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There is a phenomenal feeling about Nottingham Forest at the moment.

Steve Cooper has worked his magic at the City Ground and they now sit right on the cusp of a play-off place in the Championship.

What’s sparked that is a wonderful run of form throughout 2021, with Forest losing just a single game in the league this calendar year as they time their run towards a potential place at Wembley just perfectly.

To see such a historic outfit back in the top-flight would be quite the sight and it would be interesting to see whether they’d be able to keep the likes of Joe Worrall, Brennan Johnson or Djed Spence in their ranks as a result.

The trio have been outstanding this season and Spence, in particular, has finally filled the vacant area left behind by Matty Cash following his move to Aston Villa.

Yet, speaking of full-backs, it is apparent that Forest nearly had one of the brightest talents of a generation in their ranks all the way back in 2009.

That just so happens to be Gareth Bale, an individual who transitioned from a flying wing-back into a devastating and dynamic offensive weapon.

Over ten years ago now, Bale was struggling to get in the side at Tottenham and was the subject of a £2m bid from Nottingham Forest for his services.

A move came pretty close too but it unfortunately eventually fell away. Recalling negotiations in 2013, Clive Allen commented: “It did go pretty close.

“I know there were discussions between the clubs. The clubs had agreed the potential of the move, so it was something that he had to think about.”

Sadly for the Garibaldi, a move never materialised and they were left to wonder what if.

Bale eventually broke into the Tottenham team and was a revelation, scoring 72 goals and registering 61 assists for the Lilywhites.

He would then travel to Real Madrid in a then world-record move worth £85m and since that moment, his career has been nothing short of remarkable.

The Wales international has won the Champions League four times, has picked up two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and four Club World Cups too. Furthermore, the 32-year-old has found the back of the net on 106 occasions, scoring some quite magical goals in the process too.

Who could forget the moment he took Marc Bartra to the cleaners or his absurd overhead kick goal that beat Loris Karius in the Champions League final.

He has also represented his country at two major tournaments and is on the verge of securing a third following a stunning free-kick against Austria last week. It was trademark Bale who stepped up, sent the ball fizzing over the wall and then into the top corner.

The veteran has done that on countless occasions for club and country, but the Forest fans never got to see him turn out for them.

It’s enough to provoke a sense of regret with the Madrid star being hailed as “legendary” and as a “messiah” to Wales by writer Megan Feringa.

Those two words aptly describe him and although it’s unlikely Forest would have been able to keep hold of him anyway, it was a mistake not to do more in order to bring him in.

AND in other news, Cooper can finally axe Forest “bulldog” by signing “very impressive” £135k-rated gem…

Manchester United’s dismal start to the campaign has led to ever-increasing pressure mounting on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with his days appearing numbered in the Old Trafford dugout.

The Red Devils have already lost six games in all competitions, have exited the Carabao Cup and sit nine points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.

As a result, several star names have been linked with replacing the under-fire Solskjaer at United’s helm, including Ralf Rangnick, the current sporting director of Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow.

Rangnick is a renowned footballing brain, responsible for revolutionising modern German tactics, founding gegenpressing and inspiring a wave of elite tacticians in his homeland.

The likes of Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Naglesmann have all based their philosophies off of the 63-year-old’s principles, highlighting the influence he has had over the beautiful game.

His high-intensity, pressing-focussed style is based around tactically intelligent, mobile players commonly deployed in a 4-2-2-2 shape that drops into a 4-4-2 when out of possession.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects United to look under Rangnick, should he replace Solskjaer over the coming months…

Despite David de Gea’s impressive start to the current campaign, Rangnick’s sides require a sweeper-keeper due to their high defensive line, meaning the more proactive Dean Henderson would likely be preferred to the Spaniard.

Ahead of the 24-year-old would be a familiar back four, but with one significant change.

While Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane would almost certainly keep their places, Diogo Dalot could complete the defensive unit ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka due to his superior attacking prowess.

The engine room would likely feature some fresh faces too. Fred’s ability to win the ball back and dispossess opponents would be highly regarded by Rangnick, and Donny van de Beek’s mobility and tactical nouse, something that saw him dubbed “very clever” by Juan Mata, could see him become a regular starter.

However, it’s in attack where Rangnick would have the biggest and most controversial decisions to make.

