

The Spanish coach should look to sell Elneny to raise some possibly needed extra funds for the transfer kitty in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Gooners, would you sell Elneny? Comment below!

Former Sunderland man Ethan Robson is gaining plenty of interest after his contract came to an end at the Stadium of Light.

With the 2019/20 season abruptly ended for the Black Cats, a large number of first team players saw their contracts expire. Joining the likes of Jon McLaughlin and Tom Flanagan in running down their contracts was Robson, who joined the Wearsiders back in 2004 as a youngster.

Allowed to leave the club this summer, the 23-year-old midfielder ends a 16-year stint at the Stadium of Light in which he made a total of 14 first team appearances and 62 for the club’s under-23 side.

Spending part of the 2019/20 season on loan with League Two side Grimsby Town, Robson is now said to be gaining interest from a number of Sunderland’s League One rivals.

As per the Sunderland Echo, the 23-year-old has said upon his release earlier this week: “I’ve had a lot of interest. I think the big thing is going to be the restart date. When there’s officially a restart date I think there’ll be a lot more offers around.

“I’ve had some which is good, there are options. I’ve had interest from League One and League Two, and there are some teams in the Scottish Premier League who are interested.  It’s definitely exciting times. I want to cement my place in a team next season and push on.”

It seems mystifying that, having come all the way through the academy ranks to make the first team, Sunderland would not seek to keep Robson on board.

It is completely baffling that the club would not be willing to hand him a shot at first team football at the Stadium of Light, especially when Phil Parkinson is hastily trying to assemble a squad to finally get out of League One next season.

Do you think Sunderland should have kept hold of Robson? Let us know in the comments section below…

Crystal Palace have reportedly received a boost in their pursuit of Rangers star striker Alfredo Morelos.

What’s the word?

Morelos has been linked with a move to the Eagles for a number of months now.

They were linked with a £20m January swoop in October 2019, but an official bid was never publicly revealed.

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The Colombia international remains at Ibrox but, according to a recent report from Goal, the Scottish giants are already preparing for life without the prolific attacker.

The report claims that the club are acutely aware of that fact it will be difficult to retain the striker in the next transfer window, and the club are forming a contingency plan to deal with that eventuality.

Swansea’s Rhian Brewster and former Sunderland striker Josh Maja form a shortlist of five strikers who are being considered as potential replacements for Morelos.

Coveted asset

While the news is undoubtedly a major boost for Palace in their pursuit, the extent of interest in Morelos’ services will provide some cause for concern.

Having scored 77 goals in 129 games for Rangers, the 23-year-old has established himself as a coveted talent, commanding interest from Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Leicester City and Inter Milan, per the same report.

And, given Morelos is attracting interest from Inter and Atletico, two clubs who are regulars in the Champions League, there is no doubt Roy Hodgson and the rest of the Palace hierarchy would pull off a major coup if they can bring the hot-headed attacker to south London.

Rangers’ talisman has been sent off on a total of seven occasions in his career and has a tendency to let his emotions get the better of him, which presumably could influence how many of the interested clubs translate their admiration into a concrete offer.

His goal scoring record, however, suggests it could be a risk worth taking for Palace amid their recent struggles at centre-forward.

Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to discuss the latest update on rumoured transfer target Baptiste Santamaria.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding football at the moment, and whether seasons will end up getting finished, that hasn’t stopped clubs being linked with whole hosts of players ahead of the summer transfer window.

And one man who Spurs have been linked to in recent weeks and months has been Angers midfielder, Santamaria.

Now, according to Italian publication AreaNapoli, he could now be available for just €10-€15m (£8.6m-£13m) this summer, with a switch to England still remaining his “first choice” ahead of potential moves to Italy or Spain.

After hearing the latest update on Santamaria – who has also been heavily linked with Everton and Leicester – Spurs fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on a possible swoop for the 25-year-old.

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

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

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Dries Mertens on a free transfer when his contract comes to an end in the summer, as reported by Il Mattino (via Sport Witness).

They are set to battle with Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus and Internazionale to get the 32-year-old on their books ahead of next season.

This could be a brilliant move if the Gunners pull it off, due to the fact that they would be getting someone who made 27 goal contributions in the league last campaign.

He has carried on his prolific touch this season, getting 7 goals across 12 starts and 3 substitute appearances in Serie A and the Champions League.