Jadon Sancho displayed an impressive understanding of pressing during his Borussia Dortmund days under the tutelage of Lucien Favre, meaning he could get the nod over Mason Greenwood, with Marcus Rashford on the opposite flank.

And Cristiano Ronaldo’s inability to press from the front means Edinson Cavani would be guaranteed to feature from the off alongside Bruno Fernandes, dropping the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to the bench.

And, in other news…“Talks on..”: Journalist issues big Man Utd manager update, fans will be buzzing 

Celtic have been dealt a fresh injury concern ahead of their upcoming Europa League fixture.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Ben Dinnery, with the injury expert claiming in a recent interview with Football Insider that Stephen Welsh’s facial injury picked up against St. Johnstone in the League Cup semi-final could see him ruled out for a number of months – if the knock is bad enough to require surgery.

Speaking about the 21-year-old’s injury, Dinnery said: “If we are talking a severe break, surgical intervention is often recommended. There could alternatively be a minor fracture. Those will often heal without the need for surgical intervention.

“Otherwise, it might just be a case of pain management. The difficulty with that is that football is a contact sport. You don’t really want to take any chances because something trivial or minor could be exacerbated.

“In that case, instead of looking at weeks, you’re looking at months. You may need wires or plates inserted into your jaw if you do end up needing surgery.”

Postecoglou would be livid

While a recent report claimed that Welsh did not suffer a concussion in the coming together with Shaun Rooney, something that would appear to suggest the centre-back’s injury is not that serious, should the Scotland international’s knock indeed turn out to be a fracture, Ange Postecoglou would undoubtedly be livid.

Indeed, over his five Scottish Premiership appearances so far this season, the £1.08m-rated man has highly impressed for the Bhoys, helping his side keep two clean sheets and registering one assist, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 2.2 clearances and winning 6.2 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 21-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 7.12, ranking him as Postecoglou’s joint 11th-best performer in the league.

However, not only would Welsh’s absence result in Celtic losing one of their most exciting young talents, but it would also provide the 56-year-old with a real selection headache in the heart of his defence, with the Bhoys manager potentially only being left with the options of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Osaze Urhoghide and Liam Scales for a fixture against Bayer Leverkusen in which a loss could see the Hoops dumped out of the Europa League.

In other news: Celtic dealt big transfer blow, Ange will surely be fuming

Said Benrahma is surely facing the axe from David Moyes’ starting XI as his West Ham United side travel across London to face Arsenal later this evening.

The Irons have hit a rough patch in their season, with their impressive win against Chelsea being their only one across their last four games in all competitions.

It has seen their place inside the Premier League’s top-four put in grave danger as the chasing pack have narrowed the gap on them.

The Gunners will be no easy test, particularly as they are one of the many teams right behind them in the standings – indeed, a win for the home side could see them leapfrog the east Londoners today.

As such, it leaves Moyes with several decisions to make in terms of team selection after the Hammers drew 0-0 to a struggling Burnley side at the weekend.

West Ham’s futile frontline could only muster up three shots on target, with there being a substantial lack of creativity in the final third and it was another game in which the Algerian winger struggled.

As per SofaScore, the 26-year-old managed only one key pass and 37 touches of the ball in the 70 minutes he was on the pitch. By comparison, substitute Nikola Vlasic took his rare opportunity and created a whopping three key chances from only 13 touches in just 20 minutes.

Benrahma’s barren run now extends to six league games without a goal or assist, whilst he’s provided only one goal and one assist in his last 14 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

In recent matches against Wolves and Man City, the £22.5m-rated attacker failed to surpass a WhoScored rating of 6.15 and has only recorded better than his 6.88 average for the season just once since the start of October, which suggests his poor form has been a problem and it could be argued that he is now holding the Irons back in the attack.

The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas claimed at the start of the month that his form was “a concern” and this week he doubled up on that by suggesting that he had “been poor lately.”

Meanwhile, club legend Tony Gale suggested that the Hammers winger was “struggling” in that aforementioned clash at Molineux during commentary duties for the Premier League’s official feed.

So as such, it would be wise for Moyes to be ruthless and bold in his team selection and to do so, he must axe the passenger-like Benrahma from the starting XI against the Gunners this evening.

AND in other news, West Ham’s “unbelievable” £18m-rated star drops 5-word hint that’ll have fans buzzing…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Marlon Harewood is refusing to consider Sam Allardyce’s complaints about West Brom’s recent schedule.

The West Brom boss has not been happy with the scheduling of some of the Baggies’ recent fixtures, going as far as to say those working for the Premier League are “helping” the club to get relegated.

Allardyce’s side were made to play Newcastle United last Sunday, 60 hours after taking on Everton, a tight turnaround. Harewood, though, has little sympathy for the ex-England manager, feeling the hectic Premier League schedule is something people should be used to by now.

Reacting to Allardyce’s comments in an Exclusive interview with FFC, Harewood said:

“It’s just crazy. I do find that [crazy], when managers and people moan, obviously you knew the schedule from the beginning of the season, so you have to plan. Everyone has to plan, especially with injuries and stuff, you can’t put it down to injuries. You have a squad, you have a 24-man squad and you play them how you see fit to play them.”

The former West Ham and Aston Villa forward later added: “So like when Sam Allardyce’s talking about stuff like that, because I respect him, because he’s a great manager, but at the same time, you just got to get on with it.”

Next up for West Brom is a trip to Selhurst Park to take on Allardyce’s former side Crystal Palace.

The Eagles’ form in front of goal has not been great of late, blanking in consecutive home games against Fulham and Manchester United before Christian Benteke’s header in their 4-1 defeat to Tottenham last time out.

It is one area the Baggies could try and exploit as they desperately try to pick up some points with time running out for them.

Carlo Ancelotti can still urge Everton to launch a summer swoop for Tariq Lamptey as the Brighton and Hove Albion defender’s season-ending injury should not stop a move.

That’s the view of former England international Kevin Phillips, who has told Football Insider that the right-back may still be on the move at the end of the current campaign.

The Seagulls have confirmed that Lamptey’s campaign is done and dusted, as club staff feel the 20-year-old’s hamstring has not responded to treatment as well as they would have liked and will now need an operation.

Lamptey had visited a specialist at the start of the month after suffering a setback in his recovery, having been expected to be in contention for his first Premier League minutes since December when Brighton hosted Leicester City.

Being ruled out for the remainder of the season could have thrown a spanner into the works for any side wishing to sign Lamptey after The Athletic claimed in January that Everton, Arsenal and Manchester City were not discouraged by the right-back’s new contract.

Phillips does not believe those clubs will see the right-back’s hamstring problems as reason to walk away, as his performances on the south coast rightly attracted their interest.

“He’s a fantastic young player, it’s no surprise that he’s being linked with some big clubs,” the 47-year-old said. “At the end of the day, it’s not dead. Years and years ago it probably would’ve been but nowadays with the medical side of it, you wouldn’t say so.

“The way they bring these players back so quick and the professionalism of those players who want to get back and do things right. I don’t see it as a major issue, if a club wants him now, I don’t think being injured for the rest of the season will damage it at all.

“Not just Everton, he’s been linked with other clubs. I still think he could move on in the summer, injured or not, because he’s a quality player.”

Brighton had been expected to listen to offers for Lamptey at the end of the season despite his new £40,000-per-week contract, providing Albion receive a suitable offer having not upped their asking price from before he penned the deal.

The Liverpool Echo claimed that the fee is in the region of £30m and that Everton staff consider the electric wing-back to be a ‘great talent’, having established himself as one of the Premier League’s in-form right-backs before his crushing injury problems.

Lamptey’s issues not being expected to block a move away from the Amex Stadium should now be seen as a positive for the Toffees, as Ancelotti can persist with bringing the defender to Goodison Park as his Seamus Coleman successor.

Some clubs may baulk at a deal with Lamptey not featuring since mid-December, but that may just free the path for Ancelotti and Marcel Brands to sign a target who had taken the top flight by storm.

In his 11 outings this term, Lamptey provided three assists and scored once – only Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fulham’s Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Tottenham’s Serge Aurier and Leeds’ Stuart Dallas (two each) have scored more from right-back.

Lamptey also ranks sixth in his position, among those who have played five or more times, for accurate crosses per game (0.9), while Coleman and Mason Holgate both offer just 0.3, per WhoScored. The Brighton youngster has also recorded some of the fastest sprints in the top flight this season, clocking 22.8mph at one stage against Newcastle earlier in the campaign.