While this could definitely be a positive sign for the club, it would send the completely wrong message to Gabriel Martinelli.

The 18-year-old has been a revelation since joining the Gunners from Ituano in the summer, scoring 7 goals and getting 1 assist in 5 starts and 4 substitute appearances across all competitions.

This is a very impressive return, considering his age and how new he is to the club.

His electric opening suggests he will eventually be rewarded further down the line with a more prominent role in the team in the Premier League.

But with both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette already ahead of him in the pecking order, a move for Mertens would add an extra layer of intensity to the competition.

Therefore, seeing Arsenal bring in somebody like Mertens, who would likely get in the team ahead of him due to the aforementioned goal statistics, would surely be demoralising for the Brazilian.

It is important that Martinelli is not hyped up too much just yet but there is enough evidence to suggest he’s a player with the potential to make a profound impact in north London.

The Gunners should be looking to mould him into someone who can lead the line for years to come, rather than bringing someone in who will block his route into the first-team.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino will be “fuming” at Dele Alli, per Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan.

What’s he said?

The England international has been a key member of Jose Mourinho’s squad in his first two games as manager in north London.

Alli scored against Olympiacos in the Champions League and also used some excellent footwork to set up Serge Aurier’s strike, Spurs’ third of the evening.

The England international was also instrumental in the club’s 3-2 win over West Ham United at the weekend, playing a major role in Lucas Moura’s goal and providing the assist for Son Heung-min’s strike.

But Whelan believes that he was disinterested under Pochettino, who was sacked last week.

He said: “You can imagine Poch is fuming. Alli looked disinterested and average for over a year. Mourinho comes in and suddenly he looks a different player.

“He’ll be thinking, ‘what’s going on, why didn’t he play like that for me?’

“The thing is, good players bounce back from blips. Dele Alli has had a difficult time in his career and his performances have been ropey for a long time.

“When players as good as him have a dip in form, it is noticeable. He was integral to the wins and looks hungry and confident again.

“Sometimes a change of manager actually does breathe new life into top players.”

A simple tweak

Alli has merely been trusted to play as a No.10.

Under Pochettino, he was routinely deployed on the flanks – according to those matches in which Transfermarkt have recorded his position for – and tasked with drifting inside, instead of collecting the ball in a pocket of space and looking to provide a killer pass.

It is a simple tweak and yet it has seen Alli enjoy two genuinely excellent displays.

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Pochettino could well have made that change, too, but continued to pick Christian Eriksen for the role, despite his own sub-par performances.

Before Mourinho’s appointment, the Dane had registered just two assists in all competitions.

If the Argentine is going to be “fuming” at anyone, it should be the man in the mirror.

Meanwhile, there’s one man at Tottenham who should be fearing for his future. 

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

Liverpool’s defence was the best in the Premier League last season.

Their front three has been exceptional for some time now, but improvements at the back saw them step up to the next level as they finished second in the Premier League by just one point and became European champions.

However, their defence may be about to become a whole lot weaker if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the story?

90min report that Joe Gomez is considering leaving Anfield due to his lack of gametime.

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The centre-back has appeared in just three Premier League games this term, so it’s easy to sympathise with his frustrations.

Spurs and Arsenal are apparently interested in the 22-year-old, but Liverpool should do everything in their power to keep him.

Can’t let him go

Gomez is an incredibly talented young defender, and Liverpool can’t afford to let him go.

Just to show how good Gomez is, despite struggling with injuries over the past two years, Liverpool kept 11 clean sheets in the 16 league games he appeared in last term.

Ever wondered how modern day skills would cope with the world’s oldest football? Find out in the video below…

That’s a clean sheet rate of 68.75%, which is absolutely incredible.

Liverpool’s strength at the back is what catapulted them from being just a top four side to being genuine contenders at the highest levels, and if that is stripped back at all they may revert to where they once were.

If Gomez goes, that leaves the Reds with Dejan Lovren deputising for both Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk, and the proof is there to suggest Lovren isn’t good enough to be a key component for any team wanting to win silverware, as he was a part of a shaky backline that plagued Liverpool before van Dijk’s arrival.

Jurgen Klopp must make assurances to the former Charlton man about his gametime and his future at the club, because if he is allowed to leave the Anfield outfit may regret it for years to come.