Accurate crosses from the right-hand side is considered to be a growing concern for Ancelotti as Everton have become heavily lopsided with their efforts, making a swoop for Lamptey evidently worthwhile despite his injury setback.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is eager for Everton to sign a £32.5m-rated titan who top clubs would sign “without thinking twice”…

Lisbon Lion John Hughes has credited Ange Postecoglou with transforming the fortunes at Celtic this season. 

The lowdown: A Green and White resurgence

Appointed in June 2021, the 56-year-old has taken Celtic back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table and to the brink of a 52nd title success.

One of the Greek-Australian’s methods towards success has been utilising smart recruitment by tapping into his experiences in previously unknown markets, namely Japan by raiding the J-League for the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate.

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Now an ex-Celtic Park favourite has joined in on the praise of the manager…

The latest: Hughes impressed

Speaking with Celtic Quick News, the legendary 79-year-old, who made 255 appearances for the Hoops and was nicknamed ‘Yogi’, admitted he had been impressed with the man in the hot seat before tipping further improvements.

“It has been a joy to watch what Ange has done with the team after the wreckage of the previous campaign.

“He has brought in 17 players in both transfer windows and most of his signings have been inspired.

“However, I believe there is a piece of the jigsaw still to be put in place and I have every confidence the manager will rectify the situation in the summer.”

The verdict: More to come…

Given the impressive body of work already in place in such a short period of time, it’s hard to believe that there won’t be yet more developments in the squad following another summer transfer window.

Whilst nobody is expected a mass overhaul at Lennoxtown, the board should back Postecoglou to the hilt to oversee another successful delve into the market.

As for the mystery missing piece of the jigsaw, the Bhoys squad is arguably at its weakest in the central defensive department and even the potential permanent capture of Cameron Carter-Vickers may not suffice, given the injury hell suffered by Christopher Jullien.

Perhaps we could see a new ‘Yogi’ type colossus arrive this summer, but this time in the heart of defence.

In other news, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has been left fuming. Read more here.

At Parkhead, there is a sense that Celtic may need numerous new faces if they’re to reclaim their dominance over Scottish football.

They are 21 points behind Rangers in their quest for ten titles in a row and a this point, not even a couple of signings will be able to bridge the gap.

What’s the word?

One potential signing Celtic are reportedly targeting is young Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi.

The 23-year-old is currently on loan at Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin but the Hoops and Rangers are set to battle it out for his signature, according to 90min.

Awoniyi joined Liverpool in 2015 but after failing to secure a work permit, he has been sent out on six different loan spells to foreign territories.

A work permit in England is becoming increasingly unlikely but the system is different in Scotland so the Old Firm giants have hopes of being able to get him to Glasgow.

Shades of Edouard

Awoniyi has struggled to settle in European football in the past. Prior to the current season, he’d scored just once in Europe’s top five leagues. However, he’s developed nicely this term and he’s now looking like a top prospect.

For Union Berlin, the £8k-per-week earner has netted five times this term and is showing signs of why Liverpool signed him in the first place.

His goal scoring abilities certainly left a lot to be desired in recent years but he’s now demonstrating how capable he is front of goal. Though, the most eye-catching part of his play is undoubtedly his dominating presence when leading the line.

Standing at 6 foot, he is evidently a handful to deal with and that echoes the thoughts of Union sporting director Oliver Ruhnert: “With his physical robustness, his team spirit and work around the box, he should make our attacking game more flexible and further stimulate the attack.”

Indeed, it’s difficult to argue that he hasn’t achieved that. In 2020/21, Awoniyi has won as many as 3.3 duels per game. That accounts for both aerial battles with defenders and 50/50 challenges against the opposition.

Coincidentally, that’s remarkably similar to Odsonne Edouard, someone who has won 3.8 duels per game for Celtic this season.

Edouard uses his sheer power to wonderful effect in the SPFL and as a result, he’s scored plenty of goals – 72 in fact – while on Scottish soil.

Indeed, a passage written by the BBC’s Martin Watt said of Edouard’s style of play. “He [Edouard] developed his athletic potential and his tactical range. Especially regarding the diversity of his moves on the pitch – ball retention, the ability to be unmarked to receive possession to his feet and deep in the opposition half.”

A lot of those skills and attributes can also be attributed to Awoniyi.

Indeed, the duo have both lost possession on a similar amount of occasions this term. Awoniyi has lost it 10.8 times a match compared to the 11.1 occasions Edouard has registered on average.

The challenge for the Liverpool loanee is now finding the net with the same regularity as Edouard. If he can manage that, he’ll be some striker and will likely be fending off offers left, right and centre.

With Edouard continuing to field interest from elsewhere, a January swoop for Awoniyi would be timely. Nick Hammond must complete a deal for the robust goal scorer so the Hoops have a ready-made replacement for if and when Edouard leaves.

AND in other news, Forget Ajer: Hammond can save millions if Celtic unleash rarely-seen “weapon” in 2021…

Manchester United secured second place in the Premier League with a 1-1 draw against Fulham last time out, but it was a far from satisfactory performance from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

The Red Devils took the lead in spectacular, if controversial, style when Edinson Cavani floated the ball over Alphonse Areola from 40 yards out.

Cavani latched onto David de Gea’s long pass downfield after VAR importantly adjudged that the ball had touched Bruno Fernandes on the way through before executing an exquisite lobbed finish that gave the 10,000 fans in attendance something to cheer.

However, despite dominating possession and carving out the better opportunities, United failed to finish Fulham off, and suspect defending allowed Joe Bryan to ghost in at the far post and nod home an equaliser from Bobby Decordova-Reid’s cross.

It was a poor performance all round from the 20-time English champions, but one man who was particularly disappointing, though, was Paul Pogba.

The 28-year-old midfielder has been one of United’s standout performers since the turn of the year, bagging five goals and providing seven assists in all competitions throughout 2021, although Tuesday nights display was certainly one to forget.

As per SofaScore, Pogba received a miserly 6.1/10 rating, which was by far the worst of any player to feature in this midweek encounter.

During the 90 minutes, the France international lost 11 of his 12 ground duels with Scott Parker’s men and won just three of his six aerial duels despite his 6 ft 2 frame.

To top off an extremely below-par display from the star, who takes home a reported £290,000-per-week wage packet, Pogba also failed to complete any of his four dribbles, lost possession 16 times and completed just 50% of his long passes. It was unquestionably the former Juventus man’s worst performance in quite some time, but he has been known to have the odd stinker like this from time to time.

United fans will be hoping it was just another one-off with the Europa League final around the corner, but Pogba clearly let Solskjaer down once again against Fulham.

And, in other news…Woordward masterclass: MUFC must seal £22.5m-rated gem with “excellent left foot” – opinion

West Brom face a mammoth battle to remain in the Premier League this season, and Sam Allardyce’s task isn’t getting any easier as they welcome Manchester United to the Hawthorns this afternoon.

Heading into the encounter, the Baggies are 11 points adrift of safety and have won just once under the 66-year-old since he took over from Slaven Bilic in mid-December.

Albion also hold the unwanted record of being Europe’s leakiest defence while in the English top-flight alone, they have leaked 15 more goals than any other team – 54 goals.

So, what sort of side could we see today? Here’s our predicted XI as well as the latest team and injury news…

There could be as many as four changes from the side that was defeated by Spurs last weekend, including a debut for January arrival, Celta Vigo loanee Okay Yokuslu.

The 26-year-old could sit at the base of midfield alongside fellow winter signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles with Matheus Pereira returning to the starting fold in a slightly more advanced role.

It means Romaine Sawyers and Chelsea loan starlet Conor Gallagher are in line to face the chop, as a result.

Back in defence, Allardyce could bring Darnell Furlong back into the mix over Lee Peltier at right-back.

However, the rest of the back four, namely Semi Ajayi, Kyle Bartley and Conor Townsend should remain untouched in front of impressive goalkeeper and arguably the only shining light this season, Sam Johnstone.

Robert Snodgrass, another Allardyce addition, should keep his place on the flank but we may see Callum Robinson replace Karlan Grant.

The £9m-rated forward has seen his position put at risk following the signing of Mbaye Diagne, who will once again start up top for the Baggies.

It means club captain Jake Livermore will have to settle for a place on the bench for the second successive league outing, whilst Matty Phillips and Hal Robson-Kanu are too substitute options.

AND in other news, Waste of money: West Brom’s “competitive animal” proving to be a big Dowling disaster